The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was awesome. The costumes turned out great – I wound up repurposing an old graduation gown to make Dillon’s black robe. The kids wore their costumes the whole time we were in WWHP, and I think the people who worked there appreciated it, everyone spoke with them (which made Rose slightly uncomfortable – she was cooler with the Disney characters, who just hugged her but didn’t come up and talk with her. At one point she may have felt a little stranger danger when a bookseller totally tried to engage her in a conversation about how she’d be starting Hogwarts, and what position did she play in Quiddich, etc., and she just looked at me like, “Mom, this weird guy is talking to me… is that ok?”)
The kids rode the Flight of the Hippogriff three times, and every time got the front cars of the rollercoaster, which I attribute to the fact that they were basically the only costumed kids at the park (there were maybe four or five others). We all rode the Forbidden Journey and all the adults thought it was the best ride we have ever been on in life. You ride three to a car, and I rode with the kids, while Charles, Anna, and Kate rode together. I am not going to spoil the ride but let me just say that in the picture they snap while you are on the ride, I look like I am having the time of my life, and the kids look pretty freaked out. It is a really great ride, and we were all disappointed that it broke down before we got to ride it again. Though incredibly happy that it didn’t break down while we were on it, which happened on several rides at Epcot…
For what it is worth, the rest of Universal Studios was pretty fun too, though they definitely do not do lines and waiting as well as Disney does. WWHP is small, but fun, and we read some online tips and went there right away when the park opened, did all the stuff we wanted to do, left when it got super busy, came back for a late lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and then again later on when the park started clearing out to ride the rides again. So we maximized our enjoyment!