Is it possible to fit everything at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in one day? In this video, I’m sharing exactly how I did it at Universal Orlando with my daughter for her 9th birthday (we’ve been reading the books together since she was 6, so this trip was a really big deal for us). We flew JetBlue using points, kicked off the excitement on the flight with downloaded Harry Potter movies and a headphone splitter, and then stayed at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort Surfside Inn & Suites because budget was the main concern and we mostly just needed a comfy place to sleep. Then I walk you through our one-day, two-park itinerary—starting with early entry in Hogsmeade to knock out Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure first, doing the Ollivanders wand ceremony, and riding the Hogwarts Express over to Diagon Alley. In Diagon Alley we focused on immersive must-dos like the Tale of the Three Brothers show, Gringotts money exchange with the goblin, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and Escape from Gringotts (my 9-year-old loved it). We also did a full butterbeer taste test (cold, frozen, hot, plus butterbeer ice cream), hit fun interactive spots like the Knight Bus and the red phone booth, and I’ll show you how to get the Platform 9 ¾ “walk through the wall” video. My biggest takeaway: you don’t need Express Passes to do both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade in one day—you just need a 2-Park, 1-Day ticket, smart timing (early entry helps a lot), and a plan that prioritizes the experiences your kids will actually remember.