Wizarding World of HP

[Hugh Kenrick]

So, this August, I'll get to visit the attraction, which is part of Universal Studios theme park complex in Orlando. There's been a lot of press locally about it, and most of the reviews I've seen are positive; i.e. it captures the atmosphere of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle pretty well. I will give a detailed report on it after the trip, but I'm most interested to see:

1. The holographic projections of the actors, and portraits. I've read that they're very realistic.
2. Butterbeer, of course
3. The Castle itself is actually a major ride.
4. Whether its as hot and humid in Scotland as they say (just kidding) The pictures of the snow on the roofs must be startling to see when people are wearing shorts and tropical shirts.
5. How much stuff I end up buying!

Cheers,

Hugh

[Lanen]

I'm interested in your report, Hugh - I can't imagine that a Harry Potter theme park would work, but there again, I thought the idea of a film based on a Disneyland ride must by definition be awful...

[Hugh Kenrick]

I will give it a full write up upon our return. It's a hard world to capture, but I guess they had to get a lot of sign-off by Rowling, who's controlling about things (and rightfully so), so maybe it will be good.

[pmcatnip]

It sounds like fun to me! How long will you be there?

[Hugh Kenrick]

I am leaving in a couple of days, and we have at least two days given over to Universal Studios. I have heard it will be rainy and wet some of the time next week, so that will further add to the Hogwarts atmosphere!

[Lanen]

Have a great time, and tell all upon your return!

[Hugh Kenrick]

Now that we've returned from the summer swelter of Florida, I have a little time to give you guys a review of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

To start off, I can say that it exceeded my expectations in every category. It was excellent as an attraction; as a set of rides, and the way it captured the atmosphere of the books and movies. See it if you are in the Orlando area doing Disney stuff (which we also did).

The Wizarding World is just part of a theme park called 'Islands of Adventure' built by Universal Studios to compete with Disney's Magic Kingdom. HP forms one of 6 lands that you can walk around and through. It's now clearly the best thing they have going, although some of the other areas were pretty well done as well (the Sinbad area is kinda cool)

Hogwarts castle is huge, and contains the adventure ride that you queue up for. I won't give much away, except that its a compilation of Harry's adventures where he leads you on a tour of Hogwarts, and things go wrong. It's a thrill ride with animatronics and great holographic/CG scenes, and it's really well done. The castle itself serves as the lead-up to the ride, with vignettes (also holographic) of Harry and Ron and Hermione. and Dumbledore greeting the visitors. There's also artifacts along the hallways to examine, and the Dark Arts classroom. Talking portraits and fine details round out the castle experience. It's not a museum of movie artifacts (although that might have been nice as an add-on) but it's a really accurate, and many fans will spot little details all around the place. (Rowling signed off on all creative aspects).

Hogsmeade is the rest of the Wizarding World. Again, its faithfully rendered, and looks great, with all kinds of fine detail. There's also two rollercoaster, one large and one small, that are purposed for Harry's world. The ambience of the town is at its best at night, when you can't see the hordes of muggles wandering around. Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, and Ollivanders are key elements (takes forever to see someone choose a wand, but you HAVE to do it). The Three Broomsticks was also a high point. The food is just average, but as an eating place, it was great. It really was fun to sit and drnk butterbeer, and soak up the surroundings in the evening. I can also say the butterbeer was really tasty (very sweet, like cream soda with extra cream on it), and there's even a cider-ish pumpkin juice as well as traditional drinks. There's also a bar for the adults (The Hog's Head) that serves whatever you want, including a pretty good ale.

The buildings aren't cheaply done, but you really feel like you're there. There's as much detail inside (like at the Three Broomsticks) as outside.

It's a theme park, so its designed to make you spend money on stuff, and we did. However, It's nice stuff, and it enhances the overall experience. Needless to say we spent most of our time in the Islands of Adventure in the Wizarding World during the two day jaunt through Universal's parks.

There's also a couple of cute shows with a choir and Triwizard cheer squads.

If you go, be prepared for crowds, and figure out a way to go bagless (no backpacks) which makes your experience easier, or you have to wait to check your bags before getting on the rides. (It's a Universal thing, and they really don't tell you much) The staff is not like Disney, they know just enough to be helpful, but not much more, so you have to ask very specific questions to learn anything. Clearly, they have the best people in the HP world, but they're not like a Disney attraction for handling crowds and lines, and general organization.

Could they have done more? Maybe. A few more weird wizarding shops and classrooms and attractions might have been fun. No reason they can't add those later. You have to remember its not intended to be a static representation of Hogwarts and its environs, but an interactive experience.

However, here's some ratings for you if you go:

Theme: A
Ambience: A
Rides: B+/A- depending on age of your party
Shops and Attractions: B+ (they could have done more, but whatever)
Convenience: B- (long lines, hot weather, disorganized staff)

Overall: A Was definitely worth the visit, very unique.

[Irys]

I so want to see it! Your review makes it sound really good.

In the meantime, I'm going to the Harry Potter Exhibition's last US stop. I don't know quite what to expect; lots of movie props/sets it sounds like, and hopefully we'll see DH part 1 the same day, as the IMAX is at the same spot and we'll be there a week before Christmas (I'm sure we'll have seen DH part 1 already, but this will be IMAX 3D! which we don't have locally).

[Hugh Kenrick]

If you're in the area of WDW or Universal in Orlando, it's definitely worth seeing. It's the best thing Universal has in the Islands of Adventure, but then, that's to be expected! The holographic segments are very fun on the ride itself.