Celebration of Harry Potter Films, Nov 11-13, at Islands of Adventure

[Tramp68]

Also wanted to mention how great the stars were. During the red carpet I watched someone, i think it was Nick Moran (Scabier) who took a person's autograph book and ran down the red carpet to get some signatures for the people they missed!

I will post a trip report and pics soon.

 

[goofgal31]

That was my husband I'm pretty sure if you were by Honeydukes! He wanted everyone to get their fair share of red carpet. He kept saying that since there were lots of people there that as long as I was up front getting pictures and signatures that he was fine to allow other people to get their share as well. I hope that your daughter got some signatures and pictures due to my husband helping her get up closer again. He let a few people in when the crazy family pushed them out of the way. His only request was to stay close enough to me to be able to grab me if things got to crazy, and there were really great people around us who kept moving around when needed to keep me from getting squished by those crazies.

Those people from Brazil were horrible though. The dad kept shoving his arm in my face when I was trying to take pics and video. The boy almost knocked me over the chain to try to get in my spot, and the girls kept elbowing me and shoving the chain to try to get in front of people. So rude! At least there were plenty of nice people there to make up for them.

Well I am so glad to know who it was! My daughter was going to go back to thank him again (He really made her day. She was so fed up and feeling like everyone there was a bunch of jerks. After he called her back over, she realized that there were a few good people.) She told me after we got back to our room that she really felt bad that she did not get a chance to tell him how much she appreciated his kindness. So please pass that on to him for us!

 

[TaylorsDad]

Also wanted to mention how great the stars were. During the red carpet I watched someone, i think it was Nick Moran (Scabier) who took a person's autograph book and ran down the red carpet to get some signatures for the people they missed!

I will post a trip report and pics soon.

I remember that. I was just a little ways away from a girl who was trying to get his attention to get an autograph. I heard her sigh that she hadnt gotten any autographs yet. When he heard he took her item signed and went to get the other two previous guests- Mark Williams and perhaps Warwick Davis's auto- and brought it back and said now you have three. I was amazed how great the actors were. And David Yates kept thanking everyone for their support of the movies every couple of autographs. I really felt they all appreciated their fans.

 

[HPMonkey4]

Well I am so glad to know who it was! My daughter was going to go back to thank him again (He really made her day. She was so fed up and feeling like everyone there was a bunch of jerks. After he called her back over, she realized that there were a few good people.) She told me after we got back to our room that she really felt bad that she did not get a chance to tell him how much she appreciated his kindness. So please pass that on to him for us!

Oh good! He said that he is so glad that she had a good time after he let her in. He wasn't sure if he did any good, so knowing that he made someone's night really makes his day. Seriously he says it feels good to know that he made a difference.

 

[SharonLowe]

I remember that. I was just a little ways away from a girl who was trying to get his attention to get an autograph. I heard her sigh that she hadnt gotten any autographs yet. When he heard he took her item signed and went to get the other two previous guests- Mark Williams and perhaps Warwick Davis's auto- and brought it back and said now you have three. I was amazed how great the actors were. And David Yates kept thanking everyone for their support of the movies every couple of autographs. I really felt they all appreciated their fans.

The "talent" was the best part of this event. They really went out of their way to include everyone and did their best to let everyone get photos and autographs. They made the event despite all the screw-ups that happened. I just wish that more of the Universal and Warner Brothers folks had made a better effort for those of us who paid; I wasn't able to get my DS a gala ticket and I would have paid a fortune to get him in. Instead, a bunch of random people got free tickets to get in. After paying over $3000 for my DD and I (we got an on-site hotel so that added to the cost), I felt ripped off. Our autograph session just included 3 people (great ones, but still only 3) and our Q&A was only 4 actors - none of the big names - so we felt really screwed. As for the 6am early entry, it was fun for one day but given that the gala was supposed to be so limited, I didn't feel it was much of a benefit for those of us with gala tickets. When I pay for a premier event, no matter the venue or event, I expect to be treated as a premier person. For this event, I really don't feel I was treated that way - lots of people who didn't pay extra got more than I did. Something is wrong with that....

 

[fairyprincess88]

The "talent" was the best part of this event. They really went out of their way to include everyone and did their best to let everyone get photos and autographs. They made the event despite all the screw-ups that happened. I just wish that more of the Universal and Warner Brothers folks had made a better effort for those of us who paid; I wasn't able to get my DS a gala ticket and I would have paid a fortune to get him in. Instead, a bunch of random people got free tickets to get in. After paying over $3000 for my DD and I (we got an on-site hotel so that added to the cost), I felt ripped off. Our autograph session just included 3 people (great ones, but still only 3) and our Q&A was only 4 actors - none of the big names - so we felt really screwed. As for the 6am early entry, it was fun for one day but given that the gala was supposed to be so limited, I didn't feel it was much of a benefit for those of us with gala tickets. When I pay for a premier event, no matter the venue or event, I expect to be treated as a premier person. For this event, I really don't feel I was treated that way - lots of people who didn't pay extra got more than I did. Something is wrong with that....

This is exactly what my problem was. Now I didn't have the premier package, however that was not by choice as it was "sold out" before I could finish typing in my info. I was willing to pay for the Gala, even tried to get the so-called "upgrade" they emailed about that then turned out to be unavailable when I tried to purchase it. Then we get to the park and they are handing out the passes for free to random folks?? How does this make any sense if they were "sold out" when I tried to pay them for them? It was only by chance that we realized we had to line up 2 hours in advance to get front row for our Q&A and that's when we found out there was standby so we did that for the rest of them.

I know I didn't pay as much as those on the premire package but we have APs so we bought needless park tickets, paid for rooms even though a friend offered us her timeshare, and all we seemed to get out of it was a pin and set of DVDs we already owned. If I had known I could've just done standby for the Q&As for free, I'd have never paid for the stupid Celebration package.

 

[TaylorsDad]

This is exactly what my problem was. Now I didn't have the premier package, however that was not by choice as it was "sold out" before I could finish typing in my info. I was willing to pay for the Gala, even tried to get the so-called "upgrade" they emailed about that then turned out to be unavailable when I tried to purchase it. Then we get to the park and they are handing out the passes for free to random folks?? How does this make any sense if they were "sold out" when I tried to pay them for them? It was only by chance that we realized we had to line up 2 hours in advance to get front row for our Q&A and that's when we found out there was standby so we did that for the rest of them.

I know I didn't pay as much as those on the premire package but we have APs so we bought needless park tickets, paid for rooms even though a friend offered us her timeshare, and all we seemed to get out of it was a pin and set of DVDs we already owned. If I had known I could've just done standby for the Q&As for free, I'd have never paid for the stupid Celebration package.

I noticed when I went online to purchase my package that you could actually remove the tickets portion from your purchase because there was an itemized amt showing how much the tickets cost in the package.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I noticed when I went online to purchase my package that you could actually remove the tickets portion from your purchase because there was an itemized amt showing how much the tickets cost in the package.

I tried that, but it didn't work. You had to purchase park tickets. If you removed them it wouldn't let you process the package. I also had to buy at least a 3 day ticket, anything less also stopped the processing of the package.

 

[Tramp68]

Figured I could start a little trip report and add some pics...

We got in late Thursday. By the time we checked in the Royal Pacific Resort (RPR) it was after 11PM. We woke up at 4AM to be at the park by 5. I was afraid that there would be a huge line to pick up ticket packages. Little did I know that we would be the only ones there. We were able to print our tickets at the will call computer and were the 1st on line to enter the park at 6.

As we entered the park through the JP bridge it was a beautiful sight with the moon over Hogsmeade. I unfortunately did not bring the camera as we were supposed to be riding rides at this point. More on my attempt to grab a picture of that the next day later on...

My DD14 and her friend13 were the first to arrive at HPFJ but they had their house drawstring bags and had to stow them in a locker. They rode while I caught up. I picked up our tickets and then headed over to join them. It was a huge perk to actually see the village and the shop windows with almost noone there. I was alone in most of the shops and we were able to do Olivanders with only a wait equal to the show that was already going on. Many times I was the only one in the store and we were able to look at every detail. We were able to ride HPFJ more times in an hour than I did in 7 days in July! (we rode 4 times the first day)

At 7ish we were told that Three broomsticks would take walk-ins for breakfast(ours was for Saturday) so we ate before our 10:30 Autograph Session. The food was much better than what we usually get during normal park hours in the summer. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but it seemed to be fresher and hotter.

The girls kept talking about how they would be happy with anyone at the 10:30 Autograph session, but they wanted at least one out of Fred, George, Rupert, Luna or Seamus. We were almost last on line and had no idea who we would get. By the time we got in the building and saw the big black curtain it was just more anticipation for us. When we finally rounded the corner and saw who we had, this was where it started to turn bad for me.

I was almost crushed to see that the girls got none of their wishes. I really felt like I was going to cry for them. We had Viktor Krum, Bill Weasey, Cho Chang and Lavender Brown. They were great, but I know the girls were upset. I was told had had to take pictures from the back. I tried to get some shots but there were 2 very large men at the table and I really couldnt get a view of anyone. I waitied until my DD was on line and got a few shots of her with Viktor and Bill signing (no poses). I was then told I needed to get in line for my turn. I told the guy I wanted to take pictures and he would not let me have the other family go in front. Kept saying that I needed to keep the line moving. I asked why the line would stop if they other family went adn then I was threatened with expulsion from the park if I didnt get in line. So I didint get any pictures of my DDs friend or of DD with Cho or Lavender. They were all great and friendly though and I even got a few extra signed photos from Jessie and Katie.

Then my DD's friend said her throat was really hurting. Mom said she was prone to strep so we left the park for what turned out to be a 6 hour trip to a walk in clinic. They didnt even test her, just prescribed the antibiotic and sent us on our way. We ate out a Chipolte which was nice, returned to the room and hoped for a better 2nd day...

Pics will come in next post...

 

[Tramp68]

Entering Hogsmeade...

Viktor...

Bill...

 

[potterfanatic]

I tried that, but it didn't work. You had to purchase park tickets. If you removed them it wouldn't let you process the package. I also had to buy at least a 3 day ticket, anything less also stopped the processing of the package.

Did you use these tickets or your Annual Passes when you were on the trip?

 

[SharonLowe]

I received an email survey request from Universal Vacations about our vacation package. I made a point of explaining all the things that went wrong regarding people who had paid dearly for Premier packages and then discovering that people were getting for free most of what we paid for. I'm sure they won't do anything about it but I felt better about being able to point out the things that went wrong and ways they could have prevented so many angry and upset people. I also made the comment about the customer service person telling someone to shut up and how poorly people were treated.

 

[vivaciousdame]

Sharon, I did the same thing. I got two different survey requests and I let them know what I thought. I was nice about it but still I wanted to voice my opinion. My husband is going to fill out one he got as well. We didn't have the expensive premier tickets however we moved our honeymoon to Universal just for this. We still had so much fun but we felt very left out. Since walk-ins got the same thing as us and more. For the celebrations package really what we got was the blu-ray set and thats it. (Which we already have on dvd and the ultimate blu-ray sets) The pins sound like if you asked nicely you could get without paying. The Q & A's had a standby line and the real kicker, as we're leaving we find out a whole slew of people got wrist bands to stay for the saturday gala.
.....
...ugh.
I feel worse for those who bought the premier package though who spent an insane amount for just autographs. (Which they were doing at Walmart Friday nite for the cost of the new movie on blu-ray or dvd)
As it is we could have come to IoA to see WWoHP when there wasn't a crazy amount of people and we would have seen more. (which was our original plan)
But it is over and done with and we've got special memories. Best part........... BUTTERBEER!!

 

[fairyprincess88]

I filled out the survey as well. I made sure to highlight the positives but also expressed my feelings on how they handled the Celebration event. I know it was their first time doing anything like this, so I do feel that the feedback will help them with future events. I haven't let all the negatives taint my view of the trip or of Universal, however I still do feel a little ripped off.

 

[Tramp68]

I think there were a lot of good and bad with how this was handled. Universal definately learned over the course of the weekend.

As a premiere package member, I do not feel ripped off. There were better ways to handle a lot of things, but I got my moneys worth:

1. 6 AM Park admission. I got to see more and do more in those 2 hours than I could do in a full day. I got to really look at the merchandise in Filch's as well as read things on the walls , etc. I was able to walk into Olivander's and not be crushed or have to wait for over an hour. I got to take pictures that you can't get with the crowds as well as to really windowshop. The detail in the windows is astonishing. I rode HPFJ more times in 1 hour than I was able to ride in a whole moth of visiting the park on and off.

2. Guaranteed seating at a Q&A. No stress, no worries as well as sitting in the front part of the theater. The fact that they opened the other sessions up to outsiders benefitted me as I got the bonus of seeing 5 additional Q&As. Including Warwick Davis conduct a Charms Class.

3. The autograph session was great other than the idiot handlers. I was guaranteed a spot in a session. Why should I begrudge someone who was given one for free? I am glad that I went KNOWING that I was in instead of hoping to be one of the few lucky ones.

4. The Gala was great. The stars were amazing and it was an experience none of my group will forget. My daughter is still swooning over her hug from Oliver Phelps and she got 95% of the autographs that were out there. The food was great, and I took home almost $300 worth of Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads and Honeyduke's Chocolate Bars as well as 22 of the Butterbeer cups which are a pretty decent quality and as far as I can tell are not available anywhere other than at the Gala. (Can anyone confirm or refute that?) I got to see Warwick Davis conduct the Frog Choir!

5. Memories. Memories, Memories. These things do not happen often, at least not to people like me. My daughter has memories that she will be telling her grandkids. The look on her face when she found out we had most of the Weasley family at our Q&A, or after getting a high-5 from George Phelps, or a hug from Oliver Phelps, or after I showed her my joker card from the Hogwarts deck signed by the 2 of them. The look as we got off the plane when we arrived, her showing off her Deathly Hallows book with over 15 signatures in it on the red carpet after the gala. The look when David Bradley (Filch) initiated a conversation with them at the Airport and asked if they would like a picture, or when we saw Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas) walk by us at the airport and he consented to a picture... I have never felt more of a hero to my daughter than I did after this weekend. (though now we go to Boston to see Starkid and she just found out Darren Criss will be there so now I am even more of a hero!)

Yes, it could have been handled MUCH better. There are many things they SHOULD have and COULD have done for us at little or no cost to them. But I wouldn't go back and get a refund, drop to the lower package if I had a time turner. Hell, I would double what I paid to get those things.

With that all being said, I am going to fill out my survey and they will hear about all of the negative things, because quite frankly, they deserve almost 0 credit for all of the great things mentioned above. It is all on the wonderful cast of Harry Potter, their generosity and kindness!

 

[fairyprincess88]

I do understand where you're coming from Tramp68, I only feel ripped off some because I was stuck with the Celebration package which really ended up not being needed at all. Except for the 6 AM openings, nothing else in that package really was a perk, or worth the added expense for me. If I had been able to get the premire package I wanted, I'd have maybe had a different outlook on the event in general.

I do agree with you on cast. I have been attending Potter events for many, many years now and I honestly adore the cast members. The Q&As were fun and I ended up having a couple of funny stories to tell Dan Radcliffe about what was said when I attended an event with him the day after I got back. He was quite amused that the "fart machine" story was told. So yeah, I do not regret the trip at all, just wish some things would've been handled better.