Harry Potter Land?

[lovemyzoe]

would have been better if disney had done it

Well, they were given the chance first and turned it down, so how 'bout we wait and see what Universal does with it before automatically thinking it will be second-rate?

 

[Metro West]

Well, they were given the chance first and turned it down, so how 'bout we wait and see what Universal does with it before automatically thinking it will be second-rate?

That's the thing...so many Disney lovers seem to think Universal can't theme anything and Disney is so much better than everyone else...it's simply not true and they know it. With all the collaboration between Universal, Warner Bros. and Rowling, I don't see HP being anything less than spectacular.

 

[Mad Hattered]

That's the thing...so many Disney lovers seem to think Universal can't theme anything and Disney is so much better than everyone else...it's simply not true and they know it. With all the collaboration between Universal, Warner Bros. and Rowling, I don't see HP being anything less than spectacular.

I think the Disney freaks are just upset that Universal will have a taller castle than Magic Kingdom.

 

[xipetotec]

I think the Disney freaks are just upset that Universal will have a taller castle than Magic Kingdom.

Not the old Disney vs Universal rivalry again ...

I *love* Disney world. I really do. And given the choice, I'd go to Disney hands down. But I DO LIKE Universal and think they've got something really special happening here and I cannot WAIT to see it.

I just kinda wish this deal had been inked years ago, cause I kinda feel they could have profited from this a LOT more like 5 years ago.

 

[OrangeCat04]

I think the Disney freaks are just upset that Universal will have a taller castle than Magic Kingdom.

I am planning a trip in Jan 2011 to Disney, but i LOVE Universal and HP and am definitely going to take a day trip there! my question is.. is HP going to be a part of IOA or is it going to be its own seperate park. And can i take the Mears bus from Disney to go there for the day?

 

[melly]

Why do you think this? Just curious!

!

just think it would be more magical

 

[macraven]

i hope we are not in for another debate on the parks again.

it gets so old.




i am not a parry hotter fan.
but, i still will return to universal.

 

[FireandIce]

just think it would be more magical

Oh !! That explains it.

 

[Metro West]

Oh !! That explains it.

That's what I was thinking.

Moving on...........

 

[melly]

Oh !! That explains it.

glad I could be of help.

 

[Metro West]

Here's an article from the newspaper today about HP I thought I would share:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-universal-harry-potter-070509,0,3515110.story

 

[melly]

Here's an article from the newspaper today about HP I thought I would share:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/orl-universal-harry-potter-070509,0,3515110.story

So as a summary they are putting in 1 new mega attraction and the rest is just re-painting existing stuff and lobbing a castle in. Triffic.

 

[FireandIce]

Thanks for the summary But, it's a little more than paint and a castle.

Plans for the 20-acre Wizarding World show more than a dozen buildings, including at least three shops, a restaurant and multiple forced-perspective decorative buildings. The centerpiece will be the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the iconic castle and keep from the Potter books and movies.

Universal's Hogwarts, records show, will be 150 feet, or 15 stories, high.

The castle will also house what is expected to be the Wizarding World's signature attraction. Several people familiar with the project, including one person directly involved, said the ride will be what's known as a "robocoaster" — a ride system in which guests sit in seats suspended from a robotic arm that can swivel and swoop in multiple directions while it advances along a track.

Plans show the track snaking through more than a dozen scenes, though what those scenes will be remains a mystery. The attraction, according to the people familiar with it, will also feature an elaborate pre-show queue with special effects such as floating candles and snow falling indoors.

Before they arrive at Hogwarts, guests entering the Wizarding World will pass through Hogsmeade Village, an old-Europe-style town from the Potter novels. Universal's plans for Hogsmeade include The Three Broomsticks restaurant, shops and stylized locker and stroller-parking areas. The few clues Universal has provided indicate the stores will include Dervish & Banges, which sells and repairs magical equipment, and Honeydukes, a sweet shop whose treats include chocolate-covered frogs.

In between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, Universal is building Hagrid's Hut, home of the friendly half-giant. It has also said it plans to re-create the Forbidden Forest, an ominous setting from the books that's home to creatures such as centaurs, unicorns and spiderlike "acromantulas."

 

[melly]

Thanks for the summary But, it's a little more than paint and a castle.

Plans for the 20-acre Wizarding World show more than a dozen buildings, including at least three shops, a restaurant and multiple forced-perspective decorative buildings. The centerpiece will be the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the iconic castle and keep from the Potter books and movies.

Universal's Hogwarts, records show, will be 150 feet, or 15 stories, high.

The castle will also house what is expected to be the Wizarding World's signature attraction. Several people familiar with the project, including one person directly involved, said the ride will be what's known as a "robocoaster" — a ride system in which guests sit in seats suspended from a robotic arm that can swivel and swoop in multiple directions while it advances along a track.

Plans show the track snaking through more than a dozen scenes, though what those scenes will be remains a mystery. The attraction, according to the people familiar with it, will also feature an elaborate pre-show queue with special effects such as floating candles and snow falling indoors.

Before they arrive at Hogwarts, guests entering the Wizarding World will pass through Hogsmeade Village, an old-Europe-style town from the Potter novels. Universal's plans for Hogsmeade include The Three Broomsticks restaurant, shops and stylized locker and stroller-parking areas. The few clues Universal has provided indicate the stores will include Dervish & Banges, which sells and repairs magical equipment, and Honeydukes, a sweet shop whose treats include chocolate-covered frogs.

In between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, Universal is building Hagrid's Hut, home of the friendly half-giant. It has also said it plans to re-create the Forbidden Forest, an ominous setting from the books that's home to creatures such as centaurs, unicorns and spiderlike "acromantulas."

You have merely repeated what I have wrote. 1 new attraction only no matter how you try to spin it.

 

[macraven]

melly, why do you want to argue with everyone here? It makes me think you are posting to stir things up.

you stated your thoughts and that is well and good.
we heard you the first time.
You are not impressed with the way Universal is setting up parry hotter land.

is it necessary to keep coming back with a more comments to the posters and say things that appear to be sarcastic to them?

 

[melly]

melly, why do you want to argue with everyone here? It makes me think you are posting to stir things up.

you stated your thoughts and that is well and good.
we heard you the first time.
You are not impressed with the way Universal is setting up parry hotter land.

is it necessary to keep coming back with a more comments to the posters and say things that appear to be sarcastic to them?

so i cant have an opinion?

Like it or not, I have stated the facts of the matter. 1 new ride, the rest is either a re-hash of other rides and then a shop or 2 lashed in. Hardly worth the hype.

 

[redrosesix]

would have been better if disney had done it

Like the way they did the Stitch show -- except for TSM, I don't see anybody raving about WDW's new rides.

The new land was designed by the artistic director for the HP movies, and J.K. Rowling, as part of the contract, has to sign off on each piece. Obviously, WDW is a bit worried about this project, because there has been talk about re-theming Adventureland to hold onto the crowds.

I am planning a trip in Jan 2011 to Disney, but i LOVE Universal and HP and am definitely going to take a day trip there! my question is.. is HP going to be a part of IOA or is it going to be its own seperate park. And can i take the Mears bus from Disney to go there for the day?

It was originally scheduled for completion in Nov. 2009, but the last I heard was that it would open in Feb. 2010. The opening date hasn't been changed again for several months, so I think they're sticking to that one now.

 

[redrosesix]

but many HP fans have already seen these.

http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/?__source=email.hp.2009.07

From what I've heard, HP fans will want to spend a full day just at Hogwart's.

 

[FireandIce]

melly, why do you want to argue with everyone here? It makes me think you are posting to stir things up.

you stated your thoughts and that is well and good.
we heard you the first time.
You are not impressed with the way Universal is setting up parry hotter land.

is it necessary to keep coming back with a more comments to the posters and say things that appear to be sarcastic to them?





Sorry Mac.
I was also being sarcastic.
I should have let it go.
You live and you learn.
My bad.

 

[bucket o' butter]

We were at Universal last week and the HP area is definitely under construction. It looks like there is going to be some type of roller coaster because you can see the tracks. It is going to be a large area. We talked to one of the employees who works in the area and she said it is a big secret, even to employees, about what is going to be in it. She has heard that some type of new thrill ride will be included that no other park in the world currently has. She wasn't sure if it was the coaster part or not. They are also going to redo the Dueling Dragons coaster to be part of the HP area of the park, so it will shut down this fall when the crowds aren't as high. We usually only get to Universal every 4 or 5 years, but I would love to see the HP addition.

Honestly, I wouldn't plan a trip to the park just to see HP early in the year. The signs just say "opening in 2010". Remember, Rip, Ride, and Rock It" was supposed to open this spring and it still isn't open.