Is Diagon Alley open or not?

[torinsmom]

Leaving tomorrow for Orlando and wondering what the best strategy is. We will only be there until the 11th, so not sure if we will even get to see the new part before we leave. If not, we should probably go before the grand opening, correct? I need to change my fastpass at Disney if we are going first part of our trip.

 

[caroli]

http://blog.universalorlando.com/visiting-us/diagon-alley-phased-preview/

 

[Metro West]

Leaving tomorrow for Orlando and wondering what the best strategy is. We will only be there until the 11th, so not sure if we will even get to see the new part before we leave. If not, we should probably go before the grand opening, correct? I need to change my fastpass at Disney if we are going first part of our trip.

DA will be in phased soft openings this weekend but the area won't officially open to the public until 7/8.

 

[janetkay272]

anyone who goes to the leaky cauldron will you please ask if the fishy green ale has tea in it?

 

[istone100]

Hogwarts express soft opening was 2 days ago and diagon alley had soft openings today. Chocolate Chile ice cream is worth it for the adventurous people out there. Gringots ride was not opened as of yet though.

If you post questions, I will try and answer what I can remember. The dragon on top of gringots was the biggest hit.

 

[hydrotony]

I am a UOR preferred annual passholder. Tuesday I rode Hogwarts Express for 3 round trips and Wednesday I did another round trip. Today, Thursday, I went into Diagon Alley for about 3 hours and saw many amazing things, ate Toad in the Hole at Leaky Cauldren, drank a Wizard's Brew (dark real beer) and took a lot of photos. Everything looked open but I couldn't tell if a store was real or a facade so some stores may not have opened yet.

I saw the Three Brothers play, did not see Celestra & the Banshees (?) sing. I saw the dragon breath fire. There were many people inside loving every second.

Gringott's Bank ride was not open and it probably will stay closed until the official opening. I tried the test seats and it was snug, maybe tighter than the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train seats. They look similar to The Mummy seats but seem smaller.

The London area was mostly a walkway but the Knight Bus conductor and shrunken head were there and very funny.

Diagon Alley closed with the park, 10pm and security got everyone out by 10:30pm. It appears that it will be open most of everyday from now on (no official word) except that the ride will start July 8.

 

[Karkor]

It seems really good.
The Leaky Cauldron looks different to how I thought it would look. Can't remember it in films, but in the book I imagined a dimly lit medium sized old fashioned pub with small tables.
It looks a bit like a smaller version of the great hall in some pics.

What did you think of Toad in the hole? I love that

 

[torinsmom]

Sounds like the best strategy is to go before July 8th and hope for soft opening. I am assuming July 8 and beyond will be CRAZY. My friend does not have P2P, so is the only thing she can't do HOgwarts Express?

 

[hydrotony]

It seems really good.
The Leaky Cauldron looks different to how I thought it would look. Can't remember it in films, but in the book I imagined a dimly lit medium sized old fashioned pub with small tables.
It looks a bit like a smaller version of the great hall in some pics.

What did you think of Toad in the hole? I love that

Toad in the Hole was very tasty, the sausage was quite flavorful and dominated the dish. It was about the size of a DVD disk, less than 2 inches thick. Two 3-in pieces of sausage were inside the dough(?), it was accompanied by a few 1-in chunks of herb seasoned hard veggies, spoonful of peas and some drizzled brown gravy which I loved. I ate everything except the stewed tomato slice. The beer and food cost about $18.

 

[Rileygirl]

It seems really good.
The Leaky Cauldron looks different to how I thought it would look. Can't remember it in films, but in the book I imagined a dimly lit medium sized old fashioned pub with small tables.
It looks a bit like a smaller version of the great hall in some pics.

Not to sound too geeky, but I thought the same thing about the leaky cauldron. In the first movie, the leaky definitely looks like a pub with small round tables, but in the third movie, Prisoner of Azkaban, when Mr Weasley warns Harry about Sirius black, the leaky looks more like what Universal has reproduced.

At least, thats my impression.
I hope more people come back and post their experiences at Diagon Alley, I keep checking this forum for updates... can't wait to see it myself.

 

[Tiffany507s]

Sounds like the best strategy is to go before July 8th and hope for soft opening. I am assuming July 8 and beyond will be CRAZY. My friend does not have P2P, so is the only thing she can't do HOgwarts Express?

Yes go before July 8th you'll get to do everything except Gringotts. I don't expect the ride to soft open, but I would LOVE it to. They most likely won't let you into DA until after 10 because people with Diagon alley vacation packages are guaranteed the area from 8-10 a.m. from now until open. We'll know more tomorrow on whether they open it up right after 10 or wait. I've been in DA for the past two days and it is AMAZING!!

 

[xmansmom]

istone100 - Where do they sell the interactive wands? We'll be there in a few days and it's on the top of DS's list.

 

[TimonMeeko]

istone100 - Where do they sell the interactive wands? We'll be there in a few days and it's on the top of DS's list.

For sure at the shop in Diagon, and I believe I read at the original Ollivander's as well in Hogsmeade. There are team members all over to help with spells!

Diagon soft opened to 'regular' guests at approximately 1:30pm today and crowds were not bad at all!

I had the Cottage Pie and Lemon Squash at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The pie was good-a little heavy for lunch though! The drink was delicious! I could have had a gallon of it! Butterbeer ice cream is fabulous.

There's a staircase next to Gringotts-- good place to sit and people watch, and if you're there when the dragon blows fire, you can feel the heat! Knockturn Alley offers a nice (creepy!) respite from the heat.

My 'splurge' was Gilly Water and a flavoring potion. $4.00 for a bottle of water and then another $4.00 for a "potion" bottle of flavoring (aka Mio! Ha!). But, now that little potion bottle is sitting as part of my kitchen decor!

Can't wait til Gringotts opens!!!

 

[xmansmom]

For sure at the shop in Diagon, and I believe I read at the original Ollivander's as well in Hogsmeade. There are team members all over to help with spells!

Diagon soft opened to 'regular' guests at approximately 1:30pm today and crowds were not bad at all!

I had the Cottage Pie and Lemon Squash at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The pie was good-a little heavy for lunch though! The drink was delicious! I could have had a gallon of it! Butterbeer ice cream is fabulous.

There's a staircase next to Gringotts-- good place to sit and people watch, and if you're there when the dragon blows fire, you can feel the heat! Knockturn Alley offers a nice (creepy!) respite from the heat.

My 'splurge' was Gilly Water and a flavoring potion. $4.00 for a bottle of water and then another $4.00 for a "potion" bottle of flavoring (aka Mio! Ha!). But, now that little potion bottle is sitting as part of my kitchen decor!

Can't wait til Gringotts opens!!!

Thanks! DS can't wait to get that wand. Can you order the "potion" by itself? Since it's part of your décor I assume it comes in a really cool bottle. If it's small I'm thinking it may be a good gift to bring back for my DS's friends. We're going on a cruise when we leave there and I don't want to lug a bunch of water bottles with me.

 

[TimonMeeko]

Thanks! DS can't wait to get that wand. Can you order the "potion" by itself? Since it's part of your décor I assume it comes in a really cool bottle. If it's small I'm thinking it may be a good gift to bring back for my DS's friends. We're going on a cruise when we leave there and I don't want to lug a bunch of water bottles with me.

There are 4 different flavors to choose from, and yes, they can be purchased seperately from the water. The mix is in a plastic containter but the top is NOT secured well! If you were going to bring them as gifts I'd suggest figuring out a way to pack them to ensure they don't leak as I've read elsewhere that they will indeed do that!

 

[torinsmom]

We were able to get into Diagon Alley today! The buildings are amazing and the ride on Hogwarts Express was really cool. Unfortunately the heavens opened up when we got to Hogsmeade lol

 

[glocon]

There are 4 different flavors to choose from, and yes, they can be purchased seperately from the water. The mix is in a plastic containter but the top is NOT secured well! If you were going to bring them as gifts I'd suggest figuring out a way to pack them to ensure they don't leak as I've read elsewhere that they will indeed do that!

Did all the potion bottles look the same? If not, that would be a phenomenal souvenir!

 

[TimonMeeko]

Did all the potion bottles look the same? If not, that would be a phenomenal souvenir!

Same bottles, different labels!

 

[xmansmom]

The mix is in a plastic containter but the top is NOT secured

Thanks for the tip and the pic. I love that. The gilly water kind of makes it better doesn't it