The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

[Don Pacho]

Courtesy of Jumboshrmp, Orlando United
http://www.orlandounited.com

I happened to be standing behind the rope by the themed entrance to WWoHP when Ellen walked into it with her camera crew.

Since the area is so out of the way, I'd say that there were only about 30 guests in the area that had any idea what was going on.

Ellen was about 20 feet away from me. I have a lot of pictures that I will post below.

Bill Davis ( President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Orlando) was also there, as well as two kids (one wearing a Harry potter shirt) which I can only imagine were the winner's of Ellen's contest.
They took pictures and filmed in front of the entrance, and then they dramatically opened the gates to let us in.

Pics:
UO Team Members put up a temporary rope to keep guests from getting closer to the WWoHP entrance, so we knew something was up.

Camera Crews started to show up. We decided to stick around. That is Bill Davis, with the striped polo shirt and shorts.

I'm not sure who a lot of these people are in front of the rope, but they must be family members of the crew or VIP.

We thought that Ellen had been inside WWoHP all day, and the camera crew was getting ready for her to leave, but nope. She came out of a door somewhere and here she was!

Yes, that is definitely her. The most amazing part was how calm and civil that the few guests that saw her were. A few minutes later, someone shouted "WE LOVE YOU ELLEN!" but that was it.

Here she is with what appears to be the lucky contest winners.

Then they dramatically open the gates to the WWoHP and go in!

NOOO!!!!!!!!! Let us in too!!!!!

 

[universalfan]

Here's the link to the ride vehicles picture. View it quick before it disappears.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/univer...otter-and-the-forbidden-journey-vehicles.html

 

[damo]

Here's the link to the ride vehicles picture. View it quick before it disappears.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/univer...otter-and-the-forbidden-journey-vehicles.html

Make sure when you look at the picture you realize that the arm is attached to the back of the vehicle, so it is lying on its back. The front of the vehicle is open.

 

[universalfan]

Good to know! This may be a bit more thrilling than we had expected. It may actually be a little too thrilling for some riders, particularly younger children. Luckily my DD11 is Queen of the Speed Demons.

Now if I could just get her to give up on spinny rides forever and for always . . .

I don't mind being flopped around and dropped from twenty stories or so, it's the spinning that gets me every time. I have a theory that my brain has shrunk since I've gotten older and now it acually jostles around in there when exposed to traumatic levels of centrifugal force!

 

[Don Pacho]

Courtesy of Teebin, Orlando United
http://www.orlandounited.com


The picture of the Harry Potter ride vehicles is spreading like crazy all over the internet.

The following comments are interesting that describe the attraction vehicles:

OK... Administrators... please remove if you feel it violates policy or whatever.

Ok everyone, I am going to post a lengthy description of the picture that was posted of the ride vehicles. I will page it down a bit so be prepared to scroll fast as I will not be whiting it out. It is just a story of my impression of what I saw. It will really be up to your imaginations to fill in the picture in your head.








There are at least 8 cars/machines fully and partially visible in the picture. Each vehicle is huge and positioned very close together as if they are awaiting deployment from the smaller building to the big building. Most of them have the benches mounted and the arms are extended straight up at the ceiling. If you were sitting in one of those benches you would be looking right at the ceiling and my guess would put you at approximately 25' (nearly three stories) or more in the air. One of the machines closest in the pic has the arm bent at the camera and there is no bench attached. There is a long cable coming out of this unbenched mount, perhaps for audio and other effects perhaps? The base of these vehicles (the rolling part) appears to be at least 10'x10' if not more, (look at the room you are sitting in right now) and the mechanics and tubing and electrical boxes on the bases is so vast for each vehicle that it looks like something created by NASA. Finally, (and I did not believe this would be possible with a four seater), it appears that the benches may actually be able to rotate on their end axis. For anyone who has the picture, I am talking about the car in the upper far right where you see that the roof of the bench is rotated in a different direction that the other machines. It could be that the whole car may be rotated but that is out of the picture and cannot be seen.

The benches look far more formal than the original diagrams I, ehem, saw. They were once more country style (think Dutch Hagrid) on the sides. Now they have a "gothic choir stall in a cathedral look".

The benches are yellow now but I believe that is just a primer and had yet to be themed with a faux wood finish. Everything other than the bench is BLACK... really BLACK and this means that 90% of the ride vehicle is black. Finally, in the picture, all of the benches are angled so that we cannot see the seating itself, only the side, back and tops of the benches.















END OF POST.... move forward please...

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[englishrose47]

According to a Belfast friend of mine, it's tea and cold toast.

Sounds right to me Just add some marmalade!!!!

 

[englishrose47]

I know it sounds awful but you really should try it. I loooove black pudding

Me tooo and when I had it at Raglan Road I got someone elses too cuz they wouldn't touch it

 

[LoveToDisney]

I would think the ride vehicle for the Forbidden Journey has to have some place to put cameras and other things even if the feet dangle....perhaps a place under the seat? Guests are going to want to have their cameras to take pics of the intricate cue so they would have carryon's when they arrive at the ride loading area. With nearly 1200-1800 people/hour ride projection, there's no way Universal could provide enough lockers for the riders to place their personal items away for several hours. Am I missing something?

 

[Dollyrar]

Very excited by the ride vehicle picture!

 

[Metro West]

I would think the ride vehicle for the Forbidden Journey has to have some place to put cameras and other things even if the feet dangle....perhaps a place under the seat? Guests are going to want to have their cameras to take pics of the intricate cue so they would have carryon's when they arrive at the ride loading area. With nearly 1200-1800 people/hour ride projection, there's no way Universal could provide enough lockers for the riders to place their personal items away for several hours. Am I missing something?

We'll have to wait and see I guess.

 

[meryll83]

Make sure when you look at the picture you realize that the arm is attached to the back of the vehicle, so it is lying on its back. The front of the vehicle is open.

Ah, I get it now - thanks!

 

[mickey916]

I would think the ride vehicle for the Forbidden Journey has to have some place to put cameras and other things even if the feet dangle....perhaps a place under the seat? Guests are going to want to have their cameras to take pics of the intricate cue so they would have carryon's when they arrive at the ride loading area. With nearly 1200-1800 people/hour ride projection, there's no way Universal could provide enough lockers for the riders to place their personal items away for several hours. Am I missing something?

I wonder if they'll even allow photography (although it would be hard to stop it entirely). When we went to the MOS display in Boston, my kids were all excited and brought their cameras only to be told "no cameras allowed in the exhibits"...too bad, cuz it was really cool!

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

I'm very afraid of this ride because I can't stand rides that turn me up side down, I tried it once and never again. I just hope it moves a lot but doesn't turn up-side-down, that I can handle. But since this is HP I'll probably ride it even if I end up sick afterwards...

 

[damo]

Here's the link to the ride vehicles picture. View it quick before it disappears.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/univer...otter-and-the-forbidden-journey-vehicles.html

poof!!!

 

[vegetablegirl]

I would think the ride vehicle for the Forbidden Journey has to have some place to put cameras and other things even if the feet dangle....perhaps a place under the seat? Guests are going to want to have their cameras to take pics of the intricate cue so they would have carryon's when they arrive at the ride loading area. With nearly 1200-1800 people/hour ride projection, there's no way Universal could provide enough lockers for the riders to place their personal items away for several hours. Am I missing something?

According to Mugglenet, a Harry Potter fan site that had a representative go to IOA to look through the WWoHP, there will be an option to go through the line (which they report is quite wide) and then exit before getting on the attraction. That way, I assume, you could look around and take pictures without actually riding the attraction with your camera.

 

[ashleybea]

I'm very afraid of this ride because I can't stand rides that turn me up side down, I tried it once and never again. I just hope it moves a lot but doesn't turn up-side-down, that I can handle. But since this is HP I'll probably ride it even if I end up sick afterwards...

I don't think it will go upside down. I believe i read on Mugglenet that you will not go upside down on the ride

 

[inkkognito]

Bummer, the ride vehicle picture is gone.

 

[donaldduck352]

they had a soft opening today!!!!

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Bummer, the ride vehicle picture is gone.

this one?

they had a soft opening today!!!!

 

[mickey916]

they had a soft opening today!!!!

Seriously or is this April fools???