Official Grand Opening of Disney Orlando’s Harry Potter Theme Park

Thursday, June 17, marked the official grand opening of one of the coolest attractions Disney Orlando has opened in a long time: the Harry Potter theme park. Disney will open the doors to the wizarding world to the general public Friday, June 18.

Just in time to cash in on summer family vacation funds, I swear if I wasn’t planning a wedding for October, I’d be on the first plane to Florida to explore one of my favorite fantasy worlds of the last decade.

Guests can experience various aspects from the wizarding world, including Hogsmeade Village, Hogwarts castle and an exciting ride called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey that features clips and snippets from the films.

Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, was on the scene to kick off the grand opening in style with fellow co-stars Rupert Grint, Tom Felton and Michael Gambon. Also there to enjoy the opening ceremonies was creator of the literary phenomenon, author J.K. Rowling.

Radcliffe told CNN it was an amazing experience, touting the Dragon Challenge roller coaster as his favorite attraction. “t’s been a while since I’ve been on a roller coaster that terrifying, but I’ve done it five times in the last two days, and I plan to go a couple more times today,” Radcliffe said.

So if you’re planning to head to Orlando Disney with the family this summer, be sure to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, and report back with your thoughts. I can’t wait to get down there and explore this myself. It truly looks like it’s going to be amazing for lovers of both the books and films.

Comments

  1. Jae Roth

    June 18th, 2010 - 10:36:57 AM

    Too bad Emma Watson wasn't there. It almost seems a cheat to only have two of the golden trio present. I can't wait!

    1

  2. Patrick

    June 18th, 2010 - 10:52:51 AM

    Unfortunately, better 1/2 said from over my shoulder.. wooo what is that?! The house is filled with Potter fans so now we really, really want to make the trip.

    2

Add your comment

Yahoo Search Marketing

Advertiser links are provided by Yahoo! Search Marketing through its Content Match and Sponsored Search distribution services. Content Match pairs ad listings with related content on this site; Sponsored Search matches listings to search queries from users. The listings are determined by the relevancy of keywords, and the price of advertisers' bids. For additional information on becoming a Yahoo! Search Marketing advertiser, please visit http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com