BACK FROM HP WIZARD WORLD: DIAGON ALLEY AND IT WAS AMAZING!
(just got back and needed to nap before posting this)
I managed to convince my family to go to the hp Diagon Alley theme park but instead of going to week before we leave for the UK we went this weekend.
I cried a lot of happy tears when I walked past the magic brick wall into Diagon Alley. It looked so much more incredible than the videos.
I seen pictures of London from a vacation my family took when i was little (so I don't think it counts as being to london) but it seems they got the "london" look pretty close (the train station part definitely looks identical to what I seen from english train stations).They even included a little book detail- the fact that the muggle entrance to the leaky Cauldron was between a "big book shop and a record shop". That made me smile.
the ride in the hogwarts express was like a dream come true. and it was so much fun (specially "seeing" the trio outside of the compartment *except for the part where Ron was made to be a "all I care about is food and Hermione scolds him with "honestly ronald" and blah blah ughhh. Ron was made to look so much better in the Hogwarts Castle/Forbidden journey ride).
(and now I know the hogwarts express compartments can fit up to six people- which I been wanting to know for the longest time)
I can only describe the park as "whimsy" it's very coloring and crazy and there's so many things going on all around (Weasley Wizard Wheezes was incredible! they even had the giant (Fred?) head with the magic hat and disappearing rabbit. ) they have a lot of cool stuff. I was happy to find they sell decoy detonators (although the toy itself doesn't do much- but it's still a fun one)
Quality Quidditch looks great- but it doesn't have a lot of stuff (and the quidditch sweaters are so ridiculously expensive- $108 for one sweater!?!?)
the ollivander wandshop in diagon alley is slightly better only because it's not so small and so people don't feel cramp up in there. (the "ollivanders" there also does something better- he doesn't forget to measure people with a measuring tape as he asks info about their wand arms,etc- which is in the book and I can't believe they didn't do this in the original wandshop in hogsmeade)
haven't gone to the gregorovitch wandshop though.
the "interactive" wands Are Super cool!!!! like it feels like you're doing real magic!!! (although they're very sensitive- I dropped mine and had to get it repaired because the mechanism inside got crooked when it hit the floor-
so if you buy an interactive wand- Don't Drop it.
wiseacre wizard equipment was a very pretty store but the merchandise didn't really grabbed me (save a cauldron mug- that was cool. )
same with madam malkins- the store is very pretty and the manequis have beautiful outfits (they have a mock up of what I think is fleurs wedding dress? and it was a projection of flowers on it- very beautiful) but they don't sell half the stuff they display (they seem to sell only hogwart houses robes and hats. and they don't sell hermione yule ball dress)
I bought tons of stuff at Scribbulus (mainly quills and inkwells and parchment so I can send hogwarts-style stuff from when I'm in the uk)
Magical Menagerie was awesome too (and I was able to identify all the animals- even the Crumple-Horned Snorkack (although the employee there said it wasn't that but Evanna/Luna said it was and I believe her) (although why they had to sell ferret plushies ughh. those are not approved hogwarts pets! I don't care what the movie said!)
borgis and burke was genuinely so creepy. (I saw the hand of glory and it scared the daylight out of me because I wasn't expect it to move)
(also did not appreciated the store clerk who hid in the dark corner outside the store and jumped at us. I don't care if it's in character I felt my heart going up my throat)
I been to the Hogsmeade park before (saved up to go two years ago) and I'm glad that they were more aware of how hot it gets when they built Diagon Alley because it was so much easier to spend all day in the Diagon Alley park than it was in the Hogsmeade one (lots more shade in Diagon Alley- knockturn alley was even all dark out so that was good to get out of the blazing sun)
speaking of blazing sun--- the fortescue ice cream shop was so amazing! we got to try all the flavors over the weekend and they're all delicious!
other than that Best thing were the celestina warbeck show and the puppeteer "tale of three brothers" show. super fun!
(although having heard celestina warbeck and it being stablished she has a jazz-y style of music- I really don't understand why everyone except molly weasley hates her music. the only thing I can think of this in regard to fleur's dislike of her is maybe fleur likes classical music and so dislikes celestina jazz-yness? cause otherwise i don't know. the songs were catchy!!!)
the gringotts ride was also super cool! (although wow how technology advanced since the first hp park open- the hologram thing with bill and the goblin made the stuff in the forbidden journey look a little dated- and it hasn't been that long!)
so yeah. super awesome and amazing trip and i highly recommend everyone going!
I managed to convince my family to go to the hp Diagon Alley theme park but instead of going to week before we leave for the UK we went this weekend.
I cried a lot of happy tears when I walked past the magic brick wall into Diagon Alley. It looked so much more incredible than the videos.
I seen pictures of London from a vacation my family took when i was little (so I don't think it counts as being to london) but it seems they got the "london" look pretty close (the train station part definitely looks identical to what I seen from english train stations).They even included a little book detail- the fact that the muggle entrance to the leaky Cauldron was between a "big book shop and a record shop". That made me smile.
the ride in the hogwarts express was like a dream come true. and it was so much fun (specially "seeing" the trio outside of the compartment *except for the part where Ron was made to be a "all I care about is food and Hermione scolds him with "honestly ronald" and blah blah ughhh. Ron was made to look so much better in the Hogwarts Castle/Forbidden journey ride).
(and now I know the hogwarts express compartments can fit up to six people- which I been wanting to know for the longest time)
I can only describe the park as "whimsy" it's very coloring and crazy and there's so many things going on all around (Weasley Wizard Wheezes was incredible! they even had the giant (Fred?) head with the magic hat and disappearing rabbit. ) they have a lot of cool stuff. I was happy to find they sell decoy detonators (although the toy itself doesn't do much- but it's still a fun one)
Quality Quidditch looks great- but it doesn't have a lot of stuff (and the quidditch sweaters are so ridiculously expensive- $108 for one sweater!?!?)
the ollivander wandshop in diagon alley is slightly better only because it's not so small and so people don't feel cramp up in there. (the "ollivanders" there also does something better- he doesn't forget to measure people with a measuring tape as he asks info about their wand arms,etc- which is in the book and I can't believe they didn't do this in the original wandshop in hogsmeade)
haven't gone to the gregorovitch wandshop though.
the "interactive" wands Are Super cool!!!! like it feels like you're doing real magic!!! (although they're very sensitive- I dropped mine and had to get it repaired because the mechanism inside got crooked when it hit the floor-
so if you buy an interactive wand- Don't Drop it.
wiseacre wizard equipment was a very pretty store but the merchandise didn't really grabbed me (save a cauldron mug- that was cool. )
same with madam malkins- the store is very pretty and the manequis have beautiful outfits (they have a mock up of what I think is fleurs wedding dress? and it was a projection of flowers on it- very beautiful) but they don't sell half the stuff they display (they seem to sell only hogwart houses robes and hats. and they don't sell hermione yule ball dress)
I bought tons of stuff at Scribbulus (mainly quills and inkwells and parchment so I can send hogwarts-style stuff from when I'm in the uk)
Magical Menagerie was awesome too (and I was able to identify all the animals- even the Crumple-Horned Snorkack (although the employee there said it wasn't that but Evanna/Luna said it was and I believe her) (although why they had to sell ferret plushies ughh. those are not approved hogwarts pets! I don't care what the movie said!)
borgis and burke was genuinely so creepy. (I saw the hand of glory and it scared the daylight out of me because I wasn't expect it to move)
(also did not appreciated the store clerk who hid in the dark corner outside the store and jumped at us. I don't care if it's in character I felt my heart going up my throat)
I been to the Hogsmeade park before (saved up to go two years ago) and I'm glad that they were more aware of how hot it gets when they built Diagon Alley because it was so much easier to spend all day in the Diagon Alley park than it was in the Hogsmeade one (lots more shade in Diagon Alley- knockturn alley was even all dark out so that was good to get out of the blazing sun)
speaking of blazing sun--- the fortescue ice cream shop was so amazing! we got to try all the flavors over the weekend and they're all delicious!
other than that Best thing were the celestina warbeck show and the puppeteer "tale of three brothers" show. super fun!
(although having heard celestina warbeck and it being stablished she has a jazz-y style of music- I really don't understand why everyone except molly weasley hates her music. the only thing I can think of this in regard to fleur's dislike of her is maybe fleur likes classical music and so dislikes celestina jazz-yness? cause otherwise i don't know. the songs were catchy!!!)
the gringotts ride was also super cool! (although wow how technology advanced since the first hp park open- the hologram thing with bill and the goblin made the stuff in the forbidden journey look a little dated- and it hasn't been that long!)
so yeah. super awesome and amazing trip and i highly recommend everyone going!