Wizarding World - Diagon Alley Discussion (Opens 2014)

[Jordan]

This comment made for a good laugh.

I lol'd.

 

[Cheezbat]

Gosh I remember that day well. My ex and I got up real early and drove out hoping to get in before it got crazy. When we got there we were waiting by the basketball court outside of NBA City... There were already thousands of peple ahead of us. Sadly I had to go to work that day, and we only made it to the entrance of Jurassic Park...and then I had to leave to go to work.
Lucky for us we had visited the WWOHP weeks before it officially opened!

 

[USO92]

How exactly do they go about a grand opening of such magnitude? Whats the process of allowing people in?

 

[Shadow Carelli]

How much you want to bet it will be twice that size opening day for Diagon Alley?

 

[Homerunkingnl09]

I was actually one of the first 100 people in the park on the Grand Opening Day. I got to the park at around 3:30 and stood at the bridge that is right by the bag check for hotel guests for the Royal Pacific. At around 5:00 in the morning they let us go and it was a all out sprint to get the front gate of Islands of Adventure. When we got to the gate we waited there for about 30 minutes and then they let in about the first 100 people. These 100 people which included myself and my friends were escorted back to the Sinbad show where we sat and waited. We were then told we would be the extra background people for the Today Show. They walked us into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and we stood in there while they were filming the Today Show. From there they moved us over to where the Grand Opening presentation took place where we watched from behind of where the Media was. I know that they then let in a good amount of people and then shut it down. We rode Forbidden Journey and left that place quickly. For the most part that is how they handled the first hundred guests.

 

[turlte]

A few more . . .

my friend's friend got In that line and when he finally got before the loading dock he said he didn't want to do it...:mean:

 

[rhino4evr]

I remember I had free passes to Islands, and was going to use them for the grand opening, but checked on this forum when I woke up in the morning and decided not to go...went a few months later and waited 30 mins to go on FJ...lol.

nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is worth waiting in a line like that. How Universal even has that many parking spaces in that massive garage is even beyond me. They should have been turning people away much earlier. Personally, I feel it's pretty irresponisble of park management.

Stuff like that makes the Fire Marshall shiver.

 

[JungleSkip]

I remember I had free passes to Islands, and was going to use them for the grand opening, but checked on this forum when I woke up in the morning and decided not to go...went a few months later and waited 30 mins to go on FJ...lol.

nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is worth waiting in a line like that. How Universal even has that many parking spaces in that massive garage is even beyond me. They should have been turning people away much earlier. Personally, I feel it's pretty irresponisble of park management.

Stuff like that makes the Fire Marshall shiver.

They had it under control.

And why do you go during something like that? For the story. Same reason you go to a midnight movie or camp out for a new video game system. If you're a fan, you show it by being one of the first people there.

 

[Teebin]

^ And they did think quick and put in place some wild measures to handle the crowds; some of them unheard of. Remember the tossed together Kites on Jetski's show they put up in the lagoon to entertain the crowds?

 

[Kevin38]

On opening day I got there @ 4:30 am and we were let in the park to wait in JP
I went in discovery center took elevator to bottom and went out back door was one of the first 1000 in
there.(the stairs were blocked off)
rode FJ twice and got out of there
Did not get butterbeer 2 1/2 hour line for it.
Walked on to dragons challege
for grand openings get there early
bring a chair enjoy the show
was back at the room by 1:00

 

[USO92]

On opening day I got there @ 4:30 am and we were let in the park to wait in JP
I went in discovery center took elevator to bottom and went out back door was one of the first 1000 in
there.(the stairs were blocked off)
rode FJ twice and got out of there
Did not get butterbeer 2 1/2 hour line for it.
Walked on to dragons challege
for grand openings get there early
bring a chair enjoy the show
was back at the room by 1:00

Did they just let chunks of people in at a time???

 

[Teebin]

^ Yes, and as I recall, that continued for a few months... You could not go to the WW without having to wait for a considerable period of time (4-6 hours as I recall), they gave out slips of paper with return times etc.

 

[USO92]

^ Yes, and as I recall, that continued for a few months... You could not go to the WW without having to wait for a considerable period of time (4-6 hours as I recall), they gave out slips of paper with return times etc.

Thats crazy! I cant even begin to imagine. I'd love to go to the opening of phase II but I think softs are a better idea now

 

[Teebin]

Thats crazy! I cant even begin to imagine. I'd love to go to the opening of phase II but I think softs are a better idea now

For example, I lived 20 minutes from the park and did not attempt to visit until November (It opened in June). The crowds were dreadful, but I did not have to wait to enter the area.

 

[JungleSkip]

^ Yes, and as I recall, that continued for a few months... You could not go to the WW without having to wait for a considerable period of time (4-6 hours as I recall), they gave out slips of paper with return times etc.

I went in July 2010 and only waited maybe 20 minutes to get in.

 

[cameronw99]

I went 2 weeks after it opened and it really wasnt that bad

 

[Clive]

I went in July 2010 and only waited maybe 20 minutes to get in.

Oddly, there was zero wait to get inside on July 4th of that year. It seemed to ebb and flow, sometimes at unexpected times.

 

[Ash]

That's insane... What about the small number of people that just wanted to visit IOA and ride the other attractions? We're they allowed in separately or did they have to endure the craziness?

 

[novawildcat18]

Yeah I stayed at the Royal Pacific for a week in August 2010. I waited about 45 minutes on the first day to get into WWoHP but every day after that, we could walk right in and the waits weren't awful.

 

[bluejay]

the walls attached to gringotts... is that a new shop, or gift shop, or just more gringotts building design/facade?