Going to an amusement park on Christmas Eve has become a tradition for me. And, although I don’t go every year, I try to go when I can. This year I chose to have a Christmas Eve Universal Experience in Hollywood.
Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey
I started my Christmas Eve Universal Experience in Hogsmeade and rode Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey. Using the single rider line I was immediately able to ride the ride twice without waiting in line. I should probably also note that this was immediately after the park opened, and it as forecast to rain.
Flight of the Hippogriff & Frog Choir
From there I rode the Flight of the Hippogriff, which had only a five minute wait. Then I got myself a butterbeer and settled in to watch the Frog Choir.
Cast a Spell
From there, I got out the wand I bought in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando and cast a few spells. Yes, the wand from Orlando worked in Hollywood. However, there were a few key differences.
- First, the spells are different, so the map from Universal Orlando was pretty much useless.
- The spells, movements and all, were on a circle shaped emblem on the ground in front of the shop.
- You need to make sure you do the movement in front of the camera. This was the same for the Wizarding World of Orlando, but it’s worth mentioning.
Ah, single rider line is the best! I love not having to wait in lines, haha. Going to an amusement park on Christmas Eve sounds like a fun tradition! I’ve yet to visit either of these in Hollywood or Orlando but would love to go someday!
Yes. I’m a bit of a free spirit, so I go to things like this by myself all the time. It was a pleasant surprise to find out about the single rider lines the first time I went. Unfortunately, Forbidden Journey was the only one open when I was there on Christmas Eve.
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan–that’s how I got interested in the parks in the first place. I live about a half hour from the park in Hollywood, so I have a season pass, but I went to Universal in Orlando for my birthday in October. Universal Orlando is much, much bigger, with so much more to do. Universal Hollywood is a smaller park. There are rumors that they are building a third Harry Potter ride though, which I am really excited for.