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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" is an entertainment attraction area located in Orlando, Florida, inside Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park. As the name implies, the park reproduces the mythical world found in the "Harry Potter" series of books penned by author J.K. Rowling. Time and money are valuable and there are ways to make the most of both of them on a trip to "The Wizarding World."
Instructions
Saving Time
1. Stay at an on-site hotel. Staying at one of the three Universal on-site hotel gives you special privileges. Presenting your room key card gives you Express Pass privileges at certain rides, including the Harry Potter Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff. Express Pass allows you to bypass the regular lines and enter near the front. On-site hotel guests also get into the park an hour earlier than regular park goers.
2. Purchase an Express Pass if you stay at an off-site hotel. There are a limited number of Express Pass tickets sold every day, so get one early in the day.
3. Shop in the Hogsmeade Village stores just after the park opens or in the late afternoon and evening during dinner time. The lines will be shorter at those times. One of the popular items to buy is a wand from Ollivanders, and there are usually very long lines there. But if you all you want is the wand, it's also sold at an adjacent shop, at the stand set up at the exit of the Forbidden Journey ride, and at the Universal Orlando website.
Saving Money
4. Stay at an off-site hotel. You don't get the room key card option this way but the savings can make up for it. There are many nearby hotels that can cut your hotel lodging expenses roughly in half compared to one of Universal's on-site hotels. If you do choose to stay on-site, the Universal Orlando website shows the Royal Pacific had the lowest room rates as of 2010.
5. Purchase the refillable mug. The mug costs $6.99 and refills are only 89 cents as of September 2010. The mugs are valid for one day's use and there is no charge to fill it with water.
6. Buy discounted tickets. As of 2010, regular admission tickets cost $10 less if they're bought in advance on Universal's website. Discounted tickets are available to members of AAA and Costco. Florida residents can purchase discounted price admission tickets through Universal's website, including three different types of annual passes, with a starting price of $139.99.
7. Purchase the Meal Deal. This allows you to eat as much food as you like from lunch through dinner at participating restaurants. The Meal Deal Souvenir Cup is also available, which gives you unlimited soft drink refills for one day.
Tags: Express Pass, Harry Potter, Wizarding World, admission tickets, Meal Deal, off-site hotel
