Wizarding World = Meh

[Chernab0g]

Just went late in October.

While the Hogwarts school looked good and the Dragon coaster and 4D ride were great - the rest of the place was just meh. Universal really did miss an opportunity to make the place totally great.

Do not waste your time with Olivanders - there is an hour of my life I won't get back. The room was tiny, the spiel about wand matching was lame, and wellah - you get funneled into a store full of overpriced merchandise.

On the room/space issue - the whole Hogsmeade area is WAY TOO CONFINED to handle the sheer numbers of people. Universal should have just knocked down the whole Sinbad area and used it as well. You could have Diagon alley, Hagrid's hut, the woods area with all the animals, a Quidditch stadium / ride, the Weasley's house, Grimmauld place, Harry's muggle home,
Malfoy Manor, Azkaban prison, the Tri-Wizard maze, the magic tent thingy.
In the school itself - they could have built the actual commons rooms, the great hall, had a sorting hat attraction -- I could go on and on....

Another thing is the lack of actual shops combined with their miniscule size. Many of them were way too crowded - driving many folks to step right back out of them. Tons in sales just being lost. There were a lot of "false fronts" pretending to be shops that were not Prime opportunities missed there.

Three Broomsticks was crowded - but I was impressed with the rather fast moving line / quick service and decent food.

I would hate to see the area in summer.

 

[damo]

They're not so dumb. Once they expand, everyone will flock again.

Reports out today have revenues still climbing quickly. Once they think the mad rush is over, the next phase will begin.

From the Orlando Sentinel...
Sales rise again at Universal theme parks-Jason Garcia

Sales and profit continued to rise at Universal Parks & Resorts during the third quarter, as NBCUniversal's theme-park division continued to benefit from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando and a King Kong attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Quarterly revenue for the Universal parks business, now owned by Philadelphia-based cable giant Comcast Corp., climbed to $580 million from $531 million a year ago, an increase of 9.1 percent. Operating cash flow, a measure of profitability, rose to $285 million from $252 million, an increase of 12.6 percent.

Comcast said the increases per capita guest spending its parks rose by a double-digit percentage for the quarter, while it said attendance was "relatively stable" at its Florida and California parks.Analysts have been expecting Universal's huge attendance gains to level off this year, as it is now facing tougher year-over-year comparisons against the months following the opening of Wizarding World and King Kong 360. Wizarding World opened June 18, 2010, at Universal's Islands of Adventure, one of the two parks at Universal Oralndo, and the Kong attraction debuted a few weeks later at Universal Studios Hollywood.

For the first nine months of the year, Universal Parks & Resorts revenue jumped 32.9 percent to $1.5 billion and operating cash flow soared 61.2 percent to $644 million. In addition to Universal's two U.S. resorts, the unit also earns licensing fees from overseas Universal theme parks in Japan and Singapore.

"The Harry Potter and King Kong attractions have set new levels of performance and we're excited to see that continue in the third quarter," Comcast Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts said on a conference call with analysts. "We see real opportunity to further build the theme-park business."

 

[mesaboy2]

You are hard to impress. Most people are blown away by the detail and theming. Your issues with crowded spaces and Ollivander's are already well-known. Sorry you were disappointed.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I liked the details, but the cast members? (not sure what employees are called there) didn't seem to fit. Although you have the same problem at Disney to an extent, it was a lot more obvious there. I loved the frozen butter beer, but was underwhelmed by the merchandise that was available (it would be nice to have the option to purchase butter beer in bottles) and the rides were so/so to me. I am not hard to please but the time I wasted in line for a ride that kept breaking down was disappointing. I love the look of the village, and some of the features, but I don't think it was worth the cost of tickets. I won't go back unless I get free tickets.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I have to say I diagree and I've been there in the summer, two weeks after it opened in fact. I love that they kept it to scale, having huge stores would take away the main reason I go to the park, to feel like I stepped into the books. If I went into Honeydukes and it was massive inside it would kill the identity of the place. What makes the shops so amazing is that they are exact replicas of what is described in the books and films. If I just wanted to shop for a bunch of merch I can do that online, but if I want to step into Honeydukes or Dervish and Banges there is only one place I can do that.

Also adding all the stuff you mentioned would basically look like the books vomitted all over the WWoHP with no rhyme or reason. You can't just have something that belongs in London right smack in the middle of Scotland. The Burrow is no where near Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place is also no where near Hogwarts. The Potter fans were confused enough by Ollivanders being in Hogsmeade that JKR and Universal had to come up with a lame backstory about it being a branch office. But beyond the cannon logistics of it, where would Universal put all that stuff? They'd have to gut the rest of IOA to fit it.

While I'm pretty postitve Phase 2 is on the horizon, there is only so much a theme park can do realistically. I understand as a fan wanting to see all these places but it's just not a realistic fit for one section of a theme park. However, this spring they will be opening Leavesden Studios outside of London where they filmed all the movies. There you can go into the Burrow and Grimmauld Place, you can sit at the tables in the Great Hall and climb into Harry's cupboard at #4, and sit on the couch in the Gryffindor common room. Leavesden will be the true Harry Potter mecca once it is opened.

 

[nytimez]

You are hard to impress. Most people are blown away by the detail and theming. Your issues with crowded spaces and Ollivander's are already well-known. Sorry you were disappointed.

I often have a reactionary impulse to distance myself from "most people." But I was blown away by the detail and theming, and I'm not a Potter fan.

 

[bumbershoot]

The thing about lost sales...I bet most of the people who might back out will be back. In September I just sat and watched all the oney walking by me...all the wands, shirts, robes, etc etc etc, butter beer mugs, and so on... And while we aren't huge on souvenirs at Disney, we lose our minds, relatively, at universal. So I had to count the money WE gave to uni as well!

You are hard to impress. Most people are blown away by the detail and theming. Your issues with crowded spaces and Ollivander's are already well-known. Sorry you were disappointed.

I agree.

I liked the details, but the cast members? (not sure what employees are called there) didn't seem to fit. Although you have the same problem at Disney to an extent, it was a lot more obvious there. I loved the frozen butter beer, but was underwhelmed by the merchandise that was available (it would be nice to have the option to purchase butter beer in bottles) and the rides were so/so to me. I am not hard to please but the time I wasted in line for a ride that kept breaking down was disappointing. I love the look of the village, and some of the features, but I don't think it was worth the cost of tickets. I won't go back unless I get free tickets.

Team Members.

No ONE "land" in a theme park is worth the coat of admission..not to most, at least. But taken altogether it shoud be worth it! I don't ride big coasters, hubby. Wants to but can't, and DS either can't, won't, or isn't being allowed to...and yet we have great fun at the two parks. But if we just focused our thoughts on ONE area, I'm sure that even we would be disappointed.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Is "meh" code for "a boat load of cash"?

 

[Bluer101]

Well with the size factor you can blame J.K.Rowling. She had a big say in how it was built. She wanted it keep a true to the books and movie. So whoever got the deal, Disney or Universal it would still be the same. Personally I'm very happy the way it turned out.

 

[pjynx]

I'm sorry you were disappointed. I'm not a Potter fan (do I need a flame-retardant suit? LOL). My dd lives and breathes Potter. I tried watching the movies, at her insistance, but I've just never gotten into them. We were there over Thanksgiving last year, and I must say, I was blown away by how detailed everything is. I felt like I was on the movie set. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the HP movies, visiting WWoHP was my favorite part of our trip last year. We're heading back again this Thanksgiving.

 

[zack123]

Sorry you didn't enjoy it . . .

But I don't think Universal missed their opportunity. Based on the sheer number of people that visit WWoHP, it looks like their investment is paying off, and it appears that most people do enjoy this area of the park.

I encourage people who are planning a trip to see WWoHP, to check it out online first to determine if they might like it. You can see videos of the Ollivander's show and the FJ ride on youtube, you can watch the videos for free and then figure out how much money you're willing to spend for tickets and how much time you're willing to wait in line to see them. There are also tons of discussion threads and photos of the rest of WWoHP, on this site and elsewhere, that make it easy to see ahead of time exactly what is there.

And I honestly don't think the small size has really affected their profits that much. Sure, some people don't go into the stores, but a lot of the HP merchandise is sold elsewhere at Universal, and people are definitely buying it. Sure, some of the merchandise is expensive, but it's a theme park, that is to be expected. I saw several people spend more on merchandise than I did on my entire week-long vacation.

I can't imagine what ticket prices would have been if they had built all of the stuff you mentioned. Tickets are already expensive enough, and every time you raise them further limits your potential audience. You don't want to make them so expensive that you can't sell enough of them to make a profit.

From a business standpoint, starting small makes sense for a couple of reasons:
- Building all the things you'd like to see, making all the stores real, etc. would have exploded the budget. They knew this was going to be big, but they couldn't predict how big, they wanted to be sure that what they built was actually going to be profitable.
- Eventually they're going to run out of people who have seen what they have, and not everyone is going to want to go back again and again to see the same things. If you start with one area, and then expand it in a few years, you'll get more people to return to the park because they want to see what is new.

And if what I've heard about Rowling's control of the project is true, it probably would have come out the same regardless of which park got the rights to build it. Maybe you should send her a note through her manager or publicist and address let them know you're unhappy with the way it turned out.

 

[ChuckGA]

Universal did miss an opportunity but that is because this should have been done years ago. Harry Potter is now over. No new books or movies to keep it in the spotlight. I think Universal did it about right in regard to size and cost given that 5 or 6 years from now it is going to be "Harry Potter who?" for more and more people. Any expansion should be in the Marvel Universe area for characters they still have the rights for. Movies about those superheroes will continue to come out over the next 10+ years. The only way to keep HP in the spotlight is to have HP: The Next Generation with more stories about those familiar locations with new characters. Otherwise I do expect a sharp drop in HP attendance in the summer of 2014 compared to previous summers regardless of any expansion to the area.

 

[fairyprincess88]

Universal did miss an opportunity but that is because this should have been done years ago. Harry Potter is now over. No new books or movies to keep it in the spotlight. I think Universal did it about right in regard to size and cost given that 5 or 6 years from now it is going to be "Harry Potter who?" for more and more people. Any expansion should be in the Marvel Universe area for characters they still have the rights for. Movies about those superheroes will continue to come out over the next 10+ years. The only way to keep HP in the spotlight is to have HP: The Next Generation with more stories about those familiar locations with new characters. Otherwise I do expect a sharp drop in HP attendance in the summer of 2014 compared to previous summers regardless of any expansion to the area.

Sorry but that is hysterical. I've been a Potter fan since the first book released over 10 years ago and my love for it is still the same now as then. My nieces and nephews are now just starting the books at age 10 and 11 and are diving head first into the fandom. Everyday a new child picks up the book and starts their journey with Harry and that won't end just because there are no new movies. The LOTR is still a huge hit and those books were written how long ago? The movies are nothing more than a nice add on to Potter, the heart and soul of the franchise is the books and they will still be as revelant to a child who reads them now or 10 years from now.

Will the Potter phenom still be as strong 10 years from now? No, but will it die like it never existed? No.

 

[damo]

Universal did miss an opportunity but that is because this should have been done years ago. Harry Potter is now over. No new books or movies to keep it in the spotlight. I think Universal did it about right in regard to size and cost given that 5 or 6 years from now it is going to be "Harry Potter who?" for more and more people. Any expansion should be in the Marvel Universe area for characters they still have the rights for. Movies about those superheroes will continue to come out over the next 10+ years. The only way to keep HP in the spotlight is to have HP: The Next Generation with more stories about those familiar locations with new characters. Otherwise I do expect a sharp drop in HP attendance in the summer of 2014 compared to previous summers regardless of any expansion to the area.

Nobody knows what the Harry Potter franchise holds for the future. There could very likely be more books and movies. However, even if there are no more books or movies, the series is a classic that spans generations. That just doesn't die in a couple of years.

The WWoHP has done way better than so many people predicted in the first place and it continues to do way better even in this tough economy.

 

[HPMonkey4]

Ya Universal built this the smart way. Start small, and then add on in years to come. Harry Potter will not end anytime too, and honestly my kids are asking to read them...but they need to wait a few more years to start the first even due to the level of reading they take to enjoy. I think that there will be many more years/generations of fans, and even without the crazy fandom of the movies being released..there isn't gonna be an end to the joy of the books and the theme park.

BTW...I still say that Universal needs to build a Lord of the Rings part to the theme park. Seriously I'd adore having half of IOA as Harry Potter and half of US as Lord of the Rings. LOL! Now that'd be my ideal theme park. Ha-ha!

 

[ChuckGA]

I didn't say die, I said sharp drop. As in no need to have onsite guests get an extra hour in the morning. Just get there early and no problems with the line. Also saying that your interest has been strong over the last 10 years so by extrapolation it will continue to be as strong is silly. During those 10 years, six more books came out and 8 movies to keep renewing interest. There is nothing new with HP on the horizon. Just look at all the attractions based upon popular characters/movies with long histories that have been replaced already because nothing new had come out to keep it new and fresh.

Some might argue that Disney has kept an entire park alive based upon a few classic princess characters. HP is nothing like the princesses at Disney. Disney has 100% control over those characters and constantly re-release their classic movies and create new movies or books to keep those characters fresh in the minds of today's children and when necessary, create new or updated versions of princesses. Universal has no control over HP and be unable to breath new life into the area, which is unfortunate for both Universal and us as fans. HP mania is at its peak and will fade away down to some level of interest similar to another classic that spans generations and has been doing so for 40+ years, Lord of the Rings, and a lot faster than die-hard fans think unless something is done to keep it alive and new.

 

[nytimez]

I didn't say die, I said sharp drop. As in no need to have onsite guests get an extra hour in the morning. Just get there early and no problems with the line. Also saying that your interest has been strong over the last 10 years so by extrapolation it will continue to be as strong is silly. During those 10 years, six more books came out and 8 movies to keep renewing interest. There is nothing new with HP on the horizon. Just look at all the attractions based upon popular characters/movies with long histories that have been replaced already because nothing new had come out to keep it new and fresh.

Some might argue that Disney has kept an entire park alive based upon a few classic princess characters. HP is nothing like the princesses at Disney. Disney has 100% control over those characters and constantly re-release their classic movies and create new movies or books to keep those characters fresh in the minds of today's children and when necessary, create new or updated versions of princesses. Universal has no control over HP and be unable to breath new life into the area, which is unfortunate for both Universal and us as fans. HP mania is at its peak and will fade away down to some level of interest similar to another classic that spans generations and has been doing so for 40+ years, Lord of the Rings, and a lot faster than die-hard fans think unless something is done to keep it alive and new.

Of course there's going to be a drop, no one would dispute that. You're not going open a vast new area based on a popular franchise every year.

The real question is this: After the eventual drop, what will Universal's numbers look like?

I bet they'd be way higher than what they were before WWoHP opened -- and that's what counts. Also, if they're smart about this, they will continue to get short-term bumps in attendance by opening new sections to the land and adding other attractions, which is almost certainly what they're planning.

It's a mistake to think the because interest in Potter may somewhat diminish over the years that Universal is doomed to low attendance.

 

[damo]

I didn't say die, I said sharp drop. As in no need to have onsite guests get an extra hour in the morning. Just get there early and no problems with the line. Also saying that your interest has been strong over the last 10 years so by extrapolation it will continue to be as strong is silly. During those 10 years, six more books came out and 8 movies to keep renewing interest. There is nothing new with HP on the horizon. Just look at all the attractions based upon popular characters/movies with long histories that have been replaced already because nothing new had come out to keep it new and fresh.

Some might argue that Disney has kept an entire park alive based upon a few classic princess characters. HP is nothing like the princesses at Disney. Disney has 100% control over those characters and constantly re-release their classic movies and create new movies or books to keep those characters fresh in the minds of today's children and when necessary, create new or updated versions of princesses. Universal has no control over HP and be unable to breath new life into the area, which is unfortunate for both Universal and us as fans. HP mania is at its peak and will fade away down to some level of interest similar to another classic that spans generations and has been doing so for 40+ years, Lord of the Rings, and a lot faster than die-hard fans think unless something is done to keep it alive and new.

Rowling is young. There are many, many years to keep the franchise alive. I can't wait to share the books with my grandkids. I'm sure there are lots of people who feel the same way.

Interestingly, there are tons of non Harry Potter fans who really enjoy the WWoHP. It really has enough elements that transcend the books and movies to keep it enjoyable for everyone. Wizards and dragons and magic wands can be related to by those who know absolutely nothing about Harry Potter.

 

[cigar95]

People didn't stop reading Dickens and Hugo just because they weren't publishing new books any more.

For that matter, just down the road, is Mickey Mouse "over"? When was the last time a new MM movie came out, or even a short?

Every day kids want to get their picture taken with Mickey, or eat breakfast with him.

In the same way, every generation will bring a whole new set of kids who will want to read the books, and then when you tell them there's a place to go where you can actually walk through that world, they're going to want to go.

WWoHP is almost certainly at its peak popularity right now, simply because there were 13 years worth of readers who want to visit over the course of the relatively short time the area has been open. Just like any new attraction gets an initial rush of interest, and then more or less stabilizes at some level.

The important thing is that this "stable" level for WWoHP is likely to be remarkably high, given its extraordinary level of interest among all ages.

 

[dsmom]

i have never read a harry potter book and have never seen one of the

movies -neither have my husband or son- yet we love WWoHP and will be

back for Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years and.......