Park visitors can enjoy a mug of sweet, nonalcoholic Butterbeer
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Parks need rides, and the Wizarding World has three — two borrowed from the Lost Continent, a part of Islands of Adventure that Universal foreclosed on to make room for Harry. One is the Dragon Challenge, formerly Dueling Dragons: a coaster ride on twin tracks that sends the two speeding trains into 360-degree orbit and occasionally within 18 in. (46 cm) of each other. It's been adapted into a race from the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with the tracks renamed Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball and the preshow area decorated with the Goblet, the Triwizard Cup and other Potter totems. The Flight of the Hippogriff (previously the Flying Unicorn) is a more sedate ride showcasing one of Hagrid's favorite magical creatures. At one point, an animatronic hippogriff bows to you. Bow back.
The big new attraction is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which blends the scenic vistas of Disney's wondrous Soarin' ride with the jolting narrative adventure of Universal's Spider-Man. Strapped into your broomstick pod, you are led by Harry, Ron and Hermione on a forbidden journey (remember, you're a Muggle) skyward out of Hogwarts, observing a Quidditch match, eluding the grasp of a cranky Whomping Willow and practically getting heatstroke from a fire-spuming dragon. It's an impressive, harrowing, high-octane trek — not for the little ones.
But take them anyway so they can enjoy the splendid preshow. (They stay in a waiting room while you're on the ride.) As the line snakes through the "Gryffindor common room," wizards in wall frames chat cattily about you; a holographic Dumbledore — the great Michael Gambon — explains the school rules; and Harry, Ron and Hermione appear to invite you on the journey. Postride, you exit through Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods, which sells many of the books' gadgets, from Death Eater masks to the coveted Golden Snitch. Then stop for a meal at the Three Broomsticks, with traditional English food like fish and chips and Cornish pasties (of high quality for a theme-park eatery) and the Hogsmeade-exclusive Butterbeer — basically cream soda with a secret foam topping, and delicious.
No question, the Wizarding World is a hit. That's clear from all the blogs grousing about the hours visitors can spend waiting to get on a ride or even to be admitted into Potterland. Some of the shops are so small that crowds often must line up outside just to buy stuff. (Guests staying at Universal hotels get into the park an hour before the official opening. Or you can just wait for an off-peak month in the fall.)
But even if you don't have time for the Forbidden Journey, you can get the full Potter experience just walking around, admiring the evocative precision of the decor, immersing yourself in Hogsmeade. Here, as at Disney, the park is the ride. And the Wizarding World is one fabulous trip.