The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hollywood

[smoaT]

It is a fairly intense ride, but I think the main issue is that people don't really know what they're getting themselves into. Since the screens in the ride completely surround you in order to give the full experience, it makes for a pretty believable journey that some people can't handle. On top of that, the KUKA arms provide all types of movement, so all lines on this ride are crossed! They've even had to change minor portions of the ride in order to keep guests from feeling so motion sick. I won't give away the change to prevent spoilers, but feel free to message me if you really wanna know.

Then how exactly does it work?? do you move around like Transformers or you are stationary in one room but the robotic arm moves??

 

[UniversalFan]

If a 'phase 2' does take place, I'm willing to be that Shrek and WaterWorld will be next on the chopping block. I've heard some buzz about those two specific attractions, but I'm not sure how they'll incorporate anything new.

Who thinks we might get something entirely new?

NOt sure about that. I am very concerned during this time that Harry Potter will take too much of the park, like 50% of the property. And there would be a slight decrease for the tour wait time since Potter is very popular in Orlando. I can't say much since I haven't been there.

 

[smoaT]

NOt sure about that. I am very concerned during this time that Harry Potter will take too much of the park, like 50% of the property. And there would be a slight decrease for the tour wait time since Potter is very popular in Orlando. I can't say much since I haven't been there.

I don't think waiting times will decrease, on the contrary. Potter can only take so much, the flood of people is gonna be so big that is impossible that Potter can take all the heat... Transformers being what it is has 90 mins wait times, imagine Potter, I think there is a lot of people in their right mind that won't want to wait wait for more than 120 mins in line (though there are some crazy dudes that are willing to be in line for 3 hrs, not my case) . So there is going to be so much people  flowing to the rest of the park "too see if the line gets shorter" and trying out some other rides. That happened in Florida... so lets see how that plays out here. Lets hope for the best

 

[William]

Then how exactly does it work?? do you move around like Transformers or you are stationary in one room but the robotic arm moves??

It's like Transformers, where you're moving through rooms with screens that blend into the sets - except instead of sitting in a vehicle like Evac, you're sitting in a "magical bench" attached to a KUKA arm.

I don't think waiting times will decrease, on the contrary. Potter can only take so much, the flood of people is gonna be so big that is impossible that Potter can take all the heat... Transformers being what it is has 90 mins wait times, imagine Potter, I think there is a lot of people in their right mind that won't want to wait wait for more than 120 mins in line (though there are some crazy dudes that are willing to be in line for 3 hrs, not my case) . So there is going to be so much people  flowing to the rest of the park "too see if the line gets shorter" and trying out some other rides. That happened in Florida... so lets see how that plays out here. Lets hope for the best

Transformers doesn't get a huge wait anymore, though. It's been a while since I've seen it exceed 80/85 mins. Something they need to do, though, is improve a couple things with crowd flow in the Wizarding World. For one, the whole locker situation for FJ in Orlando is an absolute disaster. The room full of lockers is supposed to simulate a dungeon feel, so you're in very close quarters with everyone else in there. No loose articles are permitted on the attraction, so peak days are an absolute nightmare when trying to find an open locker, and people often get very fed up with with each other. Another issue they'll have to deal with is the whole overflow queue situation for the ride.. Even when using all of the extended queue for FJ (on peak days), they still have to place temporary ropes all the way to the nearest Jurassic Park entrance in order to accomodate crowds. In fact, the line will often go into Jurassic Park, so first time guests have absolutely no idea where to get in line for the darn ride. They even have a team member holding up an official sign pointing to where the queue officially starts. It'd hard to imagine how many times people ask what Jurassic Park ride everyone is getting in line for.  <_<

 

[smoaT]

It's like Transformers, where you're moving through rooms with screens that blend into the sets - except instead of sitting in a vehicle like Evac, you're sitting in a "magical bench" attached to a KUKA arm.

Transformers doesn't get a huge wait anymore, though. It's been a while since I've seen it exceed 80/85 mins. Something they need to do, though, is improve a couple things with crowd flow in the Wizarding World. For one, the whole locker situation for FJ in Orlando is an absolute disaster. The room full of lockers is supposed to simulate a dungeon feel, so you're in very close quarters with everyone else in there. No loose articles are permitted on the attraction, so peak days are an absolute nightmare when trying to find an open locker, and people often get very fed up with with each other. Another issue they'll have to deal with is the whole overflow queue situation for the ride.. Even when using all of the extended queue for FJ (on peak days), they still have to place temporary ropes all the way to the nearest Jurassic Park entrance in order to accomodate crowds. In fact, the line will often go into Jurassic Park, so first time guests have absolutely no idea where to get in line for the darn ride. They even have a team member holding up an official sign pointing to where the queue officially starts. It'd hard to imagine how many times people ask what Jurassic Park ride everyone is getting in line for.  <_<

Oh my God... and how long does that mean?? 3 hours?

 

[Allen The Actor]

If a 'phase 2' does take place, I'm willing to be that Shrek and WaterWorld will be next on the chopping block. I've heard some buzz about those two specific attractions, but I'm not sure how they'll incorporate anything new.

Who thinks we might get something entirely new?

I sincerely don't think we'll get anything from phase 2 since it won't make sense theme wise to get anything from phase 2 and have it located next to phase one. Also it will be overkill in our little park.

As for something original? Doubt it. We're getting forbidden journey, shops, and maybe hippogrifff.

The only thing I could imagine for phase two for us is maybe an attraction based in the Shrieking Shack, since it's next to Hogsmeade. But it's not the most memorable location from the books/movies.

Also, lines will be unmanageable when Potter opens here

Think about it: IOA has so many more rides and attractions than us and Potter is hugely popular and has such long waits.

We don't have half as many attractions at USH, so wait times will be even worse...

 

[William]

I sincerely don't think we'll get anything from phase 2 since it won't make sense theme wise to get anything from phase 2 and have it located next to phase one. Also it will be overkill in our little park.

As for something original? Doubt it. We're getting forbidden journey, shops, and maybe hippogrifff.

The only thing I could imagine for phase two for us is maybe an attraction based in the Shrieking Shack, since it's next to Hogsmeade. But it's not the most memorable location from the books/movies.

Also, lines will be unmanageable when Potter opens here

Think about it: IOA has so many more rides and attractions than us and Potter is hugely popular and has such long waits.

We don't have half as many attractions at USH, so wait times will be even worse...

I'd literally scream if we got a Shrieking Shack. I'm already getting excited thinking about it. 

Oh my God... and how long does that mean?? 3 hours?

For opening day? Very likely. I went during Spring Break just last month and the longest wait time I had seen was about 2 hours, but I wasn't usually in the Wizarding World at noon (EXTREMELY crowded), so it very well could've been longer. This attraction opened 3 whole years ago and it's still wildly popular! Believe it or not, Forbidden Journey has 4 different (but not totally separated) lines: the locker line, the regular line, the single rider line, and the handicap line. As the name suggests, the locker line is a queue designed specifically for guests to place belongings in their own locker before entering the regular queue. The line can last up to a full hour (or more!). In 2011, they saw how much of an issue the shortness of the line turned out to be, so they bulldozed unused property in order to place another extended queue. The single rider line and the handicap line mostly use the same route, but those in the handicap line eventually reach a team member ready to board you onto an elevator that takes you over the regular boarding area and back down into a separate boarding area. It's somewhat of a complicated process, but you'll be marveling at the inside of the castle, so there's no worry. 

Long story short; expect long lines for a long time!

 

[smoaT]

Yeah I know... lets enjoy our quiet little park while it lasts

 

[William]

Despicable Me may change that up..! 

 

[UniversalFan]

Yup! 

 

[smoaT]

Nahhh... well depends on the box office of the new one

 

[William]

Not necessarily. Minion Mayhem won't open for at least another year after Despicable Me 2's release, so I don't think the film's quality will influence people that much. I assume many people will plan on seeing it though, considering the first movie was such a hit.

 

[Chris]

I think JK Rowling has already signed off on the designs when Florida was built. Universal Creative now own the rights to all HP theme park editions and concepts. That allows for creative flexibility. JK just gets a paycheck now. She will have nothing to do with designs for Universal Studios Hollywood because they will copy what is already signed off in Florida. I think they are working harder with Warner Brothers set designers than anything else.

Potter for Universal Studios Hollywood will be a mini version, and I will be happy with whatever we get as long as it compliments our theme park and makes people want to visit. It will never be as expansive or the level of immersive feelings that Florida already has.

 

[smoaT]

I think JK Rowling has already signed off on the designs when Florida was built. Universal Creative now own the rights to all HP theme park editions and concepts. That allows for creative flexibility. JK just gets a paycheck now. She will have nothing to do with designs for Universal Studios Hollywood because they will copy what is already signed off in Florida. I think they are working harder with Warner Brothers set designers than anything else.

Potter for Universal Studios Hollywood will be a mini version, and I will be happy with whatever we get as long as it compliments our theme park and makes people want to visit. It will never be as expansive or the level of immersive feelings that Florida already has.

Wow... how did you get that info?

 

[Allen The Actor]

Potter for Universal Studios Hollywood will be a mini version, and I will be happy with whatever we get as long as it compliments our theme park and makes people want to visit. It will never be as expansive or the level of immersive feelings that Florida already has.

Besides not (obviously) getting Dragon Challenge, how will our version be a "mini" version?I just realized something. I think we can get a full Hogsmeade with the exception of Three Broomsticks. I think the restaurant might be a bit smaller here because it IS a pretty large restaurant. I don't know if we can fit the original large version. But we will get it.

As for the rest of Hogsmeade? Well, a lot of the shops are just facades. There aren't THAT many actual shops. I think we'll be able to fit everything. Also, they're small shops, so I definitely see us getting everything.

I'm still curious if we'll get Flight of the Hippogriff. I feel we need the ride, USH sorely lacks in ride count. And Wizarding World needs more than one ride....Anyway, if we don't get the Hippogriff roller coaster, I'm sure we'll still get Hagrid's hut next to Hogwarts and maybe a photo opp with an animatronic hippogriff.

Question for everyone: with us getting such a fully realized and well themed land, I think it's obvious that it will stick out like a sore thumb (an amazing thumb, but sore nonetheless haha) among the rest of the attractions. Do you think that USH will do what Disney did with DCA and spruce up the existing attractions before the big unveil of the main expansion (Carsland), in USH's case WWoHP?

Like, I know it's far fetched but what are the chances of USH moving away from the current format of random rides and actually featuring "lands"? It would be sorta awkward on the lower lot, which is just three random thrill rides.

But still, potentially this is what it can be:

Wizarding World

Springfield

Super Silly Fun Land

Production Central (hodgepodge land of House of Horrors, Waterworld, Shrek, Animal Actors and Special Effects Stage, and Studio Tour Plaza)

Universal Plaza

International Streets: (french and british foodie streets)

And...Action! - Basically the lower lot rethemed to the sets of three movies that we're in: Mummy, JP, and Transformers.

 

[Miss Betty Juice]

I don't want lands. I think it would be foolish on Universal's part. The jokes from Disney fans alone would be unbearable. Not to mention our park is way too small to really call them lands if they tried, areas more like, but not lands.

As for sprucing up rides, I doubt it. USH, cheap as they are, will maybe refresh a few facades, repaint a few things, and that'll be it. Aside from standard annual refurb, I don't think they like caring for attractions which makes me sad.

 

[Chris]

I would also like to see the Hippogriff coaster however I feel there still is not enough space once you place the Harry Potter building on top of the amphitheater location. Also with all the current noise regulations spinning around I also do not believe there's any way they could sell the idea of an outdoor coaster. From what I believe I have heard was that we would have three give shops and one restaurant. Now think about that for minute, one gift shop would be at the ride exit, another gift shop would be Olivanders wand shop and the third shop could be the candy store. Squeeze in one restaurant and a butter beer cart on the street and I think we're done.

 

[smoaT]

Besides not (obviously) getting Dragon Challenge, how will our version be a "mini" version?

I just realized something. I think we can get a full Hogsmeade with the exception of Three Broomsticks. I think the restaurant might be a bit smaller here because it IS a pretty large restaurant. I don't know if we can fit the original large version. But we will get it.

As for the rest of Hogsmeade? Well, a lot of the shops are just facades. There aren't THAT many actual shops. I think we'll be able to fit everything. Also, they're small shops, so I definitely see us getting everything.

I'm still curious if we'll get Flight of the Hippogriff. I feel we need the ride, USH sorely lacks in ride count. And Wizarding World needs more than one ride....Anyway, if we don't get the Hippogriff roller coaster, I'm sure we'll still get Hagrid's hut next to Hogwarts and maybe a photo opp with an animatronic hippogriff.

That's what I have been saying... we need more than one ride, because in the great scheme of things just facades it's not enough, great tgeme area, with one ride??? it would be awful. But lets see what they do

 

[Allen The Actor]

I still think we'll get the hippogriff roller coaster. For both capacity/ride count and because i think there's room. Also, it doesnt have to be an exact clone of the Florida version. It can be built around the provided space. The one in Florifa used to be the unicorn coaster, so for ours, i think they can start from scratch and fit it to the space.

Sound probably won't be an issue. You'll have a towering Hogwarts on one side, and waterworld will be on the other side. And it's a kiddie coaster, so I doubt it would affect noise regulations at all.

 

[Alexshow.]

Not necessarily. Minion Mayhem won't open for at least another year after Despicable Me 2's release, so I don't think the film's quality will influence people that much. I assume many people will plan on seeing it though, considering the first movie was such a hit.

There is the minion mayhem film coming next year in winter of 2014 so we can just say for the next 2 year's it literally is minion mayhem. now with potter as mabye we could as one ride coming in the future is located at the current site of the tram garage now i absolutely do not think it's not potter related in anyway shape or form s there's that but if it happens in phase II expect to see olivender's take over shrek as it's big enough of two room's as i'm not sure but if it stay's and get's a overhaul in winter then i would have hope they redo the attraction with a castle theme to fit the potter area and then there's waterworld. perfect site for hippogriff! to be honest it's the right area for it as they could get rid of waterworld really fast and if they can add some tree's or fake mountain to the area then it would be good as it could cover the backstage area as comcast is going to do some unique things to the park as i hope this could be the overhaul the park's been waiting for since year's and then comcast could get the facade for transformers fixed.