Incase you have no idea what I am talking about, Universal Studios in Orlando has a new addition to its already wonderful theme parks. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be a new island inside Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. The park will feature several places from the books and movies including Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.
The park will be home to three rides. According to Universal, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey--which is housed within Hogwarts castle--is the heart of the new park. The ride combines a powerful story line with new technology. It is suppose to be unlike any other ride currently in existence. The Dragon Challenge is a roller coaster based on the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It's basically the Dueling Dragons roller coaster that used to be at Universal reworked into the Harry Potter story line. The last ride is the Flight of the Hippogriff. This coaster is suppose to be more kid friendly, and less intense than the the Dragon Challenge.
Hogsmeade will house several of the shops and food stops that it houses in the books and movies. The Three Broomsticks will be an actual restaurant that serves Butterbeer (a drink featured in the books). Other familiar stores include Honeydukes (a sweets shop), Ollivanders, as well as Dervish and Banges.
I am very excited to visit this park sometime in the future. I will not be going over the summer though. Orlando is much too hot and crowded during that time of the year.
I was at Universal last March when it was being built and it looked so cool. They had it blocked off from everything else but you could see bits and pieces of it from the top of the Dueling Dragons coaster. I am trying to figure out when I can go back to Orlando and do a Disney, Islands of Adverture, and Univerisal Studios trip.
ReplyDeleteI was actually checking the website out a few days ago. I was curious to see what it was all about and when the actual opening date would be. I can honestly say that I will probably never venture out there, but it is interesting to say the least. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey sounds really interesting though since they're claiming that it's supposed to be unlike any other ride in existence. The whole world of Harry Potter is crazy to think about. J.K. Rowling is and will continue to be one of the richest woman to ever live because well after she dies, her books, merchandise, and stories will continue to live on.
ReplyDeleteAmy! I have heard about this vaguely in the past but after your details this sounds really exciting and like nothing I've ever been to before. My family has a time-share in Orlando and although I wont be going this year (were going to Cancun instead) i can't wait to check out this addition to universal. I predict it will do very well, i guess i better start catching up on the movies now :)
ReplyDeleteI had heard about this but was not sure if it would actually happen! I know you are super excited as are a lot of people. The Harry Potter series have this amazing way of drawing people into a world of wizardry. I thoroughly enjoyed the books because they took me away and I am sure that the theme park will do the same. You know I will the first to go with you all the way down to Universal, even if I am not as hardcore of a Harry Potter fan as you! I am so excited for you and love reading your blogs because they are truly you!
ReplyDeleteThis park looks sweet! I was at Universal Studios this time last year and they were working on it, and I wish it was open while I was there. The new rides and coasters look awesome and I can’t wait to head back down there to try them.
ReplyDeleteEven though I would never go for many reasons, I think for the millions of Harry Potter lovers it will be great.
ReplyDeleteI cannot beleive that they really are dedicating that much time, money and space to Harry Potter but I guess it really has made a huge impact on our society as we know it. I mean everyone knows who harry is, read it or not you've heard about him.
Very cool though.
I went to Islands of Adventure when I was a teenager. It is the best theme park I've been to besides Cedar Point in Ohio.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge roller coaster nut, and Dueling Dragons is a great ride. Although I've never been a big Harry Potter fan, the whole theme behind the books should make for a good amusement park experience.
This is funny, my best friend and I were just talking about this on Friday. She is graduating from ECU in May and she and her boyfriend are going down just for Harry Potter. She just got offered at job (a real job, not in sales) with Target. She will be training special groups or something, but she will be starting in the middle of June making $40, 000 a year and all she cares about when I talk to her is Harry Potter at Universal.
ReplyDeleteI will be proud to report to her that she is not the only (adult) fan!
Amy this sounds really cool. I have not been to a theme park in a long time but I might have to look into this one. It sounds like it will be a big time money maker for universal. I bet the shops and stores will be really interesting too.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, I wanted to check out the website for the new park at Universal. I know it is nerdy to say, but I have read all of the Harry Potter books a couple of times when I was in high school and in college. So knowing the whole story of Harry Potter, I am also really excited for this park to open. It is funny too, because I and my boyfriend were just recently planning a trip to Orlando for June to hit all the parks. Unfortunately it has to be put on hold because he lost his job. Hopefully we will both be employed with jobs so we can afford to go in the fall.
ReplyDeleteI have to say though after seeing all the construction and reading about all the rides, I could not find any information about the actual rides in this new section. Like the ride with the dragons really confuses me. This ride sounds exactly like the one that is in Islands of Adventure Park called dueling dragons (so why would they put a ride just like that one?) Then I was trying to find out about the other ride, The Mysterious World of Harry Potter, and I really could not get a hold of what type of ride it actually is. It made no sense to me. I can’t wait to find out what it actually is and if it would be worth riding. I know the hippogriff one won’t be.
Also, I cannot believe they are making this wizarding world come to life with all for the shops they have created. My favorite that I was reading up on is the one that is exactly like the wand store. It is going to look exactly like it, and sell only wands for people to take home (That is going to be a big seller!). Other than that it is going to be really cool to also see the Hogwarts and what their imaginations have taken them. The outside views are amazing. Cannot wait to see inside!