Is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter worth the steep prices?

In the 18 years I’ve spent waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter, I never imagined my first trip to the castle would be quite so full of sweaty toddlers.

Alas, that is precisely what a trip to Universal Studios Orlando now offers magically-minded Muggles with an itch to scratch. And it comes at a cost. The theme park resort actually splits its artfully-named Wizarding World of Harry Potter between two parks, requiring two separate tickets at $115 (£93) per person, per park, per day.

Though it would have cost less to choose between Islands Of Adventure (where you’ll find Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, and three rides) and Universal Studios Florida (home to The Leaky Cauldron, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and one ride), I did what any franchise-loving superfan is expected to and invested over £1,000 in the hope Universal might bring the books and films to life.

This – in a retrospectively wise move – included booking into Universal’s on-site Hard Rock Hotel, which had packaged Rock Star rooms with Early Park Admission. As far as I was concerned, an extra hour of cross-park magic was worth the jetlag.

At the break of dawn, I was off to Diagon Alley like a first-year on a Nimbus 3000. I wanted to do it by the book – get my wand at Ollivanders, hop on the Hogwarts Express, and head straight for the wizarding world’s hallowed School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Unexpectedly, things didn’t go to plan. Following a handful of tourists through a plain-looking wall into JK Rowling’s not-so-fictional world, the first thing that struck me was just how well Diagon and Knockturn Alley had been executed. It felt like a film set, only better; The Leaky Cauldron to my left, Weasleys’ Wheezes to my right, a fire-breathing dragon guarding Gringotts up ahead, and every sorcerer’s shopping needs served somewhere in between.

It was, for lack of a better word, magical. Particularly in the relative calm of Early Park Admission hours. Seizing the opportunity, we headed straight for queue-less entry to Universal Studios Florida’s only ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – an immersive and elaborate spin through the magical bank in its moment of need.

Truth be told, everything from the queue (particularly, animatronic goblins and underground elevators) to the CGI was impeccable. “If this is what the Wizarding World has to offer,” I said to my partner as I bounced off the ride, “I may never leave!”

Trying not to veer too far off course, we crossed the Alley and joined a small queue for Ollivanders wand shop. Once inside, we were ushered through to a small room and one child of around wizarding age (11), took part in a wand selection ceremony where ‘the wand chooses the wizard’.

Shortly thereafter, said wizard’s lucky parents have the fun task of convincing their child they don’t need a $55 (£44) piece of plastic. Both were a pleasure for the uninvolved and entertained.

Thankfully, I had no such adult to deter me from a wand of my own. I waltzed into Ollivander’s main retail space, where a group of theatrically-trained wizards readied themselves to assist the day’s incoming crowds, and got myself a personality-customised wand. I opted for an interactive wands which let you cast ‘spells’ in both parks. Non-interactive wands are available, but at a similar cost – making it worth the extra $10.

Bookmarking the rest of Diagon Alley’s sights and shops for a later date, we decided it was time to make our way to Platform 9 ¾. Nonetheless, confused conductors and a mob of angry passengers (unintentionally realistic for a replica King’s Cross) blocked the station’s entrance. It seemed the Hogwarts Express, and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (the Wizarding World’s only rollercoaster), had broken down for the foreseeable.

My heart ached for Potterheads who, quite audibly, only had one day to enjoy the parks. The Hogwarts Express is the only way guests can travel directly between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, meaning those pushed for time would now have to head back to the entrance of USF, through the rising humidity of Universal’s CityWalk, and to the very back of Islands of Adventure (IoA) to enter Hogsmeade.

All while the now-infamous queue to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure grew. Since the ride launched in June, this queue has become an entity of its own. Fans have waited for up to ten hours to board ‘Hagrid’s’ at its peak and the queue rarely dipped below four hours – that is, when it wasn’t closed – the entire week I was there.

Florida resident Josie James, 24, has had more than one run-in with The Queue That Shall Not Be Named. “We planned a whole day to go to the park and wait for Hagrid’s – get there at opening, wait in the line no matter how long it was,” she explains. “But we got there and they told us the ride was broken."

“So we set an alert on our phone and went to enjoy the rest of the park. This was at 9am,” she says. She was then alerted that the ride had reopened at 4:45pm, albeit with a three-hour line. “At that point, we were done and left."

Josie attempted to return to the park to try out the ride. Although the ride was marked as open in Universal’s app, both in the parking lot and at the park’s turnstiles, it closed by the time they started walking towards through the park. "It just made everything less magical,” she tells me.

After four straight days of queue-tracking I, too, felt magic hanging in the balance.

There were enchantments aplenty, of course; the snow-covered huts of Hogsmeade boast exceptional attention to detail, frozen Butterbeer is readily available in both parks, spells (once you master the art of casting them) equip you with powers both naughty and nice, and Hogwarts' flagship ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, packs so many pivotal moments into its bench-strapped tour I rushed to do the whole thing again, queue included.

All things considered, those wondering whether or not to include the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in their holiday plans should consider their level of fandom. As a somewhat sane adult I found the crowds claustrophobic, rides limited, queues ever-expanding, and cost extortionate. As a Potterhead, however, I loved it.

Despite crowds unlike anything I've seen, it was easy to do everything a fan would hope to (bar, perhaps, the new Hagrid ride) in four days. And that's including hours upon hours spent enjoying Universal Studios' other attractions.

The honest take on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of subjectivity. In 100C heat, you'll see some people wandering around in full robes, completely euphoric, while others hide near the toilets like Moaning Myrtle, mopping up frustrated tears with sweat-soaked Disney T-shirts.

The truth is simply in the Mad-eye of the beholder.

Essentials

Entrance to Universal Orlando (universalorlando.com) costs from $504.99 (£385) for an adult and $494.99 (£378) for children for a 2-Park, 4-Day Ticket + Universal Express™ Pass.