In this post, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about visiting Harry Potter world as part of your Disney World vacation. We’ll start with the basics—like what the land is actually called and where it’s located—before diving into how you should go about preparing for and planning your day visit. Read on to learn all about visiting Harry Potter world from Disney World!
Wizarding World Basics
Is Harry Potter at Disney World?
Harry Potter is not at Disney World, but you can visit the Wizarding World—the actual name of “Harry Potter world”—pretty easily from Disney World, which is what we’ll cover in this post.
Where is Wizarding World of Harry Potter?
There are several Wizarding Worlds around the world, but for the purpose of this post we assume you’re looking for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter located at Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal Orlando Resort is not a part of Walt Disney World. In fact, it’s Disney World’s largest competitor and just a short trip away. If you’re interested in planning a larger trip, we have a Universal Orlando Resort Planning Guide. If you really just want to see Wizarding World, then visiting for a single day is a good way to avoid the costs of planning an entire trip for Universal.
Getting Tickets for Wizarding World Orlando
If you’re hoping to experience Harry Potter as part of your trip to Disney World, the first step is going to be making sure you get tickets to the right theme parks which, again, are not a part of Disney World. This means your Disney World tickets are of no use here.
Moreover, Wizarding World is split between Universal Orlando’s two theme parks. This means you’ll need tickets to visit both theme parks at Universal Orlando—Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
Luckily, this doesn’t mean you need two tickets. All you need is one park-to-park ticket and you can see both lands within a single day. In fact, even if you have multiple days you’re still going to need a park-to-park ticket to enjoy all of Wizarding World because you cannot ride the Hogwarts Express without a park-to-park ticket.
Two days of tickets would give you time to enjoy more of Universal Orlando, but for the purpose of this post we’re going to assume a single-day, park-to-park ticket is all you need. This will cost you around $200 per person, but pricing varies by date. We recommend browsing the same sites we recommenced for discount Disney World tickets.
What about Express Pass?
Universal Express Pass allows you to skip the line on most rides at Universal. It can be quite expensive, costing $100-$200 per person, and it doesn’t include Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the most popular of the Harry Potter rides (it does include the other five rides, though).
In general we feel a day is enough time to see Wizarding World without Express Pass, and the queues for some of the rides are actually so good we prefer not to skip them with Express Pass. That said, if you have an interest in some other rides at Universal, then Express Pass might make sense for a single day visit.
Getting to Wizarding World from Disney World
Universal Orlando Resort is about a 20-minute drive from Walt Disney World, depending on where you’re coming from. If you have your own car or rented a car, you’ll be able to drive and park just outside the CityWalk complex (a shopping/dining complex). From there you walk through security, then through CityWalk, and to either of the two Universal Orlando parks.
Otherwise your best option is going to be to rideshare with Uber or Lyft. These services are very easy to use at both Disney World and Universal. Again, you’ll be dropped off near the CityWalk entrance, go through security, through CityWalk, and to the two parks.
Keep in mind Uber Car Seat only allows kids 2 and older. If you have a baby under 2, you’ll either need your own car, a car seat (not recommended since then you have to deal with that while at Universal), or to book a private car service with a car seat.
Planning Your Wizarding World Day from Disney World
There are several different approaches you can take to visiting Wizarding World in a single day, but before I get to specifics I want to highlight what to expect from the lands, along with some of the planning complexities.
What You’ll Find In Wizarding World
You’ve got six rides to plan on:
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Hogsmeade)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Hogsmeade)
Flight of the Hippogriff (Hogsmeade)
Hogwarts Express (Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley)
Hogwarts Express (Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade)
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Diagon Alley)
As noted above, you want to ride Hogwarts Express in both directions. The ride is different in the two directions. The simplest approach is to start and finish your day in the same portion of the land, so either:
Start at Diagon Alley
Ride Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade
Visit Hogsmeade
Ride Hogwarts Express back to Diagon Alley
or vice versa.
There’s entertainment in both lands. To be honest, I don’t consider the entertainment an essential part of a visit to either of these lands, but it can be enjoyable and if you have a full day you’ll likely have time for it. You can find the schedule of entertainment in the Universal Orlando app.
You can get your own interactive wand. You can buy a wand that can interact with different elements of the land. While this can be quite fun, the popularity means some of the spots will have several people in line and a long wait as everyone tries to get the spell cast just right.
There’s a wand ceremony at Ollivander’s. The Ollivander’s wand shops in both lands have two components. First, there’s a store where you can shop different wands. But there’s also an experience. You’ll usually see a queue for the experience just outside the shop. Guests are taken in in groups (you’ll group will be mixed with other guests unless you’re a very large group) and just one guest from the audience is chosen to find a wand that chooses them.
Shopping / Eating / Butterbeer. And of course, both lands are filled with stores and treats, including Butterbeer.
Things to Know About Your Day at Wizarding World
Remember, the land is split over the two parks. Diagon Alley is the portion of the land in Universal Studios Florida, and Hogsmeade is the portion of the land in Islands of Adventure. You can only get between the two lands by riding the Hogwarts Express (a ride that may have a long wait) or walking (out of the first land, through the first park, out of the first park, to the second park, through the second park, into the second land).
There might be Early Admission. Guests of Universal hotels (and select other guests) get Early Admission (one hour before regular opening) to one park each day. On some dates, they have early access to both parks. Whichever park has Early Admission will start with longer lines for its rides, and it might make most sense to start in the other land. (Note: I know non-Universal guests can sometimes get Early Admission by buying their ticket through a travel agent, so this might be something worth looking into.)
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will have the longest waits. This is the most popular ride and the biggest challenge to fit into your day.
The Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts queues are pretty enjoyable. I’d gladly wait 30 minutes for either Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (at Hogsmeade) or Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts because the queues are very well themed and attractions in themselves.
Flight of the Hippogriff might be worth skipping. This is a kiddie coaster, and if you have time there’s no reason to skip it, but if there’s anything at all you’d prefer to do—I like drinking a beer on the steps in Diagon Alley, for example—probably do that instead.
There might be a nighttime light show in Hogsmeade. Depending on your visit date, there might be nighttime projections onto the Hogwarts Castle at Hogsmeade. This can mean it either makes sense to finish at Hogsmeade or, if the timing works, to catch that show and quickly hop onto the Hogwarts Express back to Diagon Alley.
Basic Outline of A Day at Wizarding World
Okay, here’s an actual outline of how to plan your day at Wizarding World from Disney World. Keep in mind you can deviate a lot from this depending on how you want to spend your time. This is just one reasoned example.
In the days before your visit, take a look at Thrill Data’s page on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. As noted earlier, this is the toughest ride to fit into your day, so you want to have some idea of what waits are going to look like, and whether it’s worth trying to get on the ride early or save it for late. (Hagrid’s has a single rider line that is sometimes, but not always, open and can reduce wait times.)
Look at the time the park opens and plan to park or be dropped off an hour before that time.
It usually makes sense to start at Islands of Adventure (Hogsmeade). This is where two of the three most popular rides are located, including the most popular, Hagrid’s. If there is nighttime entertainment, it’s in this land, and so it makes to start here, then ride the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley and back.
If there is no Early Admission at Islands of Adventure, or if there is Early Admission and you have access to it, starting at Hagrid’s is a great idea. If Islands of Adventure has Early Admission and you do not have access to Early Admission, you’re likely to find that it doesn’t make sense for you to start at Hagrid’s. The line for the ride will simply be too long by the time you get there. Instead, use this time to visit Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
You can either do one or both of Hagrid’s and Forbidden Journey before hopping on the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley (if you want to squeeze in Flight of the Hippogriff first, fine). Once in Diagon Alley, you’ll want to ride Escape from Gringotts, the only ride in the land other than the Hogwarts Express back to Hogsmeade.
Then take your time in Diagon Alley. There’s no rush to get back to Hogsmeade since waits will be peaking already and this is your only time in Diagon Alley. Wander around, maybe by a wand to play with, do some shopping, start having some treats, and so on.
Keeping an eye on the wait for Hagrid’s (or Forbidden Journey if you already did Hagrid’s), head back to Hogsmeade via the Hogwarts Express in the afternoon. There’s no easy way—this is probably when you’ll spend 2 hours in line for Hagrid’s, but it is what it is (and it’s worth it, in our opinion). Then finish the day in Hogsmeade.
All Your Other Universal Orlando Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Start with our Universal Orlando Resort planning guide! If you’re considering a Universal hotel, read our Review of Universal’s Aventura Hotel!
You’ll want to know what rides the parks offer, so we’ve got a Universal Studios Florida Rides Guide and a Universal’s Islands of Adventure Rides Guide. And to know how to get on them without the long waits, read all about Express Pass at Universal Orlando Resort.
If you’d like an idea of how to plan a day at these parks, we can help there, too. Our One Day Universal Studios Florida Itinerary covers a full day at the original park, and our Universal’s Islands of Adventure One Day Plan covers that park.
Early risers always have the best theme parks days (well, we think so). Read about Early Park Admission at Universal Orlando to learn how to get an extra hour in the parks. And read about rope drop at Islands of Adventure, including getting on the brand new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.