Anticipating Diagon Alley

I have always been of fan of Theme Parks and new attractions.  But nothing has ever captivated me as much as the upcoming The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando.  If any of you know me, it has become a bit of an obsession.  From the endless pictures of the London waterfront, to the long days on #Potterwatch, the excitement continues to build until soft openings and the Grand Opening on July 8th.

Besides my personal interest in everything Diagon, the opening of this new "theme park inside a theme park" has also taken the attractions community by storm.  I have never seen so many Harry Potter and Theme Park fans obsess over anything quite like this.  So with that being said, let me track my experience, which starts just a few years ago...

When Universal Orlando prompted the closing of Jaws and Amity Island at Universal Studios Florida back at the end of 2011, everyone's attention shifted to their announcement about expanding the Harry Potter universe at Universal.  Rumors started flooding in for months about what exactly they were going to build to expand the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWOHP).  But, within time, Universal Orlando made the official announcement that they were indeed going to take us on a journey to Diagon Alley.

Universal took no time at all to begin demolition of the area and start new construction which would eventually become Diagon Alley.  But even then, although rumors were flying around with possible details of the expansion, no one became truly enamored with it until Universal's official details emerged in 2013.  I think it was at this time that I became excited with what would be the milestone of Universal Orlando.

From the very first pictures and renderings of Diagon Alley, I remember looking at that dragon and stating "I don't know how they're going to do that! That looks unbelievable!"

Original Artwork for Diagon Alley

As the construction picks up at a rapid pace, even more details were announced in the beginning of 2014.  Yes, we are getting Hogwarts Express and a brand new E-Ticket attraction (which at no surprise was Escape from Gringott's!)

As 2014 continued and construction got larger, the London waterfront was taking form.  But the big question was...when is this thing opening?

In early summer, the anticipation of opening prompted the Twitter hashtag #potterwatch.  It was here that fans could come and post everything Diagon- pictures, updates, thoughts, rumors, etc.  It became a massive hashtag following.  From seeing the London Waterfront take form and the popularity of potterwatch - I think that's where my true obsession started to gain momentum.

From the start of the summer, I began taking more and more trips to Universal Studios Florida (USF) to begin taking pictures of the London Waterfront.  Every couple days, sometimes everyday, something new would be added, painted, changed, or moved around.  But that pesky construction wall - it sure ruins great picture opportunities! I began collecting what seemed like an endless array of pictures of the London waterfront.  But still, no opening date announced...

Construction Photos

The next major milestone was the installation of the crown jewel of Diagon Alley, the amazing dragon that will sit above Gringott's Bank.  There were rumors of when the dragon would be installed, but never happened to be installed on my visits.  However, quite a few bloggers got some awesome pictures that day, and wow, they were fantastic.

Photo Courtesy of AmusementBuzz.com

The dragon quickly got covered up for additional work, so we did not get to see most of it again for awhile.  Eventually wings were added, but everyone was still waiting to see that signature fire breath (that comes later).  So we have the area built, a dragon installed, but still - no opening date.

The next major milestone was the removal of the construction walls that had surrounded the London waterfront for months!  All of us hated them, and were rejoicing when "London's Walls came tumbling down!"  This was our first opportunity to capture even BETTER pictures of the WHOLE waterfront!

Ah, much better without the walls!

Check out my video of the walls down

But wait, there were other things going on at Islands of Adventure too...a new walkway and new emblems on the ground? There is a lot going on.  But still no opening date?

The next milestone was Media Week for Diagon Alley .  The Media Week was indeed an exciting time! We learned so much about Diagon Alley.  And finally, we get an opening date!  July 8th was officially announced as the opening date during The Today Show's Media blitz LIVE from Diagon Alley!

Media week spawned a slew of new pictures actually INSIDE Diagon Alley.  Until then, we only had pictures of the London Waterfront with just a few pictures/videos here and there that Universal posted from within Diagon Alley.  But now we had everything! Pictures of store fronts, food, drinks, dragon fire, Gringott's!  Did I mention DRAGON FIRE?? This world was massive! The anticipation and excitement grew!  To say the least; sensory overload.  I was tempted to look at all the Twitter postings - including POV videos, but I chose to resist (well mostly) and save the surprise until later.  But those pictures inside I couldn't help drooling over! Here are just some of the cool sights inside Diagon Alley!

See more Photos Here - courtesy of buzzfeed.com

So that wraps it up.  I sit here waiting, but the journey is almost over.  With the opening date around the corner, and a good chance for soft openings soon, I will finally step foot into this majestic realm known as Diagon Alley.  I'm looking forward to every moment of it!