Diagon Alley Universal Orlando Preview Event Recap and Photo Tour – Part I

Diagon Alley VIP Sneak Peek Event

Normally, visiting Diagon Alley is strictly off limits to Muggles like me, but on June 20, 2014, the Ministry of Magic lifted the enchantments from Diagon Alley and allowed me to do just that!

If you read my earlier post, you know I am a newbie Potterhead and couldn’t wait to walk among the wizards and witches in Diagon Alley. I was looking forward to so many things, and yet didn’t really know what to expect. Sure, there had been lots of Universal YouTube Videos as well as general media coverage, but seeing something as immersive as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley for yourself is an entirely different thing.

Before getting into the details, I want to preface this recap by saying I was overwhelmed by Diagon Alley. And, I don’t just mean overwhelmed by it’s sheer awesomeness. That’s true too, but in this case I mean I was in a state of sensory overload. There is truly SO MUCH to experience there, you are going to need multiple visits to truly indulge in the experience and to see and do everything. I was not able to do that in the few short hours I had at the VIP preview party. I could have used about ten more hours to explore the shops, sample foods and chat it up with the wizards wandering the streets. My experience was somewhat rushed and unfocused due to the short time frame and an unexpected experience at Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts attraction (more on that later), but I still loved having the opportunity to get a preview of the incredible experiences that await you at Universal Studios Florida this summer! Diagon Alley opens July 8, 2014!

So, with that said, let’s talk about what I did experience during the June 20 Sneak Peek VIP event.

Hogwarts Express

After checking in, our group was escorted to The (original) Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It was there that we got our first glimpses of Hogsmeade Station for the Hogwarts Express. So exciting!

The event started out with a ride from Hogsmeade station to King’s Cross station, which is in the new London area of Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida. Note: For those who aren’t familiar with Universal Orlando theme parks, Universal Studios Florida is a separate theme park. Once Diagon Alley is open to the public on July 8, guests will need park-to-park admission (equivalent of a Disney park hopper) in order to ride the Hogwarts Express since both arrive/depart within different parks.

Team members are on hand to check your tickets before you enter the station. Update: We now know that you will be able to upgrade your tickets from 1 park to park-to-park right at the stations!

There’s a very long queue before you even get into the station. This photo is just a teeny tiny fraction of it. We walked a long way through tree lined queues.

There’s more queue on the ground floor of the station. At this point, guests will be out of the sun. I’m not sure if there is AC in the Hogsmeade Station or not, but there are fans and drinking fountains.

After passing through all these switchbacks, the queue continues up a flight of stairs to the platform. Once we arrived on the platform, we got a look at the train! There she was, belching steam from between cars and all around! The Hogwarts Express provides both transportation and entertainment while traveling between the two theme parks. It’s certainly not just a train ride through the backstage areas between the parks. In fact, you will not see any backstage or any of the parks from the windows as you ride. What you will see is the actual journey from Hogmeade to London (or vice versa if traveling the other way).

You’ll be directed to a cabin that looks strikingly like those that Harry, Ron, Hermione and others used in the Harry Potter film series. Universal Orlando went to great lengths to make the train as authentic as possible. Even the fabric used on the seats is made by the same London-based manufacturer who created it for the films.

Once seated in the cabin, we were able to look out the “windows” as an incredibly authentic and magical adventure unfolded before us. The journey began with steam puffing from the train past our “window” and Hagrid waving goodbye from the platform.

We see Hogwarts castle in the distance as Buckbeak the Hippogriff flies gracefully by us, all with majestic and beautiful music accompaniment.

We then passed the Forbidden Forest where some Centaurs run alongside the train and see us off. There’s one last look at Hogwarts Castle from a distance just as Fred and George Weasley showed off some of their usual antics (love them!).

After departing the lush countryside of Hogsmeade, there’s a darker segment with sinister music, lightning and thunder claps as well as a glimpse of Malfoy Manor, which is know for its use as the base of operations for Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

You travel quickly from Malfoy Manor to London where you’ll see the Knight Bus swerving through London traffic, shrinking and squeezing to fit in areas where no other bus could. The sights and sounds you see in London include authentic landmarks that would be found en route to the real King’s Cross station in the real London.

There are some surprise visits from Harry, Ron and Hermione among others between the scenes described above, but they aren’t to be seen through your cabin’s “window.” There’s a pretty neat effect where it appears that they are passing your cabin in the aisle of the train.

“Mad Eye” Moody is waiting for you in London and waves hello from Platform 9 3/4 as you arrive in the beautiful and incredibly realistic King’s Cross Station. You are welcome to enjoy a virtual ride here!

King’s Cross Station

In just a few minutes, we arrived at Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross station in London, just outside of Diagon Alley.

It’s quite impressive how much It looks and feels very much like an actual train station too. It even has billboards, at least one of which you may recognize. The photo immediately below is King’s Cross Station at Universal Orlando. The one that follows was taken in my living room, but the TV shows a scene from the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with the matching billboard.

You may know that King’s Cross is a real train station in London, but if you have not been there (like me), you may not know exactly how much the Universal Orlando version looks like the real thing! Here are some photos from Wikipedia of the real King’s Cross inside and out (besides the modern day trains, of course).

While I was researching King’s Cross to write this post, I learned that the real King’s Cross has a tribute to our magical friends! Years ago King’s Cross installed an actual 9 3/4 sign and a half trolley lodged in a wall so fans could visit the station and take fun pictures as if they were heading through the bricks themselves. Apparently, the trolley and sign have been moved a few times during recent renovations, so I hope it’s still there somewhere. They also have a shop with lots of Harry Potter merchandise similar to that which you would find at Universal Orlando.

Tying things back to Universal’s King’s Cross, Muggles here can use a hologram type of effect to simulate going through the bricks too! I didn’t get to experience that one myself during this event, but here’s a quick look at Matt from Attractions Magazine going through the bricks. Pretty neat! I can’t wait to go back and do it myself!

Here’s a quick look at the Hogwarts Express leaving King’s Cross.

To keep this blog post from being insanely long, I’ve broken it into five parts.

Next up: Part II – Exploring London, Welcome Show and Entering Diagon Alley