The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hollywood

[eivega]

So we know March brings preview nights for employees, passholders, tv shows, etc, but have we heard anything about these last few days of February?  Any rumors of tapings or private parties?  What do you people speculate will happen this weekend?  Or even Monday, Leap Day?  I want to try to squeeze in another visit or so before the rehearsals transition to previews.  Obviously, I understand there are no guarantees but you guys have been pretty good so far!


Also, if the previews are night previews do you think there MIGHT be tech rehearsals during the day?  Any recollection how Orlando handled things?


Thanks for all the updates.  You guys are the best!

 

[William]

I plan on visiting again this Sunday. Based on how softs have been going, there's a pretty good chance it'll be open for most of the park hours this weekend.

 

[Ryan]

So we know March brings preview nights for employees, passholders, tv shows, etc, but have we heard anything about these last few days of February?  Any rumors of tapings or private parties?  What do you people speculate will happen this weekend?  Or even Monday, Leap Day?  I want to try to squeeze in another visit or so before the rehearsals transition to previews.  Obviously, I understand there are no guarantees but you guys have been pretty good so far!


Also, if the previews are night previews do you think there MIGHT be tech rehearsals during the day?  Any recollection how Orlando handled things?


Thanks for all the updates.  You guys are the best!

Well the USH employee previews may be during the day, so it may eat into that.


Mid-March is more likely to see the land open consistently again. While Spring Break is the bigger incentive, softs of course are still softs. I would not recommend to anyone traveling out of state to go prior to April 7th.

 

[ItsAtrap]

I was told the previews were from 5PM to 11PM on March 2, 3 and 4

 

[12th Man]

I was told the previews were from 5PM to 11PM on March 2, 3 and 4

Yes, I am pretty sure those are the dates for the USH employee preview. 

 

[Jon Fu]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/NjAjUAsECms?feature=oembed

 

[unifreak]

Doubt USH wants this publicity lol


http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/28/wizarding-world-harry-potter-universal-hollywood-ride-vomit

 

[Alexshow.]

I think Theme Park Adventure said it best on twitter that the article, to simply put is a shock piece, written just to get a mere sight. FJ has always had atleast some issue in motion sickness for the LA, Orlando, and Osaka versions; so this isn't anything special. And..its TMZ, a piece of filth on the internet that should not be touched in any way, any shape or any being possible.

 

[unifreak]

I agree with everything you said. Been to both Orlando and Hollywood versions, felt they were about the same movement overall. From our party of 6, both in Orlando and Hollywood, only one person felt slightly off following both rides. My phone highlights stories based off my browser history, that's how I discovered the story. 

 

[12th Man]

Ugh, it's not a broom ride! I hate it when big news sites like this put out an article with the wrong information and know nothing about what they are talking about. Other news sites have said it is 3-D ride with moving seats. That makes people think poorly of Universal and the ride. The on-ride POVs don't do any justice either. The TMZ writer probably just saw the video and immediately though you were on a broom. There is also another article... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3468107/New-rollercoaster-Universal-Hollywood-making-people-nauseous.html IT IS NOT A ROLLERCOASTER. However, if this is actually true, it would be a shame if we end up like the Orlando version with a ride profile that hasn't been perfected very much.

 

[Boosimasjohnson]

Apologies in advance, because I completely understand the lameness of my first post!


Im traveling from Phoenix for a conference held at USH on March 7-8. Which date do I have a better chance entering into Hogsmeade, March 6th or 9th?


thank you all!

 

[chris.g]

^ I would go with March 9th. 

 

[Boosimasjohnson]

Thank you for your response. 

 

[Mickey]

You say universal, I say sight lines,


Universal!


Sight Lines!


Universal! 


Sight Lines!


Yaaaaay!!!

View attachment 94

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[Jon Fu]

^ I grant you the giant building is a bit of an eye sore, but this is Universal we're talking about here. More specifically, this is Universal Studios Hollywood - one of the smallest major theme park destinations in the world. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they decided to build an immersive land in the middle of the park. They've never been good at hiding other aspects of the park from one another. Heck, look at Jurassic Park and the giant parking structure housing Super Silly Fun Land.


Perhaps they could have toned their marketing bravado to taper expectations, but this shouldn't come as a surprise.

 

[12th Man]

They can't do anything about Shrek, but I think it was just pure laziness to have the show building VERY visible to the right of the castle. They could of put trees or really do anything. In all 3 versions of Hogsmeade, the show building is visible.

 

[Ryan]

Florida's Hogwarts arguably is the hardest to catch sight of its show building (though still possible) and I don't blame USH too much since the building is situated on the side of the a hill... but that stuff to the right of the castle is absolutely inane. 


I can't believe the deep-pocketed Comcast couldn't be bothered to ask for additional funds to cover that up either thru rockwork, painting or trees. Shrek, the office buildings and other sightline intrusions are unfortunate issues that may easily rectify themselves in the future, but that one bit is here to stay and my god is it embarrassing.

 

[HereWeGo]

Honestly, the Shrek building wouldn't really bother me if they would have just painted it in a similar way as the Hogsmeade buildings to blend it in somewhat. 

 

[Jon Fu]

I can't believe the deep-pocketed Comcast couldn't be bothered to ask for additional funds to cover that up either thru rockwork, painting or trees. Shrek, the office buildings and other sightline intrusions are unfortunate issues that may easily rectify themselves in the future, but that one bit is here to stay and my god is it embarrassing.

They exposed the show building in a similar way in Japan (arguably Universal's most immersive old-school studio park). The fact that they recreated it here tells us it was an intentional design decision.


I'm not sure if this was driven by cost, but it does tell me that Universal has yet to reach Disney's level of immersion. Islands of Adventure may be the only exception, but their studio parks - with the exception of Universal Studios Singapore - are still lagging behind.


I guess the mantra "it's not just good, it's good enough" still applies here. I've yet to see Universal go all out. Diagon Alley may be the exception, but obviously that didn't carry through to Hollywood. Consistency is key.

 

[Aaron]

I'm confused at the fact they didn't place larger trees to cover the showbuilding. The have two pretty large trees randomly placed in the back of Wizarding World that could easily block out the visual intrusions. Why not place more of those instead of the smaller Larix trees?