Anyone been to Harry Potter Studio Tour?

[Goodliz]

Hello, Has anyone been to Harry Potter World?

My sons really want to go and if I do book the tickets for the soonest availability they will be aged 12 and 9.

I've got a few questions:

I cannot tell from the website what actaully happens. Do you just go on a guided tour?

It has Tour times listed on half hour slots. I'm assuming that for the cost of the tickets it is more than a half hour experience. The times available within the next few weeks tend to be late afternoon. Can you turn up earier and have a look round before you go on a tour?

What time would you recommend going?

When you booked your tickets did you also book all the extras too? Is this necessary?

It is probably just me but I don't find the website very pleasant to browse around.

Any insight you can share will be much appreciated by me and my boys if we get round to going!

Thanks!

[sanity girl]

Hi,

Do you mean the Harry Potter studio tour? I asked about it on here about 18 months ago but can't find the thread now.

Anyway I took my kids who were 8 and 4.5 at the time and we all loved it. My daughter is a massive Harry Potter fan so she was very excited and dressed up as Hermione for the day. The half hour slot is just for the time you enter the tour - once in you can spend as long as you want there. We took a packed lunch to avoid spending ???? in the cafe, and we stopped halfway to have lunch. I think we were there for about 3 hours but my memory is hazy. There is no guided tour - you just make your own way around. There are extras you can buy on the day like photos on broomsticks (i caved in and got them for my kids). The shop at the end is pricey. On the advice of my SIL I bought some Harry Potter related souvenirs in advance and gave them to my kids at the end. If you are a fan of the films you will love it. Hope that helps

[sanity girl]

In answer to tourniquet questions - we went on a Sunday and got one of the earliest times - I think around 10.30. I would aim to get there earlier rather than later if you can. As for what happens - you see parts of the set of the film, with props etc - lots of explanatory stuff, there is a new exhibit of the hogwarts express - real train you can get on and walk through, great section on the special effects and models used in the films and loads more.

I didn't book any extras and no you can't get in and look around before the booked time.

[Goodliz]

Thank you Sanitygirl - yes I did mean Harry Potter Studio Tour and I've change the title of the thread now. I'm going to thry and fnd the earliest time slot.

[Carbonara]

I think your boys are an ideal age.

The 'tour' is self guided - you just go at your own pace round the studios, but they let you in at timed tickets so that they can control the crowdedness a little. I would definitely try and arrive as early as possible, you don't want to feel you are rushing.

My boys tend to glance-and-rush, and it is worth having a really god look at some of the exhibits - a little patience and you see 'things happen'. A little patience and you realise things are inter-active.

We did queue for the green-screen flying, but just to see it there and then: I didn't buy the DVD or photos.

We bought one Butterbeer between us, in the souvenir glass - again for fun. It is overpriced and revolting.

The gift shop is vast and has some outrageously expensive items, but some affordable, too.

It is easy to get to by train to Watford (you can use your Oyster) and then a special HP bus from outside the station to the Studios.

HP bores me rigid and I did the day as a parenting duty - but actually really enjoyed it. Very interesting.

[nunheadmum]

Enjoyable but definitely better for the real fans. My girls (9+7 at the time) - eldest just getting into Harry Potter - went with 2 teenage friends who'd grown up with the books / films and while my two liked it, they weren't anywhere near as taken with it as the 2 real fans. There's a lot of detail to see - props from the films - which is good for those who know the films backwards and interesting in itself but if you have younger non-fans, they may find it a bit less enthralling.

And as with all these things, there's a long queue before you actually get to go in - so you may be able to (need to) join the queue before your actual ticket time.

[Goodliz]

Thanks Carbonara and Nunheadmum I need to sort it out and get it booked.

[DaveR]

As above, it's very well done, and in addition to the walk through sets there are loads of video clips and feature bits that are really good - there is a section about all the animals that were in the films, and how they were trained, for example, and another one all about animatronic monsters.

We drove, booked an early entrance and then went for lunch nearby (we actually went for a Sunday curry buffet - it was great!). That avoided the cafe at the place, which seemed OK but was very, very busy.