The I've Been To WWoHP Discussion Thread

rainfully

rainfully

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So... now that its open for previews, I figured we should have a place for those of us who have been lucky enough to experience it to be able to discuss it! I feel bad talking to much about it in the other threads because I remained completely spoiler-free on the place and I don't want anyone to read anything they don't want to!

A couple of random observations:

1. The FB Queue... now of course even remaining unspolied, I have heard how amazing the queue was... and it's even more amazing than I could have imagined! I think even more amazing than the scenery and the queue itself was the guy walking around offering rubber bands for people wearing flip flops and sandles! That just amazed me! What a good idea! And the Sorting Had animatronic and its spiel in rhyme was just perfect!!

2. The FB Ride---- AAAAHHHHH!!!! I... just... wow. Things popping out at you EVERYWHERE... amazing technology... sit in the middle two seats if you want things to look like they're really in your face! It was like a weird mix between Spiderman and Soarin'... I just don't even know... I can't even produce complete sentences here! Whe Whomping Willow... the DRAGON... wow. And the whole thing was soooooo smooth! Once a again: WOW.

3. The Shops - First of all just be aware that they are TINY!! Kinda hard to navigate with a lot of people in there. But the details in there as well... wow! The merchandise is AWESOME.... rememberalls, robes, books.... they thought of EVERYTHING. My favorite place was Honeydukes... you can buy chocolate frogs, treacle fudge, cauldron cakes.... pretty much anything they sell on the carts on the Hogwarts Express.... I really can't wait to try everything they have there!!

4. BUTTERBEER!!!!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!! YUM!!!! It was like a modified creme soda... You can get it in two versions... frozen and unfrozen... I had the frozen and it was AMAZING!!! They actually had people walking around taking orders and delivering them like a cocktail waitress! Or you can order from the Butterbeer cart.

5. Three Broomsticks - I kind of wanted to save at least something for a return trip so I did not go in here... but I did read the menu.. they have fish and chips, shepher's pie... and something else... not much to choose from but it sounds yummy!

6. Flight of the Hippogriff - Hagrid's hut is cool plus the animatronic hippogriff is awesome! A very well done conversion.

7. Dragon Challenge - Well the queue is of course a downgrade from DD... but they added some good stuff including the Goblet of Fire (which did not have a blue flame coming from it as I would imagine it should... hopefully they add that) and the Triwizard Cup. Since they didn't paint the track it kind of seems to clash with the rest of the area... I dunno... this was the only kind of dissapointing part... but I really wasn't expecting much there.

Anyways.. I was amazed.. and blown away!!! And I can't wait to hear some of the opinions of others!!! :)

30323_398474491636_502171636_4793215_4621443_n.jpg

I'm in frickin' HP Heaven! ;)
 
Mr.EPCOT

Mr.EPCOT

Active Member
Man, I've gone to Islands of Adventure three days in a row hoping to get in, but I guess it has just been open in the mornings. :(
 
RWilliams

RWilliams

Premium Member
I should first say that I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, I read the first two books years ago but haven't seen a single movie.

I was able to get into Wizarding World today. I suspected from the glipses that I've had over the past few months that it would be impressive, and it certainly was. The details and music in Hogsmeade are great. It really makes you feel like you're walking right into the books- Universal did an amazing job. The problem that I see is that the area and the shops are just too small. Once Wizarding World is fully open its going to be a total madhouse. It was pleasant walking around today with a few hundred people around but once you add in the people and strollers I don't think it will be a nice place to be.

I didn't have a chance to ride dueling dragons or the hippogriff today they were closed shortly after we were let inside.

I had some frozen butterbeer- it was very much like a frozen creamsoda. It was good but not amazing. I can't see myself sitting at home and thinking, "You know what I could really go for right now? A butterbeer!" like I do with dole whips or Mickey bars. I doubt I'll spend the money to get a butterbeer again anytime soon but I did enjoy it and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. I'm looking forward to trying the pumpkin juice next time!

The Forbidden Journey-

queue- wow! The queue is just as impressive as we've been hearing. It trumps any Disney queue I've seen anywhere (WDW, DL, DLP). I think some of the projections and audio levels (particularly Dumbledore) may need a little tweaking but overall its full of surprises and feels so real. If you were to drop someone in there blindfolded and tell them they were in an English castle- they'd believe you. I would like to know however, who thought it was a good idea to make the outdoor queue a greenhouse in central Florida? :lol:

The ride- I was very impressed with the ride system. It was very fluid and quite a bit more extreme than I had imagined it would be. I think if you don't have a basic understanding of the Harry Potter story line though you won't really know what's going on but that probably doesn't matter.

I'm not a Universal hater at all, I enjoy their parks (I'm an AP holder). I think they've done many things in The Wizarding World on par with and even exceeding Disney show standards, but to me the Forbidden Journey fell a little flat. It just feels like a more advanced non-3D version of Spiderman. It follows the same formula: yell at the riders unintelligibly, spin and tip them up, down and around and rush them to another show scene or screen, yell something at them again, throw something toward them, spin them around again, spray them with a little water, repeat once or twice, stop rather abruptly and say so long.

I think as a whole though that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a great addition not only to Universal but to the Orlando theme parks in general. Its very well done and I look forward to heading back to Hogsmeade to get some chocolate frogs! :slurp:
 
Shere_Khan

Shere_Khan

Well-Known Member
rainfully said:
2. The FB Ride---- AAAAHHHHH!!!! I... just... wow. Things popping out at you EVERYWHERE... amazing technology... sit in the middle two seats if you want things to look like they're really in your face! It was like a weird mix between Spiderman and Soarin'... I just don't even know... I can't even produce complete sentences here! Whe Whomping Willow... the DRAGON... wow. And the whole thing was soooooo smooth! Once a again: WOW.
Click to expand...

Is it really scary?
What types of things pop out at you and how close???
 
rainfully

rainfully

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
RWilliams said:
I should first say that I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, I read the first two books years ago but haven't seen a single movie.

I was able to get into Wizarding World today. I suspected from the glipses that I've had over the past few months that it would be impressive, and it certainly was. The details and music in Hogsmeade are great. It really makes you feel like you're walking right into the books- Universal did an amazing job. The problem that I see is that the area and the shops are just too small. Once Wizarding World is fully open its going to be a total madhouse. It was pleasant walking around today with a few hundred people around but once you add in the people and strollers I don't think it will be a nice place to be.

I didn't have a chance to ride dueling dragons or the hippogriff today they were closed shortly after we were let inside.

I had some frozen butterbeer- it was very much like a frozen creamsoda. It was good but not amazing. I can't see myself sitting at home and thinking, "You know what I could really go for right now? A butterbeer!" like I do with dole whips or Mickey bars. I doubt I'll spend the money to get a butterbeer again anytime soon but I did enjoy it and I'm glad I had a chance to try it. I'm looking forward to trying the pumpkin juice next time!

The Forbidden Journey-

queue- wow! The queue is just as impressive as we've been hearing. It trumps any Disney queue I've seen anywhere (WDW, DL, DLP). I think some of the projections and audio levels (particularly Dumbledore) may need a little tweaking but overall its full of surprises and feels so real. If you were to drop someone in there blindfolded and tell them they were in an English castle- they'd believe you. I would like to know however, who thought it was a good idea to make the outdoor queue a greenhouse in central Florida? :lol:

The ride- I was very impressed with the ride system. It was very fluid and quite a bit more extreme than I had imagined it would be. I think if you don't have a basic understanding of the Harry Potter story line though you won't really know what's going on but that probably doesn't matter.

I'm not a Universal hater at all, I enjoy their parks (I'm an AP holder). I think they've done many things in The Wizarding World on par with and even exceeding Disney show standards, but to me the Forbidden Journey fell a little flat. It just feels like a more advanced non-3D version of Spiderman. It follows the same formula: yell at the riders unintelligibly, spin and tip them up, down and around and rush them to another show scene or screen, yell something at them again, throw something toward them, spin them around again, spray them with a little water, repeat once or twice, stop rather abruptly and say so long.

I think as a whole though that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a great addition not only to Universal but to the Orlando theme parks in general. Its very well done and I look forward to heading back to Hogsmeade to get some chocolate frogs! :slurp:
Click to expand...

Yeah the small shops were a HUGE disadvantage for me... and I felt much the same way... I can't imagine how its going to be with all those people around... CRAZY!!

I can't wait to try EVERYTHING in Honeydukes!! I couldn't believe how expensive the chocolate frogs were!!
 
rainfully

rainfully

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Shere_Khan said:
Is it really scary?
What types of things pop out at you and how close???
Click to expand...

I know I would have been terrified if I was a child! There are spiders, dragons, and dementors... and they get pretty close... closer than anything on any ride I've ever been on!
 
71jason

71jason

Well-Known Member
rainfully said:
Yeah the small shops were a HUGE disadvantage for me... and I felt much the same way... I can't imagine how its going to be with all those people around... CRAZY!!
Click to expand...

Dervish & Bangs was practically impassable today, and the wand shop had a line stretching past the next building--this with Dragons and Hippogriff being walk-ons, and FJ being maybe a 25-minute wait. I can't imagine how the shops will handle a real crowd.

Hogs Head got overwhelmed as well. Apparently two Butterbeer stations is not enough when the heat index tops 90 degrees. They had servers trying to alleviate the outside line, but again, this was with a minimal crowd. I shudder to think about, say, the week of July 4.
 
jcrb

jcrb

New Member
Frozen Butter Beer from the Hogs head was great. $2.50 for small glass and $10 for a souvenir mug. FJ with very cool. Well worth the wait through the Hogwarts castle.
 
joanna71985

joanna71985

Well-Known Member
I went today. I will agree, it is tiny (I can't even begin to imagine how crowded it will be once it officially opens). But the theming is amazing, and Forbidden Journey was really good.
 
SleepingMonk

SleepingMonk

Well-Known Member
It's a fine school....

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Oops, wrong spell.....darn snow!

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Odd little root....

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A lovely desk...

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Respect the limits....

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All aboard....

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Matpez

Matpez

Well-Known Member
My summary:

You know how you can just go to Epcot's World Showcase and do nothing? You could just browse and sit all day and have a great time? That is how well I feel they have done this island. I would (and will) go there just to get a butterbeer and sit in Hogsmeade. I am not a big HP fan, but the area is just amazing and immersive. It is small, both in overall footprint and the shops... but it makes it feel that much more like exactly what they tried to create. You are visiting a town you have never been to before, not a recreation of a small town in a theme park. Is that really smart for business? I don't know, but it is exactly what they were going for and they did it perfectly.

Some things are outrageous, like any theme park. $10 for a chocolate frog, really? If it was $6.95 I would have considered it overpriced but MAYBE bought one.
However, butterbeer is great and you get change back from $3.

Ollivanders Wand Shop.
For a show where only one person in the group get to do this, it works. The shopkeeper makes a big difference here. We ended up going in here 3 times and would have gone in more. It is entertaining, and the detail inside the shop (including dust on the boxes) is worth seeing alone.

Forbidden Journey.
You already know about the queue. Everything you already heard is true.
I thought to myself, "if this wasn't in a theme park they could charge admission just to walk through here".

The ride is nothing short of amazing. The detail, the effects, the movement, but most of all the smoothness. It turns quickly, whips around, tips, etc. but the movement is never scary or frightening. Nothing like a roller coaster, just a somewhat out of control flight through show scenes.

I wanted to think it would be the new top attraction anywhere (over Spiderman) and maybe overtime it will grow on me as one ride isn't enough to judge, but I still feel overall Spiderman is better because it has one consistent and easy to follow storyline. Forbidden Journey only has a somewhat forced together series of events that aren't really one story, but a bunch of scenes. (Nonetheless completely amazing scenes)

However, people in my party did disagree and say FJ topped Spiderman. I think it will come down to each experience. I also think some seats are better than others and I was in the worst one (far right).


My real complaint (if there is one to be made) is the serious downgrade to Dueling Dragons. They queue for this attraction was stripped down to almost nothing. So sad because it was once a very highly themed queue and now is a quickly thrown together mess. It looks like the Dragon Challenge had no budget whatsoever. (The coasters are still fun and I suppose that is what they cared about here).

Overall, this will be the greatest thing at Islands of Adventure for a very long time. It's location in the back center of the park is perfect for them, and I can pretty much guarantee you that I will not be hanging out in the expanded Fantasyland ever when the Wizarding World is just down the road.

A+ Universal. You did it.

jmhogwarts.jpg
 
SleepingMonk

SleepingMonk

Well-Known Member
We actually hit double digits yesterday and after riding just over ten times I can honestly say it easily trumps Spiderman. Just like the castle itself the more time you spend there the more you see. They totally broke the mold with this one.

It really does have to be experienced, I don't think words do it justice.
 

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