Universal Studios Hollywood vs. Orlando: Which is better?

Now that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is open in Southern California, why would anyone fly 1,800 miles to a hot, humid, alligator-infested place to see essentially the same thing?

A few years ago, it was clear the better Universal Studios was in Orlando.

But when the Hollywood theme park opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and then a zombie-infested maze based on "The Walking Dead," that gap was narrowed considerably, especially for those living much closer to California.

So which is the best to visit when it comes to overall experience?

It's still Universal Studios Orlando.

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Where it all began

A clear Universal Studios winner

Based on the competing Harry Potter-villes alone, Orlando is sorting-had and dragon's-claw above Hollywood. It boasts Diagon Alley, a separate wizard-filled area boasting what is the best ride in the theme park. And while each park has a version of the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, the Orlando version has two distinct advantages. First is the Dragon Challenge, dueling steel coasters where riders' feet dangle freely through the loops and barrel rolls.

Second, the Florida Hogsmeade has front and rear exits, while the California version is a cul-de-sac, creating traffic bottlenecks. (The park had to work with its terrain.)

Ride designers took advantage of the California do-over to improve the Wizarding World’s signature attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. They added 3D as well as extended dark-ride scenes.

Still, visitors to both Hogsmeades would be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of differences.

Then there's Orlando's Diagon Alley.

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Into Diagon Alley, darkly

The expansion opened to huge fanfare two years ago. If Hogsmeade is the bright and shiny side of the wizard coin, Diagon Alley is a shadowy maze that whisks you from reality. This is where wizards concoct nefarious plots and negotiate black-market deals.

A sense of foreboding starts at the entrance. While an archway welcomes all to Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley is hidden by a pair of offset walls, mimicking the mysterious entry (through a supposedly solid brick wall) described in the J.K. Rowling books.

Once inside, towering buildings and walls swallow visitors, the structures appearing to lean in ever so slightly to lend an ominous feeling.

A handful of paths veer left and right, swerving amid shops dealing in subversive items (in appearance only, of course, since you can buy your favorite Potter swag in most of them).

Turn a corner and there's a warehouse masked in faded advertisements of magical products. Another path ducks into a tunnel, flickering lamps providing faint illumination.

And visible from much of the park is a reminder that this is not your grand-wizard's village — a dragon perched upon a tower, its talons dug into concrete and mortar. With wings splayed, the dragon stretches its neck toward the passing crowd, head just high enough that when flames erupt from its gaping mouth (as happens a few times each hour), no one is burnt to a crisp.

The more you wander, the more you feel sealed off from the rest of the park, if not the world at large. It’s the kind of immersion in which rival Disney specializes, yet this is even better thanks to its shadowy nature.

Top ride: Escape from Gringott's

Despite the rich details, most early-arriving Muggles (those devoid of magical abilities) rush toward the area's signature ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott’s, a cutting-edge attraction featuring probably the best queue in the park.

A magnificent chandelier greets visitors inside the opulent lobby of Gringott's Bank, a goblin-run financial institution. The creatures, known for their astute accounting abilities, work silently at podiums on either side of the lobby. At the far end, the head goblin invites you inside for a tour of the vaults.

From there you head down corridors strewn with newspapers filled with false accusations against the boy wizard, a backstory right from the books and movies. Harry and his friends appear in silhouette behind frosted glass, talking about their predicament. And it gets better from there, thanks to high-tech wizardry that makes filmed characters come alive.

But all that’s just window dressing compared to the ride, a slick combination of roller coaster and motion simulator that’s utterly astounding. The cars roll, rumble and spin along a journey just short of four minutes.

Walking out, you know you’ve experienced the future of high-tech attractions. The only thing keeping you from jumping back in line is the two-hour wait.

And that’s the biggest problem with Diagon Alley. Darn Muggles are everywhere.

The narrow confines, necessary to the illusion, make it difficult to get around. (It's not as crowded as in the weeks after it opened, when people waited up to six hours to enter.)

It’s best to visit early, especially if you’re staying on property and have early admission one morning. That gives you a one-hour head start on everyone else.

Alternatively, visit an hour or two before the park closes. It’s busy but manageable.

Diagon Alley also includes the Hogwarts Express, more attraction than ride. The train travels between the alley and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Guests sit in six-person compartments, the window actually a screen featuring the British countryside. The curious will want to ride it once, but after that it’s easier to take the 15-minute walk to the adjacent park than wait an hour in lines that aren’t justified by the experience.

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Should you go to Orlando?

There already are rumors that Diagon Alley will apparate in Universal Studios Hollywood if the park’s attendance jumps this summer because of Wizarding World. Early odds have the WaterWorld show slipping beneath the waves to make room.

But even if construction started tomorrow, the new land would be two years away.

Arizonans with more time than money will want to wait and hope for the best.

But hard-core Harry Potter fans who could use a goblin to keep track of all their money may want to splurge on a journey east to the capital of Wizarding Worlds.

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5 tips for a fun visit

1. Buy the express pass if you can. It allows front-of-line privileges at nearly every attraction at both parks (excluding Wizarding World attractions Harry Potter and Escape From Gringotts, Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey).

2. If you want to ride Hogwarts Express, you’ll need to buy a ticket good for both parks on the same day. If you weren't planning to do that, riding the train is hardly worth the extra expense.

3. Arrive early. Explore the Harry Potter lands first as they are the most popular. Guests of Universal Orlando hotels get an hour’s early entry one morning to Diagon Alley and Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Start at Diagon Alley and as your hour is up, take Hogwarts Express to Wizarding World.

4. Barring extreme crowds, you’ll need just one day to fully experience each park.

5. If you have the time and money, Walt Disney World isn't far away. You know, since you’re in the neighborhood.

Universal Orlando Resort 

What: Two theme parks — Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida — and five hotels.

Where: Orlando, Fla., about a 20-minute drive from Orlando International Airport. Taxis cost $35-$45; Uber and Lyft roughly $20. 

Admission: Ranges from $110-$179 for one day, depending on time of year and number of parks included. Multi-day tickets also available.

Details: 877-801-9720, www.universalorlando.com.