Tiny Planet of Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood

A beautiful day to go to school at Hogwarts! This is my Tiny Planet photo taken with my Samsung Gear 360 Camera in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Tiny Planet Selfie at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood

Take a look at my Tiny Planet photo of my first selfie with the Samsung Gear 360 camera. This was taken with the conductor of the Hogwarts Express at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood in 360

It is time for 360 photos and a 360 walk-thru video from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood! Let's follow this Ravenclaw and look around! And yes, muggles are welcome!

If you have a VR headset the immersion is magical!



The first stop upon entering Hogsmeade is in front of the Hogwarts Express with the conductor!



Heading over to Honeydukes! So many yummy treats to choose from! How does one decide?



Right across from me is the Owl Post for all of your mailing needs. Behind me on the left hand side are the restrooms. Do not be startled when you hear Moaning Myrtle in there.

Harry Potter Recipes: Butterbeer Fudge at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Here is how to make the delicious butterbeer fudge that you can get at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! 

Butterscotch layer

• 1 jar Smuckers Butterscotch Spoonable Topping
• 2/3 Jar marshmallow cream (4.6 oz)
• 16 oz white chocolate chips (2 full cups)

Creamy layer

• 1/2 jar Smuckers Marshmallow Spoonable Topping
• 1/3 Jar marshmallow cream (2.3 oz)
• 8 oz white chocolate chips (1 full cup)

Instructions

first layer

1. Pour the butterscotch topping in to a sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. add the marshmallow cream, stir until it's melted and heat for 5 mins+ stirring constantly
3. it will thicken and "smoke" just a bit
4. take off the heat and stir in the white chocolate chips, once melted pour into a glass pan sprayed with non stick spray

second layer

1. Pour the marshmalow topping in to a sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. add the marshmallow cream, stir until it's melted and heat for 5 mins+ stirring constantly
3. it will thicken and "smoke" just a bit
4. take off the heat and stir in the white chocolate chips, once melted pour over the first layer. This layer was a little softer, creamier for me.
5. Let set and cut with a sharp knife (it will cut better if it you spray the knife with non stick spray

Giveaway: Hedwig Puppet with Sound

To celebrate the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, here is your chance to bring home this fantastic Hedwig puppet with sound!
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Three Broomsticks Restaurant Review: Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood

If this is your first visit to Hogsmeade, uh I mean the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, then follow me to some of your amazing food choices at Three Broomsticks! No visit would be complete without butterbeer, a butterscotch cream soda that comes in frozen form (my personal choice) or straight up. The warm version will be served up starting April 7th.

After attending class in Hogwarts and taking on Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey, it's time to eat! Head over to Three Broomsticks!

Amazing details and great place to eat some of the best theme park food around! The food here is English pub fare that comes in Hagrid-sized portions!

The lemon-herb roasted chicken with potatoes and a full ear of corn! The chicken is moist and tender and really flavorful. Potatoes are tasty and I had to order another ear of corn because it was so sweet.

Giveaway: Marauder's Map Mug plus Starbucks Gift Card

As we get closer to the official opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, here is your chance to win this awesome Marauder's Map mug and a Starbucks gift card!

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Sasaki Time's First Look at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood

I am standing at the gateway to one of the most highly anticipated theme park expansion openings in recent history! Come with me  and get your first look at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood!

The official opening is set for April 7th, 2016, but Universal Studios Hollywood is deep in what they call "technical rehearsals". This gives the theme park a great opportunity to work out the kinks of the entire land operation from shops to restaurants to attractions. A "technical rehearsal" is not guaranteed but it has been happening just about every day now.

The Hogwarts Express is the first thing that greets you! Steam coming out of the stack lets you know that the train has just pulled into the station.

The details pull you right into Hogsmeade and you will run into many of the townspeople who are as friendly as can be!

First Look at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Merchandise at Universal Studios Hollywood!

We are less than a year away until those of us in Southern California get to walk into our very own version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Cannot wait for the gates behind me to come down!

Construction is really coming along! Soon smoke will be coming out from the tops of those chimneys!

Even on the outside of the town walls there are already great places to take photos!

Hogwarts is really coming along!

At the front of the park the merchandise is already rolling in! Let's take a look at the merchandise that has arrived!

Quidditch jerseys!

Pennants to cheer on your favorite house!

Love the variety of stationary and notebooks here!

Love the mug of Sirius Black!

Who wouldn't want The Marauder's Map?

There are plush Hedwig's!

Some really cool Hogwart's logo merchandise!

As a Ravenclaw I really need this hat!

I also need this Howler letter!

I wonder which wand will choose me?

All the wands of your favorite wizards and witches are here!

Official robes are here as well!

What will you buy? And will you be here when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal Studios Hollywood next year?

Hope you enjoyed your first look at some of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter merchandise here at Universal Studios Hollywood!

Trip Report: Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando Resort by Carla Robles

To say we got lucky is an understatement. We picked the perfect day to go to Universal and Islands of Adventure. It rained practically the entire day, which in central Florida maybe normal but for two California girls in the depths of an epic drought it was a welcomed refreshing sight that clouds actually do stuff. I mean we were dressed in our Slitherin and Hogwarts alumni shirts. 

We maneuvered our way through Universal Studios straight to Diagon Alley and to say we had a nerdgasm is an understatement.

The brick wall at the entrance to Diagon Alley makes the same noises of movement that were present during the movies. 

The store fronts and ambiance felt like we were in the movie itself. A trip to Diagon Alley wouldn’t be complete without a Butterbeer, frozen or regular are just delicious and get one early because you will most likely want another one. 

Weaving through the various stores and experiences that were taken right out of a move set. We made our to Olivander’s Wand Shop, we opted out of the interactive wand experience and instead went into the adjacent store and looked through stacks and stacks of film character wand replicas and even collectable wand sets. We purchased the interactive wand (which costs a bit more) but it allows the holder to casts spells around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. We walked around casting spells, breaking glass, opening doors, made it rain and genuinely geeked out at what we were doing. Here, two grown women practically trampling over other (little) wizards to get to the spot to cast our spell and see what magic we could perform. Even though many stores were crowded due to the rain we still managed to get into see everything we wanted to see. Knockturn Alley is just as dark and mysterious as it was in the books and movie, although it’s less of a shopping center than it is a walk through attraction but be sure to look up as the ceiling has projections of the sky making you feel like you are still outside, albeit staying dry.

The dragon atop Gringotts Bank is breathtaking and to our surprise Gringotts only had a 20 minute wait. 

It may have been the one and only time that I was upset that the line wasn’t longer so that I could experience everything in the queue. 

The goblins are incredible and the elevator ride down to the “basement” was fun. The ride itself was great and you really feel like you are traveling through the mazes and underbelly of Gringotts Bank. 

Just a short walk outside the Diagon Alley in the London area of Universal which includes the Knight Bus (aka triple decker purple bus), Sirus Black’s house at 12 Grimmauld Place, and Kings Cross Station, which is modeled exactly as it’s London counterpart. 

Within King’s Cross station and Platform 9 ¾ you catch the Hogwarts Express. You will need to have the two park ticket option to ride, but there is a ticket booth at the station to purchase in the event that it wasn’t purchased beforehand. The train ride is amazing and we sat in our compartment, mouth agape at everything going on around us. We will say no more, other than YOU MUST TAKE THE TRAIN, BOTH WAYS!

As we left the train station to enter into Hogsmeade, it was like entering into the wintery wonderland of the movies, which was quite fitting with the continuous rain. Hogsmeade is significantly smaller than Diagon Alley but there is still much to see, the center piece being of course, Hogwarts Castle. 

Hogwarts is impressive, absolutely stunning and magical. Again we had the unpleasantness of not having the line be long enough to truly enjoy everything that the queue had to offer. At times, we found ourselves just staring at the talking portraits or at the Griffin door to Dumbledore’s office forgetting to move forward and holding up the line behind us. Finally we made our way to the Forbidden Journey attraction and to say that it is nothing short of spectacular is putting it mildly. This was the one attraction in both parks, that we had to ride twice. It’s really exciting that Universal California is getting the Forbidden Journey ride. All the employees at Hogwarts are dressed in their school robes, and divided into their respective houses. We learned they take an assessment to see which house they are put in, in a very Sorting Hat sort of way, the ride loader from Gryffindor made sure to let us know that Slytherin were not welcome.

We capped off the rest of the day visiting the other parts of Universal and Islands of Adventure, which thanks to the rain, we were able to get on and see everything we wanted to. If and when we make it back out to Florida we will definitely have to make it back over to Universal and Harry Potter’s universe because in the end this wasn’t an attempt by one theme park to simply one up Disney World, this was a straight reach back, with their glove, and slap the hell out of it.  

Recipes: How to make Butterbeer at Starbucks!

If you have been to The Wizarding World of Harrry Potter at Islands of Adventure Theme Park in Orlando then I am sure that you have tasted butterbeer! The rich, creamy drink served only there and no where else. There are recipes you can look up and of course, everyone has tweaked it to their tastes and no recipe is better than any other. But some of the recipes are time consuming! We do not have time to waste and here is a quick recipe to make one at your local Starbucks! I have chosen to have some fun with my butterbeer order by having them make one at Disneyland! Yes, I know the Potterverse does not exist in Disney, so I thought it would be funny! But here is the recipe and order it just the way that I have it listed:


1. Get to your local Starbucks by driving, walking or flying your broom!

2. Order a grande Creme Frappuccino with whole milk!

3. Ask for three pumps of caramel syrup!

4. Ask for three pumps of toffee nut syrup! (I've been told that this syrup flavor is seasonal. Does anyone know for sure?)

5. Ask for a caramel drizzle!

6. Give the barista your cool Starbucks name! For such an occasion, I would have given them a name out of the Potterverse, but being in Disneyland I gave them a Disney one!

Yes, my Starbucks name at Disneyland is Master Jedi and they spelled it wrong! But here is the finished product!

You are going to love how smooth and creamy this drink is! Please feel to tweak the recipe anyway you want and let me know what you have come up with! Enjoy!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley Expansion Construction Update!

Take a look at the latest construction photos from Jeremiah in Orlando from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion!

After the phenomenal success of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure, Universal is preparing their expansion that will include Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express to connect and to travel between both areas. This is unprecedented to have two theme parks connected with a land! Super ambitious! 

This will become a London waterfront so that the Muggles have no idea what is on the other side.

This impressive project is scheduled to open next year in 2014 with a rumored May opening. There will be new rides, a new restaurant and new stores. The highlight attraction will be based on the Gringotts bank rollercoaster.