Attraction Profile
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When fantasy meets reality, the results are striking, writes Paul Ruben. Witness the juxtaposition of Universal Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley and Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland. In New Fantasyland, young girls are walking through the midway dressed as their favourite princesses, carrying their light-up LED wands. At Diagon Alley, teenage girls, and boys, too, are strolling through the streets dressed in their wizarding robes, carrying their magic wands. Both these Florida resorts have discovered the magic of magic. And at Universal Orlando they are also using some of the very latest technology to bring to life JK Rowling’s fantasy tales.
Diagon Alley L
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter the next chapter
ocated within Universal Orlando’s Universal Studios Florida park, but linked directly to the neighbouring Islands of Adventure by a rather special train ride, Diagon Alley and the accompanying Knockturn Alley carry on where The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s original Hogsmeade area left off. Amid authentic replicas of various London landmarks and some over-the-top architecture straight from the famous film franchise, Universal guests will find themselves face-to-face with even more moments from the Harry Potter books and films. From talking to a shrunken head on the Knight Bus to navigating through the vaults of Gringotts bank and taking a magical journey aboard the Hogwarts Express, there is nowhere else in the world where visitors can experience this much Potter magic. The best part of Diagon Alley? “There is no one
thing,” insists Katy Pacitti, one of Universal Creative’s show producers, “but rather the combination of experiences that make Diagon Alley incredible. We are providing our guests an immersive experience like no other. We have brought the incredibly rich fiction to life allowing guests to do just about everything they read in the books and saw in the films. They get to shop in Diagon Alley, explore Gringotts bank, experience the darker side of magic in Knocturn Alley, try their hand at casting various spells with interactive wands, go to King's Cross Station and pass through the iconic brick wall onto Platform 9¾ and, finally, ride the Hogwarts Express between London and Hogsmeade. From beginning to end it is the ultimate Harry Potter experience."
Katy Pacitti, Universal Creative 32
As a themed area, Diagon Alley is unprecedented. Universal Orlando has created what is believed to be the world’s first centrally themed, two-park experience. Guests with park-to-park admission can enjoy the complete adventure, including a journey on the iconic Hogwarts Express.
Scenic journey
Linking two parks with one themed concept may seem like a bold move, but not to Pacitti. “How else would one get to Hogsmeade from London?,” she asks. “Once we committed to building Diagon Alley the decision to add the Hogwarts Express wasn't really questioned.”
The train and its replica steam locomotive were built in Switzerland by cable car producer Doppelmayr/Garaventa. “It’s a funicular like any other you’d find in tourist spots taking you up a mountain,” Garaventa CEO Istvan Szalai told Swiss television, SRF. “The special thing here is that on the outside it looks like a steam engine. It’s an illusion you want to give people.”
The train is moved by a cable, like a funicular but on flat ground and consists of a steam locomotive, a coal wagon and three passenger carriages. Like a funicular, midway there are split tracks, allowing for two-train operation at a top speed of about 5mph (8kmh).
Not only is not a real steam train, the scenery is
London comes to Orlando! AUGUST 2014
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