Disclaimer: I am aware these are technical rehearsals and not everything is going to run smoothly. I attempted to write something with that in mind.
Had the pleasure of previewing the park yesterday. General conversation seemed to indicate it was a bad operational day (compared to past days) with most rides being Closed, Delayed, or Weather Delayed the entire day, forcing most guests into shows or into the two most reliable rides of the day, Curse of the Werewolf and Dragon Racer's Rally, which caused wait times to skyrocket to about 75 minutes on average.
Regardless, I am eating my words in terms of the park not being at a certain level of enjoyment for me.
If one cares about full immersion (360-degree sight lines), I think Wizarding World is potentially the only land that nails it once fully inside. The finer details aren't fully fleshed out (ex: within the first 10 seconds of Dragon Racer's Rally, backstage is immediately revealed and any sense of immersion when on the ground is broken).
The food was stellar, although not sure if I would spend full price on some of the meals with current projected pricing. Grateful for the discounted rate that is being offered to TMs. The merch went all-in and is well-curated. The lands themselves are beautiful.
- Biggest surprise: Loved Mine-Cart Madness (even in the pouring rain) AND the interactive Power-Up Bands for SNW—gamification was a lot more fun than anticipated
- Favorite food location: The Oak & Star Tavern (such a wonderful escape for a barbecue/cozy meal)
- Biggest disappointment: Ride downtime will ruin the experience for a paying guest with so little rides to experience. So many of the few rides are outside and that worries me more than I thought it would. Had we not been randomly selected by a passing TM to receive Express Passes for the day, I think we would have only gotten on two rides and experienced one show in the eight hour operating period. With the Express Pass, we got on five rides and experienced one show.
- Favorite land: Ministry of Magic. Even without a current ride offering, the environment, merch, food, drink, and overall ambiance was truly on another level for me. And, yes, the queue for the ride was beautiful. The show wasn't my favorite, but I appreciate the innovation behind it.
In my experience, up until yesterday, I have never had a good Team Member experience in the park. I genuinely do my best in not being a nuisance, ensuring they are seen, and give them the kindness they deserve as a human. Yesterday was the first time I had an amazing experience with every Team Member I interacted with—from parking to ride attendants. Morale is high and I think this park will hopefully significantly shift this in a favorable direction for Universal entirely.
To sum up the entire experience: I told my friend that this park alone would encourage me to buy an annual pass for Universal (Or an Epic Universe-only pass if ever offered). And that was definitely not what I was anticipating going into this. The TM who invited us said, "It's our EPCOT," and although completely different...I think I agree. It's the ultimate "vibe park" for a local. And I say that after a poor day of operational mishaps, rainy weather, and significant portions of the park still closed.
Very excited for the future of this park and Universal.
