Wizarding weekend in Watford

After visiting the Warner Bros. 'The Making of Harry Potter' Studio Tour last October with a group of friends, I knew I absolutely had to go back there one day. I thought my husband would enjoy the studio tour nearly as much as I did so, for partly selfish reasons, I bought him a ticket as a gift for his birthday in March.

We decided to make a proper weekend of it and booked two nights at a Premier Inn nearby. As it was our third anniversary at the end of August (yesterday, in fact), we thought we'd make it part of our extended anniversary celebrations to make it an extra special weekend.

I'm going to give you a little warning at this point. I'm going to post some spoilers about the tour, so if you're planning a visit at any point and don't want to ruin any of the surprises in store, it's best not to read any further!

It would be impossible for me to blog about every aspect of the studio tour without writing a post the length of a dissertation. And, as much fun as that would be, I unfortunately haven't got the time. So, to solve this problem, I thought I'd just summarise some of my favourite elements and include lots of photos along the way.



The Great Hall 

Walking in to The Great Hall through those famous doors made me want to cry. It really is an awe-inspiring sight. Seeing all the famous costumes such as Harry Potter's robes, Neville's cardigan and Cedric Diggory's Triwizard Tournament outfit brings back so many unforgettable memories from the films, and I'm so glad that this is where the studio tour begins.

The Potions classroom 

I could spend all day staring at this part of the set! The intricate details of the dungeon classroom are astounding, from the tiny labels on each and every potion bottle to the various intriguing instruments on the tables. And who could forget the legendary Professor Snape who takes centre stage?

The Burrow 

I think the films perfectly capture the cosy essence of the Weasley's home, and I love peering at all the different details and costumes inside the well laid out set for the Burrow. I particularly love the Weasley Clock in the corner!

The Forbidden Forest 

This is a brand new area of the tour which wasn't there last time I visited, so I was very excited about seeing this addition. It's a smaller area than I imagined but it's pretty spooky... let's just say you'll definitely come across more than one giant spider.

4 Privet Drive 

4 Privet Drive is home to the Dursleys and is one of the external areas of the studio tour. This time around, we were able to have a sneak peek inside the house itself where we stumbled across a very famous scene in the living room!

Diagon Alley 

The set of Diagon Alley is hugely impressive. It makes me feel as if I'm preparing to go off to Hogwarts myself and need to go shopping for my wand and study books! I'm a proud Ravenclaw, so of course I'm choosing to focus on study books rather than broomsticks or joke products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The Diagon Alley area of the tour reminds me of its new(ish) equivalent in Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and it makes me wish I could use some floo powder to transport myself there...

Wizarding Wardrobes 

We were lucky enough to visit the studio tour during a special six-week feature called Wizarding Wardrobes. This meant we had an opportunity to see lots of costumes and make-up effects which I didn't see last time around. Gilderoy Lockhart and Rita Skeeter were two particular favourites!

Hogwarts model 

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN. And yes, the capital letters are completely necessary. The sheer scale, the haunting and mesmerising music, the insane level of detail, the general spellbinding atmosphere... I could stand and stare at it forever.

As we enjoyed the studio tour so much, we're now watching all the films again to point out all the different elements of the set. 'Ooh look, we've been there!'

Have you ever visited 'The Making of Harry Potter' studio tour? What did you think?

Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventures

I haven't blogged about Florida for a while (shock, horror), so I thought I'd write a blog post about Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure. Although these two parks are probably near the bottom of my top ten theme park list in Orlando, they're still amazing and well worth a visit.

The Universal parks are just a short drive away from Walt Disney World and are in a really beautiful setting. With the lovely views, the massive Hard Rock Cafe and the bustling City Walk, you feel as if you've stepped in to another world. I always think Hollywood must be a bit like the Universal resort area! City Walk is basically a line of shops, bars, restaurants and a huge cinema. There's always music blaring and it always gets me pumped up for the parks when I walk down the busy street.

This year, we visited Universal Studios first. Universal Studios is the original Universal theme park and has loads of brilliant rides such as Minion Mayhem (Despicable Me), Rip Ride Rock-It and The Mummy. As is my custom, I scream like a girl on these rides but absolutely love them and always want to go on again and again. Men In Black and the Simpsons ride are also a lot of fun.

We were really looking forward to going on the Transformers 3D ride this year, but unfortunately it broke down while we were in the queue! In spite of this disappointment, we did have a great time on the other rides. I would go so far as to say that Universal are the kings of simulator rides...  look no further than Minion Mayhem and the Simpsons ride for evidence of this bold statement.

Everything in Universal Studios is... BIG. An amazing amount of effort has gone into the architecture of the park and its different areas, and you just have to be impressed by the enormity of all. The Simpsons area is particularly impressive and has been improved and expanded a lot since we visited last year.

Although Universal Studios definitely has its good points, I definitely prefer Universal's Islands of Adventures. As suggested by its name, Universal's Islands of Adventures is split into various 'islands' within the park. I love the Marvel Super Hero Island, and the Islands of Adventures park is also home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! My favourite ride in the Marvel area has got to be The Hulk... I could stay on it all day. I might be sick and very bruised if I actually stayed on it all day, but I feel that it would be (almost) worth it. The Spiderman ride is a great experience, and I love all the imagery and characterisation in and around Marvel Super Hero Island. I also went on the Jurassic Park ride for the first time this year and was grateful for my Minnie Mouse poncho (wrong park, I know) when we plunged down a small waterfall.

In my (slightly biased) opinion, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the crown jewel of the Islands of Adventure and has to be seen to be believed. You'll feel as if you've walked right in to a scene from one of the books or the films, whichever you prefer. This particular 'island' is split into two main areas - Hogwarts and  Hogsmeade. The Hogwarts castle is a majestic spectacle, and the ride inside it is breathtaking. Flying with Harry, Ron and Hermione through various scenes from the books... what more could you possibly want? The Duelling Dragons rollercoasters are also fantastic, and they never have a very big queue which is always a bonus when you're trying to rush around everything in a short space of time.

I absolutely love the way Hogsmeade has been presented and the fact that you can visit (and buy from!) all the same shops as Harry, Ron and Hermione frequently visit in the books. Everything is a bit extortionate in these shops, but you should definitely save some money to treat yourself to a souvenir from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You can buy Hogwarts robes, wands, Hedwig teddies, tshirts for the four houses, and so much more! You can also try Butter Beer which we actually tried this year. I'm undecided on whether I liked it or not, so I'll just have to try it again next time we go.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is currently undergoing a massive expansion and the rumours around it are very exciting... I can't wait to go back there when it's all completed!

No visit to Universal Studios is complete without having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Universal's Hard Rock Cafe is the largest in the world and is a really magnificent building. Yes, I know it's a chain, but that doesn't stop their food from being amazing. I urge you to order their fajitas if you ever decide to pay a visit!

There are a few negative points about the Universal parks which could tarnish your experience if you let them get to you. The staff can be quite rude and abrupt which is a stark contrast to the friendly and accommodating staff in the Disney parks. The queues aren't particularly orderly so people push in on a regular basis, and the Universal parks will charge you for anything and everything. Fast passes, lockers, drink refills (even after you've paid 10 dollars for a souvenir cup)... you name it, they'll want money for it. Lastly, people are not kept particularly informed when a ride has broken down, even if they happen to be in the queue for that very ride. The Transformers fiasco I mentioned above would never have happened in a Disney park!

However, in spite of these negatives, you should definitely visit both Universal parks at least once if you're ever in the area. I think the Disney parks just set an impossibly high standard which is very difficult for other parks to live up to... difficult for any establishment to live up to, in fact! 

Which Universal park is your favourite?