Recently, we sacrificed a day at a Disney park to check out Universal Orlando -- and specifically, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- for the first time ever.
We peaked with our first ride, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This stellar experience set the bar really high, but the rest of the rides offered a steady decline.
The Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts were immersive narrative rides, but the former, in particular, elicited sensory overload. The Hogwarts Express was underwhelming, as was Flight of the Hippogriff (which I could tell from the ground, which is why I skipped this one).
Elsewhere, the Jurassic World VelociCoaster and the Incredible Hulk Coaster were proper coasters, but one of our best experiences was the simple but calming High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.
The Harry Potter section did have a strong vibe and a good presence, however, though the rest of Universal (that we explored) felt a bit odd and nonsensical. Why was there a San Francisco area? We may never know.
All that to say that Universal Studios had the distinct feel of a one-and-done visit for us (we had a massive Harry Potter fan with us), as it wasn't worth giving up a day at, say, Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios on the Disney front.
Evanesco!
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