Pilgrimage to Potterland

I mentioned before that my cousin Shannon's trip to Orlando was a rite of passage in our family, as we needed to initiate her into adulthood by drinking with her at Epcot on her 21st birthday. I didn't mention that this vacation held yet another significant trip for us.

Well, significant is kind of an understatement.

We were kind of geeking out...

...a lot.

Yes, Shannon and Amanda and I went to Universal's Islands of Adventure to visit the new(ish?) Harry Potter attraction! I won't talk about the Hogwarts ride because I don't want to ruin the surprise if you're a fan who hasn't been yet...and if you're not a fan, well, you probably won't care anyway :)

I will talk about our experience at Three Broomsticks, the restaurant at "Potterland." First of all, the attention to detail was amazing. I'd heard that some of the designers for the Harry Potter attractions were former Disney imagineers who had been laid off, and I have to say the quality of work was up to par.

I got such a kick out of the fact that Hogshead beer (their own brew) was on tap...next to Miller Lite!

And yes, butterbeer is as good as they say it is.

The food was pretty good, too. It's a kind of tavern fare, with drumsticks and roasts and what not. I had the shepherd's pie, and it was full of potatoey cheesy goodness.

We also might have split some strawberry chocolate thing for dessert. The fact that we didn't order three of these took lots of self control.

Have any of you Harry Potter fans made the pilgrimage to Orlando yet? What'd you think?