DESTINATIONS — THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
DESTINATIONS ALSO IN
ADD-ONS PAGE 53
Tom Irwin was one of the first muggles to check out Universal Orlando’s newest attraction
BEWITCHED W
e’re a funny old bunch, Harry Potter fans. One person I’d considered a good friend hasn’t spoken
to me since I returned from Orlando, cursed by a jealousy spell so strong that I fear it’s going to take seriously advanced magic to break it. I headed out for a sneak preview of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, a whole new area within Universal Orlando Resort, created after the runaway success of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, which opened at Islands of Adventure in 2010. While I’m not quite at the level of fandom to start dressing up in a cloak and round glasses, I loved the books and was excited to see whether Universal’s latest creation lived up to the hype and my expectations. As I walked around
the higgledy-piggledy shops of Diagon Alley and gazed in wonder at the enormous fire-breathing dragon perched atop Gringotts Bank, I couldn’t help but feel that they’ve pretty much nailed it.
l SILVER SCREEN SIMULATION It doesn’t require much imagination to get swept away by it all – even despite Florida’s heat and humidity – given that Diagon Alley is a near-perfect recreation of the set from the movies. “Parks just don’t usually do this level of immersion,” explains Alan Gilmore, the attraction’s art director who also worked on several of the Potter films.
21 August 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 41
THEME PARKS & ATTRACTIONS
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
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