Inside Universal Forums

Welcome to the Inside Universal Forums! Register a free account today to become a member. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members and unlock our forums features!

  • Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.

Diagon Alley Upper Lot Concept

From my admittedly limited perspective, putting Diagon Alley on the Upper Lot would be detrimental to the long-term growth of the park. By putting both parts of Wizarding World literally back-to-back, Universal would be concentrating their two biggest headliners not only in one spot, but in one spot at the very front of the park. That's a nightmare for guest flow, disincentivizing guests from going deeper into the Upper Lot, let alone making the hike all the way down the Starway. The eventual addition of Nintendo on the Lower Lot will certainly help balance the scales, but even so, having a 2-to-1 ratio of major themed lands on the Upper Lot vs. Lower Lot seems like a recipe for disaster. You want the emphasis to be on the Lower Lot, forcing people to go deeper into the park, passing the breadth of other attractions along the way. Not only that, but by putting Diagon on the Lower Lot with the Hogwarts express, you improve circulation between the two parts of the park, allowing people to enter and exit at two point instead of just one.


Aside from guest flow, having Diagon and Hogsmeade butting up against each other stinks on a theming level. Harry's journey into the Wizarding World is just that: a journey. He travelled from Surrey to London, and then from London to the Scottish Highlands, all the while getting further and further away both spatially and culturally from the world he knew. Obviously in a theme park setting, you can't travel quite so far - especially not in a park as small as Studios Hollywood - but in order to preserve at least some small part of that notion of journeying, the two lands should have to travel more than just a few yards to get between them. The trek between the Lower and Upper lots would be the ideal way to handle that, especially since there is a physical ascent involved in getting between the two areas. Sure, you could fake it, and have a stationary Hogwarts Express, but you'll always know exactly where you are, and the simulated journey will never have the same impact as the real thing.


The other downside is that by smushing both of these together, you box both of them in and eliminate the possibility for further expansion. If Diagon goes on the lower lot, Waterworld and the space behind Curious George could be used for further Potter expansions (Fantastic Beasts, anyone?). Why blow that right away on Diagon?
 
From my admittedly limited perspective, putting Diagon Alley on the Upper Lot would be detrimental to the long-term growth of the park. By putting both parts of Wizarding World literally back-to-back, Universal would be concentrating their two biggest headliners not only in one spot, but in one spot at the very front of the park. That's a nightmare for guest flow, disincentivizing guests from going deeper into the Upper Lot, let alone making the hike all the way down the Starway. The eventual addition of Nintendo on the Lower Lot will certainly help balance the scales, but even so, having a 2-to-1 ratio of major themed lands on the Upper Lot vs. Lower Lot seems like a recipe for disaster. You want the emphasis to be on the Lower Lot, forcing people to go deeper into the park, passing the breadth of other attractions along the way. Not only that, but by putting Diagon on the Lower Lot with the Hogwarts express, you improve circulation between the two parts of the park, allowing people to enter and exit at two point instead of just one.


Aside from guest flow, having Diagon and Hogsmeade butting up against each other stinks on a theming level. Harry's journey into the Wizarding World is just that: a journey. He travelled from Surrey to London, and then from London to the Scottish Highlands, all the while getting further and further away both spatially and culturally from the world he knew. Obviously in a theme park setting, you can't travel quite so far - especially not in a park as small as Studios Hollywood - but in order to preserve at least some small part of that notion of journeying, the two lands should have to travel more than just a few yards to get between them. The trek between the Lower and Upper lots would be the ideal way to handle that, especially since there is a physical ascent involved in getting between the two areas. Sure, you could fake it, and have a stationary Hogwarts Express, but you'll always know exactly where you are, and the simulated journey will never have the same impact as the real thing.


The other downside is that by smushing both of these together, you box both of them in and eliminate the possibility for further expansion. If Diagon goes on the lower lot, Waterworld and the space behind Curious George could be used for further Potter expansions (Fantastic Beasts, anyone?). Why blow that right away on Diagon?

Universal has plans for the lower lot that will balance it out, trust me. And, no you're not stunting growth at all. The tram area is basically a dead end anyway. By putting DA there, you're allowing for much bigger better lower lot developments. 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Could be worth listening to the new IU podcast with Mike Sington... not only is it immensely entertaining and enlightening, but there's an awfully big hint dropped.  ;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So with this concept being revisited (and most likely happening on the upper lot)... How would everyone picture the entrance to London/ DA now? And most importantly, does everyone think we'll be getting Hogwarts Express or not?! This has opened up an incredible amount of questions... albeit I am excited for  :lol:
 
Considering if it is indeed going to be similar to what the hell @TheTFReview proposed a long while back, I acutally wouldn't think it'd be a bad idea to have something MOM related to have our park be more unique. I know its a hope, but I have to think that if Diagon (and it seems like it now) is going to the Upper Lot, it wouldn't make sense to have HE.
 
More and more I find this proposal feasible. It mitigates the park's limited space and grants more availability for diverse IPs to occupy the lower lot. Not to mention Waterworld will be spared (for now). Migrating the Backlot Tour station also won't be an issue as they can move it back to the lower lot (Where it was held originally) which can also ease traffic flow. I would also think The former Soundstage 28 location can harbor the new station and the track extend outward towards the ridge to grant access for the trams. This can also alleviate the complications that arise with Hogwarts Express. By positioning the station closer to Hogsmeade (than originally proposed) the track would be as easy as pushing forward (to obscure fans view) elevating the train then push forward again into Hogsmeade station. 


Theres one glaring problem which I know had been addressed; Hogwarts. The show building is massive and being that it is also on elevated ground makes it worse to grant the illusion of immersion. Putting "trees" on the building is going to be enough. 


Regardless, Ill definitely put my hat into this proposal. 
 
More and more I find this proposal feasible. It mitigates the park's limited space and grants more availability for diverse IPs to occupy the lower lot. Not to mention Waterworld will be spared (for now). Migrating the Backlot Tour station also won't be an issue as they can move it back to the lower lot (Where it was held originally) which can also ease traffic flow. I would also think The former Soundstage 28 location can harbor the new station and the track extend outward towards the ridge to grant access for the trams. This can also alleviate the complications that arise with Hogwarts Express. By positioning the station closer to Hogsmeade (than originally proposed) the track would be as easy as pushing forward (to obscure fans view) elevating the train then push forward again into Hogsmeade station. 


Theres one glaring problem which I know had been addressed; Hogwarts. The show building is massive and being that it is also on elevated ground makes it worse to grant the illusion of immersion. Putting "trees" on the building is going to be enough. 


Regardless, Ill definitely put my hat into this proposal. 

No i believe Stage 28 is expected to be a trackless Secret Life of Pets dark ride.
 
No i believe Stage 28 is expected to be a trackless Secret Life of Pets dark ride.

At this point, the entire area surrounding lower lot, even The Mummy attraction, is one giant rumor after another. Nothing is set in stone, so don't dismiss the idea quite yet. Especially if Universal Creative proceeds to commision Diagon Alley to the upper lot.
 
I like to think there is a big picture of which we can only see a small part, and that if we could see the whole thing, putting Diagon Alley on the upper lot would make more sense. 


In the mean time, I have a lot of questions. Will Diagon Alley have Olivander's? Do you need two Olivander's shops right next to each other? Can you (story-wise) build Diagon Alley without Olivander's? Yes sir, a lot of questions.
 
I like to think there is a big picture of which we can only see a small part, and that if we could see the whole thing, putting Diagon Alley on the upper lot would make more sense. 


In the mean time, I have a lot of questions. Will Diagon Alley have Olivander's? Do you need two Olivander's shops right next to each other? Can you (story-wise) build Diagon Alley without Olivander's? Yes sir, a lot of questions.

Diagon will always have Olivanders. So what I believe will happen is that Hogsmeade's just gets converted to another show or gutted and made into something else entirely. Notice how simple some of the rooms are?
 
Considering that Olivanders often has a crazy line, creating a new version (with multiple identical rooms perhaps?) wouldn't be the worst idea. But on the other hand, it would be slightly disappointing to have them just add the same thing to a brand new area of the park.
 
I think no matter what, story or not that Diagon and Hogsmeade will both have Ollivanders in the areas, for one reason. Capacity. 

Two reasons -- capacity and revenue generation. As far as the elevated show building, all I can say is that within Diagon Alley in Orlando you really can't see out. So at least from within the land (which is awesome) you won't be distracted.
 
When Diagon Alley was opening in Florida, Zonko's was cut in favor for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The fact Ollivanders was spared proves its immense popularity and means of "easing wait times." Sure, having two stores in the ONE park is awkward but to put it bluntly; Ollivanders is a shop with a show not a major attraction.  


It should work out just fine.
 
At this point, the entire area surrounding lower lot, even The Mummy attraction, is one giant rumor after another. Nothing is set in stone, so don't dismiss the idea quite yet. Especially if Universal Creative proceeds to commision Diagon Alley to the upper lot.

I'd put more stock into the Secret Life of Pets ride. There's already construction prep going on.
 
Not to mention Ollivanders belongs in Diagon Alley and not Hogsmeade? Wizard Wheezes belongs in Diagon Alley and frankly, they put Zonko's out of business in the books anyways. So I'm not surprised Zonko's was sacrificed. Having been to Orlando before and after Diagon, I totally understand the need for two Ollivanders shops. Both were still quite busy even when I went a few months ago. (I've yet to go to Hollywood's yet. Saturday, though!!!)
 
Top