First, Happy Easter and Passover and... to everyone (who wants it)
A lesson learned...
I think we all know that a lot of misinformation has been posted here. This forum has been fortunate to have some "insiders" and some "people who know insiders" as members of this community. These people have had to be very careful because of the legal agreements that we all know could jeopardize their situation.
A forum like this one, thrives on the energy of the community. Over the past months, I feel I have gotten to know a little about several of you from your posts and messages. Over time, I have actually begun to feel at home here and a part of this community. That's how this is supposed to work. What ties us together is a passion for discussing, dreaming, deconstructing everything The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Some of us come here because we love the Harry Potter world, other because of our passion for theme parks, Islands of Adventure, Universal, etc. Because of the mystery surround this project, knowledge - inside information - is a sort of currency; it buys a level of status or acknowledgement within our community: a sort of popularity.
Unfortunately, some people realizing that for a time they could get away with posting their educated guesses as fact, counterfeited that currency. I suspect that it afforded them a sort of ego boost or position within our community. (Foolish price to pay for one's integrity.)
When SAS arrived here, he initially wrote with a short, seemingly professional tone that implied he was in the know. His "information" seemed like it could be genuine. Other members (you know who you are) who had their own sources could see through the deception and for their own reasons went on the attack. I suspect that they felt very protective of both their own position and the general integrity of the forum. Some of us were fooled. I was one of them. Tension broke out and there was a few periods of discomfort. I still believe that civility could have been maintained and should be maintained.
In the end, we all suffered. Information that got posted became more than rumor and some of the speculations that we made - are making - are still based on a foundation of misinformation.
I understand this all to well, because I played my part in both the deception and hopefully now the clean up...
I believed SAS. In addition, as I felt one member had been unduly harsh, I defended SAS and even helped support the misinformation. I knew no better. I assure you I was as fooled as those who were fooled. For my gullibility, I am genuinely sorry.
A cool thing came out of this though. Because of my situation, I was privately approached by someone working on the project who I am now messaging with. I am extremely respectful of his/her position and I don't push for information that would compromise this person's position. Perhaps, this person is also gently using me to help correct some misunderstandings. Either way, it's a respectful relationship and I'm very grateful for this new friend. I also now have a fair amount of that "popularity currency" (yes, my ego feels good) and I want to make sure that i use it for the better good of this community.
So... let's correct some misinformation. I don't know who the person is who's writing the posts that Justin quoted a few pages back. I now believe that writer may only have limited information, perhaps is another SAS as some of the "information" is just not factual.
3. The Forbidden Journey is cycling to meet the requirements necessary to open the ride to the public. It is doing extremely well, but there are definitely areas that they are still working on.
4. One of those areas won't be completed until the end of this month and the ride will not open until this work is done. (Softs won't start until late April or May.)
5. The queue is continuous and is not separated by doors between preshow areas. (Initially, this disappointed me.) Basically, you will move into each area as the line permits without any barriers - other than the people in front of you - restricting the flow.
6. You will be able to stay in each area for as long as you like. (At least that is the initial intention.) In fact, there are multiple versions of the preshow "films/tapes/etc." so staying in a room through one cycle would require watching several scenes. (Does this make sense?)
7. Universal really has tried to balance ROI with a tremendous amount of love and affection for this project. They are reading our forum - and others - and listening. They have already made adjustments based on our very words.
9. There are no 3D glasses. The ride vehicle's movement is too abrupt; they would have had to been goggles.
This post is already too long. Enough for now.
--- Update ---
Oh, one last thing for this long post... Universal is extremely proud of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. They believe it meets and exceeds the hype. They - more than anyone - want this open and being enjoyed by the public. Everyone who's ridden thinks this is a new height in themed entertainment.
I can't wait!
luto:
