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IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC

Harry's Wizarding World is spellbinding

IT OPENED with a starstudded fanfare - and then the crowds rushed in, pushing past Daniel Radcliffe, the twins and Rupert.

They were there to catch the first glimpse of the most anticipated theme park opening in years - the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal, Orlando.

And this summer thousands of Irish holidaymakers will be 'dementored' by their kids to drag them to what is already the number one attraction in Florida.

Set on 20 acres in Universal's Islands of Adventures park, and right next door to Universal Studios it's been so meticulously recreated that it looks even better than in the movies and has brought the magic of the Harry Potter books to (almost) real life.

It's got the village of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts Castle and three thrilling rides but on opening day the Potter fanatics formed long winding queues not for the 'coasters but to buy souvenirs in the intricately- designed shops.

It took Irish set designer Alan Gilmore from Ennis two long years to design every square inch of the village, its shops and the castle.

Right at the entrance is Hogsmeade Station, dominated by the Hogwarts Express, a real steam-billowing train engine.

Thrilling

Then the whole curving village unfolds, just like in the 40 million copies of Harry Potter books sold, with snow-topped roofs and leaning chimneypots.

Only fans of the schoolboy magician will recognise the shops along the street which all featured in JK Rowlings' books and all the products they sell have been specially made.

Zonko's joke shop has a collection of jokes and tricks, next door is sweet shop Honeydukes, full of treats and Ollivanders where wands are magically picked for the kids.

The Three Broomsticks restaurant has some of Harry's favourite food like shepherd's pie and the adjacent Hog's Head pub was doing a roaring trade in pumpkin juice and butter beer which is as sweet as a pint of caramel.

Across the way is The Owlery, where owls roost and await their next delivery and the Owl Post sends letters with a certified Hogsmeade stamp.

Laden down with numerous shopping bags, all that awaits are the three rollercoasters.

The first attraction, Dragon Challenge, features two high-speed roller coasters which do a couple of inverted loops with many iconic elements from the Triwizard Tournament.

The Flight of the Hippogriff is a more childfriendly coaster simulating a Hippogriff training flight over the grounds of Hogwarts castle.

But the biggest treat is the thrilling Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride right in the middle of Hogwarts castle.

Part of the fun of this ride and obviously to keep the queues amused, is the walk through the castle. You'll see the Mirror of Erised
and the Gryffindor common room, holograms of Harry, Ron and Hermione and 'talking portraits'.

The ride itself, which uses the most advanced robotics technology, is heart-stopping. You're strapped in to a simulator which soars and drops, blasted by 3D images and jolted through the scariest ghost train ever.

Your little carriage follows Harry on his broomstick on a high-speed tour of Hogwarts' grounds. Riders get chased by a loose dragon, zoom into the bowels of the castle and come face to face with some Dementors before flying through the Quidditch pitch, down sheer cliffs and through the castle... Just like Harry, it was magic.

Aer Lingus has three flights a week to Orlando direct from Dublin. And on board they have a dozen latest movies with new touch-screen personal TVs. Log on to aerlingus.com

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