We ended up being glad we only did 1 park for the day, besides just the cost. We had 18,430 steps just from the time we got there (7:30am) to when we left (3:30pm)!
Our total costing was $795.68 for the day (Tickets $575.12, Parking $26, Food: $135.98, Wand: $58.58). We were trying to balance trying food and having fun with not going overboard. It was incredibly expensive for one day of fun.
The 3D imagery in all of the rides/show were incredible. The Harry Potter world of Diagon Alley was also amazing. The shops were really neat to see. Ollivander’s Wand Shop was pretty close to what I imaged in my head.
I wish we could have spent more time exploring the area. We were trying really hard to avoid the crowds as much as possible, so we didn’t get to see or ride everything. I would have spent a lot more time wandering around Diagon Alley.
I think Universal, in general, did a good job with dealing with COVID. Masks were required, hand sanitizer was around, spacing marked on the ground, rides left spacing and rows between riders. However, Revenge of the Mummy needed staff members who were willing to enforce the line markers/rules for social distancing. The Locker areas were also a free-for-all.
We love sending postcards to friends and family along our trip. We could not find postcards of Universal, except in Universal. Outside of the park it was just the mouse and general Florida/beach themed cards. We found some at the Studio Store in CityWalk for $12.95 for a set of 10. They were all prepackaged, either Universal in general or Harry Potter themed. I would love to have been able to pick out my own postcards to make up a set, or be able to find them outside of Universal.
We left early because the crowds were getting to be an uncomfortable size for us. Once we got to the truck, we sat and ate some snacks we had left in the cooler and watched the long line of cars still coming into the park.
Would I go back? Maybe. I would have liked to have taken a ride on Hogwarts Express, but you could only ride if you had a ticket to both parks (Studio and Island of Adventure), and to see Howarts in IOA. It just is so expensive to go for a day (or more). If you haven’t been to Universal yet and you love Harry Potter and rides, you should definitely check it out at least once. Diagon Alley was worth going for.
Magic is Disney’s go to word and I think to create magic it may cost a bit of change. It sounds to us that the lasting impression and enjoyment of the Happy Potter theme was worth it. Really no where else would you ever have the opportunity to experience this phenomenon and in years to come that may all change (or even end) in the park. So we see your point, it was sort of an investment and the richness of memories will grow and grow with time….