Diagon Alley reviews thread

[TalkingHead]

Hogwarts express:
This doesn't affect the ride experience but the mechanics of the HE have as much to do with a monorail as a cruise ship. Monorails (at least most, I'm sure there's one to prove me wrong) are self propelled by electric motors that drive tires - no cables. The HE is more like a cable car or perhaps certain people movers - pulled along by cables on the track. And to me it was glaringly obvious. I didn't purposely look at the track the track was thrust in my face. That was a minor complaint though - my main complaints were the general ambience of the train (what steam wafting between cars are you talking about? I found 9 3/4 and train arrival to be the opposite of cinematic) and the flatness of the interior screens. And how could you not notice the silence? 9 3/4 doesn't even have a background SFX track and the train makes no noise at all besides the whistle.

Seems incredibly pedantic. Monorail. Cable car. Whatever. It's not a bona fide steam train.

And nitpicky. "The track was thrust in [your] face"? Really. I mean, you can go through any Disney or Universal park and play the same game. It is a theme park.

There's steam that shoots up between the cars when the train is in the station. It wasn't working during soft opening when I was there, but it was working last week at least.

And there is a musical soundtrack on the platform. It's low, but it's there. Never thought the platform was "quiet" -- the sound of peoples' conversations reverberates enough that I doubt you could hear the train's background noises, anyway.

 

[Timekeeper]

I'm going to go ahead an answer some of my own questions posted earlier, just in case anyone is curious. I'm not gonna post a formal review yet about how much I love the place, just some general info.

One Week After Opening Day

All guests could enter USF early, but regular day guests are held inside (for example, by Mel's Diner) until the rope dropped at 7:50 AM. Most guests of course proceed to DA.

There was a queue for DA that continued in front of MIB/Simpsons, but it was constantly moving and only took about 10 minutes to enter DA. Lots of large fans have been placed around the queue so it feels a bit like being inside Twister.

Gringotts was already at a 300 minute posted wait time, even for the first regular day guests to arrive at the attraction. The wait time was actually accurate.

Gringotts "technical difficulties/back up and running" spiels occurred approximately 5 or so times during the wait. So, maybe once per hour, the guests in line were advised that the attraction was experiencing difficulties, followed by an announcement that the ride was back to normal 20-ish minutes later. I can't say how many trains were running, but it seemed like it couldn't have been more than 3. Only one side of load platform was being used.

Gringotts wait time dropped to 200 minutes in the early afternoon.

Gringotts closed prior to 7:00 PM (park closing was 10:00 PM). TMs advised that there had been an evac, and the attraction would no longer be running for the remainder of the day. I'm not sure if they got it back up and running for guests who had already been waiting in line and simply closed off entry to additional guests... Regardless, TMs advised that the attraction will typically need to close to additional guests around 7:00 PM due to the extended wait times, but they could not provide a specific time (they have to play it by ear) and there was not any signage suggesting that guests would not be able to arrive at 7:30 PM and get in line for an otherwise operational ride. I understand that Uni needs to close off ride entry early so that their TMs are not stranded with guests until 3:00 AM, but I would like to have seen this information made a bit more available to guests being that, in "theme park culture," a guest can enter almost any queue up until park closing time, which is when the employee pulls up the rope and closes entrance. For example, how many of us have jumped in line for Space Mountain, or a house at HHN, 5 minutes before the park closing time even though there was a significant posted wait time? If there's going to be an exception to the norm, this ought to be clear go guests - especially for something new that may be the sole purposes for which many guests are visiting the park.

Gringotts Lockers: Lockers were available in the morning, and I didn't see any locker available issues. (Trying to fit a long wand box into a free locker, on the other hand, is an entirely separate issue.) The posted "free while your ride" time was 6 hours, during the 5 hour posted wait time. TMs advise guests to bring all of their items with them into the queue, most of which is outdoors, and then guests will have the opportunity to pass by the bank entrance/locker area just before entering the now-famous interior of the bank. TMs have raffle-style tickets to hand out to guests so that guests can take their bags to a locker, or use the restroom, etc. and re-join the line.

Gringotts Queue: A lot of attraction queues have TV monitors or other forms of "entertainment" while you wait (Spiderman, Transformers, Mummy, Jaws , etc.) For the Gringotts extended queue outdoors, there's nothing like that. That's not a big criticism, just an observation. BUT, Uni makes up for it in a BIG way once you get inside the bank. All I can say is, WOW. Most things tend to look bigger and better on TV, and this bank has been shown a lot on various TV and web progarms over the past few weeks, but this place was actually much more impressive in person. Tower of Terror was #1 on my list for a very, very long time when it comes to queue scale, scope, and details. However, my beloved ToT will now be taking second place. But that's something I'll save for my review discussion. TMs were handing out complimentary water bottles in the queue that morning.

Leaky Cauldron: During the lunch hour, the place was pretty full but there was little/no wait to place an order, and food was out within 5 minutes. TMs were very helpful in finding seating for guests.

Ollivanders: Also little to not wait throughout the day (there were nominal wait times in the morning due to the initial rush of guests).

Hogwarts Express: Wait times in each direction did not appear to exceed 20 minutes throughout most of the day.

Forbidden Journey: Wait time was approx 45 minutes throughout the afternoon.

Those are just a couple of observations that immediately come to mind. I just wanted to post a little bit of general info on how things are going now that it's been exactly one week from grand opening day.

 

[TalkingHead]

The best thing about the Hogwarts Express is that even though it's mostly a shuttle and not supposed to be a main attraction they still themed the hell out of it and made it more than just a ride from point A to B.

I don't know if I buy that argument. It's not like universal was planning on building transportation between the two parks anyway and decided to plus it. The only reason it was built was because they wanted to build the Hogwarts Express and this was a brilliant way to do it (especially from a business perspective) and it is most definitely marketed as a main attraction. As such, and as the only ride with a premium price (must have two park ticket), I don't think it should be viewed merely as transportation.

I guess the point is if Disney had done it, it would be an old, creaky monorail that breaks down every other day, has all the ambiance of a public bus, and smells like musty gym socks in a high school locker room. But it'd be free!

 

[Mike S]

I don't know if I buy that argument. It's not like universal was planning on building transportation between the two parks anyway and decided to plus it. The only reason it was built was because they wanted to build the Hogwarts Express and this was a brilliant way to do it (especially from a business perspective) and it is most definitely marketed as a main attraction. As such, and as the only ride with a premium price (must have two park ticket), I don't think it should be viewed merely as transportation.

I agree, I was only pointing out that it's not really a major attraction like Gringotts is but it's still pretty great. It's main purpose is transport between the two parks.

 

[TalkingHead]

Gringotts "technical difficulties/back up and running" spiels occurred approximately 5 or so times during the wait. So, maybe once per hour, the guests in line were advised that the attraction was experiencing difficulties, followed by an announcement that the ride was back to normal 20-ish minutes later. I can't say how many trains were running, but it seemed like it couldn't have been more than 3. Only one side of load platform was being used.

Gringotts wait time dropped to 200 minutes in the early afternoon.

Gringotts closed prior to 7:00 PM (park closing was 10:00 PM). TMs advised that there had been an evac, and the attraction would no longer be running for the remainder of the day.

Yikes. You would've hoped they would have more trains running by this point. The downtime makes the wait just that much worse. Especially if you're close to one of the talking portraits. I swear we spent an hour listening to that goblin reading us the warnings about the ride. I thought the people around me were going to put their fists through the painting.

 

[Timekeeper]

Yikes. You would've hoped they would have more trains running by this point. The downtime makes the wait just that much worse. Especially if you're close to one of the talking portraits. I swear we spent an hour listening to that goblin reading us the warnings about the ride. I thought the people around me were going to put their fists through the painting.

I didn't mind being "stuck" in the larger portions of the interior queue (I would have liked even more time in there just to get some pictures), but we did get stuck down by the goggles pick-up for what seemed like forever. Although it was probably just 20 minutes, the safety spiel down there is very short, so we had to hear that thing about 30 times

 

[kap91]

I guess the point is if Disney had done it, it would be an old, creaky monorail that breaks down every other day, has all the ambiance of a public bus, and smells like musty gym socks in a high school locker room. But it'd be free!

My point would be that the monorail is supposed to be transportation from point a to point b, not a ride, and it's theme is that it's a monorail - which is magical in itself maintenance issues aside (they're severely overhyped). But let's please try not to turn this thread into another Uni vs. Disney debate? I've tried extra hard to keep my previous posts as Universal focused as possible.

 

[TalkingHead]

I didn't mind being "stuck" in the larger portions of the interior queue (I would have liked even more time in there just to get some pictures), but we did get stuck down by the goggles pick-up for what seemed like forever. Although it was probably just 20 minutes, the safety spiel down there is very short, so we had to hear that thing about 30 times

Yeah, we were stuck in the single-riders' line next to the portrait. There's not much to see in that line, but on the plus side -- it's all air-conditioned.

 

[TalkingHead]

My point would be that the monorail is supposed to be transportation from point a to point b, not a ride, and it's theme is that it's a monorail - which is magical in itself maintenance issues aside (they're severely overhyped). But let's please try not to turn this thread into another Uni vs. Disney debate? I've tried extra hard to keep my previous posts as Universal focused as possible.

I've tried to steer clear of another Uni-Dis debate, but I guess your nitpicks on the land (you're disappointed there isn't an 11th or 12th store crammed in behind Ollivanders? Which if there was, it would be so small that you'd complain that the store was too tiny to handle the crowds?) struck me as the kinds of things I'd be likely to hear from Disney diehards who can't believe Universal (once again) eviscerated anything the Mouse has done in Orlando in 20 years.

If you're not a Disney diehard, then my apologies.

 

[71jason]

The best thing about the Hogwarts Express is that even though it's mostly a shuttle and not supposed to be a main attraction they still themed the hell out of it and made it more than just a ride from point A to B.

Agreed. The only disappointing thing about the design of Diagon Alley is that Weasley's and Borgin & Burkes aren't truly the B-ticket walk-through attractions originally rumored. They're just shops--incredibly well-themed, but ultimately nothing more, with little repeat value.

 

[Mike S]

Agreed. The only disappointing thing about the design of Diagon Alley is that Weasley's and Borgin & Burkes aren't truly the B-ticket walk-through attractions originally rumored. They're just shops--incredibly well-themed, but ultimately nothing more, with little repeat value.

That was actually rumored? I thought they were always just going to be shops.

 

[kap91]

I've tried to steer clear of another Uni-Dis debate, but I guess your nitpicks on the land (you're disappointed there isn't an 11th or 12th store crammed in behind Ollivanders? Which if there was, it would be so small that you'd complain that the store was too tiny to handle the crowds?) struck me as the kinds of things I'd be likely to hear from Disney diehards who can't believe Universal (once again) eviscerated anything the Mouse has done in Orlando in 20 years.

If you're not a Disney diehard, then my apologies.

Well I am obviously very pro-Disney, and have many issues with Universal because of my personal experiences with them, but like I stated at the very beginning of my posts I am very impressed with Diagon Alley. That doesn't mean I think it's perfect. I don't think I've seen a theme park land ever that I'd consider perfect (although the rivers of America/NOS/promenade of Disneyland comes the closest). I nitpick all parks (WDW hasn't had much new to nitpick frankly) because isn't that what we're mostly all here to do? We figured out all the secrets back in the 2002-05 days and now all that's left in endless debate on theme park design and philosophy. I don't like empty facades. I've never liked them. I don't like that Hogsmeade has them. I don't like that Universal has them. I don't like that Diagon Alley has them. I don't even like that the Streets of America has them and that's their entire purpose there.

In general I don't like rides that are primarily screen based. In general I don't like rides that focus more on thrill and sensory overload than content (though I love myself a good plain coaster - just not at a Disney or Universal style park. That's what's Busch Gardens is for and they build better ones anyway). In general I prefer rides to be environmental and experiential rather than the current crop of highly choreographed and precision timed micro scenes. I prefer lands to be based of of general ideas vs. specific properties. And because of those things I tend to prefer certain parks which shall remain nameless to others.

But, let me again state for the record that Diagon Alley is incredibly impressive, and is one of, if not the best lands in Orlando and certainly in the top 5 in the world. And Hogsmeade would be right behind it in the Orlando list. Note I say lands not parks. The Hogwarts Express is also a great attraction, but an overhyped one with what I consider to be fairly substantial flaws that while not devastating nevertheless detract from an otherwise near perfect experience throughout the rest of the expansion. I don't give Universal a pass just because it's building more and more quickly.

 

[Timekeeper]

The best thing about the Hogwarts Express is that even though it's mostly a shuttle and not supposed to be a main attraction they still themed the hell out of it and made it more than just a ride from point A to B.

I agree with you. I view HE to be more utility-driven than show-driven. And with that said, it's a pretty amazing show for such a utility.

If UOR wanted to build HE as a traditional ride/show, without the utility of connecting the parks, then it would have been easier (and cheaper) for them to build a train simulator that does nothing but simulate a train ride. That could have been a cute attraction for Potterheads and reduce some of the things that people seem to be nitpicking about HE, but it likely not have been nearly as impressive/useful as the dual-function HE that we now have.

In my mind, UOR figured out a brilliant way to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Convenient transportation to protect us from the Florida weather AND a themed attraction that any guest can ride? That, alone, is pretty amazing. They created a spork. And who doesn't love a spork?

I don't know if I buy that argument. It's not like universal was planning on building transportation between the two parks anyway and decided to plus it. The only reason it was built was because they wanted to build the Hogwarts Express and this was a brilliant way to do it (especially from a business perspective) and it is most definitely marketed as a main attraction. As such, and as the only ride with a premium price (must have two park ticket), I don't think it should be viewed merely as transportation.

Can any of us muggles really know/verify exactly what blue sky ideas UOR may have had in mind pre-Potter 2.0? I don't think it's fair to affirmatively state that UOR had zero plans to build transportation between the parks until the HE idea was thrown out there, unless some extremely credible individual has put that on the record. As a guest who has been frequenting the parks from the very beginning, I've been hoping for a creative way to connect the parks long before any mention of Wizarding World or HE. And I'm not even employed by their creative team. I'm guessing, and I could be wrong, that if it's an idea that crossed my mind many years ago, then it's probably crossed the minds of other guests and the minds of the creative team long before it was just a glimmer in the eye of Alastor Moody.

 

[71jason]

That was actually rumored? I thought they were always just going to be shops.

Yeah, that was the hype for a while. Which I suppose Borgin & Burkes could have been someone talking about Knock Turn Alley as a whole, but I was really underwhelmed by the Weasley shop

 

[Mike S]

Yeah, that was the hype for a while. Which I suppose Borgin & Burkes could have been someone talking about Knock Turn Alley as a whole, but I was really underwhelmed by the Weasley shop

Same here a little. It would've been better if we could go upstairs.

 

[JT3000]

I didn't purposely look at the track the track was thrust in my face.

That must've hurt.

my main complaints were the general ambience of the train (what steam wafting between cars are you talking about? I found 9 3/4 and train arrival to be the opposite of cinematic)

Guess that didn't smack you as hard.

3/4 doesn't even have a background SFX track and the train makes no noise at all besides the whistle.

I don't know what sort of SFX you wanted, but there is background music. And the train certainly does make noise.

As such, and as the only ride with a premium price (must have two park ticket), I don't think it should be viewed merely as transportation.

Can we stop pretending it's an upcharge attraction? Certain people have already driven that argument much farther than it ever should have gone. You're paying to enter the other park, not ride the train.

So there's a bit of a discrepancy in the story now. It's easy enough to just stop having the team members call the guests muggles, but throughout Forbidden Journey you are constantly called a muggle. They would have to have the actors reshoot their scenes, and that won't ever happen.

Bellatrix calls you "muggle born" in Gringotts as well.

 

[MonkeyHead]

You can be muggle born and still a wizard. Just as wizard parents can create a squib.

 

[Timekeeper]

Not "cinematic" enough?

It seems to me like they nailed the "cinemajesty" of it perfectly.​

​

 

[Andy Whitfield]

Boring Brit here going Early Sept. Will i be in a queue all day to ride Gringotts???? Is there any news on when it will fully running with 50 or whatever number of cars? And will you be able to purchase that Universal fast past thingy to get on it?

I also can't see through all here about the single rider queue. Does it go through all the main pre show areas?
Whats a decent touring plan now if you've got a 2 park ticket (2 days)?Why has Jurrassic park sign gone? Why is Saturday following Friday? So many questions.

 

[tirian]

I've got to admit, I strongly agree with these lines.

Funny how many people think NOS is the best part of DL. I don't think it looks authentic at ALL, but then again, I've spent many a Mardi Gras in the real Crescent City. And don't get me started on the theme park attempt at New Orleans food!

In general I don't like rides that are primarily screen based. In general I don't like rides that focus more on thrill and sensory overload than content (though I love myself a good plain coaster - just not at a Disney or Universal style park. That's what's Busch Gardens is for and they build better ones anyway). In general I prefer rides to be environmental and experiential rather than the current crop of highly choreographed and precision timed micro scenes. I prefer lands to be based of of general ideas vs. specific properties.