I woke up today genuinely convinced that my trip to Hogsmeade yesterday was all a dream. That's just how good it was.
I know this post is a bit late by now, but after an hour of waiting to get in the land since park opening, five rides on Forbidden Journey, three rides on Flight of the Hippogriff, three Butterbeers, two meals at The Three Broomsticks, one wand choosing me in Ollivanders, and over nine hours in total spent in the land itself, I needed a good rest. Brace yourself for a lengthy review.
Upon entering the land, I was so excited and overwhelmed that the first thing I did was ran to use the bathroom. I was shaking upon entering the queue for FJ. This is coming from someone who's already been to Hogsmeade in Florida three times so far. Can you imagine LA locals when they walk through that arch for the very first time?
This goes without saying, but the land is downright gorgeous. None of the cottages in Hogsmeade are perfectly straight and upright, and that just makes them all the more whimsical. Hogwarts Castle is a beauty like no other. I'd argue that the castle looks better at night than it does during the day, in fact. I'll try to keep most of my gripes with the visual intrusions to myself since everyone has mostly voiced their opinions, though I will note that throwing in some more foliage could do wonders. I'm not sure how restricted they are in that matter, but I really think the land could be just that much more immersive if they planted more trees to hide the outside world. Honestly, the fact that I could see some other park attractions and show buildings from within the land didn't bother me, but it was when I was in the queue for Ollivanders when it really struck me. I could see The Simpsons Ride, the Studio Tour bridge/escalators, the Hilton, the offices in CityWalk, WaterWorld, and Shrek all from where I was standing. I rest my case.
Something I'd really like to touch on is the customer service that I experienced during soft openings. There was not a single team member I was displeased with while in Hogsmeade. Every time I entered a shop, at least one or two team members would greet me. Every time I left a shop, another two would thank me for visiting. During each meal at The Three Broomsticks, team members came up to my group at least once to ask how our food was, and back a second or third time to ask if they could take any of our plates for us. While trying to use my interactive wand from Florida at one of the windows by the Owlery, I went through many failed attempts at trying to make the spell work. A very patient team member spent at least 5 full minutes with me trying to get it to work, until referring me to Ollivanders to get my wand repaired for free once we realized there was no use in trying to use the same one anymore.
I was also in a full Hogwarts uniform all day yesterday, and every team member in the land that saw me made sure to point it out and make conversation with me. A few asked me which year I was in at Hogwarts, while a couple of others asked why I was skipping class to tour the village. It's those little things that can make a person's entire visit to the park, and they certainly made it for me.
As for FJ, I have to say I'm impressed. This ride is a beast unlike any other USH has ever seen, so I was a little worried about how it would hold up during technical rehearsals. For the most part, I'd say they've got it under control. Out of my five rides on FJ, I got stuck on it twice: once while in the Chamber of Secrets scene, and once while my bench was mid-landing at the unloading area of the ride. Both times we were only stuck for a minute or two, and things went smoothly from then on.
Something I hope to see them improve upon for this ride is the 3D. There's one scene where, during all of my 5 rides, my glasses would almost fall off of my face due to the intense jolt movement made by the KUKA arm. Also, besides the Floo Network transitions at the beginning and end, I didn't feel like the 3D really worked. It sounds like we'll be getting official Quidditch Goggles, so maybe that'll improve some of the gripes people have with this new ride element. Aside from that, I loved it. I think the improved Dementor scene in our version is brilliant, and the transitions from the sets to the projection domes were more seamless than its sister park. This is definitely going to be one of the best rides in the park's lineup.
Needless to say, USH has a winner on their hands. This is, without a doubt, the most successful soft opening I've ever experienced in a theme park. I've never seen the park's team members so eager to help guests and make fun conversation. I know they've still got a little under two months to go to make tweaks and improvements, but I was blown away yesterday. We really have reached a new era in USH history.
