Whether or not anyone is chosen, if you go to see the show a second time immediately afterwards, I think you risk ruining the magic of it. It will just be a rehash of the same words, same “tricks”, etc. Experiencing it once is cool even just as an observer. If you want your kids to experience wand magic, you should just buy the interactive wands and use them around the WWoHP.
3 Likes
I agree with what @ryan1 said. With regard to one child being picked and not the other, if crowds are low, you may try this. This happened to my sons and my older was mad when DS10 got picked. After the show, we hung back and DS13 and I approached the wand master (I cannot, for the life of me, think of the proper term for this guy right now!) and asked him if he had any recommendations for my son. He asked my son a couple questions and suggested a wand that may work for him. It took about 90 seconds, my son got a “personal recommendation” and everyone was happy.
4 Likes
sigh I sometimes forget how literal people can be. Yes, up to the team member and whatever may be going through their head at the time, based upon their training. Or whatever mood they happen to be in. 
1 Like
Thanks ryan1, good point about ruining the magic for the kids if we do the show again. About the wand, of course they are getting interactive wand, but isn’t the show so if you get picked, your can buy that particular wand? Our plan was, go into the show without a wand, after the show we can purchase the wands.
That is correct. If you are chosen, you have the choice to purchase that exact wand that you tried during the show.
I knew what you meant. I just wanted to elaborate on what that meant in practice.
I’m not THAT dense. 
1 Like
Thanks rebeecky that is a good idea !
If my S11 get pick my D8 Will get upset, she always wants to win lol . I think your approach is savvy, if one get picked tell the guy after the show if he can do a personal recommendation for the other. 
1 Like
I would never call you dense!!! 
No. But you’d THINK it!
For us, going 3 times in a row (it was a 1 or <1 minute wait the first 2 times, less than 5 minutes the 3rd time), I both agree and disagree with this. The second time was the same room/same wand master and the same spiel but different tricks to get to the right wand. The third time we were in a different room with a different wizard dude and both my kids got picked so it was super magic (for them but for me too), slightly different words.
I think they liked knowing some of what to expect but it still played out as unique, especially with the two of them being matched with wands (spoiler: the key was not to pick a different wand but to swap them, and he explained why the properties of each made them right for each kid. And they shared a core from the same… phoenix? dragon? I’d have to watch the video again.)
For us the key was going in the hour before the park closed to everyone except the annual passholder party attendees. I would also go in Diagon Alley instead of Hogsmeade because they have more rooms.
My nieces were there a few weeks after us and my older niece (11) got picked the first time through. They could tell the younger one (9) wanted to get picked too so after buying the first wand they went back in, had the same wizard again (and the same one who picked my kids I think, based on the photos, so he’s totally my favourite!!), and he picked the younger one. They were wearing robes, ties, and uniform-y short-sleeved shirts with shorts. My kids were not wearing robes, had matching shirts with a Harry Potter symbol part of the design. The girls that were picked in the first two shows we went to weren’t wearing robes either and I don’t remember seeing anything Harry Potterish on their shirt but they were keen. And I just realized it’s possible they had been through before.
2 Likes
Thanks Steenaca, if there is the possibility of different rooms with slightly different tricks, I’m all in for a second round 
Now can you explain the picking two kids at the same time deal? Because that sounds amazing! I may have to do my hotel trick of sliding a $20 to one of those wizards
I think we just got very very lucky. I did hear the team members managing the queue say something like “last time” as we were waiting but I don’t know if that had anything to do with us. Maybe they were closing down one of the rooms for the night? Maybe it was our wizard dude’s last show for the day so he decided to make it special? I can only speculate.
The video is here in between dragon pictures: 12 park days with no actual rope drops: a delightful first and possibly only trip
2 Likes
I was thinking more about bribing the wizards, which I’m philosphically but not morally opposed to. You don’t get to see the one who does the ceremony until you’re in the room and I don’t know if you could actually slip them money even if that would work (which I doubt.)
1 Like
My adult sister and I also got picked together, so I think this is something that they do with some amount of regularity, though not all the time.
3 Likes
That is so cool. Let me guess, you had to swap the wands and then they were the right ones for you?
1 Like
Correct!
2 Likes
Do you remember how much the extra lanyards cost? I’ll be going with some family in a few weeks and will need extra lanyards for them.
Hey, I’m glad this thread came up again b/c I wanted to thank the original posters. Your idea of wand holsters was perfect for my 3 kids!!! I was too late to get them off Etsy and mentioned it to my husband, who happens to be crafty. The day before our trip he sewed 3 holsters out of some old fabric he had lying around and used that string that is like a heavy cord to make straps so that the kids could have them around their shoulders (like a purse). The wands were always ready to go; I even used the holster myself awhile when one of the kids wasn’t using his. We got the robes and stuff but they were cheap robes and didn’t have holsters (I understand the official Universal ones have a pocket for your wand). Ours were basically long rectangles of sewn fabric but it was brown or black fabric and coordinated pretty well. I"m really glad we didn’t spend the whole trip taking wands out of the backpacks and putting them back in. Thank you!
2 Likes
You can use a lanyard bought from anywhere, not just Universal. Ours were all things we already had.
I know I can use any lanyards, but the ones I have to do not easily disconnect the holder from the rest of the lanyard. If the photo pass lanyards are cheap enough it might make to get extras of those.