‘Harry Potter’ Fan Banned From Universal Orlando For One Year – Live Video Explanation Goes Viral

When guests head to the theme parks at Universal Orlando, many of them are thinking they will have a fun-filled day and not end up banned from the property for an entire year. One Harry Potter fan took her family to Universal Studios this past weekend with the intent of enjoying all that the park had to offer. After little more than an hour, she found herself being escorted off the property and banned for a year which she explained in a video that has now gone viral.

Both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure have Harry Potter-themed lands devoted to the boy wizard, and they draw in dozens of thousands of guests per day. Fans come from around the country — and the world — to enjoy the attractions and see the incredible sights, but there is even more to come in the next few years.

As for whatever may happen in the next year, an Illinois woman who goes by the name of “Andrea Marie” will not get to see it. She has been banned from all Universal Orlando properties for the next year after taking a pair of gloves from one of the stores in the park, but is it justified?

In a video that has now gone viral, Andrea Marie shared her story, and it’s quite an interesting one.

Andrea Marie posted on Facebook Live on Sunday and told her story to the world. She provided little information in the caption, but she was very descriptive during the video to let everyone know exactly what happened during her family’s trip to enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

“Harry Potter fan banned for a year…hear this frazzled parents. I had a toddler and a special needs 9 year old with me. I hope this never happens to any other parent out there. Stop and think before you leave a store.”

During the 11-and-a-half minute video, Andrea details how she went into a store to buy some gloves and set them down on top of her stroller while shopping. After her child had an ice cream mishap, she left the store in a tizzy and absentmindedly forgot the gloves were still sitting on her stroller.

After walking outside, Universal Orlando security advised her that she had broken Florida law and needed to pay a $200 fine. Andrea had pictures taken and gave all her information and expected to return to the park with her family, but she was advised that she was being escorted from the property and banned from all Universal Orlando properties for a year.

https://www.facebook.com/andrea.r.hayes.9/videos/10213391753121103/

Note: If the video above does not play, it can be seen at this link, as it was publicly posted on Andrea Marie’s Facebook profile.

In the video, Andrea Marie also states that she was upset about losing all the money her family had spent on tickets for the day. Her family was allowed to return to the parks, but she could not accompany them. Seeing as how they had gone there as a family, they all decided to leave Universal Studios that day.

Since then, she has updated the caption on the video to say that someone from Universal Orlando did contact her about the family’s tickets.

“Update: someone from Universal contacted me and offered me a refund for my tickets and said that I should see the refund in 3 to 5 business days. As of now I am still banned for a year and have a fine.”

As of early on Monday afternoon, the video had been viewed more than 28,000 times and shared 148 times in less than 24 hours. It has reminded a lot of people of the situation from 2016 where some fans were banned from buying wands due to not being real wizards, as reported by the Sun.

Universal Orlando has not issued any formal statement regarding this Harry Potter fan being banned from its properties in Central Florida for a year, but they likely won’t. Most times, situations such as this are handled and that’s it, but Andrea Marie made sure that everyone knew what took place. She may have accidentally walked out with the gloves, but it appears she didn’t mean anything malicious by it.

Still, it has led to a “Flipendo” spell being placed on her and she knocked her away from Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk for a full year.