I’m so glad I went!!!

fredandkell

I'd rather be cruising
Joined
Apr 4, 2013
Y’all, I’m not a huge themepark person. I don’t care if I ever go back to Disney ever again. But let me just tell you, as a 42-year-old mom who has been a Harry Potter fan since the late 1990s, I literally got goosebumps entering Diagon Alley for the first time on Wednesday. My 13-year-old, who is a big fan of the books and movies as well, actually teared up. The attention to detail that they have done in the spirit of the books and movies is absolutely incredible. So I guess the point of this post is to say, if you are on the fence about going to Universal, if you are a big Harry Potter fan it is so, so worth it!! The rest of the park is pretty B-grade honestly, but the Harry Potter stuff is absolutely spectacular and Universal should be thanking J.K. Rowling on bended knee for reviving the parks and making Universal an attraction to rival Disney, especially for the older kids (and parents)!
 
I love Universal, really liked it before Harry Potter arrived and like it more now. I think overall in the rest of the park it's less "Disney" (makes sense) but the Harry Potter worlds are so immersive and well done. I'm glad you had a good time!
 


Universal should be thanking J.K. Rowling on bended knee for reviving the parks and making Universal an attraction to rival Disney, especially for the older kids (and parents)!

WDW had the lead to acquire the HP rights but would only commit to an attraction vs a land. Ms Rowling, acknowledged as a bit of a control freak, decided their vision wasn’t quite right and moved on up the road

I’d like to think ‘she’ has profusely thanked Universal for doing a stellar job bringing her creations so vividly to life:)
 
And it’s only gonna get better with Nintendo coming! The theme park wars are just beginning and we as consumers greatly benefit from it 😊
Is that what they’re doing in the middle of Islands of Adventure with all the construction?
 


Glad you had a good time @fredandkell . We did our first trip over to Universal just recently after years of living in central FL. Agree that the Harry Potter was done very well and the details are great. The thing I did like about the rest of the park is the New York and San Fran areas have better details too. The “streets” tend to be wider that the paths at WDW which made it easier to walk around.
 
WDW had the lead to acquire the HP rights but would only commit to an attraction vs a land. Ms Rowling, acknowledged as a bit of a control freak, decided their vision wasn’t quite right and moved on up the road

I’d like to think ‘she’ has profusely thanked Universal for doing a stellar job bringing her creations so vividly to life:)

I thank goodness every time we visit that WDW didn't get the rights - they'd never have agreed to her retaining full approval/creativity control like UO did - if the HP areas were in WDW, they'd be a sad shell of what they are. The original vision for Pandora and SW were amazing: the end results could have been so much better - but wdw was hyper-focused on cutting costs and shortcuts whenever possible. They're a bean counter company more than a creative one now.
 
I have enjoyed taking a few minutes to stand near the entrance to Diagon Alley, just to watch the expressions on guests' faces as they walk in for the first time. You could easily tell who the first-timers were!
 
frankanddell, I read your ride list on another thread and you definitely got a lot in one day. You are correct that the HP areas are better themed than the rest of the park, but I like the diversity of movie franchises. There are quite a few gems in those other areas. Some, like the Mummy, took a couple of rides before we really started to appreciate it.

The thing that makes Universal so special for us is the "bubble" they have setup. We've been three times for 3-4 nights each and find new things on each trip. We love leaving the car in the garage and taking the boat everywhere (or even walking); we did not take a single bus on our last two trips. Each hotel is unique. We've stayed at CB, RPR, and PBH; with our next trip going to HRH. I'm pretty sure that PBH will be our "go to" hotel but want to try them all first.

While it is certainly not cheap to go to Universal for a day or two, annual passes really help out for longer or multiple trips. It gives you the time to enjoy everything at a leisurely pace, without needing to plan in advance.
 
We also LOVED the Harry Potter sections of Universal. I ,may or may not have cried th first time I entered Hogsmead....

We like the other park sections but the Harry Potter sections were just WOWOWOOWOWOWOW!! We loved it so much that we upgraded to Annual Passes before the end of our first trip. And the next year we got them again! We are 9 hours from Florida but made 2 or 3 trips a year to Universal just for Harry Potter stuff for several years {and even skipped going to see the mouse down the street where we actaully are owners of the Disney Vacation Club timeshare....GASP!!!}.

We are big Disney fans and had been considering Universal trip for years. Im so glad we did it. But without Harry Potter, we would have been one time visitors to Universal....

We are going in June {for Just one day :( } and taking friends who have never been....so excited! Cant wait to get back and escape muggle world. LOL
 

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