Does somebody have a list of all the "must do" HP things in each park?

[scrapbookjulie]

This will be our first trip back to Universal since DD14 has become a huge HP fan. We are going to both parks for just one day before our Disney trip the first week of December. We will spend the night at Royal Pacific, so we'll have the express pass. We will hit our favorite non-HP rides sometime during the day, but our main focus will be the HP lands.

Does anybody have a list of experiences that DD shouldn't miss out on? Obviously, we'll go on all the rides. But what other activities besides rides are there, like the interactive wands for example? Any special photo opportunities?

If you could let me know which park each activity is in (meaning IoA or HS since I don't have ANY clue which park is DA and which is Hogsmeade), that would also be great.

Thanks for any suggestions to make the most of our HP day!

 

[TheConsciousness]

Here are a few threads that helped us on our Harry Potter adventure:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/need-help-with-harry-potter-planning.3507556/
http://www.disboards.com/threads/need-a-harry-potter-touring-plan.3456465/

I think you'll be in the park when crowds are low, so your DD will definitely get the ability to use the interactive wands around the park without having to wait in long lines.

 

[scrapbookjulie]

Thank you for the links!

 

[nighttowll]

Definitely do the wands; try to see the wand show if possible. Don't miss Knockturn Alley. Eat in at least one of the restaurants. Try butterbeer. Try some kind of HP sweet, candy or pastry. My favorite is the pumpkin pastry. My mother's is the cauldron cake. Send mail by owl post; remember to bring a stamp. Check out all the shops and windows, basically take time to explore. There is so much detail everywhere you look. Everytime I go back I discover something I missed before. Have fun.

Another fun thing to do is to get a Hogwarts letter before you go. With your son being 14, not sure he cares about that, but I know a lot of people love the letters. Etsy has some very nice ones, or you can make one yourself.

Now for a detailed list of where you can find some interesting fun things, see below. Warning. Spoilers below. I tried to be as vague as possible, but if you want to be completely surprised, Stop here.
















See below for list of interesting things to do / look for. In no certain order:

Universal Studios

• Make a "magical" phone call in the phone booth before you enter
• Photo opportunity at the double decker bus
• Watch the windows outside the entrance
• Make sure to look up when you are in all the stores. There are some cool things on the ceilings and up high.
• Look for the extra hidden wand spots, not marked on the map. There's 3 I know of.
• Listen at the fake door fronts to hear what's happening inside.
• Watch the windows for magic.
• Check out the mirror in the robe shop.
• Eat in the Leaky Cauldron and check out the sign closely.
• Check out the animals for sell in the windows of the pet shop, especially the snake.
• Visit the goblins to setup an account and exchange muggle money for wizard money
• Do the standby line to get a Gringotts ID made
• Eat ice cream at Florean Fortescue's ( can get Butterbeer, personally I didn't think it was very good)
• Keep an eye out for the dragon, good photo opp if you time it right
• Explore the cases in Borgin and Burkes carefully, but watch out for dark artifacts, especially the vanishing cabinet
• Check out the tattoo parlor in knockturn alley
• Check out the wands in the small shop down the side ally, much easier to see them up close before purchasing and less crowded
• Check out the Tales of Beadle the Bard show. They did the Fair Fountain story when we were there and it makes one of the wand locations make much more sense.

Hogwarts Express

• Hang back and you can take a video of your son going through the brick wall at platform 9 3/4
• Ride both ways. There's a different story each time.
• Watch both the door and window.
• Photo opportunities with train, luggage, and Hedwig depending on crowd levels

Island of Adventure

• Find Moaning Myrtle
• Photo opportunity with the train and conductor
• Send a letter or postcard by owl post. Make sure to bring stamps with you or you will pay a fortune.
• Eat in the 3 Broomsticks
• Look up outside the restaurant near the owl post to see all your curriers
• Check out all the windows here as well
• Do the tour only option at least once for FJ to give you time to hear the story and take in the details
• Ride Flight of the Hippogriff if for no other reason than to walk through the queue
• Visit Honeydukes - candy quills that write, chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties, and much more
• Get a Butterbeer ( 3 kinds, regular, frozen, and hot)
• Good photo ops in the ally behind the shop, low traffic area, nice candy window display
• Good photo ops with snowmen.
• Good photo opps on the bridge that goes behind the 3 broomsticks. Bridge not accessible from inside the HP area. It is a bypass bridge that lets you skip over HP and cut across the park.
• Check out the choir performance on stage and the photo opp afterwards

 

[scrapbookjulie]

Perfect! Thank you so much.

Has anybody done the moving portrait souvenir at Shutterbutton's?