Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ing busier times of year. In the summer of 2014, waiting times for Three Broomsticks
were upwards of 70 minutes much of the day (though additional capacity was added
in 2013 by replacing space-hogging booths with tables). This, coupled with the facts
that (1) one usually can't reenter The Wizarding World without starting over and (2)
no other food is available in the themed area save some meager vendor snacks, means
that many guests are left without a practical alternative for getting something to eat.
Roughly across the street from the pub, you'll find benches in the shade at the
Owlery,
where animatronic owls (complete with lifelike poop) ruffle and hoot from
the rafters. Next to the Owlery is the
Owl Post,
where your can have mail stamped
with a Hogsmeade postmark before dropping it off for delivery (an Orlando postmark
will also be applied by the real USPS). The Owl Post also sells stationery, toy owls,
and the like. Here, once again, a nice selection of owls preens on the timbers over-
head. You access the Owl Post in either of two ways: through an interior door fol-
lowing the wand-choosing demonstration at Ollivanders (see below) or through
Der-
vish and Banges,
a magic-supplies shop that's interconnected with the Owl Post. You
can't enter through the Owl Post's front door on busy days, when it serves exclusively
as an exit. Because it's so difficult to get into the Owl Post, IOA sometimes stations a
team member outside to stamp your postcards with the Wizarding World postmark.
LILIANE
Once you enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, be ready
to get stuck in a time warp. The attractions are out of this world, and the de-
tails are enough to make every Harry Potter fan wish the day would never
end
Next to the Owl Post is the previously mentioned
Ollivanders
( ), a musty
little shop stacked to the ceiling with boxes of magic wands. Here, following a script
from the Potter books, you can pick out a wand or, in an interactive experience, let it
pick you. This is one of the most truly imaginative elements of The Wizarding World:
A Wandkeeper sizes you up and presents a wand, inviting you to try it out; your at-
tempted spells produce unintended, unwanted, and highly amusing consequences. Ul-
