All I want for my birthday is a trip to Hogwarts!!

Quick, somebody pinch me – no, it’s really happening – a birthday wish that came wonderfully true!!! Hogwarts for my birthday – best birthday, EVER!!!! Our trip to Orlando was an early spring-break vacation, and although we spent 3 incredible, fun-filled days here, the highlight was most certainly ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Universal Studios.

Manasi and I are both die-hard Harry Potter fans – read the books multiple times, steeped in all kinds of trivia – Manasi has even written a Harry Potter fan-fiction novella, A True Gryffindor. When the movies came out – well wasn’t that just the icing on the cake!! It is quite rare for a movie to bring a book to life so faithfully – let alone an entire series – and all 8 Harry Potter movies were absolutely perfect!! 3 years ago, we were at Universal Studies in Osaka, Japan, the first teasers for ‘Harry Potter World’ were coming out – I would have never imagined that I would be here, in this most magical place on Earth…

The magic starts at 12, Grimmauld Place – knock hard enough and Kreacher will glower at you from the upstairs window! And parked right across the street, to provide transportation to lost wizards in need of a ride is the Knight Bus – complete with Stan Shupike and the Talking Head…

Strolling through Leicester Station, oh look, there’s a brick wall with an opening – wonder where that goes – and boom! – Diagon Alley!!! Literally took my breath away – the transformation from the regular world is so sudden, and so complete – too clichéd if I say magical??!! Straight ahead is Gringotts Bank with the fire-breathing dragon perched on its dome. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Florence Fortescue’s Ice cream, Madame Malkins Robes, the Leaky Cauldron, and of course, Ollivanders!!! And even a sign pointing to ‘Knockturn Alley’ that led to Borgis & Burkes!! And there’s Hagrid’s motorcycle parked outside the Magical Menagerie!! I couldn’t get enough of it – and this was just the beginning!!

Few years ago, when Manasi and I were watching the Deathly Hallows movie, Manasi had commented that the mad dash to Bellatrix’s vault and then out of Gringotts on the back of a dragon would make for a thrilling roller-coaster. And what have you here – the first ride of the day, ‘Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts’. From the great hall at Gringotts with all goblins hard at work, to the vaults where the ride begins, and then the 4D simulation – seriously, can this get any better?? Yes, it does. Oh yes, it does!!

From Gringotts, we headed to King Cross station to catch the – wait for it – Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade!! So, the Wizarding World is spread across 2 parks – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and the Hogwarts Express is a really clever way to get from one park to another. Again, the attention to detail is mind-blowing. To get to Platform 9 3/4, we walked through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 – and a marvellous optical illusion actually had people disappearing into the barrier!! It’s a short journey – but the doors and windows of the compartments are screens – and the journey from London to Hogsmeade, complete with dementors and the Snacks Trolley make for an entertaining trip!

Hogsmeade. Oh, Hogsmeade!! I’m actually in Hogsmeade, just strolling along, with a cup of Butterbeer – that’s right, Butterbeer!! Chocolate frogs in Honeydukes, and maybe a spot of lunch at the Three Broomsticks pub? Can I move here – like forever?? And up on the hill, the first glimpse of the Hogwarts castle.

There are 2 rides here – the first is a traditional roller-coaster, ‘Flight of the Hippogriff’. The second, in my opinion, is the most awesome ride ever – ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” – takes you inside the castle, then a Floo Powder journey to the Observatory, and then soaring along with Harry, Hermione and Ron – over the Quidditch field, dodging dragons around the turrets, fleeing from dementors – the best of everything Harry Potter distilled into an adrenaline-surging, exhilarating, magical, magical, magical 5 minutes!! If, somehow, you’re not a Harry Potter fan (not that this is even remotely possible) – this ride will make you a convert for life!!

The finale is the ‘Nightime Lighting of Hogwarts Castle’ – a light and fireworks show that explains the history of Hogwarts and the four Houses – even through a light drizzle, absolutely magnificent!!