Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgyIPGbQLfI
Went to IOA today to catch a "technical rehersal" of the new product. The exterior of the Forbidden Journey looks absolutely amazing, especially when you first enter the queue. The queue is also nothing short of amazing, from the talking paintings to the visual cues and animitronic talking hat it is all extremely well done. You can also tell that Universal put their best employees in this area as the line was moving very fast (thanks in part to great capacity and fast crew), and every employee in the whole area was using themed phrasings when interacting with the guests. After the joke that is Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, UO definitley got their act together this time around.
The attraction overall is very impressive from a technological point of view and raises the bar in the standards of themed entertainment. The ride itself was a little bit of a letdown for me just because I was expecting something a bit more thrilling after hearing many say it is the best ride in the world. Its definitley a dark ride so if your into the big thrills it doesnt really satisfy that however it is still a great ride. If you love rides like Spiderman and Soarin', you will love Forbidden Journey. However while FJ is impressive Mummy is still my favorite attraction at UO. The kuka arm thing got me kinda dizzy (though the 100 degree heat wasnt helping that) and the scenes went by so fast I had no idea what was going on the first time I went on it.
Unfortunatly they completely butchered Dragon's queue. I always thought it had one of the coolest looking entrances of any coaster with the dragon statues and that is gone in favor of just a wall with an arch for the entrance. The outside portion of the queue is just a bunch of signs saying things along the line of "Go Harry Potter" im assuming in relation to Quittich (however thats spelled) and it was clear that pretty much the entire budget for rides went to FJ. The upside is that now the queue is a lot closer to the ride for much better views of the ride while waiting in line.
Also the shops are WAY too small. I understand that they want to make it like the movie however it wasnt busy at all (FJ was a 30 minute wait, Dragons was running half empty trains), and the shops were completely packed with no space to manouver or even look at things. It seems obvious to me in retail venues that the customer should at least see the stuff thats for sale and in WWOHP there is barely any space to get into the shops let alone look around to see whats in them. That definitley wont help sales and I think its really arrogant of the author to say it needs to be exactly the way she wants it with no regard to logistical proccess. However I didnt buy anything/had no intention of buying anything so it didnt bother me that much, they have a little seating area outside one of the main shops that a lot of people were chilling in while the rest of their group shopped.
All in all, Wizarding World/Forbidden Journey is a great addition to a great park.
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Wizarding World of Harry Potter June 15
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 Earth Wind & Fire baby!  Screen setup for Potters opening media event     =(  Candy shop 
 Public conveniences haha       Forbidden Journey entrance 
 The view of Hogwarts when you enter the queue  When you enter the building the standby/singles lines are to the left and lockers to the right        
 Sucks for this guy wearing a sweater vest and long sleeves when its 95+ degrees out       
   Pictures that talk   SO MANY PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES, normally im the only one snapping random pictures of queue's but people are really into this one  More talking pictures     This is where Dumbledore talks to you  This is the room where Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk to you  The technology invloving bringing charectors to life in this building is amazing, its incredibly realistic in person  And then it snows on you 
     There is another test seat check before you get to the station to prevent people from having to slow down the continuos loading  The station, the benches are on robocoaster-style kuka arms and load without stopping  Its very quick and high capacity  Hippogriff running 2 trains and I did not see it stack once, amazing considering how short the ride is  Prepping for the opening ceremonies (which I believe will be on NBC)  Setting up for John Williams  Dan demonstrating how to use the butterbeer mug washer thing  Kids buying wands  Functioning mailbox in one of the stores  You can buy a robe in this store for $100, like I said in the first post its very difficult to get around the stores and hard to see some stuff. These were in the back corner.
 Theres a little sitting area for people to wait while members of their party are in the shops  Rode both Dragons next  Me in front of the "Hungarian Horntail" and the "Chinese Fireball"     Entrance to the inside part of the queue  The queue consists of the outside portion with the signs, this room with candles, some cavern hallways, and the station  The fire breath lights up, cool little effect  Dragons was running half empty trains, but the line for butterbeer extended way back   Apparently the gateway to Hogwarts includes ride lockers  The Chinese Fireball  Dragon Challenge station 
 Line to see the little wand show  Three Broomsticks Resturaunt  FParker approves of WWOHP now  This animitronic hat recites the safety spiel before you get on the ride   A few last shots  
Gotta say, super jealous that you get to go there. Even more jealous that you're in Florida (though being in California is equally awesome). You should ship me over some butterbeer. I MUST have some.
Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn't thinking, isn't thinking of.
What Did the Butterbeer Taste Like? I heard it was like "A Sweet Root Beer"
Was Harry Potter A Good Decision or A Quick Thing to Make Money? 943 Coasters around the World! Countdown to 1000!
http://sfgamworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=15272 Runner Up of the 2017 SFGAmWorld Elimination Thread
Nice Pictures! That area looks amazing!
Top 5: 1) El Toro. 2) Maverick. 3) Millenium Force. 4) Diamondback. 5) X2.
Coaster Count: 167 (41 Wood, 125 Steel) @Coaster_Cole on Twitter
It tastes like cream soda as thats what it mostly is. I dont see how you can think it was "a quick thing" as i'm sure it took years of R&D and testing to get that ride system to work properly and the area, especially FJs queue, are very detailed. But in the end its obviously there to make money and also gets UO a lot of media coverage and is a good synergistic opportunity for NBC-Universal.
awesome pictures
SF trips 09 = 15
SF trips 10= 11 SF trips 11 =7
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