WWOHP - Are there spoilers?

[october4mom]

IF you have not finished the entire series will you find out and see things you do not learn about until book 7?

We are looking to visit Universal for the first time. However our daughter has asked that we do not visit until she finishes all the books. We currently are scheduled to go the first of November, but she is not quite finished with book 6. Knowing she most likely will not get through book 7 and the movie as she desired before our trip.

Do we wait?

She is so into reading the books and then comparing with the movies. She wants so badly to visit Universal, but I would hate for her to learn or see something that she would not otherwise know until she completes the series.

Thank you

 

[*LittleMermaid*]

Not that I can think of. I don't know if others have seen some but I haven't.

 

[wilkeliza]

Yes there are spoilers. The Dragon being a top Gringotts and the ride of Escape from Gringotts are all out of book 7. So any of that eould be a spoiler.

Hogsmade has no spoilers beyond the first book that I can remember.

 

[october4mom]

For clarification we would be visiting both Universal and Islands of Adventure.

Thank you @wilkeliza

 

[sharona]

Yes there are spoilers. The Dragon being a top Gringotts and the ride of Escape from Gringotts are all out of book 7. So any of that eould be a spoiler.

Hogsmade has no spoilers beyond the first book that I can remember.

While I agree that this is in the 7th book/movie, I disagree that it should be categorized as spoilers. Really what would you learn that would spoil the final books?

OP - I wouldn't push back a trip solely due to this.

I'm curious what other fans of the books and movies think about this.

 

[lilclerk]

The only other thing I can think of is the Tales of Beedle the Bard puppet show in Diagon Alley. One of the stories they tell is a pretty major part of book 7, but I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker if she hasn't gotten that far in the book yet. Plus they tell another story as well, so you may not even see the one from the book.

I believe Hogsmeade is supposed to be somewhere around book 3 or 4, since there is a dragon and dementors in the ride.

 

[wilkeliza]

While I agree that this is in the 7th book/movie, I disagree that it should be categorized as spoilers. Really what would you learn that would spoil the final books?

OP - I wouldn't push back a trip solely due to this.

I'm curious what other fans of the books and movies think about this.

I didn't suggest they cancel her trip but wanted the OP to be aware thag Diagon Alley does have some things that some would consider spoilers. Some people do consider these spoilers because they don't want to know anything that has happened before they get to it.

 

[nkereina]

I didn't suggest they cancel her trip but wanted the OP to be aware thag Diagon Alley does have some things that some would consider spoilers. Some people do consider these spoilers because they don't want to know anything that has happened before they get to it.

I tend to agree. While it wouldn't spoil anything, per se, people who have not read that book wouldn't understand some of the stuff in Diagon Alley and therefore wouldn't get it or appreciate it. I don't know if I'd postpone an entire trip for it, but worth mentioning.

 

[RMulieri]

It depends on what you consider spoilers. Major plotline spoilers? not really. But there are things and scenes around Diagon alley that might not make a lot of sense and do show up in the final book as mentioned in other peoples posts.
Hogsmeade is a little less spoilers. The Dragon challenge coaster shows props and the storyline is from Goblet of fire. The Forbidden journey ride takes place on a random day between bboks 4 and 5 I believe .Hippogrif coaster is from Prisoner of Azkaban.

 

[october4mom]

This is helpful information as we have other long weekend opportunities, and it sounds as if I can at least have a discussion with my daughter and husband as to whether they want to go now or wait a few months.

 

[bumbershoot]

Does it matter to her if something is spoiled? Surely the kids at school have talked about it already? The kids at the YMCA (DS is homeschooled but we're at the Y all the time) talked about HP a lot. He plays HP Lego videogames and knew the storylines from that.

We went to Hogsmeade when DS was 6.5 and then again and again after that, well before we had read all of the books, and he never minded one little bit if he saw something ahead of time. The books were still astonishing and great and tear-filled as the end grew nearer etc...the parks didn't spoil it at all for him.

Are you sure she would mind?

 

[october4mom]

I have not read any of the books, but have been watching the movies with her. It is more my DH thing to read simultaneously with her on fantasy type books. Having just finished the 5th movie, I just want to make sure there is nothing that gives away a finale - a finale match between Harry and ____ or if someone dies, etc. I am simply speculating since I have not read myself.

As to her caring, I wanted to be knowledgable enough to have the conversation as she gave the goal to finish the series before visiting. She is 10 and it seems the prefect time, as to children talking about it I do not think so she is an advanced reader and I think the classmates that are reading or have sort of make sure not to spoil certain things.

 

[damo]

No,nothing gives away the ending.

 

[kbelle8995]

Spoilers depend on the poster. Most of the rides and entertainment in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade don't really give much away the Plot of the book. Forbidden Journey doesn't reveal any of plot points and neither does Gringotts either. There are things that play out in the books. But it does not say how the book happens. Gringotts is probably the closest is spoilers. But it doesn't say why Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at Gringotts. If she wants to know nothing about what happens, Diagon Alley might be an issue.

I don't think it will ruin it for her. But it will bring new dimensions to the book when she does finish. It will be more of an Oh moment.. I don't want to discourage her not to see it. Take her to Hogsmeade and see how she feels. Because nothing there covers past the fifth book

 

[bumbershoot]

At 10 I would be very very surprised if she doesn't already know the ending.

 

[RMulieri]

At 10 I would be very very surprised if she doesn't already know the ending.

Me too..DD read it at age 9-10 and so did most of her class and those that didn't read it , definitely saw all the movies.She knew what happened before she read it since kids would talk about it

 

[Kivara]

I see both sides. She probably does know the ending, and there are no major spoilers in the parks.

HOWEVER, I am one of those people that do not like ANYTHING spoiled before a book (or show or film). I don't even want someone telling me the character's shirt color.

I do re-read the books often, too many time to count, but the first time reading anything is special to me.

There are some spoilers, in the sense of someone who doesn't even like hints. The dragon on the bank, the film on the Gringott's ride, the puppet show (Beetle the Bard), as well as other people. In interacting with the animatronic goblins and character/actors, I have heard people talking about the final outcome.

I would say it would depend on your daughter, if she's the type to be upset or disappointed in the chance that the book is spoiled, or if she can still enjoy a vacation.

I'm sure a lot of people can't understand why anyone would get that upset over minor "spoils", but speaking as one of those people, I can see post-poning the trip, if it is do-able another time. JMO

 

[angierae]

I would tell her to get cracking on her reading

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Some of the spoilers really depend on how much she reads into things. At 10, my DD accepted things at face value. She probably wouldn't see the dragon on top of Gringotts and think, "Hey - I wonder why there is a dragon there. He wasn't there the last time we saw Gringotts in the books."

FWIW, both the dragon and a Gringotts vault bursting at the seams are on the cover of some versions of the last book, so I would say that those are teasers that are JK Rowling approved rather than spoilers.

These are the potential spoilers that I can think of:

• Dragon on Gringotts. Someone who has not read the 7th book won't know why it is there. I even saw an article or post recently where someone called it the protector dragon - they didn't understand the dragon's place in the last book and made a logical leap. FWIW, I asked the goblin in the money exchange about the dragon, and he said that the Gringott's goblins are highly trained in dragon care, so I shouldn't be alarmed about the dragon on Gringotts.

• Trio riding the dragon in the ride - definitely a spoiler, but not one that takes away from the book. Again - this is on the cover of some versions of the book.

• Vault in Gringotts with crazy amounts of stuff in it. Without context, this doesn't tell anyone anything. And, it is on the cover of one version of the books. There is something spoilerish about this scene, but it isn't really even hinted at in the ride.

• Bellatrix and Voldemort are trying to find who broke into Bellatrix's vault. While this is spoiler-ish, it is actually a deviation from the book. This pair never chased anyone through Gringotts in the book.

• Bill Weasley - in the pre-show, the goblin Bill encounters mentions that he hasn't seen him in months. Without more information, you won't know why this is. Even people who have read the book probably don't think twice about this.

The puppet show is from Book 7, but I wouldn't consider it a spoiler at all. What you see is a reenactment of a wizarding fairy tale with nothing defining its connection to the book. You can even pick up Tales of Beedle the Bard separately from the 7th book (though one of the stories is repeated in the 7th book).

There are no spoilers in Hogsmeade for anything past the 4th book.

How are you traveling? If she could finish Book 6 quickly, she could start on Book 7 during the trip.

 

[iujen94]

(SPOILER ALERT - THIS POST GIVES AWAY HUGE STORY SPOILERS, SO PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO EVENTS IN BOOK 7!!!!)


I know this is an old post, but I wanted to chime in just in case someone else was curious about this topic. We just went to Universal and IOA with my younger DS having only read the first book and half of the second book. In addition to the things already mentioned, I thought I'd mention a few other things - first, in the Gringotts ride, I think it's either Harry or Hermione that says "We've got the Horcrux." They also mention that "they [Gringotts] know there are imposters in Gringotts". While a rider wouldn't necessarily know what these things mean, they do give away some pretty significant plot points in book 7. However, the biggest spoilers come in the line for Gringotts. There are a good number of copies of The Daily Prophet laying around in the displays on either side of the line with huge spoilers in their headlines - specifically, that Harry Potter is "Undesirable Number 1" and wanted for questioning in the death of Dumbledore. There is another headline that mentions that Professor Snape is the headmaster at Hogwarts. Unfortunately my son saw the Professor Snape one - once we saw the spoilers we made him go through the line with our hands covering his eyes