Nothing beats the feeling of driving up to an amusement park and seeing all the rides you’ve been looking forward to riding from the parking lot. Well, things are a bit different for Universal, but the feeling is just as great – if not better. Walking down Universal’s CityWalk, you can see the green curls of the Incredible Hulk Coaster, the tower of Hollywood Rip, Ride, and Rockit, and … something new. There’s a castle rising from next to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center – it’s Hogwarts Castle.

Hogwarts Castle looks amazing from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I decided to save The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for last on my first go-round of Islands of Adventure during my week-long vacation. I’m a fan of the books of movies – not a diehard fan, but I enjoy them very much. Let me just say – walking through the gates of Hogsmeade was like entering a whole new world. Videos and pictures don’t do the area justice – I’d even say it looks awkward in pictures. When you actually walk in, it looks incredible. When you compare it to shots in the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Universal was really spot-on in constructing the area. All of the stores from the movies are there – and the area is filled with hidden details that I really had to notice during the whole week I was at Universal. But this isn’t the reason people were lining up an hour before the park opened at the Islands of Adventure gates. They were here to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The Hogwarts Express greets visitors as they enter the area.

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to the queue line – the line. The bad news is that you spend roughly the first 75% of your waiting either outside or in the green house, and it’s boiling hot in there. The theming is minimal (since the greenhouse in the movie doesn’t really have that much, and this serves as the main turnstile area), but the line moves very quickly.

Then comes the good news – the last 25% of the ride is the new “best queue line ever”, now that Dueling Dragons, that is – Dragon Challenge, has removed most of the theming that made its original line amazing. First, you see a statue featured in the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, then you see the house jewels (guess which house is winning), and of course you see the entrance to Dumbledore’s office. Next, you walk past several talking portraits (one of some sort of alchemist, and some wizards watching Quidditch), before entering the main Portrait room with the changing stairs, where the founders of Hogwarts quarrel above your heads, and talk about the Muggles entering the school. Finally, you enter Dumbledore’s office, where Dumbledore talks to you about your approaching 3 hour lecture on the History of Hogwarts by Professor Binns. However, you enter the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Binns hasn’t arrived yet, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione warn you about the boringness of the lecture and decide to whisk you away using Flying Benches.

A statue featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Next, you enter the Gryfindoor commonroom where some other portraits explain the dynamics of the ride, and you also pass the Fat Lady who sings and says unimportant stuff to you. The last portion of the ride’s queue line brings you to an excellent Sorting Hat animatronic who tells you some more technical information about the ride, before a ride attendant (dressed in Hogwarts robes, of course) helps you and your family into one of the rapidly moving vehicles … wait.

This is an Omnimover?? Yes. Of course, it’s the robot arm technology – but tons of cars are rapidly coming in and out of the station. There’s a constant flow of these arms, which means the ride never stops moving, granted of course it’s not broken down. So, that means if you waited 90 minutes – there must be a TON of people in front of you waiting to get on. Think about it, if there was no pre-show, Haunted Mansion would never have a wait. That’s a comparison. I thought the ride stopped, you boarded, and then it started again, like Spiderman. No wonder the line moves quickly. The thing is, you just don’t get anywhere.

So, when you board, you get your shoulder harness pulled down, and you’re off. The Harry Potter theme plays as Hermione uses floo powder to whisk you off on an amazing adventure. The ride uses a creative combination of animatronics and video screens. When you’re in front of the video screens, fans blow wind in front of you as if you’re really flying. Suddenly, you’re in a live set and stuff is happening right in your face – and I mean it. The ride vehicles, the robot arms, are capable of getting you closer to the sets than in Haunted Mansion or other dark rides. I won’t give anything away – but a bunch of “characters” from the Harry Potter books and films are flung in your face in a manner that’s really amazing.

You’re sad the ride is over, and you realize the 90 minute wait was COMPLETELY worth it. I’d give this ride 10.0 rides out of 10, without a doubt. I can’t decide whether I like this ride or The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman better, so for now I’ll give them both the double-thumbs-up. Universal’s constant use of cutting-edge technology is really creative and amazing, unlike some of the other amusement parks in the area. Visiting this area, trying pumpkin juice and butterbeer, and riding these rides is all worth the day-trip to Islands of Adventure, and a full week can be easily spent at Universal.

Here’s a tip – the single riders line for this ride moves a lot quicker than the normal line, and you even get a quick glimpse in the castle – but make sure you walk through the real line at least once during your vacation. This ride has a whole new kind of magic – and it must be experienced. It’s a shoe-in for Best New Attraction and Best Dark Ride in this year’s Golden Ticket Awards.

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WORLD OF COLOR

THE REVIEW

After years of design and construction, earlier this year, Disney finally unveiled World of Color, Disney’s latest spectacular performing nightly at Disney California Adventure.  Featuring fountains, fire, lasers, and lights, Disney characters come to life in ways never before imagined.  Accompanied by a terrific sound track, the show is the complete package.  It is something that we have not seen from Disney in a very long time.  It both is innovative and creative and brings together all elements of a good show.

Based on the original television series, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, the show begins with a throw back to the original opening using Mickey’s face on the Fun Wheel and just a handful of fountains.  “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color!” is announced in the original voice followed by total darkness.

The waters of Paradise Pier is home to a water spectacular known as World of Color.

Fountains spirt up tiny droplets of water, as a rendition of a modern version of “The Wonderful World of Color” begins.  The world is a carousel of color; a single fountain rises with the first line, followed by a full rainbow of fountains.  The following segments are filled with Disney characters.  Then my favorite moment of the show is when all hundred upon hundred of shoot up into the night sky in a terrific spectrum of color.

Hundreds upon hundreds of fountains were installed over the past 2 years to support the show.

While I do not want to give to much away, let me just say that this show is awesome, and not the overtly used meaning, but truly aw-inspiring.  What the designers are able to do with water is simply breath taking.  Going into the show I do not know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it.

The show’s creators discovered that you could project on just about any kind of fountain.  This made for an incredible experience with terrific effects.  Another great aspect of the show is the use of lasers.  The lasers are not just used as in Fantasmic! Or Remember…Dreams Come True, where they are straight single beams.  No.  In World of Color they are incorporated into the show, such as rolling water, transformations, and even landscaping.

Perhaps the most fun part of the show is the Buzz Lightyear scene.  Beginning with an argument between the now house-hold names of Buzz and Woody, Buzz prove he can fly and then goes into full out space ranger mode with a battle against the evil emperor Zerg.  Watch the video above to get an idea of the scene.

Here is the both emotional and fun Aladdin portion of the show. It features two songs, ‘A Whole New World’ where Prince Ali and Jasmine take a spectacular trip over our colorful world, and ‘A Friend Like Me’ where Genie takes over Paradise Lagoon in this fun filled number.

The show concludes with a spectacular finale filled with lasers, lights, fire, and color.  Over all this show is a must see.  Is it a perfect show?  No, there are somethings that could be changed and re arranged, but it is certainly something that Disney fans love to see, creativity and innovation.  After years of relatively no new technologies, this show is on such a massive scale that it gives me goose bumps.  I highly recommend seeing this show as it is worth your time.  Overall I give this show a 8.5 out of 10.  An excellent midway point in Disney California Adventure’s growth.

World of Color in its current form is a solid 8.5 out of 10. Nice job Disney!

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The Kentucky Derby is an American classic: the thrill of horses racing through down the mighty dirt track, jockeys straddling the great steeds as the speed inches away from disaster.  However, the Kentucky Derby is a joy that only a lucky few get to experience first hand.  However, at Knott’s Berry Farm, park goers can get an idea of how it feels to race a mustang on Pony Express, a Zamplera Moto-Coaster with horse themed trains.

Opened in the spring of 2008, Pony Express was targeted towards a younger audience.  With a relatively gentle 38 mph launch, this thorough breed coaster is quite tame.  The slower speeds and lower heights certainly don’t make it the holy grail for thrill seekers but at just a 48-inch height limit, Pony Express is something the entire family can enjoy.

Another tradition of the Kentucky Derby is to place bets.  In the coaster world, it would be similar to guests saying, “I bet you will love/hate this roller coaster”.  And usually these bets are not too far off.  But Pony Express is not a coaster I am not willing to bet on.  The coaster receives very mixed reviews, some being that it is the best family ride in the park, but others calling it one of the worst.  I have found the responses to be unpredictable

Personally, I enjoy Pony Express.  Not exactly a ride worth dying over if you miss it, but still a solid, enjoyable ride.

Once aboard the train, the unique and controversial harness goes into action.  A metal bar locks rider’s legs into place.  While that happens, a cushioned harness rises from beneath the horse shaped train to push against the rider’s back locking them in place.  Between the two restraints, riders are forced into a straddling position.  Depending on guests’ body type and shape, the position can be extremely comfortable or uncomfortable – I find it to be manageable.  Usually, this is the threshold which pushes guests to either side of the fence: enjoying or loathing the experience.

After leaving, the train makes a long pause at the launch track before accelerating from 0 to 38 mph in 3 seconds.  Horses climb up and over the 44 foot high turn-around before gliding back down just over the railroad track.  Once again, riders find them selves cresting a small hill before diving past the station where the on-ride photo point is located.

The rests of the journey consists of banked turns over Big Foot Rapids, an enclosed turn around and one more bunny hop.  Finally, riders come to a very slow and long stop on the break run.  At this point, at least every child has a smile on their face.

So what can we learn about Pony Express from this review?  Ride it yourself and make your own decision.  Pony Express gets mixed reviews and this is just one opinion among a thousand others.  I give Pony Express a 6.5/10 – a coaster worth testing out yourself.  But then again, those are just my Park Thoughts.

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