New Harry Potter ride just announced

[Alexle2007]

We rode DC for the first time in June. Luckily, we purchased annual passes and are heading back on 7/31 so we'll get another opportunity to ride it before its demise. We are excited for a new HP ride though! DS (and I) just became a HP fan this year so we're ready for more HPland.

 

[mamattorney]

Exciting! Though I loved dragon challenge - it was such a smooth coaster - definitely my favorite at Universal.

 

[Chuckers]

I'm a little annoyed at the short notice! We are heading to Orlando in September, a week after the Dragon Challenge will be closing. So I will never have a chance to ride it! I guess the upside is it will already closed before we arrive; if it would still be open during our first couple days then I would probably need to manipulate my entire itinerary all over again!

Me too and I am sad.. very sad!

 

[jdrasin]

Our first trip ever is going to be late September. Bummed that we won't get to experience it.

 

[Charade67]

I haven't even gone on this year's Universal vacation yet and now I already need to plan a return trip.

 

[macraven]

I haven't even gone on this year's Universal vacation yet and now I already need to plan a return trip.

My way of thinking also....

 

[agavegirl1]

My way of thinking also....

Me three. Now planning another trip.

 

[PoohIsHome]

Sad that we won't get to ride DC again before it closes (we don't get back down until Nov), but sooooo excited to see what Uni and Rowling team up to bring to the park! I like the Forbidden Forest idea, but that's a lot of land to fill. Knowing how strictly Rowling sticks to the authenticity of the story, it'll be exciting to watch how it unfolds.

 

[ELSA711]

Our first trip was this past June with a return trip planned for Thanksgiving. My big kids were so disappointed, this was by far their favorite ride.
My two older kids loved this ride, me not so much lol. I would love to see more themed land to open up Hogsmeade a bit with a nice 'family' ride. My little one is not much of a thrill rider. You can only do Flight of the Hippogriff so many times while the big kids are on FJ and DC.

 

[jeffbeardreams]

Going with a modern coaster in that location is a good call, IMO. I like the DC coasters fine but they're not super headliners or anything.

 

[SteveMP]

Well Fantastic Beasts ended in a way where there could be more, and saw a teaser from JK that sounded like dhe was working on another. Maybe this ride will tie the 2 together?

 

[maverik85]

There's going to be 5 Fantastic Beasts movies overall actaully. So 4 more to go. And I'm not sure if the ride woudl be themed fully to it, as the areas are supposed to be the time period of HP not Newt, however I coudl see them include creatures seen in the movies in the rides of that area.
If/when they open a third theme park I codl see them doing an area themed fully to Fantastic Beasts there

 

[PoohIsHome]

I think the new area will stay true to the HP franchise.....for now. We may see may some fantastic beasts crossover, but my guess is that that wouldn't show up until further into the FB franchise development.

 

[SteveMP]

I think the new area will stay true to the HP franchise.....for now. We may see may some fantastic beasts crossover, but my guess is that that wouldn't show up until further into the FB franchise development.

I think it could easily stay true to HP and FB as the FB stuff is in HP. All they have to do is leave out any time clues out of canon. Then in a few years they can just add an animatronic Newt in a la Jack Sparrow in PotC.

 

[Chuckers]

I don't see why it can't be a Fantastic Beasts ride. They can just add a new area instead of expanding the current one. The new area goes back in time when you pass through the entrance. The area is large enough for a new "land" - New York in that time.

 

[PoohIsHome]

I just don't think Rowling would do it. She was adamant about every last detail of both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, down to such exacting details of how the ice cream orders could/couldn't be customized at Florean Fortescue's. I just don't see her crossing the two franchises this early into the FB storyline.

 

[DisBuckMan]

I just don't think Rowling would do it. She was adamant about every last detail of both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, down to such exacting details of how the ice cream orders could/couldn't be customized at Florean Fortescue's. I just don't see her crossing the two franchises this early into the FB storyline.

Yep...can't get butterbeer without the cream on top, either.

 

[dmaxphil]

Too bad, front row on Dragon Challenge was pretty much our favorite ride in both parks. Hopefully the replacement lives up to expectations.

 

[StarWarsJez]

This is great news. Dragon Challenge was fine but since it was ultimately just a reskin of Dualling Dragons it was always going to be replaced (especially given the amount of space it took up)

Guaranteed it'll be a 'Harry Potter' ride not 'Fantastic Beasts'. The first movie only did okay, with all eight HP movies outperforming it at the box office (well 2004's Azkaban did 2% less but inflation more than compensates).

 

[Alicefan]

I never connected Dragon Challenge with Potter ever, it was always Duelling Dragons to me.......

So no, don't wait......there's plenty of Potter stuff to see right now and it is fabulous in both parks. You won't miss this as a Potter attraction.

Same here. It was nothing more than a rollercoaster that was already there and rethemed to fit in with the area. You won't miss anything, in fact we never even bother to ride it because for me, I don't know what it is, but as a coaster enthusiast, this is the only coaster I've ever ridden that without fail, made me feel sick. I always thought there had to be a design flaw somewhere. I was usually okay at best if I only did one side, but if I tried to do both, I was off for the day. I won't be sad to see it go.