Ever since I heard that they had a Christmas celebration at the Wizarding World in Orlando, I knew I had to go. So last year when my boyfriend and I were sitting down trying to decide on his vacation weeks for this year I just knew he needed to take off a week in December so we could go and enjoy all the festivities! And I have been bursting with excitement ever since!
So, first thing I needed to decide on once I all of the hotels were booked was the day we were going, how many days we were going, and wether it would be park to park or one park one day and another park the next. Well, I have to say money came into play when it came to deciding on a few of these things. Deciding on park to park was actually an easy decision because I knew I had to ride the Hogwarts Express! But, going for a second day just wasn’t going to work out. We did end up going to a timeshare presentation to get the tickets for a bit cheaper. The one thing I would suggest is really make sure you know what parks you want to go to and try to manage your time well. We didn’t finish a single park while we were there, and since we did park to park at Universal Studios we missed a lot because there was just so much to do. And if you want to visit for Christmas you should aim for the first week of December, everyone kept telling us how we picked the right week and how crazy things were going to get, so if you want to avoid the crowds I’d aim for sometime after Thanksgiving until the first week of December.
Now, getting into the Wizarding World itself, if you want to read about the parks overall, I covered that topic in a previous blog! So, here it is, the decor was beautiful and classic garlands strung on every building, with wreaths and trees perfectly placed about the park. They put on magical holiday performances throughout the day, and the hot butterbeer was a must have, I wish I could have brought it home with me by the bucket! We went on a cool day which helped boost the Christmasy feel.
The rides were spectacular, I had a preference for the Escape From Gringotts Ride, but that could have been because I have been on the Hogwarts ride before at the California location. The attention to detail to make everything match the films and books, was incredible, and though it wasn’t a part of the holiday splendor it is definitely something to take note of, and definitely a reason to visit anytime of year!
Now for they main show which was the Christmas show, it was amazing with fireworks, lights, and characters and decorations projected on the castle! It was amazing, I caught the entire show and have the video below, but I definitely recommend seeing it for yourself it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. The had the ghosts floating around, Fred and George causing trouble, a quidditch game, and then the decorations strung across the grounds with a giant tree appear. finalizing the show with an amazing fireworks display! It was perfection and I can’t wait to go back!