Post by ArArArchStanton on Feb 12, 2017 2:12:54 GMT
It was incredible.
I honestly never thought the Potter series was as good as it is, and one of the most impressive things to me, was how well each film worked despite having constant side stories going on. I am much more of a Lord of the Ring and MCU fan, but Harry Potter has this great ability to stop what it's doing, take a deep breath, and just go play Quidditch, or spend a day in detention, without the film coming to a grinding hault, and it ends up making the world feel very alive.
I felt that alive quality most when I went to Universal Orlando this past week for 2 days and spent the entire time in Diagon Ally and Hogsmeade. If you haven't been, it is incredibly detailed, and if you have been, they've added the ability to cast spells in window when you purchase an interactive wand. There are dozens of spell areas and my wife and I ran around the entire place making feathers float and paintings sing and barrels of butter bear foam over. It was great!
The rides are also fantastic. My personal favorite is The Forbidden Journey, which is the original main ride in Hogsmeade, although I can't fault anybody who prefers Escape Form Gringots in the Diagon Ally expansion, which is also a top notch fun ride. Even the que areas for each ride are incredible. The Forbidden Journey takes the waiting line through the castle, out into the greenhouse, and then into Dumbledore's office. The paintings of the 4 founders of Hogwart's talking to eachother was my favorite aspect of the castle. Amazing. And then over at Gringots, the detail put into walking through the bank and then down into the vaults is incredible as well. The bank itself is so lifelike you feel you are really there.
And let's not forget Dragon Challenge, although I should say, there are some bubbling rumors that it may not last forever, but I'll cover that in more detail below.
But before that, there are tons, and I mean tons of other activities. Participating in a wand selection is really entertaining. Somebody is selected and the owner of the wand shop, in full character, dramatically walks them through the process of finding their chosen wand, complete with "mishaps" when the wand isn't quite right, and a glowing acceptance of the perfect wand. An incredible detail that should not be missed. A live performance is given of the Deathly Hollows in Diagon Ally, Knockturn ally is impressive, as well as a large fire breathing version of the dragon as it sits above Gringot's after it's escape. The Weasley shop is there, Butterbear bars, chocolate frog shops, and and annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd
The Hogwart's express must be taken. You get to run through 9 3/4 and the window sequences on the train ride, along with main character walking down the aisleway, plus the appearance of an evil presence are incredible.
THE FOOD! The food is top notch, whether you are eating at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade or the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Ally. Amazing atmosphere, and food so good you'll wish you had more. I had the roast chicken with potatoes, potato leak soup, and a huge ear of corn at the Three Broomsticks, while over at the Leaky Cauldron I had a really good Cottage Pie. Both atmosphere's are great but I would say the Three Broomsticks is larger, has an outdoor balcony, a full bar near a big fireplace, and is overall more impressively ornate, but again, they are both great.
And that brings me to my summary of each area.
HOGSMEADE: Has the better ride in Forbidden Journey and restaurant in Three Broomsticks, and the Hogwart's Castle is so impressive I could stand there looking at it all day. The street buildings do look fantastic covered in snow and there are enough shops from candy to wands and others to play around in, but I will say in the end it is a little simple with one straight street. However, not only is the pair of Dragon Challenge coasters available, but so is the smaller more kid friendly Flight of the Hippogriff minicoaster. All in all more rides, better rides, better restaurant, amazing castle, but a smaller simpler environment.
DIAGON ALLY: Conversely is so large you can almost get lost in it. Well not quite, but there are several streets including a very dark and creepy path down Knockturn ally, which I loved. The shop inside is full of creepy stuff. But entering Diagon Ally from the main park is itself a treat. The Knight Bus is there, as is a phone booth where you can call the Ministry of Magic!!! You can hear the bricks moving as you round the corner to enter the ally, and immediately you can see Gringot's dragon escaping. The way George & Fred's shop links to the Quidditch and candy stores is fun, and I enjoyed the giant canopy over the back portion of the ally as well as the other shops and butter bear bars. However, Escape From Gringot's is the only ride and my second favorite in the Potterverse, and likewise Leaky Cauldron is fantastic, but again my second favorite. But both are great and the overall area of Diagon Ally is more impressive to explore.
So take your pick. Ride and Restaurant advantage goes slightly to Hogsmeade while the visual and explorability advantage lies in Diagon Ally. Enjoy it all!
PS: I will be addressing that Dragon Challenge going away theory in a new thread called Harry Potter Orlando Expansion Possible. It's some really really exciting stuff.
