(Sorting) Hats Off to Universal

Being a Disney Family, the parks are etched in our minds. The sight of Cinderella's Castle, the twisted rails at the peak of Expedition Everest, "now paging Mr. Tom Morrow," the haunting 40's music entering in the Hollywood Tower of Terror.  These sights and sounds - and smells - are as familiar to us as going to grandma's house as a kid.  However, we are a little Disney'd out lately and the opportunity presented itself to go to Universal Studios for the first time in over ten years. In that time they have built, with no missed detail, the World of Harry Potter and nailed it.  

First, the thrill rides that we wanted to go on, Velocicoaster, King Kong - Skull Island, and Rip Rock It Roller Coaster were fantastic. I love a good roller coaster and several, especially Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Motorbikes, were amazing. They were perfect for a 14 and 11 year old who are not afraid of rolls, dives, or inversions. Luckily, everyone, including Lisa, were up for it.  Universal relies heavily on projections and 3D, and some of that needs a 4k upgrade, but they surpass Disney for adrenaline.   

Leading up to the visit the boys read the Harry Potter books, watched the movies, or listened to audio books to learn all about the Boy Who Lived and his world.  Rounding the corner into Hogsmeade Village, it was clear that Universal set a high bar on attention to detail. While I might not be a fan of the books or the movies, I do enjoy being transported to another place with some carefully placed forced perspective and a lot of attention to detail. 

Hogwart's School was as massive as it was impressive. The first day we were there the ride it houses was not operating but the "school" was open for tours - meaning you walked through the queue and out a side exit.  Universal's "magic" rivaled Disney's.  The portrait gallery, Dumbledor's office, the vaulted ceilings; around every corner was something even more interesting to see.  

I will reiterate that I truly suspended disbelief and took in this "real" place. Lisa - a Harry Potter fan - knew every place. She knew every shop in the village because they were places in the books. Add to this spectacle were children of all ages who, after forking over $60, used there own wand to cast spells in front of the windows of the shops. The items in the widows would react to the spell and would react to the young (and old) magicians. The world just pulled you into it.  

We took the Hogwart's Express out of Hogsmeade Station. The train was real. The movement from one park to the other was real. The scene unfolding outside the train car was not. With the movement of the cars, the images outside the "window" showed us leaving one station, passing through the woods and country and eventually coming into London.  We exited the train into King's Cross Station at platform 9 3/4. By now I was truly impressed.

Exiting the station we passed through a broken brick wall into Diagon Alley, a side street in London know only to wizards and witches. It all looked real. Right down to the fire breathing dragon sitting on top of Gringott's Bank.  

Lisa and the boys pointed out places that were in the books and movies; stores, alleys, buses, creatures, and more.  I walked through without a solid frame of reference but still with that suspended disbelief and a nod to how amazingly real the place appeared.  

Crazy muggle.