Something Wicked this MAY Comes! 18 nights @ RPR & SFR. An April/May 2025 TR

[angryduck71]

OH my goodness! I cannot believe no one tried to help you when you were having a panic attack! That seems so unlike how the TMs usually act -- so disappointing. I am happy other guests at least checked on you. There is good in this world.

Wicked -- Davy and I LOVE the live musical. Davy was meh about the first movie -- thought it was too much like they were trying to be Hogwarts. I loved it.

I do LOVE the mom from Mike and Molly -- jealous you saw her in it!

 

[angryduck71]

I am caught up! I CANNOT wait until you get to Darkmoor!

 

[schumigirl]

We left the Cafe and had a wander around, it was so hot for sure but we were determined to enjoy it and just take as much in as we could in our one day visit.

Detail everywhere was exceptional, I swear every time we turned around there was something with more intricate detail than the previous display, this was one amazing place.

We didn`t go as far up as Le Cirque Arcanus, we would keep that for another time, we did tell a woman who we heard complaining you couldn`t have a show in such a tiny tent, that there was a huge building behind that she would enter to enjoy the show, however, she didn`t look convinced, but we can say we told her, you can only lead a horse to water.....

Off the main street there is a side street and as you enter you are drawn into a beautifully shaded and slightly sheltered area which is nice escaping from the extreme heat of the day, that Floridian sunshine is wonderful, but so is some shade!!

They have designed it to look like the entrance of a typical French Courtyard and there are some convenient benches to enjoy a little break beside water fountains and the bathrooms.

I had lost Tom at this point, he was in picture taking mode and had gone ahead, so we both carried on taking our own pictures of this charming little area.

There is a large window to your left as you enter the inner courtyard and it features large antique portraits and they actually talk with guests at the window, to the left side of the chairs on the wall.

Neither of us got a decent full length picture as there were several young children in front of it and I`m uncomfortable taking pictures with children directly in it, but the window is a lot of fun where antique portraits interact with guests by talking to them in a very funny way.

One is the former Portrait Guardian of Gryffindor also the Astronomer and a Musician and will react live to guests and everyone seemed to love it although one woman was slightly mortally offended when one of the portraits insulted her rather odd ensemble lol....not too dissimilar to this!!












As you discover the Place Cachée Courtyard and how beautiful it is, you realise there is an almost hidden Auberge which is steeped in history as it`s where witches and wizards have gathered for many years to discuss secrets and daily business while enjoying ale and food away from prying eyes.










And as you discover this dark and mysterious tavern, you realise you have stumbled upon the home of the Alchemist Nicholas Flamel, inventor of the Philosopher`s Stone in the first Potter book. His abode was directly above the Auberge pictured below with the open doors.

This building could easily have fitted in to Dark Universe, it looked like it could have been in an old black and white Universal classic horror movie, but it also fit in Paris from many centuries ago.

This little Courtyard is gorgeous and aside from the little group by the window, there was no one else here so we could really focus on all the detail without a million people around.

I wandered in and immediately saw the huge fireplace, I was about to take a picture when a lady came beside me and told me my husband was through in the other area and that he is so nice then disappeared like The Flash!!!!!

All I could think was.....










It`s quite minimalist when you enter and there is a cabinet to the side that I missed as I was perplexed by the woman who very briefly spoke to me, weird lol.....

Loved the fake cobwebs!!

You walk down a rather narrow corridor to get to the restaurant, I admit we only took a few pictures in there and they didn`t turn out well, but we wanted to head out so we didn`t waste any more time.

I was about to ask him about the woman when he said oh, some woman looked at him and said You`re Tom!!! Shook his hand and said we looked so nice and off she went!!! He did say he thought the daughter`s name was Lulu as it was on her top...

Lululemon isn`t quite on my husband`s radar!!!!

I wish she had told him her name, I can only guess she reads here as she was American.

The menu impressed us and I think the next visit we will definitely enjoy a meal here as opposed to the one we tried today. There was a few items on the menu we really liked the sound of and a couple of drinks too!!! We both love Chicken Noodle Soup so this one sounded right up our street, but I rarely order soup in any restaurant, this one I might make an exception for.

Rich chicken broth with knödel, roasted chicken, herb brioche croutons, and it came with a salad accompanied with a champagne vinaigrette. One of the sandwiches that caught Tom`s eye was the Shaved corned beef with soft cream cheese (Butterkase) German mustard, with a seeded bread and salad or fries.

I copied the below items from the menu listed.


Wizards Brew Bratwurst Sandwich
Roasted bratwurst, caramelized onions, Wizard’s Brew beer cheese, German mustard, served in a pretzel bun, with choice of house salad or tavern frites

Jagerschnitzel
crispy pork cutlet, brown mushroom gravy, and tavern frites

Coq Au Vin
red wine marinated chicken, mushrooms, pancetta, pearl onions, and pommes purée

Beef Goulash
braised beef stew with tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, seasoned with Hungarian paprika, and egg noodles

Herb Crusted Cod
Cod, potatoes, caramelized leeks, in a creamy broth


Alchemist`s Platter
Smoked sausage, potato & cheese pierogies, marinated beets, pickled egg, caramelized onions, warm pretzel, German mustard, and cheese fondue


Baklava
Pistachio, walnuts, vegan anglaise, and coconut nectar


Black Forest Cake
Cherry-soaked chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and cherries encased in a crispy-crunchy chocolate shell

Le Breuvage Sombre du Gobelet Noir
A deliciously dark brew conjuring unique flavors of mixed fruit and topped with the eyes of Plimpies (yogurt-popping pearls)

Gigglewater
Amber shimmering elderflower prosecco spritz



I snapped this picture of the restaurant below from Google, it didn`t say who to credit, but it`s not my picture, it is however very nice.

If you dine here there are several things to look out for including the puppets from the Tale of the Three Brothers.

I wished we had eaten here, I have read some negative reports on it but hey, you hear that about every single place. We always tend to go experience places for ourselves as anywhere can have a bad night.



More coming right up


​

 

[disneyseniors]

I absolutely love your photos of this area! It looks amazing and has tons of detail, which Universal is famous for at it's parks. I can't wait to see it all and will make this a 2 days park. I had marked it as a one day park, but I could spend a lot of time just wandering around and looking.
LOL, that story about the lady telling you Tom was in the next area? That was hilarious and very weird. I would have loved to see the confused look on your face when she said that. That's just too strange.

The food menu looks like something I would love to try - very interesting!

 

[schumigirl]

Catching up (or trying to!). I'm to your first time at Helios. LOVE your red dress!


I may have already told you this, but Davy is determined not to spoil the hotel or Epic before our trip -- so he has no idea about the Greek Mythology -- and he was once OBSESSED by it -- he knows all of it. So, he is going to be so thrilled.

Thanks, I love that dress, I bought it for Christmas Day last year, but looks ok in summer too!

He will love it!!! In Bar Helios the names all around the inside of the dome are in Greek, but they are all the names of those involved in the creation of the park, a nice little touch. I may have already mentioned that though lol....

The whole back story is quite incredible, but I don`t want to sound like a Classical Studies lecturer in a TR, but I think Davey will be awestruck taking it all in.

OH my goodness! I cannot believe no one tried to help you when you were having a panic attack! That seems so unlike how the TMs usually act -- so disappointing. I am happy other guests at least checked on you. There is good in this world.

Wicked -- Davy and I LOVE the live musical. Davy was meh about the first movie -- thought it was too much like they were trying to be Hogwarts. I loved it.

I do LOVE the mom from Mike and Molly -- jealous you saw her in it!

We were surprised as TM`s on any occasion we have needed them have been amazing, mayb eit was her last day, who knows. I agree, there is more good in the world than there is ill will against others. I was grateful to the male TM who did at least try to reassure me I would be out of it soon.

I think there is no middle ground with the movie, folks either love it or hate it. I never thought it was trying to be like Hogwarts, but now I think on it, there may have been a touch of that too.

She was the best Madame Morrible in any of the shows we have seen. A couple we know thought an actress we like called Anita Dobson in the UK was amazing too, she did it in 2106/17 and they thought she nailed the part, I wish we`d seen her too. She is the wife of the wonderful Brian May from Queen, just an added useless bit of info lol

I am caught up! I CANNOT wait until you get to Darkmoor!

Oh I know you`ve been busy Alice, but glad you`re all caught up!!

Darkmoor isn`t far away now.......

 

[schumigirl]

I absolutely love your photos of this area! It looks amazing and has tons of detail, which Universal is famous for at it's parks. I can't wait to see it all and will make this a 2 days park. I had marked it as a one day park, but I could spend a lot of time just wandering around and looking.
LOL, that story about the lady telling you Tom was in the next area? That was hilarious and very weird. I would have loved to see the confused look on your face when she said that. That's just too strange.

The food menu looks like something I would love to try - very interesting!

Oh the detail is beyond anything we have seen before, it was quite weird, I forget if I`ve told you this off the boards, but it felt very French so much so I expected to hear "real" French accents. In the Studios I never feel I`m really in London when I`m in Diagon Alley so it was very realistic and all down to the design team and JK Rowling of course, it is incredible!!

I think 2 days for sure if you`re doing all the worlds and Celestial Park too, you can easily spend a long time in Potter alone. We never poked into every nook and cranny, nor did we focus on window displays, we`ll keep that for next trip and avoid any more pics so we can be surprised again too.

The lady did surprise me for sure, I was looking around as I hadn`t seem Tom for about 10 minutes, so I did wonder where he had wandered off to, but she found him for me lol I wish if she is reading here she pops on to say hello, that would be nice!!

I did like the look of the menu and some of the food folks were tucking into looked lovely and everyone seemed to be enjoying what they had.

Thank you, I`m glad you like the pictures, it`s always a joy to reminisce over every trip and we always find some pictures we didn`t realise we had

 

[keishashadow]

Lululemon isn`t quite on my husband`s radar!!!!

I am dying lol.

Can’t wait to tell the Mr. He’s in the lulu loop as he holds the keys to the military discount there for one of their most loyal shoppers I know

Don’t think I’ve seen any pics of that area (Paris). Fascinating, they do indeed look rather brooding in a sense. Should be interesting to see how ominous the area appears at night.

 

[schumigirl]

I am dying lol.

Can’t wait to tell the Mr. He’s in the lulu loop as he holds the keys to the military discount there for one of their most loyal shoppers I know

Don’t think I’ve seen any pics of that area (Paris). Fascinating, they do indeed look rather brooding in a sense. Should be interesting to see how ominous the area appears at night.

lol....I can imagine!!! Honestly, neither of us would know fashion if it walked up and slapped us

I have bought a couple of items from there for friends GD, she is a real little fashionista now, much to her father and grandmothers horror!!!!

It would be stunning at night for sure, we focused on Monsters after dark but next time we`ll have a night in each. It is beautifully sculptured and just finished off with the most extreme detail, it`s fun too!!!

 

[keishashadow]

Haha u sell urself short on being a fashionista...I've seen your tote

The lulu outlet in Vineland (my fav outlet hub there) has some great deals on lots of merch that's current in the stores.

 

[schumigirl]

Coming out of the courtyard we find one or two other people which isn`t too bad as they have limited crowds during these previews, even so it was still quieter than expected. We suspected and rightly so most folks were in the Mario guy world, glad to hear it!!!

​

K Ramelle or to give it it`s full name in all it`s glory, Confiserie Enchantée de K. Rammelle and this is where you`ll purchase many gorgeous items to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Taken from the Fantastic Beasts, Crimes of Grindelwald this is the Paris equivalent of Honeydukes and Sugarplum`s in the other Wizarding Worlds and they have some gorgeous looking items for sale however the store is very small, I was glad it wasn`t too busy as we perused. ​

The macarons looked divine, but we never purchased anything, despite feeling like we were in France who do chocolate very well indeed, American chocolate in general is not our favourite, I think it`s whatever they add in to stop it melting that makes it taste, well, odd.

A la Mere de Famille is the oldest chocolate shop in Paris, and its first and highly recommended location is in the 9th arrondissement which is exactly where this area is supposed to be set, albeit in the 1920`s and I wonder if this little shop is something they based on that original store.
​

The real 9th Arrondissiment and is on the right hand side of the Seine and is the more traditional side of the City, but this area hosts many things to see and is a short walk to Montmartre and very close to the Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur, so the building designs they have here are very true to reality.

As a veer off to reality, one of the best views in Paris is at the top of the Galleries Lafayette Department store which is a must do for any visit to Paris.

This world of Potter is not huge, I don`t even want to imagine this place when it`s a full capacity, but for today this was as perfect as you can get with barely anyone else around.

​

Circus Arcanus is something we missed, long and very boring story as to why we missed it but we hear some very good reviews of the show.

Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique is this worlds equivalent of Ollivanders in the original world and it is a nice little store that you can buy your wands and they have plenty to choose from. ​

You are greeted by a very impressive chandelier which is adorned with over 800 Crystal Wands and some delicately placed brass pixies around the rim, it is beautiful and fits in well with the overall theme.
​

We`re not the biggest wand people, never really wanted one for ourselves but we have bought plenty for others who do love them, so we didn`t spend a lot of time in here, it is worth visiting though. ​

We just wandered around not actually saying much to each other at this point, which is very unusual for us!! We were both mesmerised by everything we were seeing all around us and there were so many things to take in we were just completely awestruck with the sheer complexity of detail and design.

We had heard of Bar Moonshine, there were a few cocktails we liked the sound of, one was Sherbert Lemon another was Fleur 75 and one for Tom was Philosopher`s Old Fashioned, all sounded lovely but when we saw the line for a drink we decided to abstain and picked up some water somewhere. It was hot!!! ​

It`s tucked away in a corner, so it is easy to miss if you didn`t know it was there, although the line is hard to miss for sure!!! It is very small inside, there are no tables or chairs, just a line to order one`s drinks and leave. There were a couple of tables outside the day we were there, but I mean, like two!

​

Wandering around we could see the building that looked to represent Sacre Coeur up beyond steps that you can`t access but there is a little ideal spot for pictures between the steps, we just walked up to take one when a rather sullen woman came and stood right behind me! Her parents, we assumed they were her parents, asked her to move while we took a picture and she just said no and sat down, ok fair enough, she obviously had some health issues so we took the picture and thankfully I have a very ample backside big enough to block the angry and defiant young woman out!!

Her parents looked embarrassed as we walked past them, I smiled, looks like they had a hard enough time without us being grumpy with them! ​

Like everyone else on the planet, we had been checking on the MoM ride, it had been down all day so far and the times we had been told to check the app, well, we weren`t succesful, but we had been told you can still walk through the line which looked beyond incredible so we planned to do that for sure even if we didn`t get a return time for the actual ride.

But, first we decided to head up to Helios for a break from the heat and maybe a cocktail while we were there












​

 

[schumigirl]

Haha u sell urself short on being a fashionista...I've seen your tote

The lulu outlet in Vineland (my fav outlet hub there) has some great deals on lots of merch that's current in the stores.

lol.....I have clothes that have been in my closet for years!!! As long as they`re in excellent condition and more importantly, still fit, they get worn!! Not the most up to date look, but comfort is the key. (Thank you though )

I`ve never been in any of their stores, only ordered online, but yes, it seems to be all the rage for the "young uns"

 

[keishashadow]

We`re not the biggest wand people, never really wanted one for ourselves but we have bought plenty for others who do love them

Any idea if the wands from the other park will work @ EPIC in some fashion?

Will say u look very fresh still before your break, so many are emphasizing the heat bouncing off blacktop & lack of shade being brutal!

I'm considering bringing a smaller sort of shade umbrella along for the ride. The sort that Totes sells. Bought it thinking a regular umbrella. No idea if they really help the cause or not. Did u see guests using them there?

 

[schumigirl]

Any idea if the wands from the other park will work @ EPIC in some fashion?

Will say u look very fresh still before your break, so many are emphasizing the heat bouncing off blacktop & lack of shade being brutal!

I'm considering bringing a smaller sort of shade umbrella along for the ride. The sort that Totes sells. Bought it thinking a regular umbrella. No idea if they really help the cause or not. Did u see guests using them there?

Yes wands will work in Epic from IOA/US. I believe the originals are better than the Epic wands, not sure who told me that, maybe a Disney bus driver`s cousin`s cat.... but yes, they will work.

Don`t zoom in lol....I`m like a beetroot!! There are no face pictures in Flora Taverna for a reason, I do have one but it ain`t getting posted

Yes, people had them, there weren`t many Japanese tourists who we usually see with them but folks were using them, definitely a good idea especially walking between worlds through Celestial Park they would be handy. I was glad we went before the heat really ramped up at the end of our trip. You`re pro`s though with parks, in and out of the shade into shops and you`ll be fine

 

[keishashadow]

maybe a Disney bus driver`s cousin`s cat...

Haha I've taken advice from worse

 

[schumigirl]

We debated going through the line for MoM now or wait till later if we could get a VQ and of course we didn`t know if the ride was going to be running at all, which right now didn`t look like it was going to happen, so we ended up heading up to Helios for an early afternoon drink and hoped to run into a few familiar faces.

The walk up to the hotel is beautiful, they may not have a lot of shade, but the landscaping in certain areas does take away from any starkness possible in a new park. I have to say we were loving this, just wandering and taking it all in, it was priceless. ​

From Potter or similarly from Monsters, it takes only a few moments to walk to Helios and from the park it looks stunningly beautiful, as it is of course and when you approach you do get a feeling of just how imposing the hotel is. ​

The water is beautiful, I probably use that word too often too, but it really is one of the most gorgeous areas and to be able to see it during the day and night too is impressive. ​

It`s a very easy path to get to the hotel, you can`t miss the walkway to get you up to the entrance from the park. ​

There is an area within the hotel that hotel guests can use for Early Access, and you come in and out the same way. There is a sign inside saying Hotel Guests Only, but that is for Early Access only and they will only let you in the park during that time with a hotel key, and absolutely as it should be as a perk for hotel guests.

However, you can go in and out being an offsite guest as often as you like, we went in and said we were here for a drink and wander around and the man smiled and said have a lovely visit.

After a quick bathroom visit, we headed into Flora Taverna which is lovely and we very much appreciated how cool it was this time of day.

We only wanted a drink, so we sat over by the window and Daria looked after us, but the poor girl must have wondered if she was ever going to take an order because as soon as we walked in and looked at the menu, we saw Rob who had left RP Bell Services for Helios along with the lovely Milton. It was so good to see both of them, well Milton would be here in about 10 minutes.

Catching up was so nice, everyone who left are very much enjoying their new positions and Rob is the guy who knows everything about park updates and so on, if he doesn`t know it, it`s not happening.

While chatting to Rob, Gia appeared to say hello and Andru who is the other VIP manager came over to say hello as he had "heard" we were in the bar...








He never did tell us who told him!!

It was lovely catching up with them, Gia headed upstairs and while we chatted to Rob we managed to order a drink, Tom got a beer and I ordered a Coconut Mojito with no mint and at that point one of the ladies who used to work in Amatista, Joyce came over to say hello and it was a quick hello as she was busy, but Daria was tickled as to how many folks we knew here.

Our lovely Milton appeared at this point, he was so surprised to see us, Rob had beckoned him in when he came on shift, at that Andru headed off too, we thanked him for coming to say a proper hello as we had missed him last week, but it was nice to see him.

Milton mentioned he had checked a family in last week and the woman said she recognised his name, he asked from where and the lady said she had read about him on my TR!!! He was genuinely surprised but in a nice way of course, again, I don`t know her name as Milton couldn`t remember but I doubt I`d know her anyway as we had no friends staying around this time.

Our poor waitress I think had given up any hope of us getting another drink when we had barely touched this one, but it was lovely catching up with so many familiar faces of folks we adore.

Eventually we sat down and enjoyed our drink as they had to go work, but we would catch up with them all again soon and it had been so nice hearing all the possible future projects in the park, they have plenty of expansion room available for sure.

We paid our check and headed to the bathroom where we grabbed another image of the detailed display beside the elevators, it is interesting to see it change throughout the day and evening.

We were heading back into the park so went through the security check, we offered up we weren`t hotel guests but were going back into the park after having a break, he looked perplexed as to why we would even explain, he said anyone can come and go outside of Early Access for hotel guests. Out of those times it`s just a regular security check as you would go through at the boats or walking from your hotel at the two original parks, very convenient.

He was also a HHN fanatic and mentioned our lanyards, mine was from 2015 and Tom`s was from 2008!!! Long time ago now for both of them but he had been every year since 2007 which was our first year too, so we had a nice chat about our favourite years and hopes that this year would bring HHN back to it`s glory days once more. Even though we don`t go anymore, I still hope it`s an amazing event for those that do go.

Back outside.......Holy Heatwave Batman, it was ridiculously hot compared to when we went in for a break, but we meandered back down to Potter where we would try for a VQ time if it ever came back on today and have a good old wander through the Ministry too.





Coming right up, the impressive line for MoM!!



​

 

[schumigirl]

Haha I've taken advice from worse

Me too

I remember years ago I posted the then new hotel Sapphire was going to be Caribbean themed, it was on another place that I no longer post on and someone replied oh you must have heard that from a Disney Bus Driver as the new Universal Hotel is going to be a copy of AKL!!!!

I did get the last laugh there.

 

[angryduck71]

We debated going through the line for MoM now or wait till later if we could get a VQ and of course we didn`t know if the ride was going to be running at all, which right now didn`t look like it was going to happen, so we ended up heading up to Helios for an early afternoon drink and hoped to run into a few familiar faces.

The walk up to the hotel is beautiful, they may not have a lot of shade, but the landscaping in certain areas does take away from any starkness possible in a new park. I have to say we were loving this, just wandering and taking it all in, it was priceless. ​

From Potter or similarly from Monsters, it takes only a few moments to walk to Helios and from the park it looks stunningly beautiful, as it is of course and when you approach you do get a feeling of just how imposing the hotel is. ​

The water is beautiful, I probably use that word too often too, but it really is one of the most gorgeous areas and to be able to see it during the day and night too is impressive. ​

It`s a very easy path to get to the hotel, you can`t miss the walkway to get you up to the entrance from the park. ​

There is an area within the hotel that hotel guests can use for Early Access, and you come in and out the same way. There is a sign inside saying Hotel Guests Only, but that is for Early Access only and they will only let you in the park during that time with a hotel key, and absolutely as it should be as a perk for hotel guests.

However, you can go in and out being an offsite guest as often as you like, we went in and said we were here for a drink and wander around and the man smiled and said have a lovely visit.

After a quick bathroom visit, we headed into Flora Taverna which is lovely and we very much appreciated how cool it was this time of day.

We only wanted a drink, so we sat over by the window and Daria looked after us, but the poor girl must have wondered if she was ever going to take an order because as soon as we walked in and looked at the menu, we saw Rob who had left RP Bell Services for Helios along with the lovely Milton. It was so good to see both of them, well Milton would be here in about 10 minutes.

Catching up was so nice, everyone who left are very much enjoying their new positions and Rob is the guy who knows everything about park updates and so on, if he doesn`t know it, it`s not happening.

While chatting to Rob, Gia appeared to say hello and Andru who is the other VIP manager came over to say hello as he had "heard" we were in the bar...




View attachment 974875



He never did tell us who told him!!

It was lovely catching up with them, Gia headed upstairs and while we chatted to Rob we managed to order a drink, Tom got a beer and I ordered a Coconut Mojito with no mint and at that point one of the ladies who used to work in Amatista, Joyce came over to say hello and it was a quick hello as she was busy, but Daria was tickled as to how many folks we knew here.

Our lovely Milton appeared at this point, he was so surprised to see us, Rob had beckoned him in when he came on shift, at that Andru headed off too, we thanked him for coming to say a proper hello as we had missed him last week, but it was nice to see him.

Milton mentioned he had checked a family in last week and the woman said she recognised his name, he asked from where and the lady said she had read about him on my TR!!! He was genuinely surprised but in a nice way of course, again, I don`t know her name as Milton couldn`t remember but I doubt I`d know her anyway as we had no friends staying around this time.

Our poor waitress I think had given up any hope of us getting another drink when we had barely touched this one, but it was lovely catching up with so many familiar faces of folks we adore.

Eventually we sat down and enjoyed our drink as they had to go work, but we would catch up with them all again soon and it had been so nice hearing all the possible future projects in the park, they have plenty of expansion room available for sure.

We paid our check and headed to the bathroom where we grabbed another image of the detailed display beside the elevators, it is interesting to see it change throughout the day and evening.

We were heading back into the park so went through the security check, we offered up we weren`t hotel guests but were going back into the park after having a break, he looked perplexed as to why we would even explain, he said anyone can come and go outside of Early Access for hotel guests. Out of those times it`s just a regular security check as you would go through at the boats or walking from your hotel at the two original parks, very convenient.

He was also a HHN fanatic and mentioned our lanyards, mine was from 2015 and Tom`s was from 2008!!! Long time ago now for both of them but he had been every year since 2007 which was our first year too, so we had a nice chat about our favourite years and hopes that this year would bring HHN back to it`s glory days once more. Even though we don`t go anymore, I still hope it`s an amazing event for those that do go.

Back outside.......Holy Heatwave Batman, it was ridiculously hot compared to when we went in for a break, but we meandered back down to Potter where we would try for a VQ time if it ever came back on today and have a good old wander through the Ministry too.





Coming right up, the impressive line for MoM!!



​

I'm supposed to be working. Instead, your report is making me daydream about our trip.

 

[schumigirl]

We had loved catching up with everyone today, such lovely people we miss a lot, we then walked fairly slow back down towards Potter and again, like so many in the park, we were attached to our phone trying to get a VQ for Ministry, but nothing, then to add insult to injury, as we approached the Chronus into Potter, the App told us we weren`t even in the park...

This App for a ride was already irritating me no end, I have no desire to be attached to a phone to get on any ride, one of the reasons we love the EP at UOR. So I was now getting more annoyed when it told us we weren`t even in the park!!

I don`t care how annoyed or irritated one is, there is never an excuse to be rude to TM under any circumstances and although we were frustrated, it would stay with us.

We wandered the few steps to Guest Services at the Chronos and we saw one very beleaguered looking GS lady outside the windows, she had obviously been dealing with some very agitated guests......you know when you feel guilty for bothering someone?

Looking at this young ladies face I just wanted to leave it, but she came towards us and we smiled and began to explain our issue and asked if there was anything she could do to help us as we had no idea why it wasn`t recognising we were in the park.

The first thing she said which about broke my heart was, thank you for not yelling at me!!!!

Can you imagine the day she was having!!!

She took our phone and had a look, she said this was a new issue, of course it would be us.....but she had no solution for it, but noticed something wasn`t connected to our AP`s and asked if she wanted us to do it for us, oh please do!!!

We chatted to her and another girl who was behind the glass, we mentioned of course not being able to ride and trying to get the VQ, she said it was still down and to keep checking back, we said we would as we only planned to visit today, she was so lovely and at that point she said she wanted to make sure we did get on the ride today and printed off two attraction passes for when the ride did come back on, we wouldn`t have to wait in a huge line!!!

Now, that, we didn`t expect and we were so grateful to her, she said if we didn`t get to use it today, keep it and we could use it in the future, and that was a complete act of kindness from a TM that one never expects.

Although it is a bit of a spoiler that we still have them which certainly indicates we didn`t get to ride as you have to hand the pass in when you do ride.

We couldn`t thank her enough for the gesture, we said we hoped she had a better day going forward and people treated her with respect, she didn`t look convinced, but she was a lovely girl and we made sure her kind gesture and time with us was properly recognised.

We weren`t confident we would get to use this pass at all by what was being said among other guests and chatting to various TM`s along the way.

All around the world there are plenty of characters roaming around and some fantastic beasts too, pardon the pun......and the characters I admit spoke with very decent and passable fake French accents.

Rue Malabete is the avenue you walk down to get to the Ministry entrance, each little area has it`s own street name and we were still surprised it was as quiet as it was considering it was mid afternoon by now.

Not much call for Butterbeer here it seemed!

The Arch with Peracta Magica inscribed basically translates into Finished or Completed Magic and erected seemingly in the year 1790.

I won`t bore you with the history of everything, the whole story of every corner of everything in the park is all there in Google if you so desire, but if you are using your wand here, there is water involved, it`s very funny to watch though

The entrance to the Ministry ride is quite eclipsed by it`s surroundings and is almost obscurely placed in the corner of the Avenue where all the buildings resemble each other in prettiness.

Of course the signs pointing the entrance out gives it away, but it is probably the nicest walk to a ride entrance we have seen.

Did I mention we were loving this place!!!

The TM`s were sparkling and gleeful as we entered, they were also swift to point out that the ride was closed, in case we missed the sign but we were more than welcome to wander through the line and offered to answer any questions.....except when the ride would start up again lol...bless them, again we could only imagine what they had dealt with due to annoyed guests. They were however lovely.

Again, as soon as you walk in, it is very detailed, basic as it is here, it is reminiscent of going into one of the older underground stations in Paris, minus the nasty smells you do sometimes get!!

I was so glad we weren`t standing in this full line to get on this ride.

We came down to where you went through to the Ministry using the Metro Floo system and this one single piece of showmanship was absolutely amazing and set the tone for the rest of the tour of this remarkable place.

And my lovely husband managed to sing what he had waited to sing since we arrived......

As for the Wicked part.....well, I`ve been called worse!

I always thought one of the best illusions was when you walk through the wall and disappear in the line for the Hogwarts Express, but walking through with Floo Powder was sensationally awe-inspiring!!

Spectacular doesn`t even begin to describe how good a job they have done with this Atrium. You have been transported from Paris to the British Ministry of Magic in a spectacular green blaze of glory.

It does take your breath away, the sheer size along is impressive, but the detail I always bang on about, it is off the scale here, we knew we`d be impressed, but this took detail to a whole new level.

Loved the nod to the Giants of the Wizarding World.

It`s worth a second picture, massively impressed with this building and you can see we are not the only ones in the building as the empty pictures might suggest, but there were only a few other folks around today.

The basic premise of the ride is you are touring the Ministry on the day of the Dolores Umbridge trial. She of course attempts to escape and the chase then ensues to find and recapture her again with our help along with Harry, Hermione, Ron and a very cute House Elf called Higgledy, no further spoilers of course.

Although we never did get on this ride today, from several TM`s we were told the ride was a perfect mix of screens, physical sets and amazing animatronics, it doesn`t go upside down nor does it heavily tilt you completely forward or back and no spinning. Sounds bliddy good to me but no way in Hells Banana Kitchen would we wait anything like that time it could take to get on the ride. The line has capacity for an 8 hour wait.

The large golden statues were located in the middle of this part of the Atrium is the Fountain of Magical Brethern which prominently features a witch, centaur, a goblin and a house elf and is allegedly a restored version from the books.

Again, Google has a plethora of information on all of the displays, if you`re interested, so I won`t play teacher and educator as it is supposed to be fun and I could bore everyone for a week with all the detail and back story that the designers of this park had incorporated into every corner

I`m sure this whole area being almost empty helped with that sinister atmospheric feeling as you walked through, you did get that ominous expectation of something dark and malevolent coming your way as you wandered through this superstructure.

We were captivated, enamoured and completely bedazzled by everything we were seeing.

You can see almost into the offices as clear as day and at the risk of repeating myself, the detail is completely and utterly breathtaking in every nook and cranny.

We were told this statue is Mykew Gregorovitch and he is holding the Elder wand, it is an impressive statue indeed.

We could have spent hours in here just wandering around and having very few people around was amazing, we got to see everything and couldn`t have been more impressed.

More to follow


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[schumigirl]

I'm supposed to be working. Instead, your report is making me daydream about our trip.

Go Alice!!!!!

Yep, it`s much more fun being here than working isn`t it!!!!!

And yes, you`re trip is getting ever closer

 

[keishashadow]

I did get the last laugh there.

Always a fun moment

like so many in the park, we were attached to our phone trying to get a VQ for Ministry, but nothing

I cannot describe how much I detest literally being forced to have my head buried in my phone in hand @ WDW. Glad to hear the VQ for MoM is currently on hiatus

she was so lovely and at that point she said she wanted to make sure we did get on the ride today and printed off two attraction passes for when the ride did come back on, we wouldn`t have to wait in a huge line!!!

Wow, first I’ve heard of that; lucky you! Good things do come to good people.

Spectacular doesn`t even begin to describe how good a job they have done with this Atrium.

Seriously, no pun intended, it is epic. The scale of it is mind-boggling in print, cannot wait to see it (i hope) next week.