Wizarding World - Diagon Alley Discussion (Opens 2014)

[Millionaire2K]

My guess is they want to start putting up HP themed items. So they don't have to keep the obvious a secret they decided to announce the project. Also if any outside source helped speed up the announcement I would have to think it was the local news "secret investigation". I'm sure after the story hit the local news phone calls poured in asking Universal when the new HP will open. Remember crazy people with no clue will call parks and expect a real answer.

Glad its finally confirmed.

 

[Nitro_230]

My guess is they want to start putting up HP themed items. So they don't have to keep the obvious a secret they decided to announce the project. Also if any outside source helped speed up the announcement I would have to think it was the local news "secret investigation". I'm sure after the story hit the local news phone calls poured in asking Universal when the new HP will open. Remember crazy people with no clue will call parks and expect a real answer.

Glad its finally confirmed.

Want to know the big secret about WESH's "investigation"...... WESH is an NBC station (As in NBC Universal) and it just happened to generate interest a few days before they gave out this info.

Make the connections you would like, because you'd be correct.

 

[badlactose]

Looks amazing but that dragon better not really be up there...

I'd guess that the dragon on the roof represents something that happens within the Gringotts ride and will not actually be there. They probably figured that the bank itself might look kind of dull in concept art (it's not as instantly evocative of magic and fantasy as a castle, for example), so they included the dragon.

 

[1.21Gigawatts]

Glad its finally confirmed.

Ya... We can finally let go of our hopes of an immersive Hill Valley 2015 land....kidding of course. I know I have a problem.

anyway... back to the ticket problem. Does anyone else think this is going to be an issue other than me? I have little faith in the average tourist.

 

[TheLastAshen]

Yes there will be a Dragon inside Gringotts, so yes it is a representation but I can already hear the extreme dissapointment by fans "where's the fire breathing dragon we were promissed??" "FIRE?!!!"

 

[Disneyhead]

My guess is they want to start putting up HP themed items. So they don't have to keep the obvious a secret they decided to announce the project. Also if any outside source helped speed up the announcement I would have to think it was the local news "secret investigation". I'm sure after the story hit the local news phone calls poured in asking Universal when the new HP will open. Remember crazy people with no clue will call parks and expect a real answer.

Glad its finally confirmed.

Yep. This announcement appears as rushed and poorly put together as when The Wall Street Journal let the cat out of the bag concerning the Hollywood WWOHP. Both were kinda a cluster. In Hollywood they recycled WWOHP 1.0 concept art.

Universal had actually planned on dropping this in August, 24 hours after Disney announces DHS expansion and drops Avatar concept art.

 

[IzzyB]

I think the two park pass is going to be a big mistake for Uni, but we will see how it plays out in the end. Wonder if the change is due to capacity issues?

 

[aheying7]

So I just got out of class to see this...any new info or just a rushed announcement?

 

[John321]

I get home from school and look at my e-mail. Finally!!!
As a good amount have already stated but I'll say it again, it seems like it was rushed.

 

[Nitro_230]

Yep. This announcement appears as rushed and poorly put together as when The Wall Street Journal let the cat out of the bag concerning the Hollywood WWOHP. Both were kinda a cluster. In Hollywood they recycled WWOHP 1.0 concept art.

Universal had actually planned on dropping this in August, 24 hours after Disney announces DHS expansion and drops Avatar concept art.

Are you sure? I was told several weeks ago that in early May there would be a leak followed by the a press release.

 

[IzzyB]

Are you sure? I was told several weeks ago that in early May there would be a leak followed by the a press release.

I would go on the side of they originally planned August, but plans changed. Maybe they changed several weeks ago, but something changed their plans. I mean why not announce right after Disney just got all this attention? Makes the most sense.

 

[ReelJustice]

I look at the dragon as this phase's giant white owl.

 

[Disneyhead]

I think the two park pass is going to be a big mistake for Uni, but we will see how it plays out in the end. Wonder if the change is due to capacity issues?

I believe that all passes will become "Universal Parks Passports" and be 2 park passes. (btw I said this would happen in July 2008 when I told you guys that Potter is going where Jaws is) Universal just blasted spectacularly through the glass ceiling of the legendary $100 park pass straight to $125 a day. To hell with baby steps. Universal just became the most expensive theme park destination on the planet.

 

[Nitro_230]

I would go on the side of they originally planned August, but plans changed. Maybe they changed several weeks ago, but something changed their plans. I mean why not announce right after Disney just got all this attention? Makes the most sense.

True. It's just interesting because I was told of the "leak" weeks in advance, so story was part of the PR campaign.

 

[IzzyB]

True. It's just interesting because I was told of the "leak" weeks in advance, so story was part of the PR campaign.

I also wonder if the timeline didn't shrink and that caused some construction timelines to change making an August announcement too late. They may have to start putting things up that would show too many guests over the busy summer what is being built there. Maybe not so much on the London side since it will just be London (which in itself could raise questions for some guests), but maybe on the other side. Now before we start comparing this to Simpsons, you have to remember the fans going to IOA to see HP are very familiar with everything to do with HP and they would recognize many things in the construction phase. It is also a much bigger deal because of the franchise itself and how fast word spreads in the HP world. Simpsons won't be as well recognized or have this wave of rumors flying across the internet like HP would.

 

[Felipe]

Whoa! This was definitely a surprise! Like others have stated, they've definitely taken some artistic liberties with the proportions and some embellishments like the dragon, but it's concept art, so it's to be expected. I still find this pretty cool, as it confirms locations and looks of many things!

DH, you called the red Leicester Square Station facade! :thumbs: It just looks like they've added an extra floor in comparison to the reference building.

Many cool photo-ops confirmed! Especially the Knight Bus, and now I see they're gonna have phone booths, too! Wouldn't be London without 'em, right? :thumbs:

And, oh! Finally, the HE ticketing mystery is solved! I think this is for the best. It would have been a nightmare having one-park and two-park people segregated and ensuring no one-park mixed in the other lines and entered the other park for free. Now they can just charge the difference at a ticket booth and you can get to ride the train and visit the other park. Now, will they get backlash for this? Definitely, but I think it's gonna be less trouble than dealing with the mix-ticket situation.

 

[Disneyhead]

Are you sure? I was told several weeks ago that in early May there would be a leak followed by the a press release.

I know Jason, who put the piece together. He is pretty darned proud of himself for uncovering "secret documents" posted on every frickin' theme park fan site on the planet. He also GRILLED me for info prior to writing it. I was happy to tell him everything I know. Most of it DIDN'T end up in the piece. But 2:30 is too short to include everything I told him. That said, I do believe that it was approved by Universal and they nixed some of the stuff I told him. He wrote it first then they read it and edited it. I believe his pitch was that it's better they approve/edit the content before Nick VinZant at Click 6 does his piece on it including ALL my info.

 

[jubs]

So there will be two kings cross facades? one out in front, and the other next to gringotts where the actual train arrives?

 

[aheying7]

So to the left of Diagon looks like King's Cross and Knockyurn Alley, but what is that section to the right of Diagon Alley?

 

[GGGhost]

I remember HTF saying something like "Everyone will be able to ride the Hogwarts Express." (Sorry I didn't search back through for the actual quote.)

Now I'm thinking that the way most of us read that, that even people with 1-Park tickets would be able to ride, may have been wrong. Maybe he meant that everyone will be able to ride because everyone will have a 2-Park ticket!

If I'm right, kudos on the cryptic clues, HTF.