Diagon Alley- Hogwarts Express

London & the Streets of Diagon Alley - Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Kings Cross Hogwarts Express

Trains and the Harry Potter series are fundamentally intertwined. JK Rowling came up with the over arching story and plot while on a train. She sat across from the Kings Cross station while writing the first book. Harry boards a train at Kings Cross to go to school and also enters a Kings Cross like limbo when Voldemort kills him (and the horcrux within). The continuous motion, functional history, and a little bit of magic of a steam locomotive is seeded deeply in the Harry Potter mythos.

The Hogwarts Express is a natural fit for an attraction, just like a ride on a Gringotts bank cart or the Millennium Falcon. But, how do you recreate the over 450 mile trip? Instead of having a circular experience in a show building, Universal's used the two locations of the wizarding world to it's advantage and created a shuttle attraction. Guests board the Hogwarts Express at either 9 3/4 Platform at Kings Cross or in Hogsmeade, replicating the trip students make at the start and end of their school years.

What could have been a simple transportation scheme like the Walt Disney World Railroad or PeopleMover instead became a complex, immersive experience. At Kings Cross guests drop off their prams, pass through a small store carrying crisps and ales for your trip, and then you climb a staircase to the loading platforms. As the guest ascends the staircase to the load platform the color palate and music shifts; what was once dominated by blues and silvers is replaced with reds, and the sounds of a busy bus terminal transition to the familiar Harry Potter score.

The Platform 9 3/4 effect of guests disappearing into a solid brick wall between Platforms 9 and 10 is achieved using the centuries old Pepper's Ghost illusion.

See that carefully placed, slightly awkward hand cart? It's not just a hand cart, but a highly polished and cleaned pane of glass. Behind the videographer is the image being reflected in the glass, the solid brick wall. Guests are lit bright to show being in front of the wall, but then disappear behind it when they enter a dark tunnel. With the illustration below, the videographer is standing where the red square is.

Image provided by Wikipedia.

The Kings Cross platform is magnificent in scale and detail, easily rivaling any load platform for any attraction. A small queue leads up to a series of massive holding pens for each compartment on the train. Prior to the opening of the attraction there was speculation the hourly capacity for the attraction would be low. Guests would have a hard time determining which row to board while walking through the cabin, with the example being the slower than expected load at Mission:Space. Luckily the hourly output exceeded expectations thanks to dedicated Team Members.

The Hogwarts Express runs on a simple cable car system: two cars engaged on a looping cable located beneath the train tracks. A short bit of bypass track allows for the second vehicle to run in tandem without, you know, crashing into the other. This slight increase in ride time is offset with animated "entering the tunnel" animation.

Each train is comprised of several individual compartments holding eight guests. Prior to departure a team members checks on each compartment, swipes an RFID tag on a pad, and the frosted glass doors close. Sandwiched between the compartment are two display surfaces: the virtual window and the frosted glass doors. The virtual window uses a curved display to show exterior images of the English and Scottish countryside. On the opposite side, Harry Potter characters cast shadows and touch the frosted glass doors that are open to the train's hallway. This small trick, where characters walk moments after you were did, adds a level of believability to the attraction that few can offer.

Hogsmeade Station is isolated, personal, and contemplative compared to the busy, commercialized Kings Cross Station. Unlike in the books Hogsmeade Station is located closer to Hogsmeade than Hogwarts. But like the movies, where the station changed design movie by movie, this station is mostly unique in design. In Islands of Adventure a raised wall and large overhang straddle the train to protect riders from the Florida weather and views of the Dragon's Challenge coaster.

Each year's travels set up and wrapped up the plots and stories set over the year in Hogwarts and the ride experience echoes these points. Traveling to Hogwarts covers the stories and experiences found in the first four books like the TriWazards Cup, demeanor attack, and Hagrid greeting the first years at the station. Yet the return trip to Kings Cross features Voldemort, the Weasley Twins advertising Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and the Knight Bus (ok that one is from the third book, work with me here guys).

Hogwarts Express is the third jewel in the crown of the Wizarding World experience at Universal Orlando. Here, unparalleled experiences are brought straight from the books and movies people love. Thanks to J.K. Rowling's world building several areas worth of fictional places have come to life like nowhere else in the world. One can follow the footsteps of a Hogwarts student or forge their own path through the Wizarding World as their own creation. If theme parks are the ultimate escapist fantasy, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the pinnacle.

Crowd Control Thoughs for Access to Diagon Alley & Hogwarts Express (Opening & Summer 2014)

This is what will happen if Universal Orlando doesn't plan out their crowd control.

We’re quickly approaching the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley later this summer so I’d like to cover how Universal Orlando could possibly handle the crowds. This is speculation based on rumored attractions, capacities of said attractions, Universal's handling of prior Potter crowds, and my personal experience.

*****
Update 6/5/2014

This post has been updated several times with new information, striking out incorrect things, and updating photos.

*****

First, lets discuss Hogsmead’s opening. The land opened to massive crowds that started arriving at midnight. Inside the Magic has two fantastic posts worth reading to understand the crowds and the systems set up for that day. The take away is Universal clearly was not expecting the crowds it received. IoA and CityWalk became queues, and simply getting into the park would take four hours.

Lets discuss where the problems were.

• Poor communication: Universal security team members were reportedly not told about the correct procedure for letting guests into the park till the night before.
• Pessimistic Attendance Expectations: While Universal opened the parking garages early, they did not expect CityWalk to become a queue line. 
• Poor Waiting Systems: Queues only, and queues that were not pre-defined. The queues became self regulating, which would work with an iPhone launch, but not when hundreds of thousands of guests are trying to get into a theme park.

The opening day of WWoHP was not unlike the launch of a major, online only video game: the largest amount of guests to ever use the system all want in on the first day. Any system or procedure will be designed to handle the vast majority of situations, not extreme outliers such as opening day.

In the following months the crowds subsided and Universal incorporated additional crowd control solutions. Our friends at TouringPlans.com have great write up in the Unofficial Guide to WDW and Beyond Disney books on these systems and how/when they’re implemented. There are two situations: a ticketing system similar to FP, and opening free-for-all.

Diagon Alley

So lets break out the Diagon Alley crowd control speculations down to what we can expect. NOTE: this is all based on my work with queues, crowd control, and processes. I have no inside information regarding the opening day crowd control from the Universal Orlando folks.

Opening Day

Universal has not yet announced an opening day, but a mid-June opening is expected.

It’s very possible Universal is going to try and mitigate the long lines from Hogsmead’s opening by spreading an opening day to an opening week, or not having a a public grand opening at all. While the lines make for good reports and buzz, it leads to poor customer satisfaction and does not make long term, return guests.

If Universal goes for an official opening day situation, I can see two possible situations unfold:

1. Massive Queues, Organized Chaos: This would be a similar situation as from Hogsmead opening, but with far more planning. 
• Garage will probably be open at 5:30am, earlier, or even for 24 hours before opening. 
• Set queue lines in USF. A small switchback in front of the London facades and around the fountain. Queues will be defined by marked lanes, will be staffed by Team Members and Security to prevent line jumpers.
• Red: Main queue, most likely option. Makes its way around USF and then uses the Disaster extended queue (minus any HHN construction) to host guests. It's also possible that the Disaster queue will be use for overflow for the Hogwarts Express.
• Blue: Extension of red, uses KidZone as an extension of the queue
• Green: Uses the Fear Factor Live building as a queue space. Unlikely as USF has not put the attraction down for refurbishment or closure and they will need more show capacity for the large crowds.
• I do not expect Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Plaza of the Stars, the outdoor stage seating area, or Delancey Street as part of Diagon alley queues. The Superstar parade takes place in this area and will cause issues with viewing areas.
• CityWalk will feature set queues for opening day. The use of the side Blue Man Group entrance is possible, so would using the remaining sound stages, if not in use for HHN or Impact!, for indoor queue area. The queue should go around the CityWalk lagoon in a clockwise fashion, towards NBA City and Hard Rock.
2. Ticketing System combined with exterior queues: Diagon Alley and possibly Hogwarts Express will use a FP style ticking system.
• Garage will probably be open at 5:30am, earlier, or even 24 hours before opening.
• Guests will approach Diagon Alley from either San Francisco or Worlds Expo to obtain passes for either attraction.
• A small queue will be set up on either side of the London facade: each one for stand-by and ticket return for Hogwarts Express (SF), and Diagon Alley (WE).
• A controlled interior courtyard queue around the Knight Bus and fountain before the Diagon Alley entrance show.
• CityWalk will feature set queues for opening day. The use of the Blue Man Group entrance is possible, so would using the remaining sound stages, if not in use for HHN or Impact!, for indoor queue area. The queue should go around the CityWalk lagoon in a clockwise fashion, towards NBA City and Hard Rock.

With opening day, either system can be used. Due to the complexities and stress of an opening day, I leave option number one open since it's a significantly simpler system than number two.

It's also possible Universal might adopt both systems, or incorporate it with additional actives (such as a midnight opening or watching the Potter films in the AMC theaters in CityWalk.)

Update 5/4/2014*****

TouringPlans.com blog post by Seth Kubersky points towards a small cleared area between Fear Factor Live and Men in Black - Alien Attack where construction is taking place. Right now pavement is going down, but this could be the future location of ticket machines for Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley will probably use the ticketing system as outlined in plan two. Ticket locations will be located in the area indicated in the above photo. Guests will queue for a ticket, then come back at the indicated time. A stand by line will be offered, but not advertised until all tickets are given out. Because of this development I have struck out plan one above.

Due to the location of the machines, it is likely Fear Factor Live, Men in Black - Alien Attack, and Simpson land attractions will be very crowded.

*****

Update 6/5/2014

Diagon Alley Return Ticket. From AmusementBuzz.com

Diagon Alley Ticketing Machines outside of Fear Factor Live. From AmusementBuzz.com

Ticketing system has been installed and activated for Diagon Alley use.

*****

Summer 2014

As the crowd surge subsides, I expect system number two will be used exclusively for the whole summer. Once guests arrive (not including early entry for hotel guests) they will be directed towards either end of the London facade the World Expo side of London to pick up tickets for Diagon Alley. A ticket for each guest will be given and guests will be told to show up within a window to get into the land. A short queue around the Knight Bus will be set up to hold the combined ticket and stand-by guests before experiencing the Diagon Alley entrance show. A short queue will be set up outside of the London area gates, and guests will be let into the land once their ticket return time has come.

For opening day and the summer of 2014, the best choice for experiencing the land is to get to the park 45 minutes before opening, and once allowed in proceed up Sunset Boulevard, through Springfield to the London facade's north end to receive a ticket.

Diagon Alley Entrance Show (aka Brick Wall Opening)

While we have not had Universal confirmation, it is rumored that there will be a show scene featuring the famous opening of the brick wall to reveal Diagon Alley. This was a rumored sticking point with Disney and JK, as she refused to budge and Disney insisted it was a logistical nightmare. Disney's solution was to have multiple walls, but it appears Universal will only have one, large area for the show to happen.

Used with permission from AmusementBuzz.com

The show area is located behind the red, Leicester Square Station facade, as pictured above. The entrance to the show area is the opening where the yellow ladder is located.

Guests will be queued up around the Knight Bus and the square fountain. Either pre-formed groups will be let into the show area (similar to the waiting room before the Stretch Rooms in the Haunted Mansion) or a queue will directly feed the show area (similar to Mission:Space's briefing rooms). Unlike at Hogsmead, this will break up the flow of guests, possibly causing longer waits immediately in the morning.

*****
Update 5/4/2014

It has been suggested the London facade might hold interior queues for the wall experience.

*****

I cannot repeat this enough, this is a rumored show and a rumored feature of the land. Even if planned to open today, this can change before opening, and the brick wall might simply be open constantly with some sort of other affect to show its movement.

*****
Update 6/5/2014

It is now believed there is no show to enter Diagon Alley, the interior queues are used for Leaky Cauldron.

*****

Hogwarts Express

The big question mark for the expansion will be how Hogwarts Express will be handled. The attraction is predicted to have a capacity around 1,800 guests per hour split between two parks. This gives each park only 900 guests per hour capacity. Combine this with a complicated loading system, running into Platform 9 3/4, and it's no height requirement, I believe the waits for Hogwarts Express might be longer than that of Gringotts.

Because of this, I expect Hogwarts Express to fully embrace its ride system and issue 'train tickets' to and from Hogsmead. There is already a ticketing station being built in IoA for their station, and incorporating the scanning of your admission media to make sure the guest has park hopping option before issuing a 'train ticket' to each guest. It's also possible that guests might be limited to only holding a Diagon Alley or Hogwarts Express ticket, not both.

I do not believe that a general admission queue (like Forbidden Journey or any other standard attraction) is an option due to the limited space of the train stations. While not ideal, the easiest ticket will be for the return trip back to Diagon Alley.

*****
Update 6/5/2014

New information points not to a ticketing system for Hogwarts Express, but instead two lines: one for first time travelers that day, another for second/third/etc time travelers for the day.

Standby lines for travel between Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade has now been set up in the extended queue/HHN area of Disaster!. There, as of now, is no extended queue set up for Hogsmeade station.

*****

Final Thoughts

As noted above, all these thoughts and ideas are based off of my experience, Universal's handling of prior Potter crowds, and speculation. The final handling of crowds, the capacity of the attractions, and more are not fully disclosed and still in the air.

If you have any comments or additional thoughts, leave them in the comments section in this post.

2.11 - HypeTrain

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Joe, Mike, and Nick discuss parades, Frozen, Muppets, Big Thunder, the lameness of podcast co-hosts not with us, Kong, Zonkos, Hogwarts Express, and you're listener questions.

Email us at parkscopeblog at gmail dot com or follow us at Parkscope, ParkscopeJoe, CaptMichael87, ParkscopeNick, and/or Parkscope_Sean.

Breaking: New Diagon Alley/Hogwarts Express Details

Good afternoon, true believers! I'm here after completing a survey which Universal Orlando had just sent me asking my opinions on some things pertaining to both Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express. First of all, the survey says the planned opening for the land will be summer 2014, which whittles the original and nebulous "2014" down a little bit. Many have theorized it will open in June like its predecessor, and now that looks likely. Also, the survey confirms the rumors that Gringotts will indeed be a 3D attraction. It also says it will be likely that a 2 park ticket will be required to ride the Hogwarts Express(which is confirmed to have different shows each way), but more on that later.

Moving on from there, it is also confirmed that there will be different set ups for Hogwarts Express disembarking depending on the crowd levels in the park. When it is crowded, the exiting guests will be required to exit into the London Waterfront, where they will queue with the rest of the guests wanting to get into Diagon Alley/Hogsmede respectively. However, on less crowded days, they will be allowed to enter directly into the land.

From there Uni asked questions about ticketing, including increasing blackout dates for the Power Pass, and asked what would be a more fitting name for it if they did.

They also asked as a non-Floridian AP holder whether or not giving me the option to pay monthly to renew my AP as well as giving me a 30% discount on last years price would increase my chances of renewing for the 2014 year...which I obviously said it would!

To wrap up the survey, they asked a series of situations revolving around the Hogwarts Express, which really seemed to be the focus of the survey. It mixed and matched ticketing situations, prices, wait times, roundtip/one-way trip, and unlimited/limited ride scenarios and asked which would be the most appealing to me. This leads me to believe Universal has still not completely set themselves on a two park ticket being required to ride the Hogwarts Express and are still hammering out the details.

Well, that's all I've got for you today, everyone. Make sure you follow @Parkscope for up to the minute details as they come in!

Universal Orlando Project Update 8/3/12

Universal Orlando Resort currently has multiple projects underway.  Since permits for most of them have been approved, new details have been scant.  That being said, we can update you on inspections and recent pictures that have been taken.

Project 722 Lagoon Wall

©2012 Universal Creative.  All Rights Reserved.
Thank you Lee.

The project with the most visible progress and the one that is furthest along is the new London Lagoon Waterfront that is replacing Amity Village.  The area is being modeled after London's Victoria Embankment which features a concrete with wall with pillars, fancy lamps, and greenery.  PCL Construction has completed nearly two thirds of the new wall.  It would not be too crazy to think that the whole wall could be compete in the next two weeks.

After the wall is complete, they will need to get to work on the inland portion which will either feature planters or ponds.  The plans we received from Lee at WDWMagic did not specify what they were.  If the areas are indeed ponds, that could take a while to complete.  If they are planters, we could see this area open up some time this year, at the rate they are going.  Inspections on various sections of the wall have been  scheduled almost daily.

Project 7542: Gringotts Bank

Gringotts is seemingly far along, but we cannot see it without someone going on a helicopter tour of Universal Orlando.  It is tucked away far back in the former Jaws plot and is obscured by trees from the Fear Factor Live theater.  Over the past week, it has had various footer inspections for "pile reinforcements"; "test pile rebar"; and "column/vertical cell/shaft."  Clearly, a foundation is clearly in its future


Project 7685: Pre-Engineered Metal Building

At first glance, I believed this to be for Gringotts.  Only time will tell.  The permit and review are short on details.  It is currently awaiting revisions since July 25th.


Project 609: Transformers

Transformers has either caught-up with or surpassed Gringotts.  Recent photographs and inspections of the site reveal that there is a rebar mat already in place within the confines of the below grade, sheet-piling reinforced area where Soundstage 44 used to stand.  Today, there was a "Final Inspection for Concrete reinforcement."  Visitors to Universal Studios Florida should be seeing a slab appear shortly.  Universal is wasting no time on this project and looks to be on track for a Winter 2013 opening.

©2012 Warner Bros Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

Projects 7717 North Station: Platform 9 3/4

Like Gringotts, progress on this project will remain a mystery until someone gets a helicopter update.  Utilities were put in earlier this year.  The area is likely undergoing dewatering or preparations for dewatering at the moment as the permit was recently approved by the South Florida Water Management District.

Project 4691 Connector:  Hogwarts Express Track

©2012 Google Earth.  All Rights Reserved.  

Work has reportedly begun behind the Revenge of the Mummy showbuilding on the Hogwarts Express track.  Many believe that there will be a track switch in this area for trains to bypass each other as they make the trip between Hogsmeade and London.

Project 3641 South Station:  Hogsmeade Station

©2012 Google Earth.  All Rights Reserved.
©2012 Universal Creative.  All Rights Reserved.

Pictures have recently sprung up showing an excavator behind the Lost Continent construction walls and there is a noticeable absence of trees.  The future home of Hogsmeade Station is likely undergoing dewatering or is being set up to be dewatered.  Riders of Dragon Challenge should be able to see this.

Could Hogsmeade look like this in a few years?
©2012 Google Earth.  All Rights Reserved.   

Project 7448:  Diagon Alley

The Diagon Alley permits have been languishing in the review stages since late May.  The review of the second set of plan revisions were completed on July 20th.  Today, August 3rd, was the first update in two weeks.  Wastewater seems to have gotten new plans and changed their Disapproval to Approved.  Hopefully the other hang-ups received revisions as well.  It would be nice for every aspect of WWoHP Phase 2 be ready for construction.  This is currently the last piece of the puzzle, at least for the foundations of Phase 2.

Project 142:  Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Work has seemingly begun as pictures of a crane and green fences have appeared on the internet.  The resort is currently being built in 3 phases of 600 hotel rooms.  There are currently permits for fire pits, swimming pools, and a bar.  Some people are reporting that the water taxi canal will not be extended to Cabana Bay which is unfortunate if true.

To discuss these projects, visit and join Orlando United.  For updates, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

WWoHP2: Hogsmeade Construction Update 7/12/12

Mr. X was in Hogsmeade today to get one last Butterbeer before returning home to countdown the days until Parkscope Weekend in October.  While walking through Lost Continent, he noticed that the construction walls had been expanded all the way to Sinbad from the psychic tent.  According to Mr. X, you cannot see anything happening from the park side of the wall, but last weekend, Teebin at Orlando United said work had begun.  Sadly, much of this project will be invisible to us without helicopters.  Expect the psychic tent and other buildings to come down once crews clear the landscaping in the way in the area behind the walls.  Universal probably once to squeeze every last second of use out of these buildings while they wait for demolition to near.

In addition to the construction walls, the South Florida Water Management District issued the dewatering permit to Universal which will be used to dewater the areas where Hogsmeade Station and Platform 9 3/4 will eventually be.

Also, this morning, we found the mass grading permit for the Hogsmeade expansion that was filed back in May.  Today, a building permit was added for walls that are related to the grading project.  One would assume that means construction walls.

Now, pictures and a nifty diagram!

©2012 Google Earth.  All Rights Reserved.

WWoHP2: Hogsmeade Construction Update 7/9/12

Parkscope Staff Member Mr. X is currently on vacation at Universal Orlando and has provided us with our first glimpses of the construction walls in Lost Continent.  Dubbed "Dark Continent" in permit filings by Universal City Development Partners, this area of Lost Continent is being cleared to make way for the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

While the bulk of the expansion is taking place at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure will be receiving a working Hogsmeade Station and a modified entrance to Hogsmeade.  The fortune teller tent and ice cream shop outside of the current Hogsmeade arch are slated for demolition soon, and Hogsmeade Station will be springing up between the tracks of Dragon Challenge after the area is dewatered.

Orlando United member, Teebin, says that work has already begun on removing landscaping between Sinbad and Dragon Challenge.

There is not much to see just yet, but there should be some visible progress soon.  

Follow @MrX_381 for in-park updates and as usual, follow @Parkscope

Hogwarts Express Speculation 6/21/12

Disclaimer:  We are not permit experts.  The following article is speculation based on laymen observations of permit review comments.

© 2012 Warner Bros. Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

Activity has picked up on The City of Orlando's review of permits related to the Hogwarts Express attraction coming to Universal Orlando as part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion.  From certain review comments, some details about the stations and ride may be gleaned.  We will not make any promises about the accuracy, we can only do our best with what is public record.

First off, The City of Orlando has changed the name of Project 3641 (South Station), and it is now labeled Project 4691 (Connector.)  Both now have the Connector project number of 4691.  From this, we are inferring that someone originally mixed up the two permits when they were originally posted.  As more information has come out, it is looking like the permit originally labeled as the Connector was, in fact, for South Station (Hogsmeade Station.)

Our reasoning: The Connector permit and North Station basically have the same price tag tied to "Sewer Benefit."  This cost seems to be related to the amount of water displaced.  North Station, of course, is being built on what used to be Jaws, and South Station is being built on top of a Dragon Challenge pond.  Both are displacing quite a bit of water.  Also, North and South Station will most likely be similar in size, so the permit costs should be nearly identical.  Currently, North Station is $7917; South Station is $381.04; and Connector is $6394.50.  As you can see, it seems like they were mixed up from the start.

Even more evidence exists that the permit originally labeled "Connector" was really South Station.  In the review comments for Connector, there are references to load areas, unload areas, capacity, and other details that would be associated with an attraction station.  We have been led to believe that the Connector is the train itself by a Phase 2 contractor.

© 2012 Warner Bros. Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

Now, on to the interesting things brought up in the review comments.  The things that most stand out are certain capacity figures related to unload & egress, the mention of a "ticketing structure," and an "exit tunnel."

For North Station (Platform 9 3/4), the reviewer says, "the exit capacity for the occupant load is deficient. (occ load 1259 capacity 1170)."  This is according to the Life Safety Code which requires a minimum amount of exit space based on occupancy of a space.  We are going to infer that the current exit space is insufficient to hold the occupancy load of 1259 and is only capable of handling 1170 in its current state.  That is not to say that the train capacity is 1259 or even close to it.  Even if the capacity of each train is a third or fourth of that figure, it will be a people eater (a monorail holds around 400.)  However, sometimes exit capacity is calculated for an entire structure, so this figure may be for all of North Station in the case of evacuation.  Again, speculating based on limited knowledge and facts.

The North Station will also have a boiler room.  We are speculating that this will be for a steam effect at the station.  Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom uses a boiler for its steam effect at the load station.

Hogsmeade Station from Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone
© 2012 Warner Bros. Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

For South Station (Hogsmeade Station), the reviewer says he/she has trouble deciphering capacity of a few aspects of the station.  The only number thrown out is 204 for an entry stair which does not do us much good.  The South Station plans are apparently unclear in other ways:

"Cannot determine from the plans the true occupant load, entry points, exit points, what is the ticketing building for, and exit tunnel, what it the occupant circulation paths, etc. This will affect the total occupant load and egress capacity for this building."

As mentioned earlier, there is the mysterious "ticketing building."  Some of the biggest speculation surrounding the Hogwarts Express project is how Universal would handle ticketing.  Most thought this would prevent the attraction from happening.  Like the reviewer, we want to know what this ticketing building is for.  Is it just there thematically, or will it be a functional ticket booth for guests who need to upgrade to a 2-Park ticket?  We're hoping that it is just there thematically, and if not, hopefully the ticket building has a big queue for the ill-prepared.

Future site of Hogsmeade Station.
© 2012 Universal City Development Partners.  All Rights Reserved.
© 2012 Google Earth.  All Rights Reserved.

Another interesting mention is the exit tunnel.  Now that we know that Hogsmeade Station will be sitting between the Dragon Challenge tracks, perhaps this tunnel will take us between Dragons and Sinbad so we do not see Sinbad as we exit.  Or maybe it is just a simple exit tunnel.  Food for thought.


Just in case there are still doubters that this is for the Hogwarts Express, both permits reference the building connecting to a ride system.


As for the Connector, nothing interesting to the report.  Again, another reason why we think the permits were mislabeled.


UPDATE:
Since posting this article yesterday, the City of Orlando has once again changed the permit numbers for South Station and the Connector.  The permit originally labeled as Connector is now for South Station and numbered Project 3641.  The permit originally labeled as South Station is now for the Connector and numbered Project 4691.

Please leave us comments on what you think, or tweet us @Parkscope.  Also, join in on the discussion of #WWoHP2 on Orlando United.

Permit Links:
North Station
South Station
Connector

Hogsmeade South Station Plans

The South Florida Water Management District posted plans today for Project 3641 in connection with "basin improvements."  We have found some simple layouts of some of the Hogwarts Express stations which will feature heavily in the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.

Hogsmede Station
© 2012 Universal City Development Partners. All Right Reserved.

Above, you can see the layout for what is assumed to be the  Hogsmeade Station for the Hogwarts Express, which is by far the most interesting piece in the plans that we acquired. The station seems to be set back between the two tracks of Dragon Challenge.

What the area currently looks like.  Sinbad is on the right.
© 2012 Google Earth. All Rights Reserved.

Earlier, we put up an article about the demolition of the buildings in Lost Continent that were thought to be making way for the station. With this apparent setup, it looks like Universal may be going for a queue area or pathway for what is probably going to be a very, very popular attraction.

© 2012 Parkscope
© 2012 Google Earth. All Rights Reserved.
© 2012 Universal City Development Partners.  All Rights Reserved.

Other than that, the majority of the plans are about how Universal will be dewatering the station areas and moving ground water into surrounding basins.  According to the documents, Universal plans on having to move millions of gallons of water.  Hopefully, work will start soon.

Link to SFWMD plans: http://my.sfwmd.gov/ePermitting/DetailedReport.do?recordId=0&showMenu=false

Follow @Parkscope and @CaptMichael87 on Twitter for future updates on #WWoHP2

Discuss #WWoHP2 at Orlando United.

UOR Permit Update 6/19/12: Lost Continent Demo

Universal City Development Partners filed three demolition permits on January 20th of this year, and today, they were finally issued.  The three permits are for Building 234A, 234A Tent, and 234B. These buildings are located in the Lost Continent and are right outside of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  People are probably most familiar with the ice cream stand that was in one of the buildings.  It is believed that these buildings are being demolished to make way for the Hogwarts Express Hogsmeade Station and possibly a new entrance for Dragon Challenge.

The area to be demolished.  Hogsmeade Arch at bottom.
© 2012 Google Maps.

The permits were approved long ago, but it seems like Universal wants to take these buildings down while they have the demolition equipment on property for Soundstage 44.  They finally picked up and paid for the permits.

Follow @Parkscope and @CaptMichael87 for future updates on #WWoHP2

Hogwarts Express to be an E-Ticket Attraction

©2012 Warner Bros. Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

When discussing the forthcoming expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida, Gringotts is always thought of as the sole E-Ticket of the expansion.  Then, there is discussion of walk-throughs or family-friendly dark rides.  Many have overlooked the possibility of the Hogwarts Express ending up being a legitimate attraction, let alone an E-Ticket.  Most assumed it would just be basic transportation.  Even more assumed that the train would not happen at all (no room, capacity nightmare, ticket problems, etc.)

The Hogwarts Express is indeed coming, and the permits Parkscope discovered on June 1st are indeed for it.  A contractor who worked on Phase 1 (and perhaps 2) of WWoHP has been making waves the past two days by making some rare posts on WDWMagic.  Early on, he claimed that the Hogwarts Express could become the second E-Ticket of the expansion, and it appears, that nothing has changed.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term "E-Ticket," it originated with Disney when they had ticket books for attractions.  An E-Ticket was required for attractions like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribbean, and Space Mountain.  Today, the term is used to describe attractions of great scope, detail, and theme.  For example, Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man, Tower of Terror, and Kilimanjaro Safaris would be E-Tickets today.

First off, here are the posts:

 "An elevated backstage train track will link the 2. With some nifty outside-but-not fx for the train windows."-marni1971

"The connector is the train ride itself. This attraction is turning out to be the second E-ticket for the expansion. It's much more than a train ride...trust me. The technical challenges are many but the reward will pay off immensely!"-WhyLightBulb

"Screamscape is pretty close although the projection/media system will be far more advanced than the example Lance gives. During tests people have been getting a bit sick due to the ultra-realism and depth perception. The media actually needs to be created in layers with varying speeds represented based on the speed of the train and sequence. As far as in cabin effects, let's just say that the cabins could get a bit chilly at times for one example."-WhyLightBulb

"Exactly. We tried single layer video and it caused motion sickness. It was determined that synch. between motion and video was not the cause in this case. What we are working on now is extremely labor intensive and technically complex and will make for a very realistic experience. The results based on early tests are stunning. let's hope the support, financially and otherwise, continues as it has so far."-WhyLightBulb

Dementor on Hogwarts Express
©2012 Warner Bros. Pictures.  All Rights Reserved.

As you can see, we seem to be in for a real treat when Phase 2 opens in a few short years.  From WhyLightBulb's posts, it seems safe to assume the Hogwarts Express ride will feature the scene from Prisoner of Azkaban where Dementors attack the train looking for Sirius Black.  In the scene, the train comes to a complete stop, rattles, and Dementors enter compartments.  Then, everything gets dark and very, very cold.  This is what happens when Dementors attack.  The best way to recuperate from a Dementor attack is to eat Honeydukes' Chocolate (which you will be able to purchase when you arrive in Hogsmeade.) It is exciting to see they are going for a realistic experience with thrills and chills.  Hopefully, while realistic and scary, the ride will still be accessible to most guests.

What would be very cool, in my opinion, would be for random ride sequences like Star Tours 2, but I am not sure what else they could do.  It will also be interesting to see what happens on the journey from Hogsmeade to Kings Cross as nothing of note happens in the films or books.

Ocean Express gives us an idea of what the Hogwarts Express may be like
doppelmayr.com

It will be very fascinating, in time, to see how they accomplish the window effects and what the train will be like exactly.  All we have to go on at the moment is the possibility of it being similar to the Ocean Express at cean Park in China.  We also know it will be backstage and elevated.  From the outside, it will need to look like the Hogwarts Express when we load and unload.  This project is very exciting because not only will the finished product be ground breaking, we have little idea how any of this will be accomplished.

Screamscape's proposed Hogwarts Express layout.

One thing is certain, this is not just a form of transportation, it will be an experience.  Along with the Dementor attack, we have Kings Cross, Platform 9 3/4, and Hogsmeade Station to look forward to.  The scope of this project is huge.  And when you have the train linking the individually awesome Phases 1 and 2, it will be a sensory, emotional, and magical experience.  Potter fans will lose their minds, and I think true theme park fans will also.  I do not think anyone ever (realistically) saw this coming five years ago when Phase 1 was announced.

As of 6/7/12, the three Hogwarts Express permits are still under review by the City of Orlando.  In the next month or so, we should see them laying out the stations and track.

***

Visit wdwmagic for a good discussion on the rise of Universal which of course includes WWoHP2 talk.  The discussion was started by the same article that inspired our series of articles entitled "Universal Century" posted last month.  Marni1971, Lee, WDW1974 (Spirit), and WhyLightBulb are good posters to keep an eye on.

And as always, discuss WWoHP2 on Orlando United.

Follow @CaptMichael87 and @Parkscope for updates on Twitter, and please keep checking the blog.

UOR Permit Update 6/5/12

I have some good news and some bad news.  Let us start with the bad news, Universal has wised up to us and has changed the way they file permits with the local agencies in Florida.  For now on, we are unlikely to get gems like "North Station" or entire layouts of a new land. Instead, we will get vague descriptions like this: "Foundation layout and details for primary structural system."  It was nice while it lasted.

The good news, is that this confirms that we were onto something with the first two permit updates.

Now, on to the proof:

Project 7717 on June 1, 2012

Project 7717 on June 5, 2012

Project 3641 on June 1, 2012

Project 3641 on June 5, 2012

Project 4691 on June 1, 2012

Project 4691 on June 5, 2012

As you can see, the descriptions that got us so excited last week are now generic and identical.  As they say, all good things must come to an end.

Project 7542 and Project 7448 believed to be Gringotts and the waterfront respectively already had generic descriptions.

All current Potter projects are still under review by the City of Orlando.  Hopefully, they will approve them soon, so we can get that much closer to construction.