Visiting Orlando on the cheap.

First you should think of is, combining your flight with a car rental or a flight with a hotel stay. Usually when you book a bundled vacation package in that way, companies will give you a substantial discount. Companies are interested to sell a package because that way they are charged less processing fees, and that is how discounts trickle your way.
If you are planning a trip to Orlando, we recommend to Save up to $500 on your Vacation Package!

We guarantee you will save a nice chunk by booking through them.

Cheap Hotels in Orlando

When you get to Orlando by plane or a car, you will have to…

get situated in a hotel, so you can get a good night sleep after walking all day and having fun in the sun. Orlando, Florida is a huge tourist destination and there are myriad options if you looking for a hotel. Prices and quality vary. First off you have decide what is most important to you in your hotel.

For instance, maybe you want to be close to Orlando’s hottest attraction the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If that is the case then you will want to choose one of the three hotels inside of the Universal Studios resort.
Or maybe price is your main concern? No problem we will show you how to find the Absolutely Best Orlando Hotel Deals you can count on us to help your wallet.

Also another point is how important comfort to you? If you know what we mean. There are absolutely posh hotels in Orlando 5 star quality. So if you wanna be pampered you can find very very upscale hotels in Orlando.

Theme Park Tickets

When you arrive to Orlando you will have to choose where and which attractions and theme parks you want to see and visit. There are so many choices. Universal Studios to Disney World to Wet N’ Wild water park. Orlando is THE destination to have some fun in the sun. Obviously we strongly recommend to visit the Harry Potter World, and it’s array of attractions. It is truly the only place in the world of muggles where you can drink butterbeer and visit the Hogwarts castle. Mingle with wizards and choose a magic wand.

If you want to find Discount Orlando Theme Park Tickets thats the place. Best deals and discounts.

Those are the best 3 ways to save money when visiting Orlando. Write in comments what else you think is a good way to save and/ or what would you like us to write next about?

This restaurant can be found inside the Harry Potter Theme Park Orlando just between the Hog’s Head Pub where you can order the famous butterbeer and Honeydukes where you can treat yourself with your favorite wizarding sweets such as the chocolate frog.

Three Broomsticks Menu

As for the three broomsticks restaurant menu options, you may find that each meal is carefully researched to provide you a healthy, hearty meal.

You will be welcomed by cheerful and friendly crew members who will serve your food at the counter where and then you just go find a table. The Three Broomsticks Restaurant reservations are not needed or required.

Some of the menu items are as follows:

• The humble Ponoma Sprout Salad.
• The generous Mad Eye meatloaf served with, mashed potatoes.
• The giant Hagrid Hamburger served with the “fang fries”.
• The traditional Pumpkin pastries are very popular during autumn.
• Fish and Chips.
• Rotisserie Smoked Chicken Platter.
• Char-grilled Rib Platter.
• Smoked Turkey Leg.

Desserts Include:

• Dumbledore’s favorite dessert which is the Sherbet Lemon Pie
• Viktor Krum cake.

Other Universal Studio Restaurant Options.

The Hog’s Head Pub which is the adjacent building to the Three Broomsticks Restaurant takes care of the alcoholic beverages for the adults and it also offers the famous butterbeer. The butter beer is surprisingly a non-alcoholic beverage which people of all ages can enjoy. The cost is very affordable at around $3.25 while the frozen butter beer is sold at $4.25. Visitors may also order butterbeer in collectable mugs at the price of $10.64. With those information aside, one may be curious as to what does a butterbeer taste like.

Actually, butterbeer does not even taste anything like the real beer. It only looks like a beer due to the amber color and the froth at the top. Basically, the butter beer tastes a lot like cream soda topped with whip cream. J.K Rowling herself describes it as a drink with a mild sweet butterscotch flavor, and it is.

The recipe of the buterbeer served at the Harry Potter World is super-duper secret. But if you would like to make one we will post a recommended recipe in a couple of days.

Butterbeer is not the only beverage available in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter restaurants. For visitors age eighteen and up, don’t forget to try the fire whisky.

The Sirius Black and Tan is also available at the theme park which is basically a variation of the traditional butterbeer concocted by the Sirius Family. Also, try the Felix Felicis or the Almost Liquid Luck and the Drink that Must Not be Named to those who are looking for an extra adventure using their guts, not just figuratively but also literally speaking! Here is a short clip reviewing the Three Broomsticks Restaurant.

Attractions to Visit.

Many of the theme parks which offer high adrenaline rides aren’t particularly family friendly as smaller kids are not able to use them. However, although there are rides such as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Dragon Challenge which are only for adults and older children, there is plenty to keep toddlers and smaller kids amused too. A family could easily spend hours wandering round the village of Hogsmeade, which is exactly as it looks in the movies, and where else can you see snow in Florida? While in the Hogsmeade village a visit to the Three Broomsticks Restaurant is a must. See the menu of the restaurant here.

What is the best time to Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?

Planning is key for a visit to Harry Potter World Orlando as the attraction gets very crowded. Arriving as soon as the park opens or leaving the visit until later in the day may help beat the peak crowds. Alternatively, consider booking into one of the Harry Potter hotels adjacent to the park. The three hotels which are part of the same complex are the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and the Pacific Royal Resort. Room keys from any of these hotels work as a fast pass, allowing visitors to go right to the front of the line for rides. As many kids find waiting boring, this is a huge benefit.
For an Orlando Christmas Vacation, the Harry Potter theme park is the perfect destination as it offers a combination of great rides, fantastic festive atmosphere and good quality accommodation to suit the whole family.

Family time is more invaluable these days than ever before, with kids spending more time with computers and other gadgets, than bonding with siblings or parents. At the same time, many parents are usually busy earning for the family and thus, have little time for the kids or are too tired when they get home.

So, when a family trip is scheduled it is important to choose a place where everyone in the family can enjoy and share the experience together. The question is: should you go to Disney World Orlando or Universal Studios Orlando?

Walt Disney World Orlando: Every Kid’s Dream

A lot of us grew up hearing and reading fairytales and seeing the adventures of characters like Mickey Mouse on TV. It comes as no surprise that Walt Disney World is a popular destination choice for any family. Little girls dream of seeing the Disney Princesses in the flesh and touring the castle, where Prince Charming took Cinderella to live happily ever after.

The theme parks within Walt Disney World Orlando include the following:

• Magic Kingdom
• Epcot Center
• MGM Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom

The most visited water parks in the world, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, are also among the Disney World attractions, where kids of all ages get to enjoy the water all year round.

Harry Potter World Orlando: Where the Magic Begins

Seven books and eight movies revolving around the same characters for ten years have made Harry Potter the most popular orphan of all time. He’s no ordinary orphan either, he’s also the only wizard in the magical world that faced the lord of all evil wizards twice and lived to tell the tale. The Universal Studios Orlando is where Muggles get the magical experience of the magical theme park.

The Universal Studios rides are summed up in three attractions:

• Flight of the Hippogriff
• Dragon Challenge
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

The most popular among the rides is the Dragon Challenge, which features the dragons from the Triwizard Tournament. It is the only duelling inverted roller coaster ride in the world. Aside from the rides and the tours, the Harry Potter attractions also include shops from Hogsmeade, like The Three Broomsticks and Zonko’s Joke Shop.

The Choice between Walt Disney World and Harry Potter World Orlando

You can base your choice on what age your kids are at the time of the trip. Most kids below 5 years old may appreciate Walt Disney World more. However, kids who grew up with the Harry Potter books and movies will love the adventures in the Harry Potter world.
It then comes down to the time you have during the trip on which one to choose or if you have to choose at all.

The Buzz.

The Deathly Hallows premiere last July 11, 2011 in New York City was graced by the trio Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and other cast members. Also in attendance was the author of the books J.K. Rowling herself. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named aka Ralph Fiennes was also there. Director David Yates was also present for the momentous occasion..

It’s another Blockbuster.

Just last weekend the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ticket sales reached the $1 billion mark. This comes as no surprise, since it reached over $91 million on the first day of its release, surpassing first-day ticket sales of its Part 1 and another epic fantasy hit The Twilight Saga. Of course also present were the diehard fans, who had camped out for about a week to get a glimpse of their favorite characters in the flesh. The fans donned hats, glasses and even painted Harry Potter scars on their foreheads. Ten points for Gryffindor!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the Wizarding World.

In line with the success of all the films, Warner Bros is hosting a 3-day celebration in the Wizarding World theme park in Orlando, for guests to meet the cast. A gala will also be held at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter world, and holders of special tickets will be invited. Muggles without these special tickets will see the event as nothing more than a regular trip to Universal’s Islands of Adventure Theme Park, where the Wizarding World exists.
We definitely agree that meeting the cast the filmmakers as well as the creators of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park is the perfect recipe for the ultimate magical vacation for any Wizard or Muggle. There is nothing like meeting the boy who lived and his gang of not-so-accidental heroes. These Harry Potter vacation packages, which include the event in November 11-13, 2011, are limited and have been available for purchase since July 31st. We urge magical and non-magical creatures not to be left behind and to get their Universal Studios tickets now!

Threadless have just released the “House Brawl” shirt in celebration of the release of part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The shirt pays homage to the four houses of Hogwarts, featuring the Ravenclaw eagle, the Hufflepuff badger, the Gryffindor lion and the Slytherin serpent. “House Brawl” was designed by Threadless all-stars Alex Solis and Alice X. Zhang.

You can view it online here

Wasting Time

The Village

Hogsmeade village to the ones who don’t know, is where Harry and friends were aloud to go on their weekends (as of year three “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban”). The magical village was inhabited by Wizards only. And in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade is a home to the local stores and eateries as well as stores and eateries of “Diagon Ally” (Located in London in the book series).

On to the grandest of them all “Ollivander’s Wand Shop”.

Make sure you are visiting the store no later then 11 am or later then 6 pm: here are the park hours. It might take up to 2 hours in line to see the show where the wand picks the wizard. Usually only 1 child in 20 is chosen for the show and the experience. Be ready for this because, that is the way it works in the peak hours. You do not have to stand in line if you just want to purchase the wand. Wand prices are between $20-$150.

The Three Broomsticks

This is not a sit down Restaurant, you cannot make a reservation. Usually the wait time is like in any Theme Park pick up counter Restaurant 15-30 minutes. The Menu offers a lot of yummy options so try everything. Make sure if you still have not tried it the Butter Beer.

Honeydukes

This is the Candy store make sure you visit it before 11 am or after 10 pm because it is small and can’t hold that many people.

Please visit us in a couple of days when we talk about how to save money in our third part when you visit “Harry Potter Theme Park on a budget”

Harry Potter Undesirable No. 1 T-Shirt

We are happy to let you know that a brand new Harry Potter T-shirt is up for sale. This Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows design was the winner of a WBshop.com online poll of several t-shirt designs, with votes cast by more than 10,000 Harry Potter fans worldwide!

Buy Harry Potter T-shirts Some As Low As $5!

So, first, before you do anything, please take a minute and look at the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter map.

Wizarding World Harry Potter Map

Click on the Map to enlarge the view.

In the map you can see three major areas of interest. Hogwarts Castle, Hogsmeade Village, and the Dueling Dragons roller coaster.

Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey

Our focus today will be the infamous Hogwarts castle, and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Ride. So to start off we should tell you that to ride the attraction you have to be 48 inches tall (sorry about that little wizards).
Please go to our Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey page, to see exactly what will happen on the ride.

As we continue to inform you, please know that if you are wearing flip flops or any other loose shoes you might be asked to take them off, before entering the ride. Also you should know that if you have a bag with you, you will be kindly asked to store it in the “school lockers”. Usually there is a line to rent those, so come prepared-without a bag. Cameras, cellphones etc should also be stored in the lockers or you are running a chance that those items will fly out of the ride without casting a single spell.

Another thing you should be aware of is that the seats are not designed for bigger people, there is a sample seat outside the entry, so you guys can check if you are able to fit in.

Now we get to the very important part where we discuss the lines, and yes the lines are pretty heavy. As is with every major attraction that just opens its doors. During day time you can expect about 2-3 hours wait time. The good news is, that for the most part you are hidden from the Florida blistering sun, as you are touring inside of the Hogwarts Castle.

The tour is an attraction by itself: you get to see Harry’s dorms, the big entry hall and Dumbledor’s office.

We recommend to visit the castle before 9 AM or after 5 PM if you don’t feel like standing 2-3 hours in the line. As an alternative try to go to the single riders line, that should move you along faster. If you don’t really care getting on the ride, you can just tour through the castle.

And finally if you want a keepsake from this experience, they do take a photo as you are riding so you can purchase it after you are done, keep some galeons on you.

Hope this bit of info was useful, please come back in a day or two—we will discuss Hogsmeade Village tips.