Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Mikey has 2 more inches to go, Jess 5.5. Hmmm, it may be a little while.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer Hopefully this continues to raise awareness that the FLE isn't going to be THAT great for all the problems MK has.
Originally Posted By Daannzzz Soon TDO will panic and give the imagineers a budget to help pull people away from IoA. They can theme this to flying fairies. <a href="http://www.sbfairandexpo.com/images/carnival/waveswinger.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.sbfairandexpo.com/i...nger.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By MPierce >> The announcements that Universal appears to have allowed today is the dining. Reports are now being published about butterbeer, authentic English food, etc.. people so far are impressed. << Does that mean they'll be serving Indian cuisine?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> It looks like Universal is going to let out little bits at planned intervals until the opening - which will in roughly 2 months, no? They've got a ton of hype and no one has set foot on the ride yet. << Smart move keeping it in the public eye, while building up the hype. I think Uni is going to be very busy this summer.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Hopefully this continues to raise awareness that the FLE isn't going to be THAT great for all the problems MK has. << You don't think Princesses, and Fairies, and Crayolas are enough to keep the masses happy EE?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper And so it begins. I can't wait to see all the Disney Defenders claiming that Forbidden Journey isn't anywhere near as good as the Little Mermaid. Honestly, this will be the greatest ride ever built, and nothing Disney has done in the past 15 years can even come close to it.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I can't wait to see all the Disney Defenders claiming that Forbidden Journey isn't anywhere near as good as the Little Mermaid. << You know it's going to happen. Even though plenty of folks in the know say TWWOHP is going to change the way people perceive theme parks.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Oh, of course it's going to happen. I'm sure it's already happening in places. Either way, I'm going to be at TWWOHP on opening day, and I couldn't be more excited.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Either way, I'm going to be at TWWOHP on opening day, and I couldn't be more excited. << You, and a whole bunch of very excited folks. It certainly looks like Universal is uping the hype for opening day. You can bet attendance is going to skyrocket in anticipation of soft openings also. I would definetly spring for the fast pass if I was looking to ride more than once a day. At least the queue, and other offerings will keep a lot of people busy. It's going to be one big eye candy feast.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer HP> FLE That is all. I certainly do hope, however, that WDW does put out something that does contend with HP eventually. A expansion that should have been done in 1998 for JUST capacity isn't going to help.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<I would definetly spring for the fast pass if I was looking to ride more than once a day. At least the queue, and other offerings will keep a lot of people busy.>> I won't be getting an Express Pass opening day. I want to experience everything as it should be. I don't care how long I have to wait. I plan on spending the whole day just in the Wizarding World. I want to take my time and soak in all the little details, and have my fair share of Butterbeer.:-D Speaking of which, anyone read MuggleNet's report about the food? Uni makes attraction specific cuisine, and we can't even get attraction specific merch from Disney.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<And so it begins. I can't wait to see all the Disney Defenders claiming that Forbidden Journey isn't anywhere near as good as the Little Mermaid.>> Nah, Skipper. You need to realize where you are. Folks in this here Laughing Place aren't mindless defenders of mousy mediocrity. And let's face it ... the fanbois who would say that are either very ... um ... ah ... fey or they're lying to themselves. If Potter was about to open at WDW can you imagine the flooding of sites with fanboi drool you'd encounter? Mermaid should be very nice. A solid D Ticket really. I'm sure I'll enjoy it. But HP if done the way it appears is a game-changer in the attraction dept. Doesn't mean Disney will respond. They didn't with Spidey or even MiB. And that brings me to your next point: <<Honestly, this will be the greatest ride ever built, and nothing Disney has done in the past 15 years can even come close to it.>> I would never call something the greatest ride ever built until it opens ... I certainly think it has the potential to be one of the greatest, that's for sure. As to Disney ... well, let's just say the last decade has largely been a lot of mediocrity, at least in FLA. There have been some nice additions (Soarin, TSMM, EE and MS come to my mind). But none of them raised the bar in any way. Good attractions. Not great. And no aim to be, PR aside. That's WDW of the 21st century.
Originally Posted By dshyates Here is a review from Mugglenet of the food that will be served at The Threebroomsticks restaurant: "This is the second of three reports to be published stemming from a recent visit to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL where several Harry Potter fan-sites were invited to partake in some behind-the-scenes special events. The first report contained an interview with the man foremost behind the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park and his description of its feature ride, "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" - as well as a special tour we were given through its queue. Although that report answered long-standing questions about the most-anticipated ride in the park, I feel that this report details what will be the Wizarding World's knockout punch to fans and non-fans everywhere: the food. On our recent trip to Universal, we met with Richard Florell who is the senior VP of Food and Merchandise for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. He brought food with him. It was the food that they will serve in the Harry Potter theme park when it opens on June 18th. Note: later today it is expected that a full menu of food and drink available in the HP theme park will be released by Universal Studios as per a prior understanding between them and us. Although pictures of the food itself are not at this time available, we expect that such images are forthcoming. There is really only one way to summarize what is going to be said in this review: try the food. All of it. Then have some more. It'll do you good. Our first taste off the Wizarding World's menu was the storied butterbeer. It had been reported previously that, in order to create butterbeer for the park, a long and complicated process was taken which resulted in J.K. Rowling herself sitting down with five flaggons of potential butterbeer and being asked to decide which recipe was "the one." So we were really excited when Mr. Florell told us we'd be having some. Sure enough, a moment later we each had a mug of the amber liquid, topped off with a white fuzz and even bubbling slightly, in our hands. A few of us raised our glass and opted to toast "Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived" (I'm proud to say I prompted that one) and then we drank. It was thick, the fuzz, then rich, then colder and thinner at the bottom. A few more drinks and I was sure that the substance I was drinking was from another world. I don't know how they did it, but the butterbeer feels like it changes density as you drink. It's chilled, too - the butterbeer will be kept just above 32 degrees when it is served in the park. As for the taste, it is described as a cross between "butterscotch and shortbread" - I think that's probably accurate. I'll also say that I've become a fan of a personal homemade butterbeer recipe involving creme soda, rum and schnapps - but this, a non-alcoholic beverage for park guests of all ages, far closer matches what is likely served in Hogsmeade of literature. What surprised me was that, the more I drank, the more I liked it. It is a solid beverage, a solid "brew" if you will, that has a consistent taste and is not too sweet or strange. It holds its flavor the whole way through, and let me just say the cream on top is excellent for giving the drinker a butterbeer moustache. I'm finding difficulty in describing it more, except to say that it must be tried and will not disappoint. A frozen 'icee' version of the butterbeer will also be available in the park. After finishing our butterbeer, we tried it, too. It really is a testament to how solid a drink is, when you can make a frozen version of it accentuating the flavor that doesn't completely ruin it. The frozen butterbeer was just as good a treat and will definitely benefit on those really hot July days in Florida. I have no doubt that both the butterbeer and its frozen rendition will have guests piling in from the rest of the Islands of Adventure park to try it. Once they are there, of course, they'll be stuck I suspect. The butterbeer was only the first item off the menu that we tried. There was much, much more. Within the next few minutes we saw all of the dishes that would be served inside the park. Overall impressions were that the meals are balanced - containing salad to offset the meat and vice versa. They've taken the food mentioned by J.K. Rowling in her books and broken it down into several plates of yum. For main courses, the park will be serving British-themed food using European recipes: shepherd's pie, fish and chips, Cornish pasties and leek soup. Other dishes such as chicken and ribs and corn will be served. The head chef of the Harry Potter park, Mr. Stephen Jayson, also has some specialist equipment to work with. We were told that, in the kitchen of the Three Broomsticks, they have a smoke machine for the meat and a corn smoker for cooking corn fresh (while it's still in the husk!). In what is such a good idea I have separated it by starting a new paragraph, the park will serve a meal called "The Big Feast" - which is a platter designed for four people - consisting of half chickens, ribs, sweet potatoes and corns on the cob. This "big feast" platter is what the fan-site heads were treated to. As well as the salad and fish and chips. Four people will be very thoroughly satisfied with this meal. Even two of our friends who flew to Universal from overseas (one British, one Irish) were impressed at the authenticity of the European-style foods. They were raving about the sweet potatoes! My first foray into British cuisine was some fish and chips I had at a pub in Stratford-upon-Avon (birthplace of William Shakespeare) in June of 2006. The fish and chips I had there were served alongside the famous local cider, which I was surprised to learn is an ale, and not a beverage resembling "apple cider" that I enjoy at my family's Thanksgiving dinner. The relevance of this story as it pertains to this report comes with my surprise as I began to have the Hogsmeade style fish-and-chips, and was presented with Hogsmeade's brand pumpkin juice. The pumpkin juice, also served cold and quite refreshing, is also a unique beverage constructed by the culinary geniuses at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. I mention apple cider because it is the only thing I can think of to compare it to. It does for pumpkin what apple cider does for apples. It is a sweet, delightful drink that tastes of cinammon and ginger, pumpkin eccentuated and my, oh my is it tasty. This is another beverage you just have to try to believe. Harry and his friends at Hogwarts have pumpkin juice during their feast, and so too did we at our tasting of the food. The two together made for a truly authentic experience that is sure to be unreal once it can take place inside a finished wizarding world theme park. Some Harry Potter fans throughout the years have felt that there was a bigger mystery in the Potter books than the secret behind He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They wanted to know how Harry and his friends could eat so much and not suffer from obesity or diabetes. It was with special care on his face that Mr. Florell told us there would be kids portions of all of the dishes offered in the park, and that each of them (Fish and Chips, chicken with salad, etc...) were under 300 calories. It is so evident, the planning and care that went into this menu, that my ability to describe my encounter with this food may fall short. However, hopefully in reading you can tell that these meals were prepared with the guests' delight and health as the number one concern. Ah, yes. dessert. There was a quote used in my previous report which stated that "not a meeting was held without all seven Potter books in the room, and not a decision was made without them present." This quote actually belongs to Richard Florell, and he was speaking of the food served in the park. Ric actually had three of his books with him while we were eating, and we saw that they were place-marked with post-its as thin as toothpicks and color-coded. I presume that each of those flags was a reference to food or drink in the Harry Potter books, and Ric said that he can track every one and has gotten to know them fairly well. Being the VP of food and merchandise, it was likely Ric's choice of which sweets and goodies to bring to life. From our experience tasting a wide variety of the desserts after our stunning meal of salad, ribs, potatoes, corn and chicken, I have to say he's done an alarming job. Strawberry-peanut-butter ice cream. Okay. This one presented a particular challenge to the wizaring world theme park chefs, we were told: "How best to do it, that was a concern. It's strawberry, and it's peanut butter, and it's in the Harry Potter books and Rowling says they eat it. Well, okay then. Let's try to make it." The strawberry peanut butter ice cream is realized in the Potter theme park and is better than you'd think just by reading about it. It far surpasses any ice cream with peanut butter chunks I've had from a supermarket (not that that should come as a surprise this far along in my report), and is a solid example of a one-of-the-kind experience awaiting Potter fans everywhere. In fact, it is such a perfect blend of both strawberry and peanut butter flavors that I really am wondering how they did it. Then I remind myself that they've got magic on their side. Hmm. Cauldron cakes, like chocolate cupcakes only molded like real cauldrons, are an example of the finesse in practice at the Wizarding World's kitchen. They're cauldrons with a handle overtop - I don't know how they bake it. Chocolate syrup and desserts, cookies, all were served on a tray to us. I was, at this point, far too full to try everything (sorry). I knew I would be coming back. The bottom line is that everything served at the Wizarding World is so beyond impressive that you have to try it to believe it. The chefs have taken so many food items from the books, and they LOOK so appetizing (it is so hard to write this report without photographs of the amazing dishes we saw) that nobody is going to be walking away disappointed. To dispell a rumor once and for all, the butterbeer in the park is not alcoholic but they HAVE concocted a special brew for the Hog's Head pub called "Hog's Brew" which is unique to the park. If it's anything like the care that went into their other food and drink, I am sure it will quickly replace traditional Muggle adult beverages as favorites. The butterbeer and pumpkin juice served in the park will not be shipped or sold outside of the park. It will be available in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park only. We asked, and they told us. You will have to travel to Hogwarts (in Orlando, FL) this summer to get it. If I lived near the park, I'd be stopping by Hogsmeade three times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their food is going to be that good. One will not tire of it easy." Link: <a href="http://www.mugglenet.com/ericwwfoodreview.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.mugglenet.com/ericw...ew.shtml</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>consisting of half chickens, ribs, sweet potatoes and corns on the cob<<< Lol, this English feast is American. Yes, broiled chicken is popular in the UK, but when I first moved here in the 80's, ribs were rare, and sweet potatoes are almost non existant in English restaurants. Heck, although corn is served in the UK, it is far more common in the US.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>Strawberry-peanut-butter ice cream.<<< Again, I have to laugh. When I used to eat PB&J, I would get teased. In the UK, although mixing PB and sweet things is growing in popularity, more people think of PB as being savoury. Heck, I've known people that eat it with Mayo or ketchup. Again, this is another American recipe (though it does sound delightful). I fancy trying the butterbeer, but no way am I touching pumpkin juice - yuck.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Something tells me, although this sounds cool, this fan's enthusiam is running away with them. Then again, Mythos was probably our 2nd best meal in Orlando in 2000, only beaten by the California Grill. Overall though, as Disney is dumbing down their attractions, entertainment, food and merchandise, it sounds like IOA is stepping up the pace. I hope Disney learn a lesson and return to their form that made us all fans. Sadly, I doubt it.
Originally Posted By mousermerf <<<Again, I have to laugh. When I used to eat PB&J, I would get teased. In the UK, although mixing PB and sweet things is growing in popularity, more people think of PB as being savoury. Heck, I've known people that eat it with Mayo or ketchup. Again, this is another American recipe (though it does sound delightful).>>> Isn't it mostly Americans who will be at the park? And isn't a whole lecture you yourself gave just a few days ago about cultural inaccuracy and how it should be glossed over with an eye for the audience?
Originally Posted By dshyates Regardless of whether it is authentic Scottish fare or not, a lot of what is being offered is stuff from the Harry Potter books. like the Strawberry and Peanut Butter ice cream, Cauldron Cakes, and Treacle Fudge.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo No, I agree it is important to aim for your audience if you want things to be successful. I just have to chuckle that this author thinks it is authentic British faire, when it is not (well cornish pasties, leek soup and fish and chips are I guess). To say it is cool that it fits in with the books, that's great. But it is not necessarily traditional (and that is a good thing, a lot of traditional British food is quite boring).
