harry potter theme park – Orlando Attraction Tickets blog

May 8, 2014May 8, 2014

Check Out This Sneak Peak Inside Harry Potter And The Escape From Gringotts Queue

Hey Thrill Seekers,

It feels like everyday at the moment I’m posting something about a new video, and today is no exception. However I’m sure you’ll forgive me when I tell you its related to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Diagon Alley and the new ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts…

Yesterday, the Today show released a video promoting a competition they’re running in conjunction with Universal Orlando to win a trip to the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley.

The video shows Al Roker (Presenter) explaining the competition in the interior of Gringotts Bank, as he walks around you can see in the background animatronic Goblin bankers doing what animatronic Goblins do… bank I guess!? Its quite surprising that Universal have allowed the interior to be filmed and shown without a big fan fair as this is the first time we’ve seen the interior of the Gringotts Bank.

Again, and I find myself repeating it, the attention to detail is amazing. The difference in realism between the Goblins depicted in the video and say the Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park are glaring.

I can’t wait to see the finished product and rumour has it that perhaps we’ll be told a confirmed opening date as early as next week!

UPDATED: Universal Release their own Goblin Video;

Remember, to ride the Hogwarts Express and enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley you’ll require a multi park ticket, you can purchase a Universal 2 park bonus ticket from Orlando Attraction Tickets which will offer you unlimited access to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios for 14 days.

Smiles included…

Jamie

November 12, 2013

What To Do About Harry Potter?

Afternoon Thrill Seekers,

With 2013 in its penultimate month most people are turning their attention to 2014 and when we think about 2014 in regards to Orlando Theme Parks our first thought is the opening of the expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley.

The expectation and excitement around its opening is set to even dwarf the original frantic scene’s and we for one cannot wait! However there are a few things that even though we’re sure the guys at Universal have thought of if giving us pause to think.

Today’s post we’re going to take a quick look at some of the dilemmas Universal must struggle with when considering phase 2 of Potter Land.

Hogwarts Express

The announcement of the Hogwarts Express and the first photo’s of it being lowered on to the track got the internet talking. The idea of connecting both parks by train is genius and I for one can’t wait to ride it…. but here lies the problem.

Everyone is going to want to ride the Hogwarts Express, so this leads me to my first concern.

How will Universal deal with the queue’s? Islands of Adventure to Universal Studios is at most a 2 minute walk, so they can’t really have too many carriages attached to the main train, granted you can stretch the track further but this leads to a longer wait time between stations. We know there will only ever be 2 trains running at any time (Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and vice versa) how many people will the train carry? Based on perhaps 2 carriages, each carriage holding 32 people, I estimate they would be able to shift 1920 people per hour one way basing the ride time on 2 minutes. Islands of Adventure at full capacity can take 40k people!!!

Universal are not stupid they’ve encountered queues before but how do you keep everyone happy while queuing?

Multi day tickets

Not really an issue for our customers as our standard Universal 2 Park Bonus Ticket includes 14 days unlimited access to both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios but if you’re looking to purchase tickets on the gate your going to have buy a ticket for both parks costing approx. $200.00 per person.

Living up to expectations

How much are you looking forward to the official opening? Yeah me too… and so is everyone! Are Universal on a hiding to nothing?

How do you keep everyone happy, when the original Wizarding World was opened no one knew what to expect. With this new expansion there is a level of expectation when it comes to the look and feel of the park.

Hogsmeade’s flagship ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has been met with both critical (continues to win industry awards) and public praise. The ride introduced new technology to theme parks and I would expect the same level of detail at Gringotts Bank. A template for this ride has already been put down both in the Potter books and most recently on screen. Can they produce what we expect?

The rest of the park

A major puzzle for Universal, how do you make sure that the rest of both parks still get some visitor love?

Transformers the Ride has proven to be a very popular draw at Universal Studios this year but in reality 2014 will be ruled by Potter and only after the euphoria has died down can Universal realistically expect to see the parks return to normal patterns…

How Universal deal with these factors will be key to if the new expansion is a long term success… we know in the short term its going to be HUGE!!!

On a massive plus side, if you’re not a fan of Potter the queue times on the other rides will be minimal 🙂

Smiles included…

Jamie

October 25, 2013

First Pictures Of The Hogwarts Express Arriving At The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hi Thrill Seekers,

Eeeeeeeekkk! This is a scream of excitement! Check out these new pictures of The Hogwarts Express being delivered to Universal Studios in preparation for the planned opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in 2014!

The picture above is from yesterday as Universal representatives lowered the first train on to the recently built tracks.

I think you’ll agree the Hogwarts Express looks amazing and I can’t wait to ride it!!!!

Smiles included

Jamie

August 27, 2013

New Pictures Released Of Universal’s Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Expansion

Afternoon Thrill Seekers,

We last updated you on the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the end of July. The pictures we received then showed how Diagon Alley has already been erected and how massive it looks against the Orlando skyline.

Today we’ve been sent some additional images that we thought you’d like to see…

The images show the current construction of Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, including the buildings that will make up London, you’ll note from previous images that windows seem to have been added to the building that most are speculating will be Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

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The photo above showing the yellow/green covering is the exterior of King’s Cross Station where Harry and the gang catch the train to Hogwarts…

Speaking of the Hogwarts Express we also got sent images an image of an aerial shot of Universal’s backlot. The image appears to show the storing of several Hogwart Expresses, have a look, what do you think?

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From what we’ve heard and it makes sense, Universal will run 2 train simultaneously working in opposite directions leading to and from Hogsmeade Station at Islands of Adventure and Platform 9 3/4 in Universal Studios Florida.

We are still quietly confident that our prediction of a June 2014 opening is possible however Universal still have not announced anything concrete.

Smiles included…

Jamie

August 8, 2013

Celebration Of Harry Potter At The Wizarding World

Morning Thrill Seekers,

Universal Orlando yesterday announced plans to house a celebration of all things Harry Potter. Taking place on the 24th, 25th and 26th of January 2014 the celebration plans to offer visitors a unique experience including

Q&A sessions with the cast members and filmmakers
A wand masterclass hosted by choreographer Paul Harris, duelling instructor for the feature films
Opportunities to explore Hogwarts™ castle, and shop and dine in Hogsmeade™ at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™

An exciting Harry Potter™ Film Tribute with select cast members and filmmakers
Thrilling rides, including:
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
- Dragon Challenge™

Harry Potter celebration

The celebration points towards perhaps the soft launch of Diagon Alley, here’s what Universals wrote;

Come and celebrate all of Harry’s adventures at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. From interactive experiences to a private evening reception and more, this exciting event will be three days of unforgettable fun for all ages, set against the backdrop of two amazing theme parks.

The key wording perhaps being “Set against the backdrop of two amazing theme parks”, at the moment all the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions are found in Islands of Adventure… Hmmm

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Smiles included.

Jamie

July 30, 2013

Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Expansion Update

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Every since Universal officially announced that they would indeed be expanding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter we’ve been patiently waiting for news… anything… a whisper… honestly we’ll take anything!

Well today a reader pointed me to some expansion photo’s doing the rounds. They feature construction of the “London” part of Diagon Alley, and although the fronts are yet to be fitted the photo’s give you a good idea of the huge scale Universal are going for.

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The scale is very impressive and I’m sure once the fronts of some of London’s famous landmarks are also added it will really begin to submerge you into the Wizarding World. The photo’s were provided by orlandoparksnews.com

As we’ve previously reported the two Wizarding World parks will be connected via a working Hogwarts Express, you will require a ticket for each park to ride it. The 2 Park Universal Bonus Ticket is ideal to ride the Hogwarts Express as it offers 14 consecutive days entry in to both Islands of Adventure and Orlando Studios Florida.

Smiles included…

Jamie

April 29, 2013April 29, 2013

Shouldn’t Have Said That. No More Questions, Don’t Ask Anymore Questions!

Morning Thrill Seekers,

I find having my haircut really boring, its wasted time, I can’t do haircut anything but sit there and hope that the person cutting my hair is interesting enough to engage with, it might sound a little harsh but its the truth… Friday I had my haircut… the person cutting my hair was probably the most interesting “cutter” I’ll ever have and here’s why!

The conversation went like this;

Hairdresser: So what do you do for a living?

Me: I work for Orlando Attraction Tickets we supply customer with theme park tickets for Florida.

Hairdresser: Oh that’s interesting… my brother does a bit of work with Universal.

Me: Oh right, what sort of stuff?

Too be honest I wasn’t quite expecting the reply I got, in my head I was imagining her to say something like “he sells them ice cream” or something even less glamorous. What she said almost caused me to get my ear cut off!!

Hairdresser: Oh works for a 3D and 4D specialist in Soho, who are working on the new Harry Potter ride.

Me: He’s WHHHHHHAASAAAATTTTT!!!!!!!

She went on to explain that her brother’s company had already created work for 3 of the Harry Potter films and also the Forbidden Journey ride at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. She mentioned that Universal were so happy with their work on the initial ride that they came straight to them when they decided to create the HOGWARTS EXPRESS RIDE!!!

Me: How interesting…

Hairdresser: Yeah he’s been working on some movie bits that the original cast filmed, i think he said it will be shown inside the train.

Me: That sounds great. I’m there in May 2014 do you think I’ll see it then?

Hairdresser:…. Oh what a shame, I’m sure he said the launch was June 2014.

Holy moly!!! I stumbled on to the most knowledgeable hairdresser in the Wizarding World…. Sadly my hair was then complete and I couldn’t grill her any further but I’ll be sure to be going back there again!!

Hang on the hair cut cost £20.00….not even Harry is worth a £20 haircut

Regards,

Jamie

April 16, 2013April 16, 2013

Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Pictures

Afternoon Thrill Seekers,

The expansion that must not be named…yet, looks like its in full swing. Although Universal have yet to announce the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion officially, the internet has been awash with rumour and conjecture.

Today thanks to screamscapes anonymous source I’m able to share with you the latest imagery of what appears to be the track for the Hogwarts Express *squeal*.

The Hogwarts Express attraction is said to connect Islands of Adventure with Universal Studios, where the London section of the Wizarding World will be located.

hogwarts train track As Universal aren’t confirming anything at the moment (and why would they with Transformers so close to launch) we can only speculate what the Hogwarts attraction might entail.

Here at Orlando Attraction Tickets we can’t imagine that Universal will just build a bog standard train that takes you from A to B, the idea of peering out of a window looking at the backlot of Universal kind of kills the mythos, could the attraction incorporate a 3D experience within the train? Original cast members did recently shoot additional scenes specifically for the Wizarding World could they have been filming a Hogwarts Express scene?

This story will run and run until we get something concrete from Universal but until then imagining the end product is so much fun!

regards,

Jamie

December 7, 2011December 7, 2011

Universal Orlando Confirm Orlando Wizarding World of Harry Potter Extension

Yesterday Universal Studios confirmed that they would be taking the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood which of course was a major announcement however within the press conference Universal also confirmed that they would be extending the original Wizarding World in Orlando.

A couple of days ago we reported that Universal Studio’s was closing its iconic attraction, Jaws. and rumours sprung up about what would replace the water based ride.

Although nothing has been officially confirmed it does appear that the new extension to the Harry Potter Theme Park will replace Jaws.

Now as I’m sure you know, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is situated in Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the Jaws attraction sits proudly in Universal Studios…

One rumour that keeps popping up is a Hogwarts express style transfer to a London based/Diagon alley/Gringott’s bank area! Which sounds amazing.

Universals’ revenues climbed by 9.1% in 2011’s third quarter, to $531 million. Profits rose to $285 million from $252 million in the same period last year. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of the main reason’s for this rise, and the interest doesn’t seem to be diminishing.

You can buy tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter by visiting Orlando Attraction Tickets

December 5, 2011

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Expands To Universal Hollywood

We all thought it would happen but its finally been confirmed that the Harry Potter Theme Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be duplicated for the Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

The Harry Potter attraction which opened in Orlando in 2010, has helped attendance at Universal Orlando’s Islands of adventure jump by 40%, Comcast executive vice president Steve Burke said in September.

Rumours are still circulating stating that Los Angeles wont be the last Wizarding World of Harry Potter land to open and further Harry Potter Theme Parks could open in Japan and Singapore.