The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

[nnyl_irret]

We are taking my daughter on a Disney Cruise this November - she is a huge fan of Harry Potter and so we have decided to include a day trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. DD will be 5, based on your experience what are the must dos and sees? I am not sure if we will have a chance to do it all, so what are your highlights? Are there characters there?

Thank you.

 

[Magpie]

We are taking my daughter on a Disney Cruise this November - she is a huge fan of Harry Potter and so we have decided to include a day trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. DD will be 5, based on your experience what are the must dos and sees? I am not sure if we will have a chance to do it all, so what are your highlights? Are there characters there?

Thank you.

There's the train engineer, and numerous staff dressed in costume, but no "face" characters, like Harry, Hermione or Ron.

For a 5yo, the things you could do would be:

Eat at the Three Broomsticks, and try to spot the moving shadows.
Look in the shop windows (many are animated).
Listen for Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom.
See the wand-choosing show at Ollivanders (if she's enthusiastic and you put her up front, she might get picked)
Watch the "street shows" - there's a Frog Choir, Beauxbaton dancers and stick fighting.
If she's tall enough, you can ride the Flying Hippogriff family coaster.
Walk through the castle to see the classrooms, as well as holograms of Hermione, Ron, Harry and Dumbledore (but make sure she understands that she can't ride the Forbidden Journey at the end).
Drink a Butterbeer and/or a Pumpkin juice.
Buy souvenirs.

My daughter was a big fan at 5 - I think she would have had a great time just exploring the village.

 

[wjgoodman]

Thanks for the info, my younger girls have been nagging me about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter since they've heard about it. I was wondering about peoples thoughts as well, thanks!

 

[nnyl_irret]

Yes thank you for the information... DD is crazy about everything Harry Potter and then we got the last DVD and they had a commercial for the park - she said "Florida, Mommy isn't that where we are going?" How can we not stop by and see it? I appreciate the tips - they are great. We will have a blast and sounds like we might even have a bit of time to see something things at Universal.

 

[Magpie]

Yes thank you for the information... DD is crazy about everything Harry Potter and then we got the last DVD and they had a commercial for the park - she said "Florida, Mommy isn't that where we are going?" How can we not stop by and see it? I appreciate the tips - they are great. We will have a blast and sounds like we might even have a bit of time to see something things at Universal.

I think Islands of Adventure by itself is likely to keep you busy enough for one day!

Besides the Harry Potter section, there's also a Dr. Seuss area (with a Cat in the Hat ride). And a Jurassic Park section with a Dinosaur discovery area and a themed park area where kids can climb on things, as well as a Pterodon ride. Not to mention several other lands, too (Comics, Marvel Super Heroes).

When my daughter was 5, I found the best thing to do was plan only a couple of "must do" activities and be prepared to spend a long time in any area that interested her. Some rope ladders and climbing structures could keep her happy for hours, and there was no point trying to move her on before she was ready. Plus, I needed to be flexible enough to leave when SHE was tired, or I'd be paying for it later. YMMV, of course!