Wands? Purchase one for the interactive experience or not worth the $

Universal Orlando Resort
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I’m searching through old posts, too but a lot of them are older and wasn’t sure if they have added new features, etc. Never been to Universal.
Thank you!
Daughter is a 14 year old moderate fan (but not crazy level fan anymore like she was a couple years ago!)

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I adore the wands. They are amazing imho

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We just ordered one to share as a family from the Universal site with our trip in a few weeks, as we have never had time for these things on previous trips. Thought about used on eBay but didn’t feel saving $15-20 was worth risk of anything going wrong with it.

Also, buying ahead rather than in park because we don’t need the whole Olivanders experience and just want to do the spells, and don’t want to have the box in the parks.

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My daughter really enjoyed using an interactive wand. It makes the experience so much more real. And there are secret spells! Making it even more magical. It is a much more immersive experience than Galaxys Edge, IMHO, Galaxy’s Edge is themed beautifully but in the end it’s two rides, a few quick service restaurants, several upcharge experiences and a couple of occasional characters. I found the old March of the first order to be far more thrilling than just wandering around GE (but storm troopers make it better) HP is so closely matched to the films that you feel like you’re part of the story from the minute you walk in, having a wand connects you to the world more than just shopping or eating

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You don’t have to do the Olivander’s experience. You can buy the wands in many of the gift shops…not to mention Gregorovich’s (spelling?) in Diagon Alley.

(And stashing the box into a string bag was not a problem.)

I am not saying NOT buy ahead…just pointing out there is ample opportunity to buy in the parks. There is also something fun about handling each style ahead of time to pick one. (After all…the wand chooses the wizard…)

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We have our first universal trip in May and I’m not going to get a wand. We don’t know Potter so I figured one less thing.

DS21’s girl friend, who is coming with us, might have one. I’ll have to ask her if she plans to bring hers now that you’ve made me think.

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I bought an interactive wand on my first trip and ended up giving it away to a random kid.

I felt self-conscious trying to cast the spells and I found it surprisingly difficult to do. I also suffered from my usual inability to suspend disbelief. Casting a spell is identical to flicking a switch. Or using the remote control on my TV: I don’t gasp in awe when the channel changes on my command.

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Wands are one of those things that seem “silly” and maybe too expensive ($60). However, once you are there and see everyone else doing it you’ll want one. My daughter was 13 when we went the first time and thought she was “too cool” to do it. By lunchtime she was wanting one!

Even as an adult, I have one and enjoy doing it. (However, I do enjoy “playing / pretending” and don’t get self-conscious)

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All the older wand content still stands.

I have an interactive wand and my sister got one on our last trip (she was 31). I think they’re super fun but best to use in the early morning or late evening.

I do recommend Olivanders for the show even if you have a wand or won’t be purchasing one - just go into it with everyone’s expectations set.

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I keep thinking “I’ll just buy wands for my girls” (ages 8 & 6). But then I see AllEars vlogs of Molly running around and doing spells, including some of the ‘secret’ spells that don’t have a marker for them, and I think “I want to do that!”

I’ll probably end up buying myself one because otherwise I’d keep ‘borrowing’ one from my daughters and that would upset them. Hey, it’s a vacation, so why not? Who cares if I’m in my mid-40’s… There’s enough crap going on in daily life that I can suspend disbelief for a while and wave a magic wand on vacation.

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We did share one for a couple trips. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try it out before getting multiples - especially at $60 each. (There are multiple places in WWOHP and in CityWalk to buy wands later and the waits are too bad, especially in the mornings)

I’ll be there again the last week of April. I forgot my wand last time, but will definitely have it and wearing my Ravenclaw robe next time! Life’s too short to not play sometimes!

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Not having the box seems like as good a reason as any. Almost needed another free locker at every ride just for the wand box.
Olivanders is fun even if already having a wand. Such a cool building in Diagon Alley and the wand makers do a good job with the “show.”

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We lovvvveee the wands. But, I like them for their artistic merit as well as their function, and I’m sure not everyone would. The spells are lots of fun. All the adults in our party enjoyed doing them as well as the kids. To avoid waiting at Ollivanders we bought ours at our hotel’s gift shop, which was the Portofino hotel.

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Ask around and see if you can borrow one! We did that on our first trip and then the kids used Xmas money to buy their own last trip. Imo, one of the best parts of Early Entry in Diagon Alley is doing the spells without waiting! And you don’t have to do the show, as others have said. One of my kids bought one she thought was pretty, the other asked a TM which wand he should get based on his birthday and she was spot on!

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The wands are very cool and beautifully made. They’re fairly expensive but if you’re going to buy one, I recommend getting the interactive wand so you can use it around the Wizarding World. Once you’re at home, there’s not a lot to do with it other than admire it, but that’s common with most souvenirs.

The Ollivander’s experience is better than the wand itself, IMO. You can do it for free with no obligation for purchase if you don’t need the souvenir. And you can watch other people use their wands at the spell sites. Honestly those are kind of annoying for me because you often have to wait to do them and it’s hard to get the spell to work just right. Easier to just watch someone else do it and move on.

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I think it varies greatly from person to person. My then 7 year old nephew loved the interactive wand. My then 10 year old niece had no interest. I wasn’t interested in doing any spells myself, but I enjoyed seeing how much fun my nephew was having.

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I also recommend if you decide to get one, to buy at the beginning of the trip, so you can get the most use out of them. Personally, I love mine, and to me, doing spells is one of my favorite things to do during EE and at night.

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How do people discover the secret spells if they’re secret? I mean I’m sure I can Google it but how do you figure them out otherwise? I’d love to discover them naturally but is that realistic?

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I’ve seen videos where employees AKA witches and wizards that work in the land will come over and show people.

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Some are trickier than others, but one mistake I see a lot of people make is making the motions way too large. Most of the time, the entire action of the wand tip has you moving like 6 inches max.

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