Alyssa Laine: My Trip to Fantasy Land

This. Is. Bliss. Hands down, one of the best places in the Universe. And by universe, I mean the whole universe and not just Universal Studios. This is Hogwarts, in case you are wondering.

Back in January, my family and I went on our vacation to Clearwater Beach, Florida. We stayed at a beach house right on the beach, and while it was too cold to swim or even be in suits, we still had a lot of fun. The highlight of the trip for me was Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Disneyworld was also AMAZING, but that will be a later blog with pictures included.

I knew the Harry Potter park would be beyond amazing, but I had not expected it to be quite so breathtaking. The castle itself is magical. There was Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade rolled into one, with a little bit of Borgin and Burkes. They had Ollivander's, Honeydukes, Zonko's, The Three Broomsticks, The Hog's Head pub, and more. I felt like a kid again, and I wasn't the only 20 year old to feel this way. There were adults everywhere dressed up in Harry Potter get-up, and I felt like it was about time I saw how many other people share the same obsession as me.

The rides were incredible. The Forbidden Journey was my favorite, and that one takes you through the castle, and then you get thrown around (even though most of the time you're not moving) following a screen. The screen is moving, and you are taken on an adventure with Harry. We waited in the longest line I have ever seen for anything. It moved quite fast for how long it was, and we only waited for about 45 minutes. The wait was definitely worth it.

Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students put on a show outside of the castle. Their outfits were perfect, and they all looked like they just stepped out of the movie.

I ended up getting the coolest tee-shirt, hoodie, and hat. I wanted the matching gloves so badly, but they were expensive, and I thought I wouldn't have enough money for the rest of my trip. I also got Dumbledore's wand. It's so pretty! My little brother got a wand, and he got Hedwig. She is a stuffed animal puppet and has a handle in her so you can turn her head. She makes noises and sounds JUST like Hedwig from the movies. Three of my sisters all got wands as well.

Every little detail for this place was thought of, and I didn't feel like anything was really missing. You got a tour of the castle when waiting in line for The Forbidden Journey ride. Honeydukes was awesome, with so many candy choices. The Bertie Botts beans were in packages just like in the movie, and they even had the disgusting flavors. I thought it was pretty cool how they could make each flavor to actually taste like dirt, vomit, bogeys, and earwax. Absolutely disgusting, but still appealing just because they are Bertie Botts. They had chocolate frogs, sugar quills, taffy, cotton candy, and pretty much everything you could think of.

Zonko's was just as awesome. They had extendable ears that actually worked! They had a pair out so you could test them out to see if you wanted to buy them. I really wanted a pair, but I figured they could wait. Everything you would imagine Fred and George having was there.

Butterbeer carts were set up in the streets in giant barrels, and the butterbeer being served came out of a tap like regular beer would. You could get it chilled or frozen. I thought this was different. I had always expected butterbeer to be warm, but it still was delicious. I didn't get around to trying the pumpkin juice, but that's because it was crazy expensive (probably because it was in such a cute bottle), and I don't like pumpkin very much.

The Three Broomsticks was attached to the Hog's Head, and it was so fun. Kind of spooky...There were shadows on the walls and music playing, and it just gave it such a cool feel.

I could go on and on about this park, but I won't. That would be an infinite post, and I don't have time, and I don't really want carpal tunnel. I'll post some pictures for a visual.