Sara Writes: Gringotts and the Sulky Goblins

Prominently standing in the most rickety way possible, The Gringotts Bank is a key feature of Diagon Alley. With the structure so topsy turvy you'd think it topple down any minute and a fierce majestic escaped dragon perched on the ceiling, the building catches your eyes as soon as you've stepped through the magical bricks' entrance. Abbie and I had fallen in love with that dragon and all we were hoping for was to get a look at Gringott's insides as soon as possible!

We had planned our Grad Trip 2014-15 around New Year's Eve; the idea of a new year rolling in while we stood in Hogwart's surroundings was just out of the world awesome. The place, although busy all year round, has a lot of people around December. It's a nicer weather and Christmas, a lot of fans travel. The new attraction, The Escape From Gringotts ride was VERY busy, especially because it is the only ride in Diagon Alley. Every single time we tried it stated a 120 minutes long wait time but when we feared our vacation would come to an end without this experience, we grabbed each other and got in that long line!

As soon as we entered Gringotts (in that super long waiting line) we got a look at how beautiful it was from the insides. Large tapestry banners announced the entrance to the safest place to keep your treasures at!

As if the excessively long line wasn't enough to frustrate us, the skies decided to pour heavily over our heads that day. We had our umbrella with us to come to the rescue and when the two of us are together, all possible times no matter how bad seem to pass by! Before we knew it we were on the ride!

This entry belongs to the Bestie Times and the Potterhead labels

A very small portion of the waiting line is without shade, majority of it has a ceiling over your head so that you're not getting wet or fried under the sun. Large signs and posters keep you entertained throughout the waiting experience because if you're trying to take the entire park with you back home like me, you'll have your cameras ready!

Another great photography opportunity is a huge display of a Gringotts' cart. This is the very cart that you've seen in movies and very cleverly it is placed near the waiting area to keep fans like Abbie and I entertained.

After a wait that seemed shorter than the horror we had expected, we saw the marbled insides of Gringotts approaching. A little walk inside the building's waiting area later, a man instructed us to go out again and leave our belongings in a locker. He said I could go while Abbie waited, and then we could get together again and enter the bank!

It was breathtakingly beautiful inside. A gorgeous chandelier hung from a high ceiling above the marbled interior of Gringotts. Counters lined the sides behind which sat Goblins just like it said and showed in the books and the movies. They weren't ordinary Goblin figures for display, they were all ACTUALLY moving! It was so cool. I felt like I had stepped into a fantasy! It was the most real unreal experience I'd had because those Goblins looked alive. They looked at you from time to time with sulky serious expressions and when their eyes met ours it felt like someone was really watching us.

Time to meet the goblins ...

The makers of the parks should really be applauded for the detail they've put into them. Each Goblin looked different, not even a single face was repeated. Outstanding!

When you're done making friends with the Goblins on the side counters you move to the end of the hall where a larger and higher counter accommodates another Goblin. This one has a straight-to-business look about his face and instructs you where to proceed.

The rest of the waiting line is a nice experience because you have displays to look at. As you make your way towards the elevator and the carts that take you to your vaults, you see things like Gringotts lockers, sacks full of probably wizard money, doors that have shadows of Ron and Harry walking around behind them, goblin offices, and etc. You finally come across Bill Weasley's office too!

Bill Weasley and a goblin had a talk with us before we proceeded to the elevator that took us to the depths of Gringotts and left us at the ride loading area. The ride is a dark roller coaster that combines 3D screens to give you a fantabulous experience! Bellatrix showed up during the ride (oh how I love that crazy woman!) and destroyed the tracks beneath us so that we were left hanging in the air for a few seconds before we fell into Gringotts' depths. A giant troll dressed in a knight's armor spinnned us around and that fierce dragon breathed fire at us. Bill came to the rescue and an Aguamenti charm sprayed water on our faces. It was a truly classic moment when Voldemort showed up but before anybody could panic or be Avada Kedavra-d, Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved us all! At the end of the ride Bill insisted that after all Gringotts was the safest place on earth, but Abbie and I begged to differ!

When you walk out of Gringotts shaken with that wonderful near death experience do not forget to check out the Gringotts Money Exchange! It is separate from the bank so be sure to check it out. It is an absolute must because you get to interact with a Goblin!

The goblin seated inside the money exchange is in the worst mood possible and will actually tell you to keep moving (in other words go away) if he sees you're just standing there to speak to him. Have some fun and piss him off, it will brighten up your day to see his sulky face upset!

The money exchange has really gorgeous backdrops and window displays to take pictures of. I couldn't convince Abbie to have some muggle money exchanged but there is always a next time and I am not giving up!

Make sure you check out the gold goblin statue right outside Gringotts! It's really glorious!