Well, it seems that the Diagon Alley Grand Opening was a huge success. For the most part, the Escape from Gringotts ride was operational for the day, although the wait was over 300 minutes for almost the entire day. Pictures I saw online showed smaller crowds in the other areas of Diagon Alley, although you had to wait about an hour or so to get into Diagon Alley. This gave guests plenty of opportunity to check out the interactive wands, Ollivanders, try butterbeer ice cream, and more.
The 2010 opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade was much worse by comparison. Guests talked to us, saying they waited over 12 hours just to get into Hogsmeade. A few hours for Diagon Alley seems easy, by comparison. It seems Universal learned a lot from the first opening and applied it to this one, including the delay of the announcement of the grand opening date.
Also, Diagon Alley is much bigger than Hogsmeade, giving guests more areas to explore without “feeling” the crowds. Journey down Knockturn Alley, eat at the Leaky Cauldron, or stroll the streets of Diagon Alley. All of these things provide ample opportunity to experience all that Diagon Alley has to offer.
Here’s a video of the Diagon Alley Grand Opening day celebrations.
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