Month: January 2016
Location: Orlando
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than
our abilities” – ‘Albus Dumbledore’
I remember the very first time I heard of ‘Harry Potter’. The 4th book was coming out and
there was a big party planned for its launch.
So I decided to see what the big deal was and before I knew it, I had
read the all 4 books within a week.
There’s nothing that compares to reading ‘Harry Potter’ for the first time and like the rest of the world, I
couldn’t wait for the rest of the books to be released – reading them on the
first day and even attending a midnight party for the last one. Then there were the movies. There is some magical – if you pardon the pun
– in seeing your imagination come to life and it was special watching them in a
packed auditorium, with an audience of fans such as I. So when I heard that an attraction named ‘The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter’
was opening in ‘Universal Orlando’…well,
I guess my visit was a foregone conclusion.
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| The famous 'Universal' logo |
The exhibit itself is actually spread over 2 parks – ‘Universal’ and ‘Islands Of Adventure’, with a real life ‘Hogwarts Express’ connecting the two parks. I had called ‘Universal’ a month before to understand what this all meant
and to buy my tickets along with something that would enable me to travel on
the train between the 2 parks. I wanted
to get to the parks as soon as they opened and it was part of the reason why I
chose not to stay for the fireworks the previous night. I took an ‘Uber’
to ‘Universal’ and the entry to the
park takes one through a promenade of restaurants, bars, clubs and other
shopping attractions, which are sure to come alive at night. I entered the park and made a beeline to the ‘Harry Potter’ exhibit, which was at the
very end, passing by areas which I knew I would like to visit later in the day.
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| I got an earful from the "talking head" |
The first sight that you see as you approach the exhibit is
a full-size, multi-level, purple ‘Knightbus’
– just as the one in the movie and complete with the conductor and the “talking head”. Everyone was taking pictures, as did I, and
as I struggled to get a correct shot, the “talking
head” was making snide remarks on the amount of time that I was taking. Brilliant!
I walked through the main entrance and saw a sight that took my breath
away – they had replicated ‘Diagon Alley’,
and not just a set, but complete with all the shops. As I walked through the “Quidditch Supplies” store as well as ‘Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes’ – which was just as shown in the movies
– I realized that I was having an opportunity to experience the impossible.
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| The 'Diagon Alley' |
Since I had been running late this morning, I had not had an
opportunity to eat and boy was that a lucky thing. Because now I was standing outside ‘The Leaky Cauldron’, which like
everything other establishment here is a fully functional restaurant. The interior was like a medieval castle and I
ordered a typical “English Breakfast”,
complete with “Pumpkin Juice”. After that I continued exploring the other
shops, even buying a “Ginny Weasley magic wand” for a friend at ‘Ollivanders’. Speaking of wands, there were 2 types of
wands, one simple one and then a version which must have some sort of ‘RFID’ technology, because you could
wave it at different areas of the exhibit – in both parks – and it would do “magical” things like turn the water on
etc. At the back there even was the
notorious ‘Knockturn Alley’ with the
sinister ‘Borgin and Burkes’
shop. I even came across an establishment that sold authentic “Butterbeer”,
which was simply outstanding. But the
main attraction of this ‘Diagon Alley’
was the ‘Gringotts Bank’.
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| The "Dragon's" wrath |
As shown in the movie, this building is at the end of the
street and I saw that there was a big line to ride the rollercoaster inside,
just as the one the characters use to get to their vaults in the book…though I
am assuming that this one is not buried deep underground. There was no way I was going to stand in line
for over an hour, and plus, the main attraction of this place was really on the
outside. Perched about the building was
a full size replica of the White “Dragon”
from the movie and every 15 minutes or so, the creature would let out a huge
growl and a puff of fire, drawing applause from everyone assembled. I walked about a bit more, watching in
amusements as kids and adults alike tested their wands at different stations
prescribed in their map. But now it was
time to move to the next part of the exhibit, and so I made my way to “Platform 9 ¾” at ‘Kings cross Station’. I had
a ticket on the ‘Hogwarts Express’.
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| All aboard |
I walked through the station and reached the platform to
find an exact replica of the train, including the Steam Engine and the
carriages. Having seen the rest
of the story come to life, I should have expected this, but was still amazed by
the attention to detail. I was shown
inside a cabin with some other folks and the sliding door was shut. Both, the door and the windows, are in fact
projection screens and for the next 5 minutes or so, we were shown the entire
travel from “London” to the ‘Village of Hogsmead’, with flying cars,
the “Scottish Countryside”, “The Aqueduct” that shows up in all the
movies, and even the “Forbidden Forest”
as you pull into the station, with “Hagrid”
waiting for you. While this was going
on, “Dementors” were trying to get
into our cabin from the other side and we saw their creepy hands and shapes,
till they were driven away by a “spell”. But we arrived at our destination safe and
sound.
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| The castle |
As we emerged out of the station, the entire feel of this
area was different, being more festive.
Just at the entrance of the “village”,
you are met by a choir of kids dressed as the school students and complete with
the “Toads” used as musical
accompaniment in the movies. In the
distance the giant castle looms, but between that and the station is the main
street of ‘Hogsmead’. Just as ‘Diagon
Alley’, no detail had been overlooked and all the typical shops mentioned
in the book were present, including ‘Zonko’s
Joke Shop’ and ‘Honeydukes’. I walked through the main street, stopping
for pictures at various establishments, including a books store which had a
growling “Monster Book of Monsters”
on display. I learned that the interior
of the castle was in reality a big ride and the warning signs on the outside
all but assured the scariest thrill ride experience out there, prompting
thousands to stand in the line for what promised to be over a 2 hour wait. That was enough for me and I exited the ‘Harry Potter’ world and into ‘Jurassic Park’.
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| The "Sinbad" show |
It is amazing that ever since the original ‘Jurassic Park’ movie came out over 20
years ago, people’s fascination with ‘Dinosaurs’
has grown and this exhibit in ‘Islands of
Adventure’ park remains one of the fan favorites. As I walked through the jungle, “Dinosaurs” kept popping out at various
places and looking at the way people were enjoying getting soaked at the end of
the ride – which ends with a big splash in the pond – this fascination will
continue for at least 20 more years. I
visited an area which looked like something from the “Arabian Nights” and even attended a swashbuckling show on “Sindbad”. After walking about a bit and attending
another show, it was now time to return back to ‘Universal’, meaning I had to go back for the train. I stopped at another “Butterbeer” and some food at ‘Hogsmead’s’
premier establishment, ‘The Three
Broomsticks’ – with ‘Hogshead’
pub next door. After lunch I hopped on
the train and this time the visuals on the screen were reversed, with travel
from ‘Hogwarts’ to “London”.
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| The best part of 'Universal' |
I had beginnings of a headache and so went to a Starbucks’ to get some coffee. What this place has was a back porch, which
was perfect place to watch the daily “Universal
Parade”, which includes most characters from ‘Universal’s’ animation films.
It seemed like a popular attraction for kids, though I enjoyed it as
well. Dusk was setting in as I walked
through the park and attended a “Beetlejuice
Reverie” and later a demonstration on how special effects are created for ‘Horror’ movies. I even took a ride on the bike from ‘E.T.’, which was a lot of fun in the
way the ride was designed as it gives on a feeling of flying over a city and
all the way to a distant planet. It was
dark now and I was struggling with my headache.
But there was one more thing I wanted to see – a performance by pets. It was probably the cutest thing that ‘Universal’ does where pets – mostly
dogs, but there was a cat and a bird – do cute things that dogs usually
do. The trainers were friendly and it
was one of the trainers last day and so the show was made more special by
everyone. This was a temporary antidote
for my headache, though I was ready to leave just as darkness set it. I had spent over 10 hours here, though
fireworks and other festivities were yet to come, I just couldn't wait. As I walked towards the exit, I passed the
promenade and as I thought, it was bustling with nightlife activities and I
would have loved to have stayed. But
instead I returned to my room and did something that I never ever do. I ordered room service.
I had come to Orlando a bit jaded with some aspects of life,
one of them being the fact that I had to spend the holidays alone. Christmas is an important time of the year
and I had not done anything this year.
So coming to Orlando had been a nice distraction, but the excursions of
the last 2 days had now caught up with me.
I had a splitting headache and was tired. As I reflected on the day, the quote by ‘Dumbledore’ came to me. I know now that most of my life has been
about my choices that I have made, more than anything else. So with the beginning of a new year, as much
as I would like to make the right choices, I do have a track record of making
the wrong ones. I had loved visiting the
park today, I truly had. But I was
exhausted, physically and mentally…so much so that I wished I was leaving
tomorrow. For as long as I live, I’m
glad I did not.
To Be Concluded…
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