so yesterday i did The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter......and i must say.....it was f ucking amazing......universal really did a top notch job on this one.....the second you walk in there it you literally are thrusted into the busy streets of Diagon alley mixed with Hogsmead with a very well done replica of Hogwart castle looming above you on the hill.....they really paid attention to small silly details.....like screaming mandrake plants
the rides were fun.....a typical thrilling roller coaster, a milder "kids" coaster and a very inovative and quite thrilling ride through hogwarts and basically covering the first four films...ie being chased by dragons, dementors, giant spiders, and even being thrusted in the middle of a quiditch match! it really was a blast
my nephew Zac (who has downs syndrome) and is pretty much the sole reason for me getting into this series (which i absolutly love) turned 18 yesterday and he had an amazing time....finally getting his Gryffindor robes and being able to run through the streets of Hogsmead duel with other up and coming wizards!.....it really did cause all of us (myelf, sister and parents) to tear up just seeing the extreme joy in his eyes
the people that work there really helped to make the experiance authentic....for instance.....you stand in line at Ollivanders and they take 30 people at a time but only one out of the 30 get to have the experience of a wand choosing them....while i was looking at fanmous death eaters wands.....a young man who works there noticed my "gonzo" tattoo on my forearm and we chatted a bit about Hunter Thompson.....i explained to him that we were celebrating a very special birthday (you have to understand that when Zac was born they said he would not live to 5.....he turned 18 and is in better health than all of us) and that we really wanted him to be picked for the wand....he explained they had no control over that but that if we go into the shop portion of Ollivanders and spoke with the wand master that we could all have the experience....and man did this guy give us one.....basically he took a party of nine and spent over an hour with us as our wands picked us....it was really cool
my wand :)
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today we are off to Disney;s Animal Kingdom
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