Hogwarts Express: E-Ticket?

[Disneyhead'71]

So I thought now would be a great time to start this debate. After you vote, feel free to explain your feelings.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Haven't ridden it yet. Looks awesome even in the ride videos though.

 

[TubaGeek]

The concept of "E-Ticket" is a pretty loose term. To me, though, I want some thrills and/or super-impressive tech.
To me (a staunch Uni fan), the ride is a very solid C-Ticket, MAYBE D-Ticket.

 

[marni1971]

D+ I imagine for the reasons given above. I'd like to say E but I can't. Not that it doesn't deserves it.

Gringotts however....

 

[JediMasterMatt]

I haven't been on it yet; but, it will likely meet my defintion of E-ticket once I ride it in the next couple of months.

What it lacks in thrill, which too me has only recently been something that seems important to what is considered E worthy, Hogwarts Express makes up for in its immersivness and commitment to theme.

The transformative aspect of leaving one theme zone and emerging in another sister zone by itself if ambitious enough in scope to earn high marks.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I wanted to wait until a few people chimed in before I commented.
Immersive has to be the most over used term in theme park history. And yet Universal Creative has again redefined what it means.
I really can't describe what they have done here but from turn style to exit this attraction is amazing and at times jaw dropping.

 

[TalkingHead]

The "ride" is only part of the experience. The size of King's Cross, getting to 9 3/4, the platform, the train billowing smoke and sounding its whistle, the impeccably detailed interior of the train, disembarking in the other park...not to mention the show in the cabins.

It's an E experience. I've been thinking today about the experience of getting to 9 3/4 and it just brings a smile to my face. It's cinematic, the way you approach the platform and see the train. Like so much of the Potter design, it feels dramatic. Maybe having film industry talent has aided the design -- a la the early days of WED?

 

[71jason]

The concept of "E-Ticket" is a pretty loose term. To me, though, I want some thrills and/or super-impressive tech.
To me (a staunch Uni fan), the ride is a very solid C-Ticket, MAYBE D-Ticket.

HM and PotC were E-tickets. The tech is amazing as well, unlike any I've ever seen.

Look, I agree "E Ticket" has been meaningless since 1982, but is this one of the top attractions in Orlando? Yes. Quantify that however you choose.

 

[TubaGeek]

HM and PotC were E-tickets. The tech is amazing as well, unlike any I've ever seen.

Look, I agree "E Ticket" has been meaningless since 1982, but is this one of the top attractions in Orlando? Yes. Quantify that however you choose.

It will certainly be one of the headliners, yes, because the source material is so very iconic to a great number of people. And many may choose to use that as their justification for calling it an E-ticket. They're not wrong; it's all opinion based. For me, personally, it was a well-themed train ride with an oddly complex screen, some quality projections on the interior windows, and an immersive, convincingly-themed queue. Granted, when I went on, not all the effects were working.

Still, I feel that it would be a discourtesy to the REAL top-tier attractions (Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man) to not differentiate between them. At the end of the day, this is, first and foremost, a mode of transportation. Is it transportation the likes of which have never been seen before? Yes, but it is transportation.

I'll tell you one thing for sure: the folks who calculate the amount of money made at the Hogwarts Express ticket booths will DEFINITELY define it as an E-ticket.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

The attention to detail and effort put into this attraction is mind boggling. Kings Cross is an E Ticket before you even get on the train. They have an actual sax playing busker with his hat on the ground with a few pound notes in it inside the train station. One thing that made me laugh is the queue actually goes through this REALLY tiny snack shop that only has British snacks and beer. Then there is the really cool Platform 9 3/4 brick wall effect and a Hedwig AA. And then you round the corner to the jaw dropping load platform. Truly a WOW moment.

The Hogsmeade Station, while not as dramatic, is not without it own impressive details. The lofty timber work inside the station is beautiful. And outside is a Thestral pulled carriage (think the hearse outside the Haunted Mansion, but this one moves back and forth slightly).

One of the things that I love about this attraction is the use of music. Obviously the ride films are scored, but each station has it's own score/soundtrack. At King's Cross, the soundtrack is '90s London until you reach Platform 9 3/4 and then it's a very traditional sounding Potter score. But the Hogsmeade Station score has very light natural woodsy versions of the Potter themes. It really plays well with the lofty timber work to give a completely different yet still very Potter feel. The amount of music written/adapted for this one attraction is impressive to me.

Kings Cross Station is grand and jaw dropping while Hogsmeade Station is beautiful and serene.

And then there is the ride. The 3D effect looks great. The hall side gobos, projections and sound effects are really well done. The 2 things that Disney fans will latch onto like a starving pitbull are Harmione's voice is off and the CG at times looks a bit video gamish.

All in all, this attraction, in my book, is a solid E Ticket. Yeah, there's no thrill. As a matter of fact, you can ride with an infant on your lap and a beer in your hand. But it is grand in scope, dripping in detail, and seamlessly uses state of the art technology.

 

[TalkingHead]

The attention to detail and effort put into this attraction is mind boggling. Kings Cross is an E Ticket before you even get on the train. They have an actual sax playing busker with his hat on the ground with a few pound notes in it inside the train station. One thing that made me laugh is the queue actually goes through this REALLY tiny snack shop that only has British snacks and beer. Then there is the really cool Platform 9 3/4 brick wall effect and a Hedwig AA. And then you round the corner to the jaw dropping load platform. Truly a WOW moment.

The Hogsmeade Station, while not as dramatic, is not without it own impressive details. The lofty timber work inside the station is beautiful. And outside is a Thestral pulled carriage (think the hearse outside the Haunted Mansion, but this one moves back and forth slightly).

One of the things that I love about this attraction is the use of music. Obviously the ride films are scored, but each station has it's own score/soundtrack. The King's Cross score is '90s London until you reach Platform 9 3/4 and then it's very traditional Potter. But the Hogsmeade Station score has very light natural woodsy versions of the Potter themes. It really plays well with the lofty timber work to give a completely different yet still very Potter feel. The amount of music written/adapted for this one attraction is impressive to me.

The Kings Cross Station is grand and jaw dropping while the Hogsmeade Station is beautiful and serene.

And then there is the ride. The 3D effect looks great. The hall side gobos, projections and sound effects are really well done. The 2 things that Disney fans will latch onto like a starving pitbull are Harmione's voice is off and the CG at times looks a bit video gamish.

All in all, this attraction, in my book, is a solid E Ticket. Yeah, there's no thrill. As a matter of fact, you can ride with an infant on your lap and a beer in your hand. But it is grand in scope, dripping in detail, and seamlessly uses state of the art technology.

I'm glad you mentioned the music. I really liked the score used for the ride to London. I probably liked the music for the trip to Hogsmeade but honestly my brain was a little overwhelmed trying to take it all in.

I loved how when you're on the platform in Hogsmeade, the train arrives while the "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble" song is playing. (At least, I assume it does -- that's how it synced up for me last night.)

I wouldn't mind the music on 9 3/4 being turned up a little. It was difficult to hear it last night.

 

[mahnamahna101]

I'd say D+ ticket because like others have mentioned, it's not the headliner that Gringotts and FJ are. But it sounds EXTREMELY close to E, closer than SDMT and Mermaid at least

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Hogwarts Express is an E-ticket to Potter fans but maybe not so much for others. I went on it both directions today and thought it was an awesome experience and Universal outdid themselves. But you aren't going to get off the ride full of adrenaline and excitement unless you REALLY like Potter. It's very well themed transportation between two parks and a world class theme park experience. It's really unlike anything else.

 

[71jason]

H But you aren't going to get off the ride full of adrenaline and excitement unless you REALLY like Potter. It's very well themed transportation between two parks and a world class theme park experience. It's really unlike anything else.

Again, "E ticket" is not and never was a synonym for "thrill ride." The only E-ticket thrill ride in Orlando ever was Space Mountain. Being world-class and one of a kind is what makes it an E-ticket.

 

[TubaGeek]

The only E-ticket thrill ride in Orlando ever was Space Mountain. Being world-class and one of a kind is what makes it an E-ticket.

I know they're not roller coasters, but I would still say Spidey and especially FJ are thrill rides.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I know they're not roller coasters, but I would still say Spidey and especially FJ are thrill rides.

I think he means when the ticket system was still in use.

 

[71jason]

I know they're not roller coasters, but I would still say Spidey and especially FJ are thrill rides.

No doubt. But they were never literal E-ticket rides. Sorry to be all paternal and patronizing, but you know E-tickets were real physical things, right? It's not just a made up term. In 1971, these were the E-tickets:
-It's a Small World
-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
-Country Bear Jamboree
-The Jungle Cruise
-The Hall of Presidents
-The Haunted Mansion

What Jungle Cruise was in 1971, Hogwarts Express is in 2014.

[That awkward moment when you realize people under 37 probably don't remember the time WDW wasn't unlimited rides.]

 

[Milla4Prez66]

Again, "E ticket" is not and never was a synonym for "thrill ride." The only E-ticket thrill ride in Orlando ever was Space Mountain. Being world-class and one of a kind is what makes it an E-ticket.

I don't mean thrill rides necessarily, just that it's a simple sit down and look at some screens kind of thing. There's not much movement and it's just a neat experience to park hop.

 

[TubaGeek]

No doubt. But they were never literal E-ticket rides. Sorry to be all paternal and patronizing, but you know E-tickets were real physical things, right? It's not just a made up term. In 1971, these were the E-tickets:
-It's a Small World
-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
-Country Bear Jamboree
-The Jungle Cruise
-The Hall of Presidents
-The Haunted Mansion

What Jungle Cruise was in 1971, Hogwarts Express is in 2014.

[That awkward moment when you realize people under 37 probably don't remember the time WDW wasn't unlimited rides.]

Gotcha! I know of the old system, I just wasn't thinking LITERALLY.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

I don't know by proper definition what it might be, but I can tell you it surre felt as though it was an E ticket today while I was riding it and waiting in line.
I'd be safe and say D plus.