Wizarding World of Harry Potter Opens!

[joonyer]

I have looked them up on the web; and although I love park rides, that's not what keeps us going back to WDW. Seems like when we're there everyone just relaxes and forgets about the outside world.

Now, if you're looking for thrill rides...might I suggest Cedar Point?

My family loves Cedar point, all the the big coasters there can't be beat; they put Hulk and Dragon Challenge (nee, Dueling Dragons) to shame. (even though you can pretty much do all the big coasters there (some several times) in one day. But Cedar Point's big coasters are not really themed attractions like Spiderman or Revenge of the Mummy, and those are two rides at UO that are as good as anything Disney has. I've heard the Forbidden Journey will even top those two as well, as far as special effects and immersion into the theme.

Don't get me wrong. WDW is still by far our favorite theme park(s) to visit, but we really enjoy Universal too (our kids are teenagers). As soon as we get the chance (scheduling and finances) we'll be visiting IOA to experience the Wizarding World.

Our next stop though, will be Cedar Point, in about two weeks.

[GothMickey]

I thought I read that the front on line passes weren't valid at HP. Is that true? We were thinking of adding days to our vacation to go to US, but heard that the passes weren't good for this area, so would wait for it to calm down. Can anyone confirm/deny?

A lot of information is contradictory right now, from what I have heard/read. The most common thing I have seen is that FOTL can only be used once per day for The Forbidden Journey. Those of you booking trips specifically to get FOTL for Potter area stuff would do well to confirm this before throwing down a lot of money just for that.

Universal's own website states Express Pass is not available at Forbidden Journey.

From their website:

*On-site hotel privileges good for hotel stay as indicated on the room key card. Paid theme park admission required. Excludes separately ticketed events. Good for the number of guests staying in the room. Express ride access not available at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™. Express ride access available during normal theme park operating hours only. Some attractions excluded. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice. Access may be restricted during certain times at certain attractions.

[Disneymom4ever]

That's ok, even to have the FOTL passes for the rest of the rides, etc. in both parks is so well worth it to us! It's a great feeling bypassing the long lines. As far as the Forbidden Journey attraction, we bought the hotel pkg. at Royal Pacific, which includes hotel and park tickets. Included is an early entry into Harry Potter land one hr. before park opens. So that is when we plan to tackle Forbidden Journey.

[DizneyFreak2002]

John, thanks for your personal review...

Too many fanbois on other sites are convoluting any kind of intelligent discussion about this new land in Islands of Adventure... I am glad for Intercot where intelligent conversations can be had without any kind of name calling and verbal abuse being tossed around..

I have not seen the land in person yet... Any video or picture I have seen makes me think this land is awesome... From some reviews I read, including John's, it seems like Universal hit a grand slam with this.. I still don't think Disney will see any downward slide in attendance, but, if this new Potter land is all it is cracked up to be, Disney better be shaking in their pants.. Maybe this will be the wake up call TDO needs... Something tells me, NOPE...

Anyway, I had no intentions of visiting Orlando until next year... However, plans have suddenly changed... I will now be spending 4 nights on Universal property and 2 nights at my DVC.... Two of those days will be spend in IOA checking out WWoHP..

[BrerGnat]

Too many fanbois on other sites are convoluting any kind of intelligent discussion about this new land in Islands of Adventure... I am glad for Intercot where intelligent conversations can be had without any kind of name calling and verbal abuse being tossed around..

Ditto that! I gave up after a fruitless attempt to read some reviews. I'll listen to people who can give a fair and honest review without any clouded judgment. It's hard to find.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Ditto that! I gave up after a fruitless attempt to read some reviews. I'll listen to people who can give a fair and honest review without any clouded judgment. It's hard to find.

Stupid me got into it with someone who was obviously exaggerating things... It is sad that people cannot express their opinions about things without being bashed by the defenders.. The mods here do a great job in stopping things before they get out of hand... In fact, this person has personally attacked me again today, but my reponse back was deleted..

John, did you have a Butterbeer? How was it? How about the Pumpkin Juice or a chocolate frog?

[John]

Quoting myself:

Oh, and Butterbeer is every bit as good as you imagined it to be.

Didn't try pumpkin juice of chocolate frogs...

[NJGIRL]

I could never understand the reasoning from people if you love Disney you must dislike Universal. Even before HP, Universal was a top rate theme park. Spiderman & The Mummy are the best two theme rides I have ever been on and I have been to many theme parks around the country. Many other attractions at Universal mirror what Disney has to offer (ex: MIB to Buzz) and some even go beyond (ex: ET to IASW). This is a good thing because it gives "us" better attractions.

In my experience most people who dislike Universal have never even been there. Universal and Disney are different theme parks as far as the atmosphere. While I love Disney's atmosphere for what it is, I think Universal has a certain energy that Disney does not. We always spend 3 of our 10 vacation days at Universal and have plenty to do between the 2 theme parks.

If you are not interested in going to Universal that's fine, but IMO you are missing out on a theme park that has some of the best attractions in the country.


BTW John, what exactly is butter beer? Can the kids drink it?

[Aurora]

Add me to the list of people who at one time had no desire to go to Universal, and didn't feel the need to "waste" a day or two there at the expense of the Disney parks. I am a complete die-hard Disney World fan.

We were finally "forced" to go to Universal because one of my sons LOVED ET and we wanted to take him before the chance of it being closed (Universal Studios in California had replaced its ET ride with Revenge of the Mummy).

We loved almost everything about both parks and CityWalk. Some of the rides and experiences are extraordinary. We also had no problems with cast members -- we found them in general as friendly and helpful as those at WDW.

When we heard HP was being built, it was a no-brainer for us. We are making plans for next year and even as DVC members, we for sure will spend at least two nights onsite at IOA/US.

[Scar]

In my experience most people who dislike Universal have never even been there.

Well, speaking for myself, I don't dislike Universal. How could I? Never been there.

It's just that I'm usually only on vacation for 6 days or so and can easily find enough to do at WDW and even miss some stuff. Why should I spend the time and money to do something else?

BTW John, what exactly is butter beer? Can the kids drink it?

I gotta admit, when John wrote that, I considered going. But then I Binged it and... well yes... kids can drink it.

Now, do they serve Firewhisky?

[BrerGnat]

BTW John, what exactly is butter beer? Can the kids drink it?

Butterbeer is a carbonated drink, with a taste similar to cream soda, with a hint of butterscotch. It is alcohol free. It is served either cold or warm, I believe.

[John]

Butterbeer at Universal is served cold in two forms.

1) Frozen - think butterbeer slushie

2) Soda - sort of a caramel/butterscotchy fizzy drink.

Both are served with a creamy froth on top (probably the best part of the drink) with heavy butterscotch flavors and sugary enough to put you into a coma - but in a good way

I tried both and liked them both. I encourage you to do the same!

Safe for all ages....

[DizneyFreak2002]

Butterbeer at Universal is served cold in two forms.

1) Frozen - think butterbeer slushie

2) Soda - sort of a caramel/butterscotchy fizzy drink.

Both are served with a creamy froth on top (probably the best part of the drink) with heavy butterscotch flavors and sugary enough to put you into a coma - but in a good way

I tried both and liked them both. I encourage you to do the same!

Safe for all ages....

I do plan on trying both... Not sure if you know, but, I thought one of the podcasts out there said the butterbeer is sold in bottles as well as in mugs... Is that true? I know the pumpkin juice is sold in bottles.. Someone is selling one on eBay already LOL...

[Katzateer]

My youngest and her friend are on the way to Florida and going to HP next week. I am so JEALOUS!

It might even be cooler in Florida than it is in PA.

They are also going to Epcot and Typoon Lagoon.

[John]

Saw pumpkin and other types of juice in bottles but no butterbeer.

[Tekneek]

We also had no problems with cast members -- we found them in general as friendly and helpful as those at WDW.

I only recall one negative encounter with "team members", as I believe they are referred to as. I recall going into one of their stores and asking if they had any of the Boris & Natasha shirts (Bullwinkle/Jay Ward fans know what I am talking about). They not only said no, but then spent the next 15 minutes that I was in the store loudly going on between them about how nobody in the world likes that kind of stuff and when they had them nobody would ever buy them.

[Mufasa]

To each their own.

Join the line of Disney fans have to comment on how they either don't care or who will never visit. Happens all the time in the theme park forum. It's not about direct comparisons. It's about appreciating what they are.

I completely agree with John.

There's this idea that a fierce rivalry exists between WDI and Universal Creative and although it is intensely competitive I'd say there is mutual respect for what they do and in fact if it spurs even more competition then that's good for the industry.

When IOA opened- I think Universal looked to create their take on the hub and spoke approach and modeled the park on the Magic Kingdom yet for me with the exception of Seuss Landing there was always something missing in the approach. There's some great design work found in the park and in some individual attractions but it also felt very disjointed. They spent a lot of attention to detail in some areas, but then there are areas that seemed very unfinished.

I also think marketing wise the park suffered early on identifying itself as a second-gate, much like DCA at Disneyland with a lot of confusion over it being a separate park and rather than bring in lots of new visitors it actually ate into attendance at the studios.

With the Wizarding World, IOA now has an immersive environment with Hogswarts and Hogsmeade that can put guests into a destination much like the transition space of Main Street USA that the park was lacking.

Where it is of interest to me is their approach and emphasis on the experience and attempting to translate the experience from the screen perhaps at the expense of guest flow. My concern will be in the upcoming years if they can sustain that attention to the guest experience and continue to grow and expand the area with time.

For example, Ollivanders- crafting an entire show/experience around purchasing a magic wand. It is a very intimate experience but at the sacrifice of guest flow by limiting it to small groups and selecting one guest to have the opportunity to find their magic wand. But they resisted the temptation of building a huge retail space in response to the anticipated crowds that in a few years will feel empty and a blatant money grab in favor of creating an emotional experience so kudos to them.

The other challenge is balancing the expectations of the audience- you have fiercely passionate fans of Harry Potter and their expectations yet how do you handle someone where they have no knowledge or interest in the Harry Potter universe and create something that is appealing for them without having to hash out a lot of backstory?

As for the ride system on Forbidden Journey- I'll reserve final judgment until I can experience it first hand and will have to see how it is executed. By itself, I'm not terribly impressed with the robocoaster on a track ride system as with any ride system I think it comes down to the integration with show scenes that can make or break the attraction and I have doubts with the suspension of disbelief by saying you're going to ride around on a magic bench, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[SpecJoe Magic]

I could never understand the reasoning from people if you love Disney you must dislike Universal.

If you are not interested in going to Universal that's fine, but IMO you are missing out on a theme park that has some of the best attractions in the country.

You sum up very well exactly what I've been thinking. I'm a lifelong Disney fan, and I doubt that anywhere will ever surpass WDW as a whole as my favorite place to visit, but I really like a lot of what Universal has to offer. Both my wife and I have read all of the Harry Potter books and we've watched all of the movies, so we are eager to visit the new area. The entire area, especially the new attraction, looks great from what I've seen and read. I hope that Universal has great success with it because stiff competition within the industry is great for consumers. This will hopefully force Disney to step up their efforts in the near future. I believe that Harry Potter is at least partially responsible for Disney's decision to expand Fantasyland, so maybe Disney has been influenced to make improvements already.

[Pagan]

I've always been stunned at the "I love Disney and won't go to Universal" crowd.

I love Disney as much as anyone else, but not to the point that I'd deprive myself of experiencing everything I possibly could.

And as for someone calling the HP books "children's books", you couldn't be more wrong. I think the HP fan base includes far more than just chidren, as the books (and movies) get darker and more serious each volume.

That would be akin to calling pretty much ANY Disney movie a "kid's movie".

[PirateLover]

And as for someone calling the HP books "children's books", you couldn't be more wrong. I think the HP fan base includes far more than just chidren, as the books (and movies) get darker and more serious each volume.

That would be akin to calling pretty much ANY Disney movie a "kid's movie".

Exactamundo! Think about it... the first generation to read the books (mine) were 10-12 when the first book came out in 97. We are now full fledged adults in our mid-20s who have grown up with these books. I was 21 when the last book was released. Many parents read the books to their children. There is so much depth to the story that I typically re-read the series every summer and find some new small connection or detail that I missed. Here on Intercot we had long discussion threads every time a book was released. These characters have touched many generations and the books/movies will be passed on, and I really think Harry Potter is here to stay for a while yet.