The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade — Attraction in Orlando

Hogsmeade village is located in universal Orlando studios at the far end of the park. At the entrance to the Hogsmeade village is Hogsmeade station. As you enter the village you get to see Hogwarts express and pose with it. Have a chat with the friendly driver and click few snaps with Hogwarts express in the background.

As you go inside, you get to see the snow-capped village. The snowy look gives the whole village a picturesque touch. There are carts selling butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and other goodies. Don't forget to get butterbeer in the souvenir mugs and get clicked with your frothy mustache ;) Its lined with colorful shops. The notable among them are Olivanders and Honeydukes. Get yourself a bag of treats from honeydukes full of chocolate frogs, or Bertie Bott every flavored bean, peppermint toads or the jelly slugs and then move towards olivanders to witness the wand choosing ceremony and get yourself a magic wand. It's very interesting to see it and the little magic threw along with it. Note strange looking muggle devices(read phones and camera) are discourage also it's not the wizard/witch who chooses the wand, the wand always chooses the wizard/witch.

You will always find a queue for entering olivanders but its worth the wait. Have your lunch at the three broomsticks and get a drink at hogs head pub. It's amusing to look at the owls at Owl post and at the caged monster book of monster which snarls and moves. Also, don't forget to visit the restrooms there where you will hear moaning myrtle singing :) Just as Hogsmeade ends, you get to see towering castle which houses Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. There is a bridge beside the castle which takes you to the entrance of Jurassic Park. This offers the best view of the castle and is a perfect place to capture your clicks with the dreamy castle as the backdrop.

Hogwarts houses the ride - Harry Potter and the forbidden journey. This ride mandates that things must be stowed away in the lockers provided at the entrance. On your way to the ride inside the castle, you get to see the talking and moving portraits, go by dumbledores office to the defense against dark arts classroom. Dumbledore's office is marvelous with each and every detail in place. The ride is a simulated one with sudden movements and jerks where Harry, Ron, and Hermione guides you around from the castle to forbidden forest to a Quidditch match. You get to witness dementors, the giant aragog in the forbidden forest and swoop past the castle into the Quidditch field to catch the golden snitch cheered by Hogwarts students and staff from the stand. The nighttime lights at Hogwarts which starts at dusk till park closing time is the icing on the cake. Its a must must watch. The music and the lights are treated to the ears and eyes. It feels absolutely magical...

Practically perfect in every way.

The details are amazing. You'd need days to fully appreciate the full scope of the magic Universal has created here.

Staff is almost without exception fully in character and enthusiastic. Leaky Cauldron menu is also "in character" and food is really good. Butterbeer is available from carts (I loved it) and the various candies and chocolates featured in the books can be purchased. See also Fred and George's shop of jokes and tricks.

As you know, the wand chooses the wizard. Ollivander's gets this just right with not only their interactive wand selection (one of my children was selected and is still amazed at the experience), but also in the shop if you have the patience to wait for a sales clerk. Ours did a great job helping everyone in our group find the right wand. The interactive wand experiences throughout Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and fun, but some are challenging for younger kids. 7-8 year olds sometimes got frustrated. Usually there is a witch or wizard nearby to show you how to cast a spell if you're having trouble.

The rides are worth the wait and Hogwarts is a must....you tour the castle as you go through the line to the ride. The ride is a 4-D experience that, among other things, let's you experience Quiddith.

Gringotts is equally well done. Hogwarts Express has some surprises so take it both ways (you must have a 2 park ticket to get on the train!). Hogsmeade is as much fun as Diagon Alley.

We had one staff member (in the dress-up photo shop) who was completely clueless about Harry Potter (not great if you are helping people with HP costumes). Seeing at least the first movie (or reading the book) should be a requirement for visitor-facing staff, but she was the exception.

Like I said...practically perfect. True fans should plan two full days, three if you can manage it. You'll want to do some rides more than once and wander through both parks to truly live...

A fantastic yet exhausting day out for two old hens who fancied they still had the energy of two young chicks.... In our infinite wisdom we decided to do 2 parks in a day, meaning both Harry Potter Worlds and everything in between them at Universal Studios. Rain was forecast yet not a drop fell...clear blue skies. 90+ degrees and an amazing day. The various guides in the park went above and beyond to be helpful and the park and attractions themselves were fabulous. From the comfortable ride on the Hogwarts Express to the harrowing experience of the rollercoaster that was Hagreds Motorbike, according to one of us the scariest ride ever.(that coming from a chick who rode Harleys for 20+ years) The Studios as always a great experience with plenty of options for food and drinks and areas where you could sit down for a rest. Buildings in Diagon Alley were great, interactive experiences also get the thumbs up. Seeing some quite fast and furious cars close up was cool and and a great time was also had with the Blues Brothers Band out in the park...The Minions were fab and we'll...everything about the day worked out excellent....oh and do buy the butter pecan and the salted caramel fudge in the sweet store....they are to die for....so...now onto the negative, I would say the prices within the park when it comes to merchandising and souvenirs are now reaching the point where we will enjoy the park but we are no longer shopping there and some better knowledge about the shuttles would be a pluss among the security people down by the bus and shuttle station. Other than that 10/10 for a good day. The day after on the other hand as these two broads tried to get out of bed and start moving..that one...