The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - grand opening date - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - grand opening date
There's been a lot of speculation and different dates floating around about the opening of HP at IOA. The official website states the "Grand Opening" is June 18.
Earlier it was posted that the special HP packages would be available beginning May 28. However, the Universal website today is only allowing the package to be booked June 18:
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Wow, wonder what they did with those who had booked packages based on the earlier info???
They had been letting people in around then. But from what i've read of various TRs, it's only been a couple of hours a day. And not all the rides were up and running for it. Seems like they paid to get in early to be test subjects.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
We were just there this weekend. The "soft" opening is for Universal hotel guests only, and this past Saturday it was open from 8 am until around 11 am. Everything was working including the incredible new HP ride through Hogwarts. This is the most amazing ride you have ever seen! They are expecting big crowds because the queue is set up to handle a 5 1/2 hour wait! To make it worse, we did not see any Express Pass lanes so waiting in the huge line may be the only option. During the soft opening we only had to wait about 1/2 hour, but again the only ones allowed into the area were hotel guests. Admittedly, the queue is great, at least the indoor portions, which take you through Hogwarts - you can see the talking paintings, moving newspapers, some exceptional holographic characters - but you are still standing for hours in a line. Unfortunately a good portion of that line is outside in the sweltering Florida heat with just a few fans to cool the area. Plus, no bathroom stops - you better have a strong bladder if you want to attempt this one!
Everything looks fantastic, just like you stepped onto the HP set from any of the movies. The Hogsmeade village is wonderful, though it incorporates some of the shops from other locations - for example Olivander's. Because the village is to scale from the films, it is pretty small. There were only a few thousand hotel guests there this weekend, but it felt very crowded. You could barely move in most of the shops - which are also cramped. There are 4 or 5 shops in the village which are actually functioning - the rest are facades. Great looking though. Olivanders contains a 7-8 minute show, however it can't fit more than about 30 guests at a time, and for some reason they did not make a queue for it - we had to line up along the shopfronts down the street.
In addition to the HP ride they have repurposed Dueling Dragons and the Unicorn coasters, giving them HP themes. That makes 3 rides (2 of which have already been around so aren't actually new), half-dozen shops (if you want to include the Butterbeer street vendor), a restaurant, and some cool shop fronts to take photos in front of. It's going to get very, very crowded once they let the general public in.
Hopefully they will repurpose the rest of the Lost Continent area and add to the HP section, but at this point that doesn't appear to be happening. If you are going there prepare to be wowed by the visuals, wait several hours for the HP ride, squeeze through a few shops, and be on your way.
Thanks for that review. Sounds pretty scary - when you consider how long a theme park is open for and you are spending up to 6 hours (guessing 5½ for the queue and ½ hour for the ride and leaving, etc) for just ONE ride... And no restroom facilities? That sounds a little alarming... Boy I hope the 2nd week of Dec is going to be a slow time - it should be for the rest of the parks, but will it be slow for WWoHP? Note to self - dont go on the weekend.
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I'm excited to see the shops and try som butterbeer. That and check out the rest of IOA 
That sounds a little alarming... 
Boy I hope the 2nd week of Dec is going to be a slow time - it should be for the rest of the parks, but will it be slow for WWoHP? 
Note to self - dont go on the weekend.
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