A big chunk of the people that read my blog are from Spain. This means that a big chunk of my audience has never had the chance to go to Universal. Ever. True and sad at the same time… But hey, if it makes you feel better, I’d swap places with anyone in Spain right now! If you’re interested in exchanging homes, let me know!
But seriously though… I have a few friends whom I’ve sworn that one day we would drink butter beer in Diagon Alley.
So, taking a break from my Mexican adventure, allow me to describe to all of you friends who have never had the chance to go to Universal how this theme parks makes you feel.
By the way, just to put you into context, this post will be about Universal Studios and Universal Island of Adventures in Orlando, Fl.
Universal in itself is a regular theme park. A theme park that has different areas themed on different things. It has a Marvel area, a Harry Potter area, a Universal Pictures area, a Jurassic Park area… you get the idea right? But let’s face it, what makes these both theme parks special is the Harry Potter section. If you don’t like Harry Potter or you’re not a fan at heart, I’ll be honest with you… Universal will be a fun experience, but you might leave the park feeling like you’ve ridden better rollercoasters somewhere else.
I’ve personally been to Universal around… 6 times now? Both parks are, in my opinion, totally worth it. While in Universal’s Island of Adventure you’ll find both Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, at Universal Studios you can find Diagon Alley (this includes Gringotts and a cute little dragon spitting fire every now and then). This means that it doesn’t matter if you can only go to one of the theme parks, you’ll find an amazing Harry Potter experience in both of them. If I had to pick one of them though… It’d be incredibly hard. I would probably pick Island of Adventures’ Harry Potter section just because it was the first one that I experienced and I still remember that feeling of walking into Hogsmeade for the first time… But, again, you can probably find most shops if not all of them in both areas. If you decide to go to Island of Adventures’ section you’ll get to see Hogwarts from a closer view. If you decide to go to Universal Studios’ section you’ll get to see a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon spit fire… Just save up some money to go to both sections cause they’re both incredibly worth it!
So, overall, it will make you feel like it’s magic. The first time I walked across Hogsmeade I couldn’t believe I was where I was. Yes, of course, it’s all fake… BUT STILL! Enjoy your surroundings. This is the closest thing to Hogwarts and the Harry Potter universe that someone can enjoy in real life.
I filmed a vlog a very, very, very long time ago when I went to Hogsmeade for the first time… It’s in spanish, but you’ll at least enjoy the views and my excitement!
Author: Tony Lewis
Marketing nerd, blockchain enthusiast and part-time planet Earth explorer. I like building (and acquiring) long-lasting assets.