We are so excited to hear from our special guest, Misty Griffin. She is one of our content creators at Magical Memory Planners and works with our agents as well. Most importantly, she is a huge Harry Potter and Universal Orlando fan and has an amazing story to share with us. Misty planned a memory-making 11th birthday trip for two of her sons to Universal and she shares all the details with us.
A Special Harry Potter Birthday at Universal Orlando
What is the big deal about an 11th birthday for a Harry Potter fan? In the books and movies, young wizards get their letter on their 11th birthday that tells them they are a wizard and are invited to attend Hogwarts for their wizard education.
I know you did something special for your son’s 11th birthday. How did it start? How did you tell him? We told him he was going to Universal to celebrate his birthday, but we didn’t give him a lot of details ahead of time.
What did you do once you got to Universal? We worked with the concierge at the Portofino Bay hotel to have his Hogwarts letter and balloons put in the room. There are also local vendors that help with these arrangements as well. Then we spent the next couple of days doing all things Harry Potter. We got him his robes, wand, and other supplies. We did spells and spent all our time in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. When we were in the room, we watched the movie or played the movie soundtrack in the background. We made it all about Harry Potter and the Wizarding World for the whole trip.
What was his reaction? The boys loved it. The other kids got into it too. It was really memorable and made some very special memories for us as a family.
What was the most special memory that came out of this 11th birthday trip? There were so many great memories that it is hard to pick just one. Getting selected at Olivanders and doing the spells was a lot of fun.
What advice do you have for parents who may want to do something special for their child’s 11th birthday at Universal. Any special resources to share? First, start with a travel agent that knows Universal. They are an amazing resource to make sure your trip is awesome. Be sure you read the books and watch the movies ahead of time. You will also want to go through the sorting hat and your child knows their house. This way everything can be coordinated with their house colors.
Misty recommends three days at the parks to really have time to do everything and not be rushed. It may depend on how far you are traveling to Universal though. Also, it doesn’t have to be exactly on their 11th birthday. Maybe they get the letter at home on their birthday with the invitation to go to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies. There are a lot of ways you can make this sort of trip work and be special for your child. Hey, some of us didn’t have access to Diagon Alley when we were 11, so maybe it’s time to go back and get caught up.
We have some great resources if you want to learn more about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Find everything you need to know about Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.
Now is the time to plan your next Universal vacation and we are here to help.
