No Matter How Much You Rail On Potterland

[lugnut33]

there is no doubt that it's an unqualified success. Very very few people have had a complaint about the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. I've looked through threads on the Dis Boards and see almost no negative comments or threads. It appears everyone who has gone to WWoHP has enjoyed it and the size restraint on the one ride is not a big deal.

I don't even really see any complaints or outrage at all about the seating restrictions or the small size of the shops. It appears Universal has done a really good job of managing expectations. Nobody has said the area is small and not worth the money.

 

[dpuck1998]

there is no doubt that it's an unqualified success. Very very few people have had a complaint about the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. I've looked through threads on the Dis Boards and see almost no negative comments or threads. It appears everyone who has gone to WWoHP has enjoyed it and the size restraint on the one ride is not a big deal.

I don't even really see any complaints or outrage at all about the seating restrictions or the small size of the shops. It appears Universal has done a really good job of managing expectations. Nobody has said the area is small and not worth the money.

It doesn't cost anything, so of course its worth the money. However, to say there aren't any negative comments on the boards isn't true. Dig into the threads on the Universal Boards, there are plenty of negative comments. I'm sure they are slowing down a bit, mostly because the folks over there have tendency to be very defensive of the park.

I haven't been yet, so I'll wait until I go do decide for sure, but I think Universal themselves put up expectations that this "theme park" was much larger and had much more to do than it really does. If you watched the show on NBC, they really stretched the truth.

 

[metalis4ever]

Other than the size of WWoHP which you mentioned as well as the ridiculous ride restrictions I don't think anyone has an issue with the actual product. The concept is phenomenal and the details and design are true to the story so in that sense it is indeed a success.

Having said that I believe the issue people have is with the Operations side of the coin, there is no doubt that Universal was lazy and did not properly prepare itself for this monumental step forward. If Universal Operations and Management had half the intelligence of their Disney counterparts I have no doubt in my mind that WWoHP would have the potential for both short and long term success. Lets face it Universal was given a meatball over the plate by landing the Potter franchise which no doubt has led and will continue to lead to increased business for the next 1-3 years however if they had 3 years to prepare for the opening they are going to need another 3 years to prepare for the inevitable drop off if they do not improve their Customer Service and Theme Park Operations. That's how Disney has won, the statistic may have changed but at one point 86% of Disney's daily business were repeat Guests, loyalty is how you win in any business. However, based upon Universal's past and present laziness when it comes to Customer Service and Public Relations as well as their overall laziness regarding Theme Park Operations there is no way that WWoHP alone can sustain and/or increase long term business.

So yes WWoHP is a success because well it's Harry Potter but to use Herbert Spencer's "Organic Analogy" the Brain is important but is utterly useless without the Heart.....

 

[WebmasterPete]

Well, I guess that depends on what your definition of 'success' is. For Universal, 'success' means lots of people showing up for a long time - so it's really a bit too early to judge that. There can be no denying they've failed to plan for the crowds, and they screwed up the grand opening. My comments on the area itself have been more positive than negative - its the way expectations were (not) managed, the utter and complete lack of internal communication, the failure to plan for crowds and to manage the crowds effectively - these are all issues that will have a long term effect on Universal if they're not corrected soon. These were rank amateur mistakes for a theme park and given the amount of time Universal has been around, there's no excuse for it.

These are my opinions only - take it for what its worth. Everyone should experience it and make up their own mind, just wait until after summer when the crowds die down or Universal gets their crap together and in one bag - whichever comes first.

Pete

 

[cyberbox2]

I sure can't wait to go and see what all the fuss is about. I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan, but do like the theme and concept of it all.

Thanks to the podcast & not Universal, MY expectations are managed so with an open mind I go!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I have seen plenty of complaints about Universal's Harry Potter area. Harry Potter, itself, does not have the complaints out there with the exception of a few groups saying it promotes witchcraft. The attraction area, though, has received quite a few complaints ranging from line queue wait times to the size of the shops.

I'm still unsure as to what to do about this next week. I've heard conflicting reports about the length of the lines, but know that this is pretty much the only time I'll get to go for awhile.

 

[Commando2319]

While it has certainly succeeded in some regard, but I wouldn't call it an unqualified success.

There are many people like me who were very excited from the marketing and planned on going soon. But who heard the feedback and changed their minds.

So getting enough negative feedback to turn a fans of Harry Potter away is not a unqualified success.

 

[FireDancer]

It is far too early to judge either success or failure for the product. It seems the launch was a failure from a planning perspective but in many ways so was Disneyland and that didn't doom them forever.

For the first few months, and maybe even the first full year, IoA will get people who want to see the area and check out the rides. This doesn't make it a success though. It will be a success if it draws guests back multiple times or if it shifts park days over to US/IoA from Disney.

The success or failure that really matters is not the short term but the long term. How many products have sold well out of the gate only to crash and burn a few months later never to be heard from again? This happens in tech quite often and IoA, while a destination, is really selling the Harry Potter product with this land.

 

[dalt01]

There can be no denying they've failed to plan for the crowds, and they screwed up the grand opening. these are all issues that will have a long term effect on Universal These were rank amateur mistakes .

Pete

short of hard ticketing the event for a couple of weeks or even hard ticketing the whole park (sorry if this has been suggested allready, i have not listened to a podcast recently) i do not see how they could practice crowd control. as far as long term effect i think only a failure of the product as it exists could do that. amateur mistake????? you bet it was.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I disagree. Crowd control could be managed by designing the area better. It is my understanding that J.K. Rowling specifically said all of the stores had to be made small to keep to the correct theming. I think this could have been worked on still.

I also think that having one unique ride and just redoing the two others is a complete joke. What a disappointment on Universal's part. They have a goldmine with Harry Potter and shouldn't be taking it lightly.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I know I can hardly wait to shell out $8.00 for a glass of Cream Soda..
Oh--sorry--Butterbeer.
And I agree. It's much too soon to see how much of a success it really is. What you've had so far are mostly the Potter fanatics swarming the place and pronouncing everything as "wonderful" and "spectacular".
Let's see what one year later looks like..

 

[dalt01]

I disagree. Crowd control could be managed by designing the area better. It is my understanding that J.K. Rowling specifically said all of the stores had to be made small to keep to the correct theming. I think this could have been worked on still.

I also think that having one unique ride and just redoing the two others is a complete joke. What a disappointment on Universal's part. They have a goldmine with Harry Potter and shouldn't be taking it lightly.

ITA the ride thing was a major cop out.

 

[FireDancer]

I also think that having one unique ride and just redoing the two others is a complete joke. What a disappointment on Universal's part. They have a goldmine with Harry Potter and shouldn't be taking it lightly.

This is really what I think may make the long term success of WWoHP a bit iffy. Going back again and again for 3 rides and some stores is asking a bit much. I am waiting to see how the update to Fantasy Land at WDW and opening of Cars Land at DCA will compare with WWoHP's design and launch. In all 3 cases it is a major redo of one land inside of a theme park so it will make comparing them a legitimate measuring stick.

 

[lugnut33]

I am by no means a "Pot-head" and am in fact much more excited about the Fantasyland expansion than I would ever be about Potterland. However, I don't feel Pete's rants are necessarily jiving with the reality of what is being said out there. I just don't see anything negative, even when the waits were 8 hours most people seemed to think that was OK (I never would wait that long for anything). I've seen very few people complain about the rides, even the re-themed ones. Everyone that goes seems to be pleased.

 

[Swank]

There were major problems with the launch but I think they got most of it figured out now that the crowds are lower.

They must be making a boat load of Cash on the merchandise and the butterbeer because all I have heard is that the stores are packed and the line for butterbeer is insane. That is where the money is made my friends.

 

[dalt01]

There were major problems with the launch but I think they got most of it figured out now that the crowds are lower.

They must be making a boat load of Cash on the merchandise and the butterbeer because all I have heard is that the stores are packed and the line for butterbeer is insane. That is where the money is made my friends.

LOL...............i will take a whole lot of soda to cover that nut..............

 

[Uncleromulus]

Just have a look at the thread on the Universal Board '"What did you Buy at WWOHP"?

They could sell these folks almost ANYTHING.

And from what I've read--they are!!

Almost tempted to grab a few dozen brooms and a case of Cream Soda from Wal-Mart and head on down----

 

[Commando2319]

I just don't see anything negative, even when the waits were 8 hours most people seemed to think that was OK

Really???

I'd say the only people who would be willing to wait 8 hours in any line are fanatics. So all they will say is positive.

Especially after spending 8 hours in line. You've invested too much of your time to admit to anything negative.

As many have said, the true test of success will come years from now. So far, I'd say they are 50/50 success/failure.

 

[FLbronco]

Really???

I'd say the only people who would be willing to wait 8 hours in any line are fanatics. So all they will say is positive.

Especially after spending 8 hours in line. You've invested too much of your time to admit to anything negative.

I agree with that. Only a fanatic would wait 8 hours in a line for a ride. It's not like the ride is going anywhere. Pete had great things to say about the theme of it all. I'm sure those who waited that long thought it was great as well. They just wanted to be one of the first to ride it. Ask them if it is worth the wait to be one of the first 1000's to ride the thing and they might have to think about the answer. Maybe they should have a bought one of those HP packages. ;-)

 

[*NikkiBell*]

You have to remember that the Harry Potter phenomenon is one of the biggest in the past 20 years. It revolutionized reading for both children and adults alike. Of course it is going to have a positive reaction from the hardcore fans.