Diagon Alley

It was announced on Friday that Universal Orlando has launched an official blog. Along with this news, it was also revealed that we were going to be learning more about Diagon Alley this Tuesday May 13. Check out Universal's blog here.

I'm curious to see if they will take down the walls in front of the London facade and put up new walls blocking the actual entrances in to the new area. This would obviously leave the Knight Bus and fountain open for photo ops and potentially have guests mess them up before opening day. Also allowing guests to roam the London area may take away from the grand reveal. As far as I can tell from all the pictures I've seen and rumors I've heard, that whole front area is ready to go. All of Diagon Alley received its certificate of occupancy which means it is no longer a hard hat area. I was never a huge fan of the attraction, but just looking from beyond the walls the area makes me think, "What Jaws ride?". Of course I'm a pretty big fan of the franchise, so my opinions are slightly biased.

This is what the entrance looked like when the first part of the WWoHP opened in IOA back in 2010. With such a large area including a very large and notable prop from one of the movies may make it impossible to do something like this at Diagon Alley. While I think the two experiences are supposed to be different, I am excited about one thing that will be similar. And that's being able to purchase Butterbeer over in the USF side! I can't tell you how many times I've tried to make the treat last from one park to the other and I can just never make it happen!




It's probably because I've been through the whole experience the first time and I saw what UO was able to accomplished, but I am more excited about this expansion than phase 1. Last time we got 1 new ride. Lots of new shops, merch and dining. An amazing signature drink that changed the game in theme park drinks. And a handful of new entertainment experiences. Now, we are getting 2 new rides. Yes, I'm totally counting the Hogwarts Express as a ride. More shops. Bigger area. Interactive wands. It's just going to be so awesome, I can't wait for it to be revealed!