Inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. No, really. I got inside.

by Leigh Caldwell on

This is all I can show you of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida.

Monday night, I was a guest at private party thrown by Universal Orlando Resort to show off their newest theme park addition, which, for the most part, has been kept tightly under wraps. The Wizarding World opens one month from today, and after my walk-through last night, I can say much of it is already complete.

But no photos were allowed, and while I was completely tempted to break the rules, I heeded the words Professor Dumbledore speaks in his office at the new ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey:

“There will come a time when you have to choose between what is easy and what is right.”

So, the gallery displaying all of the obsessive detail inside the land will have to wait.

I was blown away — I’m still blown away — by the amount of immersion into Harry Potter’s world I experienced. I arrived at the Wizarding World at twilight, and the view through that archway in the picture above was perfect. Just perfect.

The Hogwarts Express train sits just inside on the right, the shops and restaurants of Hogsmeade line up along the path and straight ahead is the towering Hogwarts School. Just a few steps inside, you totally forget about Hulk and Spidey and the Sneetches just outside in the other Islands of Adventure.

I tried the three much-anticipated drinks to be served in the Wizarding World: nonalcoholic butterbeer, pumpkin juice and Hog’s Head Brew, which does have alcohol.

I walked through Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes, Owl Post and Zonko’s shops.And I visited Professor Dumbledore’s office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where I saw Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron appear from underneath the invisibility cloak.

But, alas, I can’t show you any of it. So my observations will have to do. Some random thoughts:

  • There is a regular butterbeer and a frozen version. I liked the frozen version better. It was like the smoothest cream soda ever, but with a creamier finish. The regular drink will sell for $2.99 and the frozen version will cost an extra $1.
  • Pumpkin juice tastes like autumn. It’s not like drinking pumpkin pie, exactly — more like something you would be served at an apple grove farm stand or the perfect punch for a Halloween party. A peek at the ingredients revealed that it’s made with apple juice, pumpkin puree, apricot juice and pumpkin pie spices.
  • The Hog’s Head Brew is an ale made with Scottish hops and jaw-tingling malt. It is exclusive to the Wizarding World.
  • Among my favorite Harry Potter merchandise: clever lanyards made to look like the ties worn by students in the different houses at Hogwarts, a Gryffindor backpack, Hedwig plush and the “I served time in Azkaban” T-shirt.
  • The queue line for Flight of the Hippogriff – a re-themed roller coaster inside the Wizarding World – takes you down the path to Hagrid’s Hut, complete with Hagrid’s voice warning you about venturing into the forest.
  • The Triwizard Cup is on display in a room all by itself in the queue line at the Dragon Challenge dueling roller coasters. A pathway is lit with floating candles a la Hogwarts.
  • The new dark ride inside Hogwarts Castle, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, is not child’s play. A serious list of restrictions warns away the pregnant and those with the typical heart and back problems. But it goes on to suggest that those with claustrophobic tendencies also not ride. A warning to remove and stow prosthetic limbs before riding seems particularly ominous.
  • The new ride was not running, but we were allowed to walk through the entire queue. Universal is anticipating extremely long waits; it was the longest queue I have ever walked through. My best guess is that it’s designed to accommodate at least two hours worth of waiting.
  • Even if you’re not big on thrill rides, it’s probably worth walking that queue. I am still picking my jaw up off the ground after visiting Professor Dumbledore’s office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. You are truly right there with the characters, and they are talking directly to you. It must be seen.
  • If you’re a plus-sized person, it’s fairly likely that you’re not going to fit in the ride cars for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Just sayin’.
  • When you rest on a bench inside the shaded Owlery, be sure to look up. The owls perched above you are so realistic that there’s even owl poop on the rafters.

And now, a few pleas from me (an overgrown geeky teenager) to you:

The first time you visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, enter from the Seuss Landing/Lost Continent side. That will mean turning right when you enter Islands of Adventure and going counterclockwise around the park. While you can also enter from Jurassic Park, you won’t get the same view of the castle in front of you and Hogsmeade all around.

This is a theme park, and it’s quite possibly the most detailed theme park “land” ever created. Don’t treat it like the county fair and run from ride to ride. Plan to spend several hours here taking in all the awesome details.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens June 18. It is included with regular admission to Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Cedar Point delays opening of new water coaster Shoot the Rapids

by Leigh Caldwell on

Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, has delayed the opening of its big splash this year, a water ride called Shoot the Rapids.

Cedar Point opens for the season on Saturday.

The ride was scheduled to open for a media preview on Friday, but that event has been canceled, and Cedar Point now says Shoot the Rapids will open on May 29.

Engineering problems are behind the delay. The ride cars (in this case, boats) for the ride were too long and did not fit the ride. Crews are having to alter them on-site.

“The manufacturer made the flume, and he contracted out the boats. When the boats came together, the boats didn’t fit the flumes,” Cedar Fair president Dick Kinzel told the Sandusky (Ohio) Register.

Shoot the Rapids is the park’s third water ride and its biggest investment in one, with a price tag of $10.5 million. It uses a steel track and has two lift hills. The tallest is 85 feet.

Holiday World ‘auctions’ staff members for charity

by Leigh Caldwell on

You can learn what it takes to maintain a roller coaster or make perfect cotton candy if you place the winning bid in one of 15 auctions to benefit flood relief efforts in Nashville. Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari theme park in Southern Indiana has launched the auction packages, with bids open through Monday, May 17.

Each of the packages gets you four (and in some cases, more) tickets to the Southern Indiana theme park, $20 in “Holibucks” to spend in the park and two hours with a park executive, along with activities related to the executive’s job. The auctions include:

  • Two hours with Director of Entertainment Sandi Fortune, who promises audition coaching for aspiring performers, including feedback over Skype from producers in Nashville and New York City.
  • Two hours with Director of Training and Development Samantha Ramsey, who is offering a behind-the-scenes look at the coaster maintenance routines at the theme park.
  • Two hours with Director of Values Pat Koch, the matriarch of the family-owned park, who promises lunch and a personal tour.
  • Two hours with Director of Food and Beverage Jason Martin, who is offering a behind-the-scenes tour and a cotton-candy making lesson.

You can bid on the auctions online now through May 17. Holiday World says all of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross for Nashville flood relief.

Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari will be open daily for the season starting May 14.

Universal Orlando announces summer concert series

by Leigh Caldwell on

Train (“Drops of Jupiter”), Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) and Counting Crows (“Round Here”) will perform on Saturday nights this summer at Universal Orlando Resort.

It’s the second year for the Summer Concert Series, with seven concerts planned on Saturday nights between June 12 and July 17.

The concerts happen inside the Universal Studios Florida theme park, and they are free with theme park admission.

There’s some great balance in the list of artists performing. Several decades of stardom are represented, which should draw in folks of all ages. (This 30-something will definitely be there on July 17!) Here is the full lineup:

  • June 12, Train
  • June 19, Pitbull
  • June 26, Earth, Wind and Fire
  • July 3, Pat Benatar and REO Speewagon
  • July 10, Rob Thomas
  • July 17, Counting Crows

Universal Orlando has one of the best outdoor concert venues at any theme park, anywhere. Music Plaza opened last year right in front of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster.

Riders stuck hanging upside down on U.K. coaster

by Leigh Caldwell on

Most roller coaster fans will tell you that the best part is the adrenaline rush you get when the ride ends. But what happens when a ride leaves you hanging?

That’s what happened to five people riding the Mumbo Jumbo coaster at Flamingo Land theme park in Yorkshire, England, on Tuesday.

London’s Daily Mail reports that the thrill seekers were riding the coaster when their ride car came to a stop, leaving them dangling upside down about 50 feet off the ground.

They were stuck there for about 20 minutes before being freed from the ride by theme park workers.

Flamingo Land officials say mechanical problems weren’t to blame for the incident. Apparently a rain poncho dropped by a park guests got stuck under the ride car, and that brought the fun to an end.

The Mumbo Jumbo opened in July 2009. Guinness says the coaster holds the world record for having the steepest drop.