Judy in Texas 150 Posted July 1, 2014 Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 It's on right now! Found it by accident. Watching...Totally awesome so far! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Agreed!! I'm watching and recording so I can watch it again. (yes Lou, I'm a whackadoodle too) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Favorite part so far is that when you exit the train in "London" there are no signs pointing you to Diagon Alley. Because in the books it's supposed to be a secret location (Hagrid taps the brick wall and it "opens"), you just have to "find" the entrance. Of course you'll just need to follow the crowds, but the fact that they didn't put one sign up to be as true to the story as possible, is just cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2014 Just posted to FB by Inside the Magic... The Hogwarts Express has soft opened at Universal Orlando Resort to all guests with park-to-park tickets, APs included! Currently running round-trips in a technical rehearsal. Could close at any moment. https://www.facebook.com/insidethemagic/photos/a.391990882034.180401.10300702034/10152105466302035/?type=1&theater Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2014 If you missed the NBC special the other night, someone put it up on YouTube...http://youtu.be/F0EZptPM2mg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 3, 2014 Report Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks Mo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Orlando Attractions Magazine posted to Facebook about 4 hours ago that parts of Diagon Alley were in soft openings... The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley doesn’t open until July 8, 2014. But you can get into the new land right now. The shops, restaurant, entertainment and more are now under a soft opening. A soft opening, also known as technical rehearsal, means it’s not officially open yet, as they’re still testing everything out with guests. This also means the all or parts of the area may not be open every day, or for parts of each day, until the grand opening on July 8. It is expected the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride will be very limited before the grand opening, if it soft opens at all. The Hogwarts Express train ride, which takes guests with two-park passes from Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and back, soft opened a couple of days ago. But Diagon Alley itself has remained closed to everyone except Universal hotel guests who had purchased a special Harry Potter package. They have been able to enter for a couple of hours each day since Monday. As of around 3:30 p.m. today, Thursday, July 3, 2014, all park guests could enter. http://attractionsmagazine.com/diagon-alley-now-soft-opening-universal-orlando/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Yeah, but do you get a bracelet? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 No, but you get a wand that actually works. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I cant get the video to work....copyright issues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Rats. I had a feeling that would happen eventually since it was just some random person that put it up on YouTube in the first place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I ran across this little tidbit of information... Universal has spent an estimated $1 billion on the Wizarding World, and so far its gamble has paid off: Attendance at the park shot up nearly 40% after the Wizarding World debuted. Universal, a smaller draw than its close rival Walt Disney World, quickly became a must-see for millions of Orlando tourists (a record 59 million people traveled to the city in 2013). Insiders say Universal, with the full support of parent company Comcast (CMCSA), committed at least $500 million to the Diagon Alley addition. The shops, eateries and cobblestone streets envisioned by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling were designed and constructed by the same production crew that built the elaborate sets for the Warner Bros. films. Universal shut down its long-running Jaws attraction in 2012 to make room for Diagon Alley, which doubles the size of the Harry Potter footprint in Orlando, according to Universal. (Wizarding World – Hogsmeade takes up 20 acres of Islands of Adventure). https://www.yahoo.com/travel/universal-orlando-resorts-new-harry-potter-89671698722.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Trying to find another version of the video. No luck so far, but I did find this... On the last day of the Celebration of Harry Potter 2014 at Universal Orlando, art director Alan Gilmore and sculptors Bryn Court and Eric Baker gave a presentation on how they created the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, featuring behind-the-scenes photos and a sneak peek at a few large props for the Diagon Alley expansion including a Vanishing Cabinet, troll armor, and items for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) also made an appearance to show off a few props. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M39yPFT2U6A Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 From Orlando Attractions Magazine... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152494164579330&set=a.10151779611354330.1073741826.8093464329&type=1&theater Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Hmmm, didn't Disney spend a billion dollars on something at the same time that Universal was spending a billion on Harry Potter? If only they'd built something as cool as this instead of that MoMagic boondoggle. I ran across this little tidbit of information... Quote Universal has spent an estimated $1 billion on the Wizarding World, and so far its gamble has paid off: Attendance at the park shot up nearly 40% after the Wizarding World debuted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Hmmm, didn't Disney spend a billion dollars on something at the same time that Universal was spending a billion on Harry Potter?If only they'd built something as cool as this instead of that MoMagic boondoggle. I went to a Bday party last week where he and his wife were and are long time CMs. There were some other CMs there as well. One of the higher level CMs told me that Disney could have bought the rights to HP, but passed.He also told me that the genius that sold Disney on the idea of the MyMagic program has left. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I went to a Bday party last week where he and his wife were and are long time CMs. There were some other CMs there as well. One of the higher level CMs told me that Disney could have bought the rights to HP, but passed.He also told me that the genius that sold Disney on the idea of the MyMagic program has left. A CEO's legacy, whether fair or not, is defined by things like this. Iger ultimately may be generating great returns for the shareholders and overall might be a successful leader, but his legacy, not to mention his job, will hang in the balance if this thing isn't ultimately successful. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Orlando Attractions Magazine has posted a bunch of pictures of the fire breathing dragon on top of Gringotts from the soft opening. Very impressive!! more on their Facebook page...https://www.facebook.com/attractionsmagazine?fref=photo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Some video clips of the dragonhttp://youtu.be/akdfNUiG1DU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Universal Studios gets a realistic dragon and we get one driven by a purple guy with ear muffs and plastic bands. BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lou... 3,118 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Universal Studios gets a realistic dragon and we get one driven by a purple guy with ear muffs and plastic bands. To be fair, the Disney dragon from a technical and engineering point of view is far superior than that one.It doesn't seem to move at all. Make a fiberglass statue of a dragon, stick a gas pipe up it's butt, connect it to a timer, and you're done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Make a fiberglass statue of a dragon, stick a gas pipe up it's butt, connect it to a timer, and you're done. Wouldn't it be great if that's exactly how it's noted on the project plans? :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Sometimes less is way, way more.I'll take the gaspipe up the butt dragon everytime. BradyBzLyn...Mo 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Sometimes less is way, way more.I'll take the gaspipe up the butt dragon everytime. Oh tag fairy!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 Oh tag fairy!!!! Does it matter that i posted that on purpose wondering if the tag peeps were paying attention? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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