Joerg Teuchert
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Credit: Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort is home to many thrilling attractions, but the most magical experiences are found in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The magical world of Harry Potter resides in both Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure and the two are connected by the Hogwarts Express, which can be used by guests who have a Park-to-Park ticket.
In Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, guests can experience Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, as well as many unique experiences like Ollivanders Wand Shop and The Leaky Cauldron. At Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure, allows guests to enjoy the magical view of Hogwarts and enjoy rides like Harry Potter and Hagrid’s Forbidden Journey, Theft of the Hippogriff, and Magical Creatures Motorcycle Adventure.
While immersion is certainly magical, many Universal Orlando guests say they’ve noticed an attraction getting a little outdated.
In a recent Reddit thread, user U/Phoenician_Dashcam said he noticed that Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, set at Hogwarts, needed upgrades in both the animatronics and the screens used for parts of the ride.
“The Whomping Willow animatronics were completely inoperable while I was there,” the guest said. “I remember driving around Hollywood and this Whomping Willow really seems to be approaching you! It’s a great effect when it’s operational. There were also a few spotlights that seemed to have annoying dead pixels. In general, the projections seemed a little washed out and a bit dated.
“I would love to see LED screens replacing projectors, similar to the 8K screen used in the Bourne show. I feel like increasing the contrast and resolution could seriously improve the realism of video scenes. Plus, it buys Universal some time to fix the Whomping Willow.
Another user said they thought this ride made them nauseous due to the lower resolution of the projections.
“It’s one of the few rides like this that makes me nauseous, and I think it’s only because of the lower projection resolution/quality.”
Universal Orlando Resort did a slight renovation to the attraction a few years ago, but the story and technology have remained largely the same. However, the resort is constantly looking to update its attractions and experiences, and keeping the wizarding world alive is always high on the list.
Orlando’s Universal Attractions are currently undergoing renovations
Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)
Revenge of the Mummy, the famous roller coaster that closed in January, will remain closed for the month of March. As we previously reported, Revenge of the Mummy is undergoing massive renovations and will be closed until the end of summer 2022. At this point, Universal Orlando has not announced if we will see a new theme, but it There are rumors that major changes are coming to the attraction. Some have shared rumors that the ride could become a Universal Classic Monsters attraction, but with the Classic Monsters set to be included in the all-new Epic universe when it opens, that’s probably not the case.
Popeye and Bluto’s Wedge-rat Barges (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat barges will close on Friday February 25 and will not reopen until later in March. Currently, the scheduled reopening date is Saturday, March 19. Don’t expect a major theme change with this shutdown, it’s just for scheduled maintenance.
Caro-Seuss-el (Universal Islands of Adventure)
The Caro-Seuss-el has been closed indefinitely for over a year and will continue to be closed in March. The attraction is undergoing major renovations as it has been reported to have roof issues. Currently, there is a large gray blanket around the attraction, but no reopening date has been set.
Fury of Poseidon (Universal Islands of Adventure)
Poseidon’s Fury has been closed since the pandemic, but the good news is that the walkthrough attraction should open in the near future. Universal Orlando has not set an opening date. There were rumors that the attraction might reopen in February and members of the Universal team were spotted around the attraction area, but no reopening has yet taken place.
Universal Orlando Resort is packed with fun experiences and thrilling attractions you don’t want to miss. Outside of Diagon Alley, Universal Guests can enjoy Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, Transformers: The Ride, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, ET Adventure Ride and more at Universal Studios Florida.
Islands of Adventure also offers fantastic attractions, such as The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, jurassic park River Adventure, the brand new jurassic world Velocicoaster, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Harry Potter and forbidden travel, and more! Volcano Bay is also open for those who want to get started, and at the moment Epic Universe is under construction with a potential opening date of 2025. Epic Universe is expected to be the largest universal park in the world when it opens.
Are you planning to visit Universal Orlando Resort soon? Let us know in the comments.
If you want to visit Universal Orlando Resort, you can today! Click here to start your vacation! You can go to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, then have dinner and drinks at CityWalk. Want to dive? Volcano Bay is ready for you. With so many fun events like Mardi Gras, Halloween Horror Nights, and more, Universal will give you an action-packed adventure like you’re in the movies! And who could forget the magical world of “Harry Potter” where you can experience rides like “Harry Potter” and the motorbike adventure of Gringotts escape and Hagrid’s magical creatures! Also, in the latest Universal Parks News, the Epic Universe is currently under construction and set to open in 2025. Or, how about a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood to check out the movies?
