Harry Potter vs. Star Wars, Theme Park Edition

It's no surprise that there are many similarities between Harry Potter and Star Wars. They both now share something else: with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney World and Disneyland this year, both franchises have theme parks, coincidentally in Orlando and Los Angeles.

I had the pleasure of traveling to Orlando earlier this month and visited the Harry Potter park inside Universal Studios as well as Galaxy's Edge in Disney World. Although I recommend seeing both if you have the opportunity,  here are some ways they're similar and different if you have to make a choice.

• Immersive Experience: Both parks do a good job of making you think you're within the Harry Potter/Star Wars universe. Given that they're both part of larger parks, the delineation between the Harry Potter/Star Wars sections and the rest of the parks is clear. When I first walked into Diagon Alley, I thought I had entered the movie. There are so many details that will impress any Harry Potter fan. Galaxy's Edge is similarly immersive, although the setting is Batuu, a planet that isn't featured in the movies. It's close enough to Jakku or Tatooine that casual fans may think they're on one of those planets instead. If there's one difference between the two parks, I'd say it's that the employees who work at Galaxy's Edge pretend as if they're inhabitants of the planet, whereas those who work at the Harry Potter park act like regular theme park employees.
• Signature Drink: Harry Potter has butterbeer, and Galaxy's Edge has blue milk and green milk. Based on my taste alone, I prefer the butterbeer, but I'm glad I sampled the blue milk. Both parks also offer additional drinks from their respective franchises, such as pumpkin juice and gillywater or the selection of cocktails at Oga's Cantina in Galaxy's Edge.
• Choose Your Wand/Saber: If you bring home one merchandise from the parks, I'd say it'd be a wand from Harry Potter and a light saber from Galaxy's Edge. At Ollivander's, you can choose wands from a variety of characters. Being a Hufflepuff, I went with Cedric Diggory's. I didn't buy a light saber because they were more expensive (starting from $130) and I didn't have room in  my luggage to carry it home, but the ones on display looked pretty awesome. You can choose the light saber from your favorite character or build a custom one.
• Rides: This is where the parks are most different, with Harry Potter being the hands down winner. Galaxy's Edge currently only has one ride, Smuggler's Run, but a new ride, Rise of the Resistance, will open in the winter. Harry Potter has five rides if you count the Hogwarts Express, which I do because it was fun. I didn't get to go on the new Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure because the line was insanely long, and the Forbidden Journey ride made me sick, but I enjoyed the others.

The next time you're in Orlando or Los Angeles, I recommend visiting the Harry Potter and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge parks. Even if you can see only one, it'll be fun. I'm planning to visit the parks in Los Angeles next year, and I can hardly wait!