Top Tips & Tricks for the Wizarding World
Hey Universal Park Fans! If you’ve been following Wave of the Wand Travel you will know that the Wizarding World is our favorite theme park land of all time! During our many visits, we’ve gained a few tips along the way that we want to share with you all! If you want to learn the best tips be sure to contact us for assistance with planning your visit. Now, let’s get into the good stuff! Accio Facts!
Arrive Early
As you may imagine, the wizarding world is the most popular location with in Universal Orlando Resort. It can get busy, we mean very busy! The best way to experience Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade with minimal crowds is to rope drop(arrive at park open). If you’re a Universal hotel guest you will have an incredible perk to arrive to the parks 1 hour before early park admission. This is your golden hour! Use this time wisely. We recommend that you take this time to explore the lands. If you’re starting at Diagon Alley, we recommend Ollivander’s Wand Shop for lower waits and less crowds with in the shop!
Before the general public is allowed entry, it’s a good idea to ride the main attractions like Hagrid’s(Islands of adventure) or Gringotts(Diagon Alley). Once the public is in now would be a good time to have breakfast!
Eat at off Peak Times
The Three Broomsticks and Leaky Caldron are very popular dining locations! These locations do not offer reservations, except for select vacation packages(contact us to learn more). During certain times of day like peak lunch time, the wait to enter the restaurants can easily jump up to an hour or more. If you dine at off times, the wait will be significantly less. We recommend right at park opening for breakfast(if you are a resort guest), or right before breakfast ends around 10:00am. For lunch we suggest 10:30am-11:00am. For Dinner, we recommend 3:00pm-4:00pm.
How to Save Money On Food
One our favorite tips is how to save money on food! When you’re in the Wizarding World you’re going to want to dine in one of the restaurants. Just know, they can be pricy. You’re in a theme park after all. But there’s a way to save some money! If you’re a light eater you have the option of ordering off the kids menu. Yes, it states is for children under 9, but they will not stop you from ordering it for an adult. You also have the option of just ordering sides!
Another way to save money is to swap out your normal beverage for a Butterbeer! Drinks are often included in the price of your breakfast. Some do not know that you can swap your regular drink with a Butterbeer. The price of a Butterbeer is normally $7.99, this is a big saving if you have several in your travel party.
Purchase an Interactive Wand
This one may shock you, but we here at Wave of the WAND we love our wands! Make the most of your visit with an interactive wand. We recommend going through the wand choosing ceremony at Ollivander’s, if you’re the lucky one selected, you’ll find out which wand chooses you. After the show you can purchase a wand! A map comes in the box with your wand, and it will show you all the sites around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade where you can do actual wand magic. Look for the golden interactive wand symbols on the ground, complete the appropriate wrist movements with your wand, and chant your spell.
Ride the Hogwarts Express Early
First off let us remind you that you will need a Park-to-Park ticket in order to ride this magical from of transportation. The Hogwarts express transports all witches, wizards, and some muggles to and from each Harry Potter land. Most muggles think it is a good idea to start their day at the park that closes the earliest and taking the Hogwarts Express over to their next park right before the park their in closes.
This is a big mistake! Almost all muggles have the same idea, this makes the wait time skyrocket! We’re taking 60-120 minutes on average. Avoid doing this if you can. We recommend that you take ride this attraction early on. What we like to do is start our day bring an early using early park admission to the Wizarding World, spend about 2-3 hours there and hopping on the express to the next park and finishing out our day there!
Know Where to Get Your Butterbeer
Not all Butterbeer locations are the same, some will typically have very long lines! If you have already read out Butterbeer article, we high recommend you check it out next. As mentioned early, the restaurants are wonderful places to order your tasty beverage. The main Butterbeer carts will typically have longer waits, so try to avoid those. Here’s the locations we recommend.
Hogsmeade Village:
The Hogs Head- Connected to The Three Broomsticks, there is a separate entrance to this bar between the restaurant entrance and the restrooms. As the bartender serves up specialty draft beers, fire whiskey, and Butterbeer, check out the actual head of a hog that hangs behind the bar – he may not be as stuffed as he looks! Pro Tip: this location often has the shortest wait for Butterbeer.
Butterbeer Cart next to the bridge in front of Hogwarts castle - Unlike the cart located in the very center of Hogsmeade that has very long lines. This one is slightly tucked away and will often have far shorter waits for your tasty treat!
Diagon Alley:
The Fountain of Fair Fortune- This little spot is a quick and easy way to grab a Butterbeer or the non-alcoholic beverage of your choice. This location often has the shortest wait for Butterbeer.
The Hopping Pot- This location can get busy, however it sometimes will offer Mobile Order, making it the perfect place to grab a hot or cold Butterbeer, or one of the land’s other specialty drinks. There’s been times where the line here was over a 20-30 minute wait. We placed our mobile order and had our drinks with in two minutes!
Arrive to the Nighttime Show on Hogwarts Castle Early
The nighttime show on Hogwarts Castle is a must do for any Harry Potter fan in our option. There are a few things to know about prior to arrival. The Nighttime Lights show does not have a set schedule every week, Guests will have to check the Universal Orlando App for nightly showings. We prefer to check in with a friendly witch or wizard for showtime. Nighttime Lights show times will run every 15-20 minutes on nights the show does operate. We recommend that you arrive to the viewing area around 30 minutes before the first show. The area is small and it builds up quickly. Be sure to visit all Harry Potter rides during early park admission to leave more time at night
Use Wave of the Wand Travel for Your Next Visit
Yes this is a shameless plug, but this could be the make or break for your trip! Having a Certified Travel Advisor that is also a Certified Universal Vacation Specialist can truly add extra magic to your stay! While also saving you time and money. We stay up to date on all the latest promotional offers and apply them to all of our eligible clients vacation packages automatically. We also take it a step further and asset our clients every step of the way with our free planning services.
Unlike some travel agencies, we do not charge our clients any fees, and we do not require a minimum package purchase price. All of our services are 100% free and no cost to you. We want you to save money on your vacation, or use the money you save on creating memories with your friends and family on park extras and enhancements. How can we afford not to charge fees? When you book directly with companies like Walt Disney World and Universal you are paying the travel planning fee without receiving the benefit of having a personal travel planner. This is one of the several reason why using an Authorized Travel Agency is a wise choice, you’re already paying for the service, get the most our of your money!
Angel Sheriff is a Certified Travel Advisor through the ASTA affiliated COV Travel Program. She is also an authorized Disney and Universal Specialist. This is her full time career, not some side hobby. Creating a truly magical experience for her client’s is her top priority.
Angel is also a huge Harry Potter fan with extensive knowledge on the Wizarding World. She will help guide our clients along the way with personalized advice and tips to help them experience all the magic these lands have to offer, while avoiding all those muggle struggles.
If you’re wanting to visit the Wizarding World in, please contact use to learn more about how we add extra magic to your stay! As always, we hope this information helps! If you would like to receive more tips and tricks please consider subscribing to our free newsletter and following us on social media.
