The Ledger has a new article online with some new information about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Theme Park!
That includes rides, dining and shopping options, and a replication of Hogwarts Castle, home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a building that Holt promised would be “very authentic.”
The Dragon Challenge roller coaster ride will allow guests will feel like they’re being chased by a dragon. Less intense will be the Flight of the Hippogriff, modeled on the creature that’s half-horse and half-eagle.
The theme park will host the Three Broomsticks restaurant and the Hog’s Head Pub, where Holt said guests can buy “very old liquor, and we’ll have animated hog’s heads on the wall that will interact with you while you drink your old beer. The Butter Beer is going to be non-alcholic. However, you can go into the Hog’s Head Pub and ask for the alcoholic version.”
There will be shops as well, like Honeydukes, a candy store that will sell, among other things, chocolate frogs and Treacle Fudge. Dervish & Banges is a toy store that will sell, not surprisingly, broomsticks among the many selections.
There’s a Frog Choir that will perform five times d ay, Holt said, adding, “This is very top secret, so you’re the first one’s to hear about it.”
Universal Orlando has announced that they will have Exclusive Package Deals for booking trips to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. According to the press release:
“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Vacation Package” includes hotel accommodations and admission to both Universal Orlando theme parks – along with a wide-range of benefits available only by booking through Universal Orlando Resort. Benefits include early park admission, allowing guests to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter before other guests each day, as well as a traditional British breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, the signature eating establishment within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And by staying at an on-site hotel, guests get exclusive Universal Express Access to select attractions and shows, allowing them to bypass regular lines.
To best enjoy all Universal Orlando offers, guests may consider the four-night package featured below. Guests can add additional nights and also upgrade their theme park tickets to include park-to-park access, allowing them to go to both Universal theme parks each day. Additional packages are available with prices starting at $285 per-adult ($829 for a family of four) for four nights at a hotel near Universal. All packages and prices are available at UniversalOrlando.com. All travel begins May 28.
These vacation packages also include:
Four-night accommodations at one of Universal’s three on-site AAA Four Diamond hotels: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort
Three days admission to Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme parks (park-to-park not included)
Complimentary Universal Express access to bypass the regular lines at select theme park rides and attractions (a $70 value per person, per day)
Early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Breakfast at the Three Broomsticks
Commemorative ticket for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Last week I posted about a trailer for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that would be aired during Super Bowl XVIV. It was released early and you can watch it below:
A new television commercial for the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to be aired during Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7 on CBS at 6:30pm EST.
The spot will also begin a brand campaign for the resort, carrying the theme “Be courageous. Be outrageous. Be extraordinary.” The idea is to highlight the new Harry Potter attraction, as well as mainstays that feature characters like Shrek and Spider-Man.
The spot is planned for the first half of the game. It was created internally with the help of Rosso Media in Surrey, England.
Thanks to SnitchSeeker we have some information about a press conference with Thierry Coup, vice president of creative development for Universal Creative:
• At Dervish and Banges, there will be wand accessories that can be bought (though sadly can’t be revealed now).
• The wand choosing process can take anywhere from two to five minutes at least to much more. Pricing range has not been determined; the wand choosing itself won’t be charged, just the wand itself.
• There will be wands from some of the main characters wands – hero wands – including in sets, which are made by Noble Collection; this is different to the personal wands that will be chosen for ‘wizard’ guests to the park.
• As for the shops in Hogsmeade, they are near completion (about 90 percent), but there are still “final touches” to be done to them.
• Hogwarts Castle, from the exterior, is “very large.” Iconic rooms, such as Dumbledore’s office, the Dark Arts classroom, the common room (presumably Gryffindor’s) and the Great Hall, amongst others, will be there and to scale.
• Many props will be displayed from the Harry Potter film sets, such as the Flying Ford Anglia (which sadly did not fly).
• The Owl Post and Dervish and Banges are the smallest shops, Ollivanders is slightly larger, and Zonko’s joke shop is the largest. There are no queues to get into the shops, despite being interactive experiences as well as shops.
• There are no plans yet for expansion within the park, but it is a possibility.
• The shops will be as close to the films’ version as possible (as shown by the early Ollivander’s shop photos). Coup and the rest of his creative team opted to make it as faithful to the original project as possible.
Today is sure to be filled with Wizarding World of Harry Potter news! First up, Universal Orlando released a new press release with some details on Ollivanders Wand shop! Click here to see a video about it and here to see a photo (well drawing)
When guests visit Ollivanders, they will instantly feel like they’re in the shop from the films. It’s an intimate, single-windowed building, with the same signs, colors and other details read about in the books and seen in the films,” said Alan Gilmore, art director of the Harry Potter films and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. “But more importantly, visitors to Ollivanders will experience for themselves the magical moment that forever changed Harry’s life.”
Inside Ollivanders, visitors will be surrounded by thousands of multi-colored dusty wand boxes stacked on shelves from floor to ceiling. They will be welcomed by an inquisitive Wandkeeper, who will guide them through an enchanting experience to find their very own wand. First the Wandkeeper will ask the guest a few special questions and then select the first wand for them to try. Just like Harry, the guest will be prompted by the Wandkeeper to give the wand a wave, and a series of magical mishaps will occur until the right fit is found.
In addition to the magic featured in Ollivanders, guests will experience many other magical happenings at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including a Howler featured in the Owl Post shop front window whose ranting can be heard by guests as they pass by; The Monster Book of Monsters in Dervish and Banges that will snarl and growl at anyone who tries to get too close, and the Hog’s Head which can be seen puffing his jowls at visitors who visit the Hog’s Head pub.