I’ve been visiting theme parks my entire life and covering them as part of my actual job for many years. However, between not living close to every theme park in the world and also not having infinite money, there are still a lot of parks I’ve never seen and many that I haven’t seen during every conceivable season. Thus, I was very excited to finally visit Universal Orlando Resort during the holidays for the first time. I would say it was worth the wait, except now that I’m annoyed I waited this long.
Just about any theme park is better this time of year. Last year, I visited Disney World during the holiday season and fell in love with their After Hours Events. There’s something about a massive themed space decorated in lights and tinsel, with holiday music playing that can really transport you. Watching the Universal Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s in Universal’s New York-themed area is probably as close as I will ever get to the actual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but there was another area that I found even more special during the holidays: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
I Like Harry Potter, But I’ve Never Been That Big A Fan
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter coming to Universal was one of the big “gets” of the theme park world. We had never seen a land quite like it when it was first built; a space that would not simply contain attractions based on the popular franchise, but one that was designed to make you feel like you were in a specific place in that world when you walked inside. There are now two different Wizarding World lands at Universal Orlando Resort: Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. A third land, while it has yet to be comfirmed, is all but certain to be coming to the currently under-construction Epic Universe Park.
And to be sure, the Wizarding World is incredible. It has the Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, which, is a top-tier coaster even if it's not as thrilling as the Velocicoaster. It might still be an attraction I like even more because it’s just such fun. All the attractions in the two Wizarding World lands are worth checking out. It’s an incredible land, but with the exception of Hagrid’s, which always has a discouragingly long line, there’s little in the area that has ever really drawn me back after I did it once.
Now there are millions of Harry Potter fans for whom a trip to Universal Orlando is about experiencing all things Wizarding World first, and everything else is secondary. I’ve never been one of those people. I read the books and I liked the movies, but the idea of going to the park in a school robe isn't for me. I've never bothered to choose my own wand, though I did build my own lightsaber at Disneyland. However, that feeling somewhat changed when I visited the lands this time.
The Wizarding World Is Transformed For The Holidays
The holiday season was always an important part of the Harry Potter stories, so maybe it’s especially fitting that it works so well in the Harry Potter theme park lands. Diagon Alley is full of decorations and is separated from the rest of Universal Studios Florida in a way that makes it impossible to see that you’re in a theme park when you’re there. It’s a remarkable way to make you feel like you’re somewhere else.
From there, you take the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure, one of the most entertaining methods of inter-park transportation that there is. Entering Hogsmeade from the train station makes you feel like you’re in another world. That's part of why the decorations around the town, making it look like it just recently snowed, don’t feel out of place in Orlando, Florida.
Full disclosure, it was cold and rainy during my recent trip to Universal Orlando, and that may have influenced my emotional state when it came to winter at Hogsmeade. Sure, if it was 80 degrees and sunny outside, I might not have had quite the same reaction, but upon arriving in the shadow of Hogwarts Castle, all I wanted was a hot cup of butterbeer, which I eventually got. It was absolutely the greatest thing in the world to be walking the cobblestone streets with a hot drink.
And that’s without even talking about the specific attractions that you’ll find at the Wizarding World for the holidays. Universal Studios Florida has holiday music courtesy of Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, and Hogsmeade has the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle, a projection-mapped nighttime show that is the perfect way to wrap up a night at the parks.
Universal Orlando Has So Much More For The Holidays
And beyond the additions to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are lots of other things worth checking out at Universal Orlando Resort for the holiday season. Similarly to what happens at the Wizarding World, the Seuss Landing area of Islands of Adventure is transformed into Who-ville for the season, with Whos wanting the land to interact with guests.
The Grinch is also available to tell you just what he thinks of you if you enjoy being playfully insulted by a hairy green guy. The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular is the best stage show at Universal Orlando this side of the Bourne Stuntacular and is one you should not miss.
And, of course, there’s plenty of excellent holiday food, both inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and all over the rest of the Universal Orlando Resort. I got to sample only a small part of it, but there was nothing bad in anything I had.
Having now been home for a couple of days, The Wizarding World is the place I miss the most. If I were able to go back to Universal Orlando right now, that’s where I would spend most of my time. The holiday season at Universal Orlando resort runs through December 31.
