Chocolate Frogs at Honeydukes

When Abbie and I entered the magical Hogsmeade village at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando we saw a bright chic green and pink colored shop on our left; it was Honeydukes. The Grad Trip 2014-15 was our third time visiting Hogsmeade and we knew the place by heart. This time round, though, Diagon Alley had opened on the Universal Studios side of the park and we had heard there were some changes in Hogsmeade accordingly.

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We remembered seeing a bright red Zonkos Joke Shop beside Honeydukes which was still there, but only as a display. They recently converted the insides of Zonkos to an extended version of Honeydukes. If you ask me, it was a great decision because the previous Honeydukes was quite conjusted. Who doesn't love candy? The whole world used to be inside that tiny space and you could hardly make your way through.

We approached Honeydukes, full of excitement, and ready to get our hands on some candy. It was New Year's Eve and mama was with us, heading to pick up a Chocolate Frog! The shop's bright and happy display bursts into your face as you step inside, giving you an instant jump of joy! Everything from the ceiling to the walls is to be stared at and appreciated in detail! There is candy EVERYWHERE! The ceiling has candy, the walls are fully covered with various kinds of candies, and there are shelves after shelves of the most curiously interesting kind of candies to gawk at!

Honeydukes has many gravity defying and topsy turvy styled displays that add to the fun theme of the shop. Of course you can't actually touch the candies in these displays but they are all available if you venture through those candy aisles! Abbie and I completely get lost in that candy land! It is probably one of those rare places in the entire world with THIS many colors that doesn't nauseate my black-loving sister! To me, it feels like an extension of my bedroom; the fun theme, the colors, the cute displays ... It is so me!

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My most favorite section of Honeydukes is a pink spiral staircase with candy jars on each step. I really love the adorable girly look of it! It is something I would totally want in my room! Of course this is one of those display-only awesomeness of Honeydukes. You can't climb up these stairs but you can stand beside them and get a picture taken. I always do!

My second most favorite part of Honeydukes is the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans Wall! It is magical in itself; a wall full of a gazillion Bertie Botts Beans that you can pour out in a bag and purchase by weight! As Abbie and I made our way through Honeydukes, maneuvering through the sea of excited Potterheads we saw hyper excited children poking at the wall, trying to find every possible bean in the world!

As we made our way through the shop we found so many kinds of candy that, as usual, we couldn't buy it all. Harry had no weight issues when he purchased the lot from the trolley in the Hogwarts Express; we actually have to control ourselves over candy! There are the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, the disgustingly delicious Fudge Flies, Chocolate Cauldrons, Pink Coconut Ice, and etc. we weren't able to try them all but we knew which candy we were going to purchase ...

The Chocolate Frogs stare at you from their display shelf and looking at them gives a feeling that they'll start moving, as if I'd see a chocolate frog hopping around any second! They are really the best candy you can buy at this place. For a very reasonable price you get a premium chocolate, shaped as a frog, the size of your palm (a little more than your palm actually, think a good wide sized palm). You also get the box to save as a keepsake or souvenir. The frog comes wrapped in plastic so the box is fresh and clean. Moreover, it is the exact box from the Harry Potter movies so you'd really be crazy if you throw it away. Finally, you also get a Wizard's card! Yes, the same way Ron collected cards you can collect them too! And that is where my story unfolds ...

The chocolate frog was in my hand once I had payed for it and I was so excited, I could actually start jumping. Abbie handed me a pin to carefully open the box without destroying it. Oh dear, I was so very excited! I had my fingers crossed and all hopes high on finding a new Wizard's card this time! My heart was beating away with joy under that matching Gryffindor hoodie that Abbie and I were especially wearing on New Year's Eve ...

Helga Hufflepuff was smiling at me ONCE AGAIN! *laughs* The last time I was here I had bought my first Chocolate Frog and had happily collected a Helga Hufflepuff card. During the same trip I had bought my second frog, hoping to find some other card but it was Helga Hufflepuff again. I went back home with two healthy Chocolate Frogs and two Helga cards! Abbie kept one of them and I added mine to my Potter bookshelf. This year was the Grad Trip 2014-15 and I had my hopes high of finding someone else but for the third time Helga Hufflepuff was going home with us! I admit I was a little heart broken because I really wanted Godric or Salazar, but then I recalled Ron had hundreds of the same Wizard cards and the dimpled smile returned to my face! Maybe next time ...

I have something else on my Next Time list too! They added a bakery and sweets section to the extended Honeydukes. It is right next to where you check out and when I passed by, I was stuck to the glass case! Next time, Abbie and I will totally taste something from here. The question is, what will it be?