Owl post and Potter info

[david6028]

Does the Owl post have Potter postcards? Also do the other shops in the parks have the Potter souviners or can they they only be bought in that section of the park?

 

[DISdreamin']

We bought postcards at Dervish & Banges, I believe, and had them postmarked outside. We didn't actually end up sending them, just kept them for souvies.

Oh, and a neat tidbit I didn't know about (I didn't do a lot of homework before our WWOHP trip) is that if you use the ATM in Hogsmeade, the receipt will show Gringott's Wizarding Bank as the institution. One of the TMs mentioned this while my son and I were waiting a moment to get into Honeydukes, and I thought it was really cool. I didn't use the ATM, but I was sorely tempted to do so!

 

[fairyprincess88]

An easy way to get postcards is to go into the Owlery(shaded sitting area next to Dervish and Banges/Owl Post). There is a table set up in the back corner by the store that sells postcards, stamps, wax seals ect. You can purchase the postcards there and then walk right over to the witch or wizard manning the mail station(also outside of the Owl Post, under the Owlery) to get them postmarked, this also where you'd mail them if you wanted. D&B/Owl Post usually has a line to get into the stores because Owl Post is where the Ollivander's show gets dumped into and where they sell the wands. If all you are interested in is the postcards/postmarks then get them at the table.

As for other Potter merch, it is available in the main IOA gift shop in Port of Entry, however not all merch is available there, but there is a very good selection. Some products in WWoHP is store specific, so while you will find chocolate frogs/Bertie Botts at the main gift shop, you wont find all the goodies from Honeydukes ect.

And yep DISdreamin' the ATM machine does indeed print out reciepts that say Gringott's Wizarding Bank. It was a happy surprise for me when I took out cash. It even appeared on my online banking statement as Gringott's PNC.

 

[twinkleman]

The stores in the actual WWOHP island are all very small compared to what you might be used to in WDW or even the other Universal stores. Because they are so small, they can feel very crowded and claustrophobic even on a low crowd day. We visited this past November 2010, and it was a low crowd time for WDW and Universal - EXCEPT for the WWOHP. We stayed in a Universal hotel for a few days just to get the hour early admission because this was a special trip to see the WWOHP. We used the early admission available to on-site guests every morning we were. (We would even get to the park an extra 30 minutes earlier than the "early-entry" time - you can say we are a little obssessive.) Each time, we went straight to the WWOHP island. Everything was nice and quiet for about 1.5 hours, then the off-site guests arrived and it was packed. In early November! It seemed to be mostly people visiting from other countries, which was super cool to hear all the different languages, just as if we were at the Quidditch World Cup!

Sorry, off-topic a bit, but here's the answer to your original question. You can buy your WWOHP souvenirs in the store at the very front of IOA (it's called Islands of Adventure Trading Company). This store seemed to have almost everything (but not EVERYTHING) they had in the smaller stores back in the WWOHP. There are also some limited choices at the store at the front of Universal Studios (aptly named Universal Studios Store). And lastly, there is a store at Universal CityWalk, (called Universal Studios Store also) where you can get limited WWOHP items.

Another note, you can purchase items at any store in the parks and have them sent to the front of the park for pick-up. You will receive a voucher for your bag when you pay for the items and you must have the voucher to pick up your bag later. In Islands of Adventure, the pick-up location is at a special desk located in the Islands of Adventure Trading Company. Our personal experience with this wasn't the best. The first time we did it, they didn't have our bags yet, and it had been 5 hours since the purchse. The second time was much smoother, but the wait was fairly long for the pick-up desk. But in the end, if you really need to buy your items in the WWOHP, it's a good idea to have them sent to the front. A lot of rides in Universal really aren't convenient to have bags with you and the lockers they provide are small and can have VERY long lines to deposit and pick up your things.

Sorry for the super long post - I hope it helps you! Enjoy your visit to WWOHP. It was really well done and such a treat for our family!

 

[david6028]

I knew you guys would come thru! If a person pays just a little attention to these boards planning a trip is easy! We can not wait untill Wednesday! My sweetheart of 37 years will spend her 59th birthday with Harry Potter. Thank you all for your help!

 

[decoy7375]

Thanks for all the great info. It is nice to know that you don't have to actually mail the postcards to have them stamped! Might just have to try the ATM machine. Do you remember what fees were attached to that machine?

 

[Momw/aplan]

Not only do they sell HP postcards but you can also buy HP themed US Postage to mail them with.
We filled out our postcards while we were there--one to each family/friend plus the kids both mailed one to themselves--and put on our postage. The cashier that sold the cards to us rubber stamped them with the Hogsmeade/Owl Post stamp and then we dropped them into the mail box right there in the store. When we received them at home they only had the Hogsmeade/Owl Post rubber stamp on them, so they looked like we mailed them from Hogsmeade rather than from Orlando. SO COOL! And now we have ours as souvenirs for the kids' scrap books.

I also bought the Hogwarts wax seal kit while we were there. I used them to seal the invitations to DD's recent HP themed birthday and they were a huge hit!