9 Unique Tips for your Interactive Wand Experience

Interactive Wand and Spell Casting Guide for the wizarding world of harry potter

Did you wait patiently for your letter from Hogwarts on your 11th birthday? Yeah, me too. It’s likely you’re a muggle, just like me. The good news is, you can still experience the magic of Harry Potter! Visit Universal Studios Orlando and be sure to invest in the interactive wand experience. Learn exactly how to participate in the interactive wand experience while visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWOHP).

A brother and sister holding their brand new interactive wands outside of ollivanders.
Wands at Ollivanders

1. Don’t Wait, Purchase your Wand Immediately

Make the most of your time at Universal by divvying up your days! Many people allot specific days to certain areas of the park they’re most interested in. If you have a day planned to experience the WWOHP, head to Ollivanders the night or day before to purchase your wand ahead of time.

Having your wand ahead of time allows you to really study that map and you won’t have to worry about where you’re going to store your wand box all day. Some of the longer wand boxes will not fit in the free lockers where you store your belongings for Escape from Gringotts, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure.

Choosing An Interactive Wand.

Choose your interactive wand based off of your favorite character, or use the chart Universal has designed based loosely on the Celtic tree calendar. Make the selection of 13 wands easy by simply going with your birth month and date, or take your time in reading what each kind of wood represents and choose your wand based off of your personality.

Ollivander’s Wands List

WOODDATESATTRIBUTES
BirchDecember 24 – January 20Vivacious, energetic, perspicacious
RowanJanuary 21 – February 17Imaginative, resourceful, therapeutic
AshFebruary 18 – March 17Kind, generous, romantic
AlderMarch 18 – April 14Adventurous, confident, industrious
WillowApril 15 – May 12Resilient, confident, strong
HawthornMay 13 – June 9Flexible, strong, family-oriented
OakJune 10 – July 7Steadfast, optimistic, intuitive
HollyJuly 8 – August 4Influential, unbiased, wise
HazelAugust 5 – September 1Precocious, creative, practical
VineSeptember 2 – September 29Persistent, restless, energetic
IvySeptember 30 – October 27Tenacious, patient, goal-oriented
ReedOctober 28 – November 24Articulate, steadfast, adaptable
ElderNovember 25 – December 23Perceptive, sensitive, resilient
Choosing an interactive wand from the shelves at Ollivanders Wand Shop

2. Handle Your Want Carefully

AS you might imagine, having a wand is a privilege. It’s important that you handle it with care. I put it back in the box every since time I went on a ride and left it in a locker. I also put it back in its box when I placed it in my bad to travel around the park. This will improve the longevity of your interactive wand!

3. Bring Your Want Back to Ollivanders

If you are experience any kind of issue or concern with your wand, bring it back to Ollivander’s Wand Shop. The staff there will happily repair your sensitive wand so that it can continue to cast spells for the duration of your trip! If you return to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade at a later date and your wand seems to have stopped working, they’ll repair it then as well.


4. Stay late and/or arrive early.

If you have the opportunity to arrive an hour early, take advantage of it. If you’re not traveling with small children and can arrive early and stay late, do that too! Because it’s such a magical place with so much to offer, you need one full day to appreciate it all.

Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade tend to be busier in the morning hours but die down a tad at night. A different sense of magic comes with the darkness as well! In addition, if you stay into the evening hours you’ll have the opportunity to experience The Nighttime Lights At Hogwarts Castle; you won’t be disappointed if you stay.

5. Read your Harry Potter Interactive Wand map!

Be sure to use the map you receive when purchasing your interactive wand. Although you can walk around and look for the emblems among the cobblestone alleyways, you are bound to miss something if you’re not paying close attention.

There are tons of spells for you to try and they’re pretty much all on the map. The map will also tell you the name of the spell and what motion to create with your wand. If a specific effect is not working, you may come across an ‘Anti Jinx’ sign. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to move on.

Where are the spells?

This list of spells came from the Orlando Informer’s Interactive Wand and Spell Casting Guide and includes some secret spells not included on the map! 

Diagon alley spells.

SPELLLOCATIONDIFFICULTYEFFECT
1.TarantallegraRed-curtained shop window of Pilliwinkle’s Playthings, next to the Fountain of Fair FortuneMedium/hardCurtains open and troll marionettes dance across the stage
2.IncendioAt the end of Horizont Alley, aim your wand up towards the second floor of Flimflam’s LanternsEasyLanterns in the second-floor windows light up
3.MetelojinxLook up towards the umbrella, above the restroom entrance in Horizont AlleyEasyThe umbrella lights up and emits rain and thunder noises, while spraying water onto the street
4.SilencioThe birdcage in the right-hand window of Magical MenagerieHardThe noisy bird in the window stops squawking
5.Dark DetectorsIn the shop window of Wiseacres that faces Gringotts Wizarding BankMediumOrbs open, revealing eyes that follow the movement of your wand
6.Specialis RevelioIn the shop window near the front door of WiseacresMediumLook up to the star map to see an animated archer fire an arrow for his dogs to retrieve
7.Wingardium LeviosaThe right-hand shop window of Scribbulus, with the feather quillMedium/hardThe quill levitates before lowering down
Mystery Spell #1In the Scribbulus window to the right of the feather quill windowEasyHidden messages appear on the parchment – cast multiple times for different messages
8.ReparoBrown E. Wright’s blacksmith shop at the end of Carkitt Market, near the Hopping PotEasyA suit of armor is magically repaired
9.Locomotor BellowsAt Brown E. Wright’s blacksmith shop, immediately to the left of ReparoEasyBlacksmith bellows pump up and down
10.AguamentiThe mermaid fountain at the end of Carkitt MarketEasyActivates the frog spout, while occasionally spraying out the top (watch out!)
11.DescendoThe shop window of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes on the Diagon Alley side, with the yellow and orange toiletEasyThe U-NO-POO sign swirls down into the toilet, amid flushing sounds
Mystery Spell #2The far-right window at Slug and Jiggers Apothecary on Diagon AlleyEasyA suspicious-looking pot of brown stuff moves and emits a sulfuric smell

Knockturn Alley Spells.

While you’re exploring  Knockturn Alley, you will improve your interactive wand experience by checking out your map under the blacklights. Each spell here is indicated by a small image. These small images show you a bit of what might happen at that station. The one marked with a spider, for example, features a window where spider shadows are triggered by movement.

SPELLLOCATIONDIFFICULTYEFFECT
1.Locomotor Chimney SweepLook up to the Chimney Sweep Elf Sign, to the right of Dystyl PhaelangesEasyThe house-elf climbs a chimney away from a burst of fire
2.Moving SkeletonIn the lighted bay window across from Borgin and BurkesEasyA skeleton projection copies your movements – try playing the chimes or interacting with other on-screen elements
3.MimblewimbleLook for a cadre of shrunken heads, in a window to the left of Dystyl PhaelangesMedium/hardSilences the talking heads
4.IncendioLook for a bird in a cage in a window in the courtyard around the corner from Borgin and BurkesMediumLights a candle, the fumes of which have a magical effect on the little birdy – cast multiple times for different effects
5.AlohamoraAlso in the courtyard around the corner from Borgin and BurkesEasyUse the spell to try to unlock the door, but when you grab and turn the handle, it is still locked, and you’re hit with a blast of air
The Dancing Skeleton in Knockturn Alley

Hogsmeade Spells.

SPELLLOCATIONDIFFICULTYEFFECT
1.IncendioShop window of Zonko’s Joke ShopEasySets off the spinning wheels and rockets
2.Arresto MomentumLook up towards the wall-mounted cauldron at McHavelock’sMediumThe water stops pouring and the cauldron tips to reveal a cheeky pixie
3.RevelioThe window display at Honeydukes with chocolate frogsMediumThe large box lid lifts to reveal a croaking chocolate frog
4.HerbivicusThe right-hand window of Dogweed and DeathcapHardThe flower blooms in the window (aim your wand high and look down low)
5.Ascendio/DescendoRight-hand window of Gladrags WizardwearMedium/hardRaises/lowers a measuring tape on the wizard robes
6.Locomotor SnowmanWindow with cakes displayed at Madam Puddifoot’sEasySnowman cake-topper moves around
7.Locomotor/Arresto MomentumThe backside of Dervish and Banges, in the shop window with the Hogwarts modelEasyStart and stop the music box in the window – a tune plays and the dragon chases a quidditch player
8.AlohomoraThe shop window of Tomes and Scrolls Specialist BookshopMediumUnlocks a copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard
9.Wingardium LeviosaThe shop window of SpintwichesEasyThe quaffle and bludger balls wiggle and float in their case
“It makes me so happy…”

6. Use Small Movements.

It’s not the size of the wizard, but the size of the motion that matters. The best tip I ever received in using my wand was to make the movements no larger than the size of the emblem on the ground.

At each spell site, there is an emblem on the ground with the name of the spell and the motion you must move your wand in to find success. The size of the insignia is the size of what your movement should be; it’s all in the wrist. Help guide small children who might struggle with fine motor skills!

Big sister guiding little brother in casting spells
Lending A Helping Hand

7. Be Patient.

Don’t forget to bring your patience along for the adventure. There will be lines for rides, food, and to cast spells along with lots of small children trying to perfect their swish and flick. You might feel like you’re waiting a lifetime, but some people don’t ever get to experience the magic of Harry Potter in their lifetime, so you’re quite lucky. Be patient with yourself and others as you practice spellcasting without the experience of the required Charms Course at Hogwarts; perfecting their performance can be quite tricky.

8. Ask a Fellow Witch or Wizard.

There are so many witches and wizards who could be professors of Charms class. If you’re having trouble, don’t be afraid to ask for help! A boy that couldn’t have been much older than 10 helped me through a few tough spells during my experience. Also, ask a witch or wizard who appears to work in Diagon alley where the secret spells are if you can’t find them. They love to share the magic!

Cast Away My Friends

9. Be Immature at Heart.

Harry Potter fans of all ages will be decked out in their gear. Cloaks, scarves, and wands are just some of the accessories you will come across. Join in on the fun and act like a kid! In other words, a bit of immaturity goes a long way during your interactive wand experience. Embrace your inner kid.

First Timer Tips to Make the Most of Your Universal Trip.

If you follow these steps, you’re bound to have a spellbinding interactive wand experience at Universal Orlando. Don’t forget to make the most out of your stay. Staying on the property comes with a number of perks such as free transportation and early access to the parks. Learn what other ways you can save time and money at Universal Orlando through the link below.

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