I’ve been on a Harry Potter kick for the past few weeks, so editing photos these has been entirely appropriate. Here are the promised final pics of Islands of Adventure.

If you’re planning a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I’d highly recommend getting there before the park opens and heading straight back to whichever section you’re visiting.

That’s what I ended up doing, so I was able to take some photos and browse a tiny bit in the shops before the crush of people became entirely ridiculous. The shops are pretty tight, which is great for the overall feel, but I can’t imagine what that would’ve been like later in the day.

I took some pics, went through all the shops and made a few purchases (WAND!), tried butterbeer, and headed into Hogwarts.

This guy ↑, he was happy to be at work. I vaguely remember him being friendly and making eye contact after I took this picture, but when I finally looked at it on my computer, he made me laugh out loud.
Also, frozen butterbeer is FANTASTIC (butterbeer for breakfast). Only tried the frozen because the lines got CRAZY, but oh my goodness…

I didn’t end up riding anything besides “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” inside Hogwarts (which was fantastic), because, PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, but I’m super excited to head back and see the changes now that Diagon Alley exists and you can ride the Hogwarts Express.

Click here for all the Universal Studios posts, or visit them individually: Lost Continent + Main Area, Marvel Superhero Island.

{photos taken January 2014}