New Harry Potter Coaster Confirmed for 2019 (Dragon's Challenge Closing Sept 4th)

[GLaDOS]

Gringotts did not get raving reviews and internally, Universal did not feel the overall Diagon Alley project brought in the numbers they were hoping for.

LOL good one.

 

[JT3000]

Yes, but it is not just sky blue. It will have trees painted on it with real trees in front of it to create depth. Also that area will have massive tree roots that surround the track partially hiding the building.

And yes, for those concerned, Fluffy is an animatronic built by Lifeforms. As is the Unicorn. I'm not sure who is building the Hagrid/Blast-Ended Skrewt and Centaur AAs.

Where is the centaur?

 

[JoeCamel]

Where is the centaur?

Mmmmm, still to be seen, maybe at the first, maybe at the exit from the drop??? Nice to not know all the details before the debut

 

[Magenta Panther]

Yes, but everyone has experienced that pit in the stomach that you feel when something is great but you still hoped for more. I kinda felt like that after riding the last Harry Potter addition in Florida, so it’s hardly unprecedented.

I felt that way when I saw a video of the new Kong ride. I had such high expectations. sigh

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Gringotts did not get raving reviews and internally, Universal did not feel the overall Diagon Alley project brought in the numbers they were hoping for. Even the average stupid guest finds F&F to be rubbish.

I felt the same way about Gringotts. I was so excited...and the queue is fantastic....but the ride really was kind of boring IMO.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I felt the same way about Gringotts. I was so excited...and the queue is fantastic....but the ride really was kind of boring IMO.

I think it’s a good ride—better than true rubbish like F&F. But I wanted a ride that was better than its HP predecessor, Forbidden Journey. No such luck.

Will Hagrid’s 2019 ride be better than the 2010 Forbidden Journey? We will see.

 

[JoeCamel]

I think it’s a good ride—better than true rubbish like F&F. But I wanted a ride that was better than its HP predecessor, Forbidden Journey. No such luck.

Will Hagrid’s 2019 ride be better than the 2010 Forbidden Journey? We will see.

That is a pretty high bar. FJ is one of the best rides ever made.

 

[OG Runner]

That is a pretty high bar. FJ is one of the best rides ever made.

It really is. The combination of a unique ride system, as well as, various media to immerse
you in the "journey", is exceptional.

 

[Bairstow]

I think it’s a good ride—better than true rubbish like F&F. But I wanted a ride that was better than its HP predecessor, Forbidden Journey. No such luck.

Will Hagrid’s 2019 ride be better than the 2010 Forbidden Journey? We will see.

I think the most appropriate question at this point will be, "Is it a worthy replacement for the Dragons?"

 

[OG Runner]

I think the most appropriate question at this point will be, "Is it a worthy replacement for the Dragons?"

I would say for some yes, and for others no. This is a totally different kind of a coaster. I am thinking more people will
be riding this coaster than were riding Dragons. So, it is not just a yes or no answer, it is both.

 

[Bairstow]

...This is a totally different kind of a coaster. I am thinking more people will
be riding this coaster than were riding Dragons...

That's going to be some trick considering that this bike coaster will likely have less than half capacity of the Dragons.

 

[OG Runner]

That's going to be some trick considering that this bike coaster will likely have less than half capacity of the Dragons.

Yes, but at the same time, if some the posts here are to be believed, more trains will be on the track at a time. Also
I think you will find a wider spectrum of people wanting to ride this coaster than those that "were brave enough"
to ride Dragons.

 

[JoeCamel]

That's going to be some trick considering that this bike coaster will likely have less than half capacity of the Dragons.

Moving load/unload and multiple RVs on the track at once. They thought about capacity when they designed it. They do not want a repeat of this

 

[ToTBellHop]

That is a pretty high bar. FJ is one of the best rides ever made.

It is a high bar. I expect the company to outdo itself at least once a decade.

 

[Bairstow]

Yes, but at the same time, if some the posts here are to be believed, more trains will be on the track at a time. Also
I think you will find a wider spectrum of people wanting to ride this coaster than those that "were brave enough"
to ride Dragons.

Do they have similar height requirements?
I will say that one thing Dragons had keeping its ridership down after the Potter retheme is that the entrance, lacking the original entrance statuary. It was hard to miss the sight of the dragon tracks themselves, but finding how to actually enter the queue was a bit harder, and usually required guests to backtrack from the exit area. Presumably this is something that can be remedied in the new attraction.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Do they have similar height requirements?
I will say that one thing Dragons had keeping its ridership down after the Potter retheme is that the entrance, lacking the original entrance statuary. It was hard to miss the sight of the dragon tracks themselves, but finding how to actually enter the queue was a bit harder, and usually required guests to backtrack from the exit area. Presumably this is something that can be remedied in the new attraction.

Dragon Challenge was 54”—average ~10 year old. This is 48”, which most kids hit when they are 7 or 7 1/2.

 

[Bairstow]

Moving load/unload and multiple RVs on the track at once. They thought about capacity when they designed it. They do not want a repeat of this
View attachment 356644

As I said, some trick.

I know it's Mauer and not Intamin, but the moving load at Rip Ride has been notoriously problematic. If Intamin can significantly (and reliably) improve on the ~1400 capacity of other Blitz coasters it will be quite an achievement, but there's just no way they can touch the people-eating potential of dualing B&M inverts.

 

[JT3000]

That's going to be some trick considering that this bike coaster will likely have less than half capacity of the Dragons.

I don't know the new ride's capacity, but I do know it could be terrible and still have a higher ridership than Dragon Challenge. The perpetual lack of a line towards the end of its life wasn't entirely due to its high capacity. They weren't even running all the trains most of the time. The fact that this is a brand new Potter ride goes without saying, but it's also a tamer experience with a lower height requirement. Many more people will be riding this.

 

[sedati]

I previously guessed we'd see a stag patronus at the water loop seen here in a Bioreconstruct aerial:

Now I'm wondering with the hint of a previously unrealized creature from the books, could we see the giant squid or at least its tentacles whipping at us from the lake/pond?

 

[JoeCamel]

I previously guessed we'd see a stag patronus at the water loop seen here in a Bioreconstruct aerial:
View attachment 356703
Now I'm wondering with the hint of a previously unrealized creature from the books, could we see the giant squid or at least it's tentacles whipping at us from the lake/pond?

Nope, the unrealized creature is in the hut