London

 

Travel across the pond to the charming town of London, England. Here, there is magic hidden everywhere, and wizards can be seen in many places. Although the area is mostly themed to Harry Potter, other bits of British pop culture are seen around the area.

Coming in from Hollywood Boulevard, guests enter into the streets of London. Snake-coiled streetlamps, telephone booths, and British flags create the illusion that you're actually there. In the center of the area is a park, where the Knight Bus is. On the left is King's Cross Station, where guests can ride the Hogwarts Express to the Hogsmeade area of the park. Near that is Paddington Station, a gift shop of British souvenirs, including things based off of Paddington, James Bond, Doctor Who, and other British icons. On the right side is Grimmauld Place, where guests may see Number Twelve. At the back of the area is The Leaky Cauldron, which serves as an entrance to Diagon Alley.

In Diagon Alley is where guests will find the lion's share of Wizarding World experiences. This includes the shops Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Sugarplum's Sweet Shop, Magical Menagerie, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Eyelops Owl Emporium, Flourish and Blotts, and of course, Ollivanders, where they can get interactive wands. There is also an interactive experience with these wands, similar to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, where guests battle Voldemort and his followers across London and Hogsmeade with help from Harry and his friends, which is signed up near Ollivanders. For dining, guests have Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees and The Tales of Beetle the Bard perform around here. They can also go down Knockturn Alley and shop at Borgin and Burke's. At the end of the alley is Gringotts Bank, where guests can ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, an extended version of the coaster in Orlando. Goblin Vault is a gift shop afterwards, selling merchandise as well as Gringotts stuff, like replicas of the Sorcerer's Stone and Helga Hufflepuff's Cup.

Further down the street is the Sherlock Holmes Cafe and the Queen's Banquet, two restaurants on a street leading to a tunnel, which goes to Lost World. Near this area is a TARDIS. Between those two restaurants is a trackless dark ride on the same scale as Rise of the Resistance, Harry Potter and the Secrets of the Ministry, where guests go into the Ministry of Magic to search for a lost item in the Department of Mysteries and must battle with Magical Creatures, Death Eaters, and powerful magic to escape.

Attractions:

• Hogwarts Express
• Ollivanders
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
• Harry Potter and the Secrets of the Ministry

Entertainment:

• Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Dining:

• The Leaky Cauldron
• Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor
• The Fountain of Fair Fortune
• Sherlock Homes Cafe
• The Queen's Banquet

Shopping:

• Paddington Station
• Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
• Quality Quidditch Supplies
• Sugarplum's Sweet Shop
• Magical Menagerie
• Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions
• Eyelops Owl Emporium
• Flourish and Blotts
• Borgin and Burke's
• Goblin Vault

When I was developing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for this park, I didn't know how I was going to do it. I only had ideas for one park, but I wanted to have both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for it. The answer to this problem was to split it into two areas, a London area and a Hogsmeade area. With London, I could include the Ministry ride I had been thinking of and add in some other British things too. The Hogwarts Express acts more like Disneyland's railroad, traveling around the park instead of to another one.