Diagon Alley reviews thread

[Tom Morrow]

We don't have a thread specifically for this yet, and I think should be one since its been open for a week now.

At the time of this post I have ridden Gringotts once, Hogwarts Express both ways once, and only had a little time to browse the land and shops. I haven't tried any of the novelty food items yet.

Here are my first impressions and thoughts:

Diagon Alley

So. Diagon Alley is, hands down, the most immersive and detailed theme park "land" ever created. The way the source material was incorporated into the existing park is, IMO, a stroke of genius. Beginning your introduction to the land, the London facade looks great and seamlessly completes and compliments the rest of Universal, which can now be hailed as a "movie studio that hosts several city 'movie sets' - Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Springfield, and now, London.

Diagon Alley is completely hidden from view, and crossing the boundary into it is absolutely like stepping into a new world, especially considering you probably walked through "realistic" interpretations of real cities to get here. Concealing the land from the "real world" is not only completely effective, but true to the source material.

Diagon Alley is just dripping with detail. You could honestly spend days, not hours, and still not catch every detail crammed into here. Its seriously unprecedented by any other theme park land. New Fantasyland is beautiful, but there's little to no substance. Cars Land is highly detailed, and the rockwork is beautiful, but I never felt truly immersed in that world.

I have never once felt as completely encompassed in a theme park land as I have here, and of course, the physical design of the land literally enhances, if not forces this, and allows you to step into a new world where you can't see any traces of the real world.

I initially wasn't keen on the dragon (why is everyone calm if a dragon is loose and attacking?), but after seeing it in person, it is cool. Whenever it's about to breathe fire, everyone stops in their tracks and looks at it/whips out their phones and cameras. It's loud and intimidating.

I only had enough time to ride Gringotts and briefly walk around and check out some of the shops. I'm looking forward to returning again and again to experience everything and try all the new food and drinks.

Cons: The only negative thing I can really say about the land itself is that, with only one true ride, and so many shops and restaurants, this could come across as a very well-done Harry Potter mall. It really could benefit from an additional C or D ticket attraction. I'm not including the Hogwarts Express, because you ride it to leave Diagon Alley.

Nitpicking: There's a bit of inconsistency in the storyline of the two lands. Hogsmeade takes place around parts 3 and 4, but Diagon Alley is clearly set during Deathly Hallows. Also, we are muggles visiting Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Are we muggles in Diagon Alley? If so, why are we there? Why are we opening an account at Gringotts? Perhaps somebody can fill me in on this aspect of the story.

Hogwarts Express

I'm happy to report that they may have over-estimated the queues for the Hogwarts Express. With Gringotts having a 2 hour wait, I only waited 5 - 10 minutes to board the Hogwarts Express, both ways. Which is great, because I love that there is now quick and fun transportation between the parks without having to walk all the way to the entrance and walk across Citywalk.

Kings Cross station is huge and legitimately feels like an actual train station. Very well done all around with a nice amount of detail. Hogsmeade station is more minimal, but that is expected considering it had to be retro-fitted into the existing land. The overall presentation of both is still very good.

The train experience - I honestly think they nailed it. I was worried they would somehow try to make it action-packed, but it is very calm and relaxing, as a transportation train ride should be. The effects are nice but not amazing.

Initially people were reporting the train itself to be a D or E ticket attraction in itself. I can't stress enough that I do not think it should be viewed as an attraction, but rather a highly themed shuttle and transportation service between the parks. And that's what it is, afterall.

Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts

(SPOILERS!)

I will preface this by saying this is my INITIAL reaction, and is subject to change (I initially didn't care for Transformers, but now I love it, for example). Though it is definitely a great ride, with all the hype, Gringotts was a bit of a letdown.

The main lobby of Gringotts - the highlight of the queue - is just beautiful. The animatronic goblin bankers, silently working at their desks, all around you, is one of the coolest ideas for a queue line, ever. Unfortunately, the rest of the queue is much less impressive until you reach the pre-shows. While Forbidden Journey contains the extended switchbacks in the trees, and through the relatively boring greenhouse, the Gringotts extended queue is entirely switchbacks with very little theming and a nice view of the Kings Cross show building. I realize that the space restraints force this, but at the very least a wall or more trees should be put up. Or, this queue portion should have been enclosed and air conditioned. It's hard to tell how often these switchbacks will actually be used. I waited 2 hours (the ride is/was still running at half capacity) and maybe 1/3rd of that was in the switchbacks.

The pre-shows are well done, and I love the lift effect. The loading area is so tall, open, and massive, that its both impressive and dizzying.

As most of you probably know, the ride experience is akin to combining Revenge of the Mummy with Spiderman/Transformers, with some high tech coaster track switchery added. The coaster portions are not as intense as Mummy, and the screen portions are not as action packed as other Universal screen-based rides. I know that the goal with this ride was to be more family friendly, but when you watch the actual Gringotts scenes in the films, you can't help but expect a really crazy experience.

To address the complaints about this being all screens: No, there are large physical sets here as well.

I have two main complaints about the ride experience. I will spoiler tag them because I consider them to be the biggest spoilers in this post:

Spoiler

- The fastest coaster portions (which there are two of, if I recall correctly), are pitch black. Come on, a ride of this caliber, I should be whizzing past something - dimly lit bank faults, other tracks, rockwork... total darkness just seems like such an odd choice when they went "all in" in so many other aspects. If the goal was to make the speeds seem faster - a feeling of high speed isn't necessary when you've got a rotating vehicle chassis. That feature seemed under-utilized. If you are rotating during these portions, you can't really even tell.

- For too much of the ride's duration, you are sitting in place while the characters talk or not much motion happens. If I'm on a thrill ride, I don't want to sit there for seemingly long (I know in reality its only a few seconds, but still) periods while characters talk. Transformers does this to a degree - a few scenes you merely sit and watch as Optimus and Megatron fight - and it is more prevalent here, and I don't know if I like this trend.

After riding, I didn't feel that sense of jaw dropping amazement like I did on my first ride on Forbidden Journey. Forbidden Journey's ride system had not been done before and has not been done since, whereas here I couldn't help but feel that it was only a moderate modification to what already exists. And no, I'm not saying this isn't high tech - the technology behind Gringotts is most definitely amazing. Also, Gringotts is objectively a better ride than Forbidden Journey for having a focused narrative and a ride experience that makes sense rather than being a "Harry Potter greatest hits" (click HERE for a great and funny blog post explaining Forbidden Journey's shortcomings despite being an amazing ride), but currently, I prefer Forbidden Journey.

Again, first reactions, and I suspect I will appreciate Gringotts more when I ride again now that I know what to expect, and once it operates at full capacity so I won't wait as long.

And, make no mistake - complaints aside, its a top tier attraction for sure and is still better than anything WDW has offered in years. The hype and anticipation for this ride was so ridiculously high that perhaps nothing could have lived up to it.


TL;DR: "the ride is not quite the game-changer we were hoping for, but the land absolutely is."

Now, feel free to post your reviews and thoughts!

 

[JillC LI]

Thanks for your review. I did NOT click the Spoiler tags so thanks for including them.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I just remembered a relatively major nitpick I have, although I might be in the minority in caring about this one:

BGM. Background music. In both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, all they do is play (or sometimes blast) the score from the films. You will hear the main themes over, and over, and over. If they are going for full immersion, then the BGM should be original and appropriate music. Example: the lobby in Gringotts queue - shouldn't there be soft classical music?

An example I like to use is Radiator Springs Racers. The queue does not play the score from the films. That would be lazy and cheap. Instead it plays old-timey folk songs about cars and driving and traveling, which perfectly fits the "forgotten Route 66" theme.

 

[Claretstevo]

Thanks for the review. 18 days till I get to Disney and another 14 till I get a week in Universal. This is going to seem like the longest 18 days in history

 

[danpam1024]

waiting for a detailed review- thanks! I don't think anything can be as amazing as FJ, but I'm still looking forward to riding it

 

[TalkingHead]

Spoiler

- The fastest coaster portions (which there are two of, if I recall correctly), are pitch black. Come on, a ride of this caliber, I should be whizzing past something - dimly lit bank faults, other tracks, rockwork... total darkness just seems like such an odd choice when they went "all in" in so many other aspects. If the goal was to make the speeds seem faster - a feeling of high speed isn't necessary when you've got a rotating vehicle chassis. That feature seemed under-utilized. If you are rotating during these portions, you can't really even tell.

- For too much of the ride's duration, you are sitting in place while the characters talk or not much motion happens. If I'm on a thrill ride, I don't want to sit there for seemingly long (I know in reality its only a few seconds, but still) periods while characters talk. Transformers does this to a degree - a few scenes you merely sit and watch as Optimus and Megatron fight - and it is more prevalent here, and I don't know if I like this trend.

After riding, I didn't feel that sense of jaw dropping amazement like I did on my first ride on Forbidden Journey. Forbidden Journey's ride system had not been done before and has not been done since, whereas here I couldn't help but feel that it was only a moderate modification to what already exists. And no, I'm not saying this isn't high tech - the technology behind Gringotts is most definitely amazing. Also, Gringotts is objectively a better ride than Forbidden Journey for having a focused narrative and a ride experience that makes sense rather than being a "Harry Potter greatest hits" (click HERE for a great and funny blog post explaining Forbidden Journey's shortcomings despite being an amazing ride), but currently, I prefer Forbidden Journey.

Again, first reactions, and I suspect I will appreciate Gringotts more when I ride again now that I know what to expect, and once it operates at full capacity so I won't wait as long.

Very fair review. I'm not sure you can say Gringotts is objectively better -- I think it's personal preference whether someone enjoys the story-heavy Gringotts better than the more free-flowing FJ. There's no doubt in my mind that the FJ ride system is more impressive than Gringotts, but the 3D in Gringotts is jaw-dropping. The best I've ever seen.

My semi-lengthy response to your spoilers:

Spoiler

I think your two "spoiler" criticisms are also the two things that jumped out at me. The dark coaster sections are just strange. Given all the detail, why leave any part of the ride in the complete dark? They're even less interesting than Mummy, which has some visual elements for the coaster section.

There also seems to be a lot of start-stop-start-stop to this ride. Very similar to Everest in that way. One of the complaints about Everest has been the pacing issue. I'm not sure if Gringotts has a pacing issue, too. The first time I rode it, I thought there were sections that felt fragmented, but the second time on it (after a much shorter wait), I enjoyed it much more. I read somewhere that it's like a 4D show on a coaster track -- that's a little more accurate than Transformers/Mummy mash-up, since there are far more screens in Transformers than there are here.

Overall, I think some people are disappointed with the ride because it never completely feels like the Gringotts carts in the movies. Whereas in the movies you get a sense of this cavernous expanse below, above, and around, the ride does feel oddly constrained. One of the pieces of concept art showed the tracks weaving around in the distance -- in much the same way that when you ride the Indiana Jones Adventure you can see other jeeps ahead of you at various points. Gringotts, for all its technical wizardry and fun motion, never nails the "cavernous" feel. To my mind, it's not the Gringotts ride I expected from the movies, but it's a top tier attraction, just the same.

 

[Mike S]

Great reviews. I guess I'll add some of my thoughts on Gringotts as well

Spoiler

I think the ride was amazingly well done for a theme park adaptation of the Gringotts scenes. I was expecting the huge cavernous areas to be restricted to the 3D screens and I don't really blame Universal for going that route. What surprised the heck out of me though was that they still went through the trouble of making physical fake tracks at a few points in the ride which I think adds a ton to the immersion. It would've been cool to see more things during the coaster sections and probably have more coaster sections to begin with but it's still a great ride nonetheless.

 

[JT3000]

I just remembered a relatively major nitpick I have, although I might be in the minority in caring about this one:

BGM. Background music. In both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, all they do is play (or sometimes blast) the score from the films. You will hear the main themes over, and over, and over. If they are going for full immersion, then the BGM should be original and appropriate music. Example: the lobby in Gringotts queue - shouldn't there be soft classical music?

This is pretty typical of attractions based on intellectual properties though, and I think the use of film scores (or most music in general) is more about setting a specific mood rather than accomplishing realistic place setting or full immersion, because it obviously doesn't do the latter. It's arguably an example of lazy fan service, but it can be very effective nonetheless. For example, hearing the booming Jurassic Park theme the moment you enter that land, despite the fact that it wouldn't be playing in the real thing. It just works.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Being a muggle in Hogsmead and not in Diagon Alley is the result of a miscalculation. The thought was that people aren't magical, and won't think differently. Instead, people showed up to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmead and said "Screw that, I am a wizard." Universal Creative wrongly bought into the cynical idea that people know it is fake and expect fake, but delivered such a complete experience that proved this was never true.

 

[Timekeeper]

Nitpicking: There's a bit of inconsistency in the storyline of the two lands. Hogsmeade takes place around parts 3 and 4, but Diagon Alley is clearly set during Deathly Hallows. Also, we are muggles visiting Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Are we muggles in Diagon Alley? If so, why are we there? Why are we opening an account at Gringotts? Perhaps somebody can fill me in on this aspect of the story.

Being a muggle in Hogsmead and not in Diagon Alley is the result of a miscalculation. The thought was that people aren't magical, and won't think differently. Instead, people showed up to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmead and said "Screw that, I am a wizard." Universal Creative wrongly bought into the cynical idea that people know it is fake and expect fake, but delivered such a complete experience that proved this was never true.

With the interactive wand features now in Hogsmead, aren't guests as much of a wizard there as they are in Diagon Alley? Not to mention that (some) guests now arrive in Hogsmead via the Hogwarts Express, having passed through the brick wall, etc. I always felt like the Hogsmead environment provided for a mix of muggles and wizards among the guests ...maybe the difference being that the wizards have $110 to shell out for the robes

 

[kap91]

I'll try to keep my review short. Edit:guess that didn't happen lol.

Diagon alley: 9/10

Definitely extremely well done. I don't necessarily think it it THE most detailed/immersive land in the world (because New Orleans square, carsland, the original hogsmeade, harambe, and Tokyo Disney sea all exist) but it certainly is up there. Really I was shocked at just how well done it is. The land is an attraction in itself. My only complaints are (and these are not huge ones) is that the land seems a tad small compared to how it looks on screen, some of the stores (I'm looking at you Weasleys) are very small and without much merchandise, and the fact that there are way too many empty facades. I realize that they're covering the buildings for the stores that do exist but it is disappointing to see so many store fronts and realize over half can't be entered. Really though it is a marvelous land and the first time I've ever seen universal nail it. No sightline issues (inside at least - there's some minor ones in London) and it has the "above and beyond factor" with things like Knockturn alley (which not necessarily a complaint but it feels like that area will become a death trap during thunderstorms - just very narrow. Overall very impressed.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the dragon. He is very cool, but ultimately I think a bad decision as it does not fit story-wise into the land. If the dragon was on the roof and had escaped Gringotts would be in ruins inside. And they certainly wouldn't be letting you in. I think it detracts from the rest of the land. There's also the fact that it doesn't move, which while technologically understandable also makes it seem like a giant decoration added because they thought it'd be cool but that doesn't help the land thematically at all. It'd be so much better without. This is the only example of universal's tendency to do whizbang and flashy stuff with little depth and the purpose of being flashy in the entire land but it is executed very well.

Hogwarts express: 6/10

So here is where I was disappointed- though I guess it was more because of hype than actual experience. Everything I had heard about the he was that it was amazing, stage of the art technology, that made you really feel that you were at kings cross and on the train. This is not the case.

Lets start with Kings cross. The exterior is great. The queue is not. While it is decorated like a train station I know of no station with a layout anything like it and it really just seems to be a monstrous queue with train signage. It certainly looks nothing like the station you see in the movies. And the platform 9 3/4 effect is equally disappointing. After being corralled up stairs and into a back corner (which is nothing like the columns between 9 and 10 you see in the movie) that sets up your perspective in a very forced way so you can look at a piece of glass peppers ghost effect which while kind of cool is not executed well at all. The glass is shiny and obvious. The effect is cute but not the jaw dropping, "etwb mirror effect", that it should have been.

Then let's get to 9 3/4. In a stunning departure from universal's recent obsession with authenticity you enter the platform without the train being there. Thus you enter a silent station with all the ambience of a hospital waiting room. In the books and movies the platform is never shown without a steaming, noisy, Hogwarts express waiting for you. The train not being in the station also exposes the mechanics of the ride (cable pulling) which detracts from the idea that you're going to ride a real steam train.

When the train does arrive again it is with disappointment. It glides silently BACKWARDS into the station. Talk about a kill to the mood. I mean I know there are train stations like that in the world but where is the majesty in that? This is the Hogwarts express we're talking about. The engine is the most iconic part of it and you can barely see it. And the silence is terrible. Anyone who has ridden a train knows how they rumble and you can feel the power and weight of the cars traveling along the track and the hissing of the boilers and steam mechanics. The HE has none of this except a whistle that matches the movie. In short it feel like you are getting on a ride. And to too it all off the doors to the carriages slide open like monorail doors which is not only strange for a train but also completely wrong to the train in the movies. So much of this could be fixed if they took a page out of Disney's book and didn't let guests into the station until after the train has arrived and current passengers left leaving an empty, steaming, HE waiting for you.

Once inside things get better. The interiors are immaculate and near perfect recreations. Then the ride starts. Again this is probably disappointment from the hype (brand new technology, better than mission spaces portholes, pseudo 3d windows!) but I did not find the effect convincing at all. It was very clear that we were watching monitors/screens that were decidedly not 3d nor with parallax or anything other than curved edges. And the video doesn't even always match up with the motion of the train. Particularly when it starts and stops.

The content of the ride itself is very charming though and I love that Universal has embraced background score. Where most of their latest attractions have none this one is wall to wall. Makes for such a better experience Again another complaint here - the actress imitating Emma watsons voice is not convincing at all. If they did not say the name "Hermione" I would have no idea who it was supposed to be.

So overall it is a nice ride, and it sure beats walking park to park, but it is not the sleeper e ticket that everyone claimed it be. It is a d+ at most and then only because of the scale/physical size. It's essentially watching a tv in a nicely appointed room. However, Any Harry potter fan will still love it purely because it is the HE. And it is great to see a ride that all can enjoy. But it could have been done much better, and with not much more effort.

Gringotts ?

Unfortunately I was unable to ride it as it was closed. I suspect it will be technologically amazing but low on content. Can't wait to ride it anyway.

 

[TalkingHead]

I'll try to keep my review short. Edit:guess that didn't happen lol.

Diagon alley: 9/10

Definitely extremely well done. I don't necessarily think it it THE most detailed/immersive land in the world (because New Orleans square, carsland, the original hogsmeade, harambe, and Tokyo Disney sea all exist) but it certainly is up there. Really I was shocked at just how well done it is. The land is an attraction in itself. My only complaints are (and these are not huge ones) is that the land seems a tad small compared to how it looks on screen, some of the stores (I'm looking at you Weasleys) are very small and without much merchandise, and the fact that there are way too many empty facades. I realize that they're covering the buildings for the stores that do exist but it is disappointing to see so many store fronts and realize over half can't be entered. Really though it is a marvelous land and the first time I've ever seen universal nail it. No sightline issues (inside at least - there's some minor ones in London) and it has the "above and beyond factor" with things like Knockturn alley (which not necessarily a complaint but it feels like that area will become a death trap during thunderstorms - just very narrow. Overall very impressed.

I'd say it's the most immersive land in Orlando, hands down. Once you get past the brick wall, everything in the land is completely devoted to the theme. Perfect sightlines, the ride is perfectly hidden. It feels like an urban community. It surpasses the original Hogsmeade and anything in DAK (and New Orleans Square) for my money.

Unlike you, I didn't think the land felt small at all. I thought it was expansive. Knockturn and Carkitt definitely added a lot of room. I do agree that Weaselys' shop is small -- I thought it would be bigger, but maybe they learned from Zonko's that people don't buy the stuff in there. Plus, they filled the second and third floors with gags. Empty facades, though? There's 10 or so of the facades that are connected to shops, far more than I expected -- but then again, I don't mind the shop windows. I think they're some of the best things in the Wizarding Worlds.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the dragon. He is very cool, but ultimately I think a bad decision as it does not fit story-wise into the land. If the dragon was on the roof and had escaped Gringotts would be in ruins inside. And they certainly wouldn't be letting you in. I think it detracts from the rest of the land. There's also the fact that it doesn't move, which while technologically understandable also makes it seem like a giant decoration added because they thought it'd be cool but that doesn't help the land thematically at all. It'd be so much better without. This is the only example of universal's tendency to do whizbang and flashy stuff with little depth and the purpose of being flashy in the entire land but it is executed very well.

I was skeptical of the dragon when I first heard of it, but I thought it worked wonderfully well. The "story" of the Wizarding Worlds is a moot point to me -- it's just a mish-mash of timelines, which is fine. It's a theme park. More to the point, the façade of Gringotts without the dragon would make the entrance into Diagon feel a bit underwhelming, I think, especially for non-Potter fans. The dragon adds a great punch to the end of the alley. It centers attention on the E-ticket ride, serves as a great weenie, and has clearly become the thing to photograph in the entire expansion. It's the Cinderella Castle for Diagon Alley.

Hogwarts express: 6/10

So here is where I was disappointed- though I guess it was more because of hype than actual experience. Everything I had heard about the he was that it was amazing, stage of the art technology, that made you really feel that you were at kings cross and on the train. This is not the case.

Lets start with Kings cross. The exterior is great. The queue is not. While it is decorated like a train station I know of no station with a layout anything like it and it really just seems to be a monstrous queue with train signage. It certainly looks nothing like the station you see in the movies. And the platform 9 3/4 effect is equally disappointing. After being corralled up stairs and into a back corner (which is nothing like the columns between 9 and 10 you see in the movie) that sets up your perspective in a very forced way so you can look at a piece of glass peppers ghost effect which while kind of cool is not executed well at all. The glass is shiny and obvious. The effect is cute but not the jaw dropping, "etwb mirror effect", that it should have been.

Then let's get to 9 3/4. In a stunning departure from universal's recent obsession with authenticity you enter the platform without the train being there. Thus you enter a silent station with all the ambience of a hospital waiting room. In the books and movies the platform is never shown without a steaming, noisy, Hogwarts express waiting for you. The train not being in the station also exposes the mechanics of the ride (cable pulling) which detracts from the idea that you're going to ride a real steam train.

When the train does arrive again it is with disappointment. It glides silently BACKWARDS into the station. Talk about a kill to the mood. I mean I know there are train stations like that in the world but where is the majesty in that? This is the Hogwarts express we're talking about. The engine is the most iconic part of it and you can barely see it. And the silence is terrible. Anyone who has ridden a train knows how they rumble and you can feel the power and weight of the cars traveling along the track and the hissing of the boilers and steam mechanics. The HE has none of this except a whistle that matches the movie. In short it feel like you are getting on a ride. And to too it all off the doors to the carriages slide open like monorail doors which is not only strange for a train but also completely wrong to the train in the movies. So much of this could be fixed if they took a page out of Disney's book and didn't let guests into the station until after the train has arrived and current passengers left leaving an empty, steaming, HE waiting for you.

Couldn't disagree more. I was sold on the train. My wife couldn't believe it when I told her it's essentially a monorail system. The engine looks convincing. The steam that comes up between the cars looks cinematic. I didn't notice the "silence" as you called it -- and once you're in motion, the train simulates the movement of a train very convincingly. Didn't notice any film/motion irregularities, either. As for the ride mechanics -- talk about a stretch. I can't imagine most people walk onto the platform, see the detailing and the size of the place and go look down over the ledge and say, "Monorail cables, I knew it!" Please, most people wouldn't even know they're monorail cables even if they noticed them.

Gringotts ?

Unfortunately I was unable to ride it as it was closed. I suspect it will be technologically amazing but low on content. Can't wait to ride it anyway.

At least you're giving them the benefit of the doubt -- what's "low on content" mean, anyway? It's a theme park ride, not War and Peace.

 

[Mike S]

I do wish we could go up to the second and third floors of Weasley's. It really feels like it's closed off for no reason.

 

[kap91]

I'd say it's the most immersive land in Orlando, hands down. Once you get past the brick wall, everything in the land is completely devoted to the theme. Perfect sightlines, the ride is perfectly hidden. It feels like an urban community. It surpasses the original Hogsmeade and anything in DAK (and New Orleans Square) for my money.

Unlike you, I didn't think the land felt small at all. I thought it was expansive. Knockturn and Carkitt definitely added a lot of room. I do agree that Weaselys' shop is small -- I thought it would be bigger, but maybe they learned from Zonko's that people don't buy the stuff in there. Plus, they filled the second and third floors with gags. Empty facades, though? There's 10 or so of the facades that are connected to shops, far more than I expected -- but then again, I don't mind the shop windows. I think they're some of the best things in the Wizarding Worlds.



I was skeptical of the dragon when I first heard of it, but I thought it worked wonderfully well. The "story" of the Wizarding Worlds is a moot point to me -- it's just a mish-mash of timelines, which is fine. It's a theme park. More to the point, the façade of Gringotts without the dragon would make the entrance into Diagon feel a bit underwhelming, I think, especially for non-Potter fans. The dragon adds a great punch to the end of the alley. It centers attention on the E-ticket ride, serves as a great weenie, and has clearly become the thing to photograph in the entire expansion. It's the Cinderella Castle for Diagon Alley.



Couldn't disagree more. I was sold on the train. My wife couldn't believe it when I told her it's essentially a monorail system. The engine looks convincing. The steam that comes up between the cars looks cinematic. I didn't notice the "silence" as you called it -- and once you're in motion, the train simulates the movement of a train very convincingly. Didn't notice any film/motion irregularities, either. As for the ride mechanics -- talk about a stretch. I can't imagine most people walk onto the platform, see the detailing and the size of the place and go look down over the ledge and say, "Monorail cables, I knew it!" Please, most people wouldn't even know they're monorail cables even if they noticed them.



At least you're giving them the benefit of the doubt -- what's "low on content" mean, anyway? It's a theme park ride, not War and Peace.

Pretty sure I agree with you on the most immersive in Orlando bit with the exception of harambe . However harambe is much smaller (unless you include pangani and the safari which are the definition of immersive and would also make the land gigantic). I don't think it exceeds nos or carsland but I don't think those are necessarily better either.

I think the facade without the dragon would make it seem 100% I walked into diagon alley vs a theme park recreation. Gringotts itself is enough of a weenie. Keep the fire breathing dragon for the inside. Again I know I'm in the minority here.

Perhaps instead of making a small store they should have made merchandise people actually want? The store next to gringotts seem to have taken this approach. It's the first Harry potter mechandise from universal that I actually would consider buying. That doesn't seem like a great argument to me.

Empty facades are empty facades. More than a few and it's dissapointing. One would have thought the backside of Olivanders could have been extended 10 ft and some small "hole in the walls" could have been created.

Overall though you're missing my point. I still think it's a 9/10. Or perhaps a 9 3/4 ;-). But I refuse to say it's the best thing ever purely because it's Harry Potter (not saying you are but there are a lot of people who do) or because the type of land it is provides amble opportunity for clever window displays. Even superb things have flaws and this is one of those cases.

Gringotts:
By low on content I mean in the vein of FJ and transformers - lots of in your face action, plot that's hard to follow, heavy reliance on screens but an amazingly complex ride system. I tend to prefer immersive sets, less action and more special visual effects. But the last time that was really a priority for anyone was the haunted mansion/pirates era. Though Indy/rrsr/even spidy at least try.

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. I get that it's not a real steam train and therefore won't generate the same sounds but even the electric vehicles in the Indiana jones stunt show (built 20 years ago) have onboard speakers to compensate.

Like I said not saying it's bad, just not living up to its potential or hype. But I guess I'm in the minority. Most everyone is like OMG ITS THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS.

 

[Timekeeper]

I'd say it's the most immersive land in Orlando, hands down. Once you get past the brick wall, everything in the land is completely devoted to the theme. Perfect sightlines, the ride is perfectly hidden. It feels like an urban community. It surpasses the original Hogsmeade and anything in DAK (and New Orleans Square) for my money.

I completely agree.

Hogwarts express: Like I said not saying it's bad, just not living up to its potential or hype. But I guess I'm in the minority. Most everyone is like OMG ITS THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS.

You hit the nail on the head. I've been a few times now, so rather than focus on my own opinions of the attraction, I'm starting to notice the reactions of other guests. People are really blown away by the train stations and the HE experience. Other guests that I've shared cabins with always appear amazed and impressed, waving at Hagrid and pointing out all of the familiar characters, vehicles, sights, and sounds during the journey. I suppose that this is one of the HP attractions that will have extra appeal to fans of the books/movies, and may not be as impressive to guests who don't know Harry Potter from Hari Puttar. But when guests see their favorite characters waiving at them through the window, or walking past the cabin door, they're not going to be thinking, "Gee, this just isn't 3D-enough for me" or "Shouldn't a real train be more bumpy than this?"

People who post hundreds of messages on theme park discussion forums are not your typical theme park guest, so we (forum muggles) will always have something to critique. But I for one have not, while visiting the Wizarding World, heard any nitpicking criticisms from other guests (aside from the Gringotts wait time). Everyone looks pretty blown away, which seems to me like "mission accomplished" for a theme park.

 

[Tom Morrow]

This is pretty typical of attractions based on intellectual properties though, and I think the use of film scores (or most music in general) is more about setting a specific mood rather than accomplishing realistic place setting or full immersion, because it obviously doesn't do the latter. It's arguably an example of lazy fan service, but it can be very effective nonetheless. For example, hearing the booming Jurassic Park theme the moment you enter that land, despite the fact that it wouldn't be playing in the real thing. It just works.

True, but taking Jurassic Park as an example, the main theme doesn't play throughout the entire land, only at the entrances and on parts of the ride. The rest of the land uses an original score. IMO, the main Harry Potter themes do not need to be and should not be playing in nearly every area. Maybe keep it to the alleys. It shouldn't be playing in the Gringotts queue, for example.

Being a muggle in Hogsmead and not in Diagon Alley is the result of a miscalculation. The thought was that people aren't magical, and won't think differently. Instead, people showed up to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmead and said "Screw that, I am a wizard." Universal Creative wrongly bought into the cynical idea that people know it is fake and expect fake, but delivered such a complete experience that proved this was never true.

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.

 

[Tom Morrow]

EDIT: I forgot to mention the dragon. He is very cool, but ultimately I think a bad decision as it does not fit story-wise into the land. If the dragon was on the roof and had escaped Gringotts would be in ruins inside. And they certainly wouldn't be letting you in. I think it detracts from the rest of the land. There's also the fact that it doesn't move, which while technologically understandable also makes it seem like a giant decoration added because they thought it'd be cool but that doesn't help the land thematically at all. It'd be so much better without. This is the only example of universal's tendency to do whizbang and flashy stuff with little depth and the purpose of being flashy in the entire land but it is executed very well.

I definitely agree. It seems to me like they needed a centerpiece or icon for the land. Hogsmeade has Hogwarts castle, but Diagon Alley doesn't have anything like that.

Then let's get to 9 3/4. In a stunning departure from universal's recent obsession with authenticity you enter the platform without the train being there. Thus you enter a silent station with all the ambience of a hospital waiting room. In the books and movies the platform is never shown without a steaming, noisy, Hogwarts express waiting for you. The train not being in the station also exposes the mechanics of the ride (cable pulling) which detracts from the idea that you're going to ride a real steam train.

The train not being there when you enter didn't bother me. This is most likely done for efficiency. They need people to be ready to board as soon as the train arrives. I did notice the silence. It didn't bother me too much, but perhaps some ambient train station noise should be added to make the place seem bustling with activity.

I can't stress this enough though - everyone completely overhyped the Hogwarts Express, both in anticipation and initial reactions. It's main purpose is to be a shuttle between the two parks, not a major attraction, and I think everyone should adjust their expectations accordingly.

 

[kap91]

I definitely agree. It seems to me like they needed a centerpiece or icon for the land. Hogsmeade has Hogwarts castle, but Diagon Alley doesn't have anything like that.

The train not being there when you enter didn't bother me. This is most likely done for efficiency. They need people to be ready to board as soon as the train arrives. I did notice the silence. It didn't bother me too much, but perhaps some ambient train station noise should be added to make the place seem bustling with activity.

I can't stress this enough though - everyone completely overhyped the Hogwarts Express, both in anticipation and initial reactions. It's main purpose is to be a shuttle between the two parks, not a major attraction, and I think everyone should adjust their expectations accordingly.

Yeah I get that it was done for efficiency but still I feel there were probably other ways to do it (dual platforms, stationary train facade that matches up with black box cars) that would have solved the efficiency issue and provided better show. Heck with the so far short wait times it's been having (hasn't it been sub 15 minutes?) a team member blocking the entrance to the platform would probably be sufficient.

 

[Mike S]

I definitely agree. It seems to me like they needed a centerpiece or icon for the land. Hogsmeade has Hogwarts castle, but Diagon Alley doesn't have anything like that.

The train not being there when you enter didn't bother me. This is most likely done for efficiency. They need people to be ready to board as soon as the train arrives. I did notice the silence. It didn't bother me too much, but perhaps some ambient train station noise should be added to make the place seem bustling with activity.

I can't stress this enough though - everyone completely overhyped the Hogwarts Express, both in anticipation and initial reactions. It's main purpose is to be a shuttle between the two parks, not a major attraction, and I think everyone should adjust their expectations accordingly.

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.

 

[kap91]

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.