Universal Orlando Resort (USF, IOA, Epic) Discussion Thread

[Erik Johnson]

Unfortunately, the Harry Potter area did not soft open this Sunday. Only hotel guests were allowed into that section of the park. One thing I should note is that many of the other attractions at IOA have really been spruced up. All the effects were working on Jurassic Park. Hulk received a new light package for the inside of the launch tube. Rip, Ride, Rockit was running really well. Oh well, I will try again in two weeks.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Erik Johnson

[dandaman]

^ Y'know, I was wondering about the Hulk lights. I went a few Tuesdays ago and they seemed new to me, but I didn't know how new.

[alpengeist04]

^^Sorry to hear you didn't get in, Erik. I'm told it's basically a 50/50 chance each day this week. I guess it'll all depend on if FJ is running well or not each morning.

 

I think I might go again this Wednesday, hopefully I'll be lucky.

 

All the effects were working on Jurassic Park.

 

I'm very happy to hear that.

[Solid Gold]

The new entrance to Dragon's Challenge is the thing that most stood out to me in those pics. Kind of Awful compared to the old.

 

I would looove to go back to IOA after hearing positive comparisons of FJ to other world class simulators. Spiderman is the best theme park ride I've ever been on, coaster or not, and it's great to hear that IOA has finally added something new and of high quality.

[WillMontu]

Despite the Wizarding World not opening to the public today, here are some pictures from the Muggle side of things earlier today. Aside from different music and some new signing, much of the Dragons remain as they were. I'm guessing that when WW is open, they take on the Dragon Challenge personality and use the new entrance and queue and revert to using the temporary queue when WW is closed.

At the park opening, this was where the queue to enter the Wizarding World begins

It extends across the bridge to Jurassic Park

This was all for an attraction that did not even open to the public that day.

I'm suspect that the bridge between Lost Continent and Jurassic Park will be staying, as they are building some sort of entrance or gate here.

The Dragons look the way they have for the last year or two. This entrance was not opened until later in the day.

The Dragons queue snakes through a portion of WW, with fences to hide all the Potter theming. It goes in through the exit as before, but then joins the existing queue, bypassing the new features

It's still easier just to say Fire and Ice

The loading station is different. I apologize for the blur (I was using the P&S camera at the time and I didn't want to hold up the line). The shadows on the ceiling are animated.

The old wooden handrails have been replaced, though they still remain in the loading area

So is this Blizzrock, or has Hungarian Horntail been taking polyjuice potion?

[krazekiddd]

So I'm watching the infomercial... I mean reveal, and they are still not saying it's at IOA. Quote "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida." Everything so far is saying it's own theme park still.

[dandaman]

My mom gasped out loud when Honeydukes came up, so I figure a trip this August is in the bag, if only for the candy.

[OldJJman]

Well...

Everything's supposedly new, yet there's "Dueling Dragons" signage.

 

(sigh)

[Wes]

^ Pretty sure that photo was taken from the Jurassic Park portion of the park where the temporary entrance to Dragons is.

[testtrack321]

NBC.com says it's the "new Harry Potter theme park". Oi.

[lunaprk]

Good weekend everyone!

 

I followed all the Tweets last week for the status of Potterverse and got in last Thursday. Like John DeHass (whom I ran into at FJ- good seeing you John!), I got 3 goes on FJ and had a half hour or so to walk the rest of the land before they closed down around noon.

 

I felt the ride surprised me in several ways and disappointed me in a couple others. I'll wait till I see more posts before I get specific and spoil. One thing I will say now is the sound in the cars needs to be remixed. The narration tracks were drowned out by all the other SFX- that's an easy fix. My first impressions are that the queue line is a little more entertaining than the ride-especially after riding a couple times- incredible details and fun effects! Aside from some specific things, I wish there were more grandiose tableaus to ride through- a la Pirates of the Carribean.

 

Every once in a while I could glance to the side and see another ride vehicle rolling ahead- they are quite fascinating to watch! Next time a park uses these, go ahead and make them part of the show!

 

The land itself also boasts some nice detail on the buildings/shops. Nice weathered textures and nifty signage. I'm pretty surprised to see the bldg footprints from the original Lost Continent intact, just expanded upon. So glad to have the Alchemy Bar re-imagined as the Three Broomsticks! The Team Members are psyched and the walk-around characters (especially the Conductor from the "train station") entertaining and immersed in the theming. The little show in Olivanders is quite a treat. It's been pointed out before and can't be stressed enough-the shops are TOO CRAMPED. The aisles could only fit one "supersized" guest and a small stroller. Universal will have to have Potter-themed stores elsewhere around the Resort-this is their bread and butter.

 

So I had a fun time and hope to return next week on my day off. I'll be curious to see what you all think in the months ahead!

 

Marlon Scott

[testtrack321]

The little show in Olivanders is quite a treat. It's been pointed out before and can't be stressed enough-the shops are TOO CRAMPED. The aisles could only fit one "supersized" guest and a small stroller. Universal will have to have Potter-themed stores elsewhere around the Resort-this is their bread and butter.

 

Starting to think of it, I think this will be the biggest issue regular guests will complain about, but I mean they didn't have that much land to work with here.

 

Diagon Alley in City Walk anyone?

[Erik Johnson]

^ Pretty sure that photo was taken from the Jurassic Park portion of the park where the temporary entrance to Dragons is.

 

 

Exactly. Also if you remember that particular Dueling Dragons sign was made by simply painting over the old Flying Unicorn sign.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-cover-universal-potter-060710-20100606,0,1195634.story

 

As Universal Orlando prepares for the formal opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the resort isn't the only one with a lot riding on the project.

 

The success of Wizarding World, a $200 million-plus collection of rides, shops and eateries in Universal's Islands of Adventure, will likely determine whether Harry Potter is extended to other theme parks in the U.S. or around the globe. "It will be a good litmus test to see whether they will expand elsewhere," said Nima Samadi, an amusement-industry analyst with IBIS World, a market-research firm in Santa Monica, Calif.

 

For now, Universal Orlando is the only theme park on the planet allowed to use Harry Potter. That exclusivity is one reason industry analysts expect Wizarding World to be such a boon for the resort. But Universal's rights are not absolute. The resort's licensing contract with author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment guarantees Universal exclusive use of Potter only within a 250-mile radius of Orlando, leaving open the possibility the boy wizard could one day appear at theme parks in other markets.

 

Representatives for Rowling did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Warner Bros. declined to discuss future theme-park plans for Harry Potter. "At this time, our sole focus is on the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on June 18 at Universal Orlando Resort," Warner Bros. spokesman Barry Ziehl said.

 

Analysts say Potter is a good bet to spread to more theme parks, given that the franchise has already demonstrated enormous global appeal. The Harry Potter books have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and have been translated into almost 70 languages. What's less clear is where — and to whom — the theme-park rights for Potter might go next.

 

Samadi said Universal has a number of built-in advantages over other theme-park operators. The resort, for instance, has a strong reputation for translating other companies' intellectual property into successful theme-park attractions, from Twentieth Century Fox's The Simpsons to DreamWorks Animation's Shrek and Madagascar. And Universal has a growing portfolio of resorts around the world, with existing parks in Los Angeles, Japan and Singapore as well as planned ones in South Korea and Dubai.

 

The parties involved are also likely comfortable with one another. Universal worked very closely with both Warner Bros. and Rowling during the development of Wizarding World — Alan Gilmore, the art director for the Potter movies, moved to Orlando to oversee construction, while Rowling herself tasted Universal's butterbeer before approving the recipe. "If you have a relationship with Universal and it's going well, I don't see why they'd venture out," Samadi said.

 

Even before Potter shows up in other theme parks, his presence could be expanded in Orlando. Scott Smith, a professor in the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management, predicts that Universal will eventually opt to convert the rest of the Lost Continent section of Islands of Adventure into an expansion of Wizarding World. Universal has already turned two Lost Continent rides into Potter-themed rides — the renamed Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff roller coasters. That leaves only two significant attractions — Poseidon's Fury and the Eight Voyages of Sinbad Stunt Show — to anchor Lost Continent.

 

Some additions to Wizarding World are inevitable: Universal's deal with Rowling and Warner Bros. requires the resort to incorporate elements from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the series, which is to be split into two movies for release later this year and sometime next. "Rather than showing all of your cards at once, you start 'em off with these three good rides and then open maybe something else every year," Smith said. "If they get this thing going in the right direction, then they'll start making other changes, and that's going to bring those people back that have done the other rides."

 

Universal executives, though clearly excited by Wizarding World's potential, say it's far too early to discuss whether to add more. John Sprouls, Universal Orlando's chief executive officer, said the resort has "a lot of stuff we're looking at in the pipeline." "Obviously, we want to see how it does here first," Sprouls said. "And then we'll see what else makes sense."

[crazydaveh]

According to the bartender at the Hogs Tavern yesterday, the new sign is going up to replace the current JP sign on that side of the park. Apparently the Potter author was there checking everything out and the current JP sign sticks out in the Hogsmeade area. We checked it out from the Dragons cue and it does indeed stick out. Sorry, no pics. Didn't have the iPhone or BlackBerry on me at the time.

[KrakenKing]

Went today and got there around 9:30. Headed back across the bridge into Jurassic Park to see if WWoHP was open, but when we got to the entrance of Dueling Dragons it was closed off with employees standing there. "Is Dueling Dragons open?" I asked. The employee replies "It's open as Dragon Challenge over in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter", it was open!

 

Walked to The Forbidden Journey and it had a 45min wait, the line started at the greenhouse.

 

As for the ride, INCREDIBLE! It was absolutely amazing. The theming, story, everything. I can't wait to ride it again.

 

After the ride it was about 11:30 and they had all the rides closed and weren't letting anymore guests into the area (According to a sign outside the WWoHP gate it was closed for a private event), but we were able to get two frozen Butterbeers in souvenir cups as well as two Pumpkin Juices, both are delicious but steep in price (But what can you expect from a theme park).

 

I'm heading back on Thursday in hopes of it being open again so I can check out Dragon Challenge's queue, the shops, and restaurants.

 

Erik and Will: WWoHP did open yesterday according to a few employee's, but not until late in the day, sorry you guys missed it! Hope you get in next Sunday!

[Houston Thrills]

I saw this ad today on weather.com and thought it was pretty funny, given previous discussions in this thread:

 

[jray21]

^Ok, that is pretty bad. Legal, yes, misleading, yes.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Nice review of WWOHP from Fishbulb over at MiceChat ... and some bad reviews for what they have done to the Dueling Dragons Queue.

 

http://micechat.com/forums/universal-studios/138452-wizarding-world-harry-potter-pics-ride-review.html

 

And a great article from Kevin Yee as well:

 

http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky060810a.htm

[Wes]

Saw this on Yahoo. Obviously Universal is not doing anything to stop the misconception about the park/land issue. Seems kinda sketchy on their part to be honest.

[SharkTums]

^Ugh, yeah I totally agree.

 

I don't think it would be as much of an issue if the land was bigger and had a better capacity, but from the TR's so far it seems like the place just gets SLAMMED with limited entry. What is it going to be like when it opens for real? Or during the holidays?

 

People expecting a full park WILL be disappointed, however awesome the land is, it's not a full park.

 

(And it doesn't have SODA!!!!!)

[cfc]

(And it doesn't have SODA!!!!!)

 

This was something J. K. Rowling required, from what Adam said in his TR. Any bets on how long this policy will last once Wizarding World opens to the public?

[ernierocker]

So, you can just order Pumpkin Juice or Butterbeer? Yeah, Rowling was a little full of herself on that one!

[Wes]

The soda thing is so ridiculous. I can sorta understand it from a brand perspective, but just call it something else! Maybe they don't have a brand called Sprite but they have Mr Fizzly's Super Fantastic Lemon Lime Gay Wizard Bubble Drink or whatever ridiculous naming conventions they want to use to appease her.

[BeemerBoy]

I don't think it would be as much of an issue if the land was bigger and had a better capacity, but from the TR's so far it seems like the place just gets SLAMMED with limited entry. What is it going to be like when it opens for real? Or during the holidays?

Yeah, the size of the place alone makes me wanna avoid it for awhile until the hype dies a bit. It's like A huge new ride and a Harry Potter themed strip mall in miniature scale. At least that's what it seems like anyway.

 

 

Side note: The Simpsons got screwed. If you're gonna have Butterbeer, there needs to be a Flaming Moe.