The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hollywood

[William]

It would have been cool if they built a Great Hall restaurant on the roof of the show building for FJ. Kind of hidden behind the castle facade or something. I have no idea if that's logistically possible but it could have been something different for our version.

I think that would've been too complicated. You'd have a very tall show building atop the already massive FJ show building, meaning they would've had to enlarge the Hogwarts Castle façade by great means. Doing that also would've meant rearranging and rescaling the rest of the land, which would've been an unnecessary difficulty.

 

[stardopee]

It would have been cool if they built a Great Hall restaurant on the roof of the show building for FJ. Kind of hidden behind the castle facade or something. I have no idea if that's logistically possible but it could have been something different for our version.

That would of been very unique and who knows anything is possible . But I agree with William it would of been complicated , I just wonder what's gonna make our WWOHP different then the others

 

[Imdbman]

That would of been very unique and who knows anything is possible . But I agree with William it would of been complicated , I just wonder what's gonna make our WWOHP different then the others

What I heard was that we will be getting a little bit of "Diagon Alley" in our Wizarding World's Hogsmeade.  So it sounds like we could potentially have Florean Fortesque's in ours, with Butterbeer Ice Cream, or maybe a Madame Malkin's, Magical Menagerie, or Borgin & Burke's in some form.  Nothing is confirmed yet, of course.  There was a recent interview in which Universal Execs said we will see "a bit of Diagon Alley" in our Hogsmeade.  Because our WWOHP layout slightly differs from Florida's and Japan's, I believe our Hogsmeade will actually start further from the castle, so I think we'll get more of a Hogsmeade.

 

[Freak]

^I guess that also semi confirms that Diagon Alley is not going to be in the works for USH if those come to fruition. I would be totally fine with that considering that we need to make the most out of the small space we have for the best rides.

 

[stardopee]

^I guess that also semi confirms that Diagon Alley is not going to be in the works for USH if those come to fruition. I would be totally fine with that considering that we need to make the most out of the small space we have for the best rides.

true I agree , but what kind of rides . I heard we were supposed to get The Great Hall but there was a funding issue and then got scratched out >,<

 

[Allen The Actor]

There was never a funding issue, it was simply a rumor that was never in the plans.

As for Diagonal Alley shops inside Hogsmeade, as long as they're altered for Hogsmeade I won't mind, but even then, space is tight either way, not sure how much they can add beyond what Japan has, ours is supposed to be identical for the most part.

 

[Allen The Actor]

With that said, I'm not going to forget about a survey I once took for USH a year or so ago where they asked about potential "add on" experiences to our Wizarding World, some that included an up charged Sorting Hat dining experiences, a wizard easter egg type hunting game, and other activities.

 

[Chris]

I do believe our Hogsmead will have dramatic differences in layout.  For one, Ollivander's will be on the opposite side of the street to take advantage of the multiple room experience similar to Diagon Alley's version (this could be the Diagon Alley reference).  I also feel that our restrooms will be located in the same vicinity as to where they were before near Shrek.  Think about it...the plumbing is already located there under ground.

 

[Imdbman]

I do believe our Hogsmead will have dramatic differences in layout.  For one, Ollivander's will be on the opposite side of the street to take advantage of the multiple room experience similar to Diagon Alley's version (this could be the Diagon Alley reference).  I also feel that our restrooms will be located in the same vicinity as to where they were before near Shrek.  Think about it...the plumbing is already located there under ground.

I also believe that Florean Fortescue's could easily show up in our Hogsmeade, since it's currently unique to Diagon Alley and the Butterbeer Ice Cream has proven just as popular as the drink itself!

 

[William]

Here's a mini-update from my visit yesterday:

A look at FJ from the Studio Tour bridge. More skeletal framing has been installed for the rock-work under the Great Hall. Also, I think we can all agree now that we'll be seeing trees here!

Poor lighting here, but more DensGlass is being placed around the main window for the Great Hall.

The portion of Hogsmeade that has yet to be deciphered, as seen from the Studio Tour loading area.

Hogsmeade as seen from Universal Plaza.

Hogwarts as seen from WaterWorld.

 

[Brandonshah97]

I feel as if there should be more work done for hippogriff.... I feel like Hogsmeade is basically finished and Hogwarts is getting there and there's just the hippogriff site still sitting there and has barely been touched..

 

[Freak]

I feel as if there should be more work done for hippogriff.... I feel like Hogsmeade is basically finished and Hogwarts is getting there and there's just the hippogriff site still sitting there and has barely been touched..

The skeletal structure for the station is now being built.

 

[William]

Supports for FotH have been in place for quite some time, as well. Given the pace of their work, I wouldn't be worried at all.

 

[Allen The Actor]

As William said, supports have been in place for a while. Compared to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, Hippogriff will be a very simple install. The tracks and ride vehicles are built off site, which then they'll just have to install, add landscaping, Buckbeak, and Hagrid's Hut, and they're done. No need to worry, they could install it last minute and it'll still be fine.

 

[Brandonshah97]

Hmm I see.. And just out of curiousity, is the butter beer wagon faux like the Springfield taco truck where it actually has cement frames that are paved to the ground and is just decorated w wheels to look like a food truck? Or can the wagon move?

 

[Ryan]

Guys: I worked at Magic Mountain back in 2011 when they were installing a similar Vekoma Roller Skater. The site was a dirt lot when I started in April, and the ride was fully finished, ready to go in June. They don't take very long to build.

 

[William]

Hmm I see.. And just out of curiousity, is the butter beer wagon faux like the Springfield taco truck where it actually has cement frames that are paved to the ground and is just decorated w wheels to look like a food truck? Or can the wagon move?

I'm fairly sure the Butterbeer carts are stationary. I've never had a clear look at the underside of the carts to see if they're actually lodged into the cement, but I've never seen them moved or relocated either.

 

[Brandonshah97]

Just booked my trip to Orlando for June! It will be my second time at Hogsmeade and my first at Diagon Alley. I'm very excited to be able to refresh my older experiences and get even more hyped for what will be coming to Hollywood later next year. Going back on the "dramatic differences in layout" like Chris said earlier, I'm not sure how I would feel about it considering how im already used to the original layout in Florida. I understand it is a way smarter decision due to the plumbing but then again, if Ollivanders is on the left side, what will be left with the right? Just bathrooms? seems like it will be unproportional with all venues on the left.....

 

[William]

Japan's Hogsmeade does feature venues on both sides. While Ollivanders is moved to the left, Gladrags Wizardwear takes its previous spot on the right.

The rumored second restroom location is sort of pushed off to the side, away from the main path. It's been speculated that this is a second set of restrooms because this cottage isn't even included in USJ or USF's renditions of Hogsmeade, and it happens to be sitting in the same general location as the old Nickelodeon restrooms.

 

[Allen The Actor]

You can never have to many restrooms! Never know when you're gonna do a lovely impersonation of a Blast Ended Skrewt!