Our package from Universal came this week! The one with the welcome letter and the owl plush and the tickets to things like our breakfast at 3 Broomsticks and our other breakfast at Leaky Cauldron! TWO BREAKFASTS WITH WIZARDS! I can’t wait.
You get this type of package when you specifically book the Harry Potter travel dealio. It’s really nothing more than those reservations and this welcome package BUT IT IS ALL WORTH IT BECAUSE…HOGWARTS!
I’ve been very tired lately and not really mentally stable as my life feels like it’s 180 degrees different than it was 2 months ago and I haven’t really settled into this new life successfully on just about any level but then…
HOGWARTS!
I’ve been reliving a lot of my Hogwarts memories lately. The one I visit the most awesome is when I was depressed on of my weekends (in 1999) without E, when his Dad and I still lived in the same town so we were doing the every other weekend thing. So – I did what I always did when I was depressed and I went and bought books at Books-A-Million (we didn’t have a Barnes and Noble) on my credit card I shouldn’t have been using because I was too poor to make payments. There was this interesting display with three Harry Potter books on it, and I assumed it was a trilogy and I thought, “Well…this should get me through the weekend.”
And it did. BUT IT WAS NOT A TRILOGY.
I went to everyone I knew on Monday and was like, “Have you heard of Harry Potter?” and of course they all had because none of them were as disconnected from the real world as I was with no TV. I was hooked, and would forever be hooked.
Since then we’ve done midnight releases for every book and every movie that there was one. The first movies didn’t have a midnight release locally but everyone that did – we attended. Harry Potter is/was E’s childhood and in a way – it was mine too. Nikki has made it through book 3 now and I’m hoping Wes starts reading them someday.
This will be our first time to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we’ve been planning this trip since the first park opened several years ago. We just now really were able to set aside the money. First family vacation in 5 years. FIVE YEARS. All 5 of us on a trip together for a whole week. The last time we did that was the summer of 2009. WAIT. SHIT. THAT’S SIX YEARS. I’ve been saying 5 but it’s actually six. I’m good at math.
We leave May 2nd and come back May 9th.
Or maybe never. If I find a job in Diagon Alley I’ll send the family back without me.
We went to “Harry Potter Land” as my girls call it and had a blast! My 4 year old FREAKED OUT when the dragon blew fire and didn’t want to go back but my 7 year old absolutely loved it! They use their wands all the time at home and always talk about going back!
I’m so excited for you! I can’t wait to go there someday. I recently have been re-reading the books and then watching the movie after each book. So many memories!
I hope you have an amazing trip, and post lots of pictures so we can live vicariously through you!
I can’t wait to hear about your trip. My son and his grandfather where just there for a spring break trip. My son has been a few times but we live in Florida, in fact his 8th grade field trip in May is to Islands of Adventure. I did want to mention one tip that may or may not work for you guys. On most of the big rides they have a single rider line, you may want to go on the rides together the first time but if you want to go a second time and don’t mind being split up try the single rider line, my son got to ride all of the big rides, including the harry potter rides multiple times even though it was spring break and the park was packed because he would go on the single rider line (which is usually pretty fast) and his grandfather would take a rest break and wait for him. Just thought I’d mention it.
Have tons of fun!
I can’t wait to hear about your trip because I want to go SO badly. But I want to wait until my kids are old enough to appreciate it. And until we save up.
Speaking of, what age do you think is a good age to start reading HP to kids? What has your experience been? I’m afraid to do it to early and make it go badly.
I didn’t start reading them until 2004, because sometimes I’m ridiculous and shy away from popular things like I’m too cool. (I’m not cool.) (Things are popular because they are good, generally.) (I learn slowly sometimes).
You receive the package before you arrive? I thought it came after you got there. We are going in late May. When do they let you know when to expect it?
They told me on the phone when I made reservations that I’d receive the package. It had my tickets in it, so it had to come before. Maybe you’re getting something different? If you are – let me know so I can make sure I get it too 😉