The Prefect

This Hogwarts Prefect introduces guests to the ladies from Beauxbatons Academy, and the gents from Durmstrang Institute.

Triwizard Spirit Rally
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Honey Honey Honey Honey Honeydukes

One of the many "treats" you can look forward to seeing at the Wizarding World.

Honeydukes
Hogsmeade Village
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Journey of the Forbidden

This is a pretty cool gate column; because the lit words appear as if they're being written.  They don't stay up there too long though. I started my exposure as soon as the "magic" began; so that I could get more out of this scene.  Even then, most of this pic was underexposed.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Pram Parking

Gotta love the authenticity of this place.

Pram Parking
Hogwarts Castle
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando Resort
Orlando, FL

A World of Wizards & Witches

Hogsmeade
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando Resort
Orlando, FL

Ollivanders

The lines in this kind of remind of the Deathly Hallows symbol; just upside-down and offset some.

.... I know... I'm sure a nerd.  ;)

Ollivanders
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando Resort
Orlando, FL 

The Look

 

A different crop to a shot I posted quite some time ago (currently going through older shots).  And just to reiterate what I said back then..... 

I wish I would've fully caught the wink she threw me.   They play their parts very well.  ;)

Beauxbatons Academy
Triwizard Spirit Rally

Portraits of the Past

 The talking portraits room.  Simply put... one of the coolest things you'll ever see (especailly for you Harry Potter geeks... like me!!!!).

Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey
Hogwarts
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando, Resort, FL

The Magical Kingdom

I absolutely love how Hogwarts is lit at night.  It just beautifully stands out from the rest of Hogsmeade.  The Wizarding World is also one of the few areas at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure that is aesthetically pleasing.  I find the Universal parks (Studios more than Islands) hard to shoot because of that lack of visual goodness.

Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey
Hogwarts
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando, Resort, FL

Hogwarts Seasons

You gotta love a Florida scene like this.

This was 3 days before the official start of Winter.  The Wizarding World already has a Winter theme.... there was a touch of Autumn to the trees..... and people are walking around in shorts.  ;)

Hogwarts
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando Resort
Orlando, FL

Christmas In Hogsmeade

(From an older Flickr post)...

Went to check out the Wizarding World the other day, to see what kind of decorations would be placed up for Christmas  And you are looking at the extent of what was done.  It almost seemed disappointing; but yet, not really.  The whole area already has the look of a Winter setting; with "snow" on the rooftops, and icicles all over the place.  There's even a snowman that has a permanent location.

I guess they just added some garland, wreaths, and other small details, to give the sense of a small village putting up simple decorations.  So if you look at it that way, it kinda works.  But I could've skipped this special trip to see Christmas in Hogsmeade.  I was actually gonna cancel my Universal pass back in July.   But I  was kind of contemplating a way to attend a special Harry Potter event last month (which I totally forgot about); and also wanted to check out what they would do for the Holidays.  Now that I've had my fill, I'll be ending my Passholder status this week.

On another note, Universal did an AMAZING job with decorating Seuss Landing.  There were delightful Christmas sights EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

Owl Post
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Universal's Islands of Adventure
Orlando, FL

Port of Entry

Back in early July, I finally had a chance to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And just to let you know, I am a self-confessed Harry Potter geek. During the whole publicity of this new addition to Islands of Adventure, it was quite interesting to hear this referred to as a theme park (or a theme park within a theme park). In actuality, it is basically just a "land". And a suprising small land at that. But one thing I was really impressed with, was the attention to detail that is so faithful to this amazing franchise. From a photography standpoint, it seemed quite challenging to think of creative ways to shoot the area. But at least there were a lot of details to try and capture. Despite any misconceptions, the Wizarding World is still a magnificent and magical addition to Universal's Islands of Adventure.

I also have to give it up to the DisUnplugged Podcast Crew for definitely helping to manage my expectations of this experience. Although it's sometimes great to enter a world of unknown, and be open to surprises; in this case, it was helpful to somewhat know what to expect.