Holy Diagon Alley Batman!

[ArwenMarie]

I wonder if Disney has calculated the lost revenue this will cause moving forward. Could be why they seem to be in a defense mode with all the belt tightening going on.

This is why they got rid of the crab legs at Cape May!

Kidding...sort of

 

[nat8199]

I am really hoping for an Adult-Only Universal trip for 2016. I cannot wait to see all the Harry Potter!

 

[Malibustyle23]

This is why they got rid of the crab legs at Cape May!

Kidding...sort of

Sorry OP for being OT but when? Don't they still have them on Saturday dinners?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Sorry OP for being OT but when? Don't they still have them on Saturday dinners?

Not sure, there is a thread on the restaurant board with all the details!

 

[jeffbear]

I'm a huge Disney nerd and a huge fan of the Potter series ... books more than movies. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Orlando in the winter to see Diagon Alley.

But I'm a pragmatist on the bigger picture. Moore cool stuff to see if good for me as a consumer, no matter the park in which it's located.

 

[iheartbuffy]

Huge HP fan here. I cried when I visited The Wizarding World. My best friend and I spent 5 hours there last year. If you've been there, you know it's not the biggest area so how we got caught up for 5 hours is beyond me. I'm so excited to see Diagon Alley, the thought alone gives me chills.

Universal is also lucky enough to have the team behind the movies, they have J.K. Rowling approving everything. The HP fandom is dedicated and wouldn't accept anything less than perfection, so I think that is something that had to be in Universal's minds. I don't think anything Disney has done or is doing has that kind of fandom behind it, not even Avatar, so they can get away with making things that are 'less than' WWoHP.

 

[JimmyV]

More cool stuff to see is good for me as a consumer, no matter the park in which it's located.

I thought we were "guests" and not "consumers".

 

[georgina]

Can't wait to go with DD! She's too busy in August so we'll have to wait until January. We went down when WWOHP opened 4 years ago and spent a lot of time just hanging out and soaking up the atmosphere.

 

[Priory]

I thought we were "guests" and not "consumers".

I think we're all just barcodes now.

 

[Rileygirl]

I beg your pardon, but one only needs to walk through ToT and ride it to know what Disney WAS capable of. Absolutely amazing attention to detail, from a theme of a very old show on TV called the twilight zone, which I bet most people under the age of 40 don't even know about it.

But its this type of immersive, impressive attention to detail that Universal is doing, and Disney is shaving things down to be as cost effective as possible. The first time I visited hogsheade, I felt it was themed better then ToT, and that to me is saying something. Grasshopper has learned well, and is beating Disney old school in the imagineer department, hands down, in my opinion.

The double whammy of universal, is it has one of the most marketable franchises out there. Star Wars might be of equal value, if Disney ever pulls the trigger. Will they put the same effort and dollar into it? Not sure.

Avatar is a weird one. Its just not as marketable as HP or Star Wars, I don't think. The imagination team for product must be scratching their head to come up with good ideas - those aliens were 90% naked all the time, and I can't see parents wanting any of their kids running around in loin cloths and beads. Compare that to HP or Star Wars. What else could they market for avatar? Spears? Bows? ... squirrels roasting on a stick? Its going to be tough....

 

[jeffbear]

I thought we were "guests" and not "consumers".

Not sure why that's funny ... you pay money, you get a service, you're a consumer. Period. You either feel like the experience was worth your money or not, and then you vote with your feet and your wallet. Welcome to capitalism.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Avatar is a weird one. Its just not as marketable as HP or Star Wars, I don't think. The imagination team for product must be scratching their head to come up with good ideas - those aliens were 90% naked all the time, and I can't see parents wanting any of their kids running around in loin cloths and beads. Compare that to HP or Star Wars. What else could they market for avatar? Spears? Bows? ... squirrels roasting on a stick? Its going to be tough....

I've been thinking Avatar would be ok in AK, but good point on the merchandise, what the heck are they going to sell in there? Not that I need anything, but it's interesting to think about

 

[disneymac000]

This is the part that saddens me. No clue how much Diagon cost, but to think of the money Disney wasted on magic bands and fast pass plus....It's sad.

256 Million.

 

[surferdave]

Not sure why that's funny ... you pay money, you get a service, you're a consumer. Period. You either feel like the experience was worth your money or not, and then you vote with your feet and your wallet. Welcome to capitalism.

Please excuse JimmyV - he's just being a customer again

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

While waiting for sons review, I thought I'd drop this here as I've been meaning to for a while. My favorite post about WWoHP I've read. Don't know why but it always gets a little dusty in here when I read it

Katie the Prefect http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/katie-the-prefect/

 

[grizzy77]

Threads like these are making re-evaluate our trip to at least consider throwing a Universal Day in there. Wife and I are both major HP geeks.

That's what we have done the last three years.

The only Disney park we visit now is MK. The rest of the trips are to US, IOA, Legoland, and now FunSpot (the boys LOVE the go karts).

MK still has plenty of value cause its loaded with rides and magic. The other three parks...our kids can take them or leave them. Just not as much for them to do there (for boys ages 2.5 & 7).

 

[LucyBC80]

I can't wait to be there this November and take it all in. As a Universal and Harry Potter fan I couldn't be more excited.

 

[flicx]

It would appear as universal has now started doing what Disney used to do. I believe they have indeed stolen some of the magic away.

 

[chapie1968]

We'll be at Disney in 2 days. Just hoping 7DMT can somehow restore my faith.

It won't. Unless you're with Disney's thinking and think that nice and fancy queues are what people like.

 

[Tink0513]

While waiting for sons review, I thought I'd drop this here as I've been meaning to for a while. My favorite post about WWoHP I've read. Don't know why but it always gets a little dusty in here when I read it

Katie the Prefect http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/katie-the-prefect/

Love that!