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

[gschmerl]

They are there right now. Being broadcast on the Today Show with Hoda and Kathy Lee which is being shown live from IOA!!

 

[KerriSue]

My kids are there today with their grandparents and they are telling me it is packed like crazy!!!! My daughter was over the moon when she called telling me she met Luna Lovegood!

 

[AnjieNet]

I was hoping to see some pictures posted this evening. Guess everyone is too busy having so much fun. Jealous here!!

 

[AJA]

So happy for everyone there (and a little jealous lol!)

Have a great time everyone. Can't wait to see all the pics.

 

[SharonLowe]

Saw Warwick Davis heading to dinner at Bice tonight with 2 "friends". We had just finished dinner there; wish we had been a bit later....

 

[SharonLowe]

For those locals who want to get a chance at seeing some people....



Sounds like a good chance....This Walmart will be VERY Busy I am sure...

I am scheduled for the Q&A tomorrow...I am not sure if I am going to go or not...

My DS went today and definitely thought it was worth it - really loved seeing the stars and hearing the answers to questions. FWIW, get there really early if you want a seat near the front. My DD and I have one tomorrow and we plan to get in line early.

 

[SharonLowe]

Anyone willing to share photos/experiences yet? I have to say they screwed up a bit but then recovered really nicely for many of us. Will post photos later but suffice it to say my DD was in heaven the last day (Sunday)! She got the autographs she wanted and even got to ride Dragon Challenge all by herself - meaning she was absolutely the only one on the ride - and the staff loved that she did it on her own (DD is 13) and cheered her when the ride was over. Amazing evening - well worth the price of admission for us.

 

[Sehsun]

I was able to attend the 4:00 PM Q&A session!

Took lots of pictures and video - here is one of them:

It was Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown), Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas), Katie Leung (Cho Chang), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), James Phelps (Fred Weasley), and Oliver Phelps (George Weasley).

It was SO surreal and exciting!

I hope everyone who went this weekend had a fabulous time. Looking forward to hearing about all of your experiences!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

So if these events were open to the public, what was the point in paying a small fortune for the "special" packages?

 

[AJA]

Awesome pic Sehsun! Thanks for posting.

 

[Sehsun]

So if these events were open to the public, what was the point in paying a small fortune for the "special" packages?

I guess because the packages included a lot more (as seen here), but the only event that was open to park guests from the Celebration were the Q&A sessions.

Maybe this is what they meant by the "additional ways for a limited number of people to participate in celebration events?" (Quote from the FAQs in post #12, linked in the blue arrow below - for some reason, I am unable to quote that statement the way I want it to, hehe).

From Universal's Frequently Asked Questions:

Awesome pic Sehsun! Thanks for posting.

Thank you - and you're welcome!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I guess because the packages included a lot more (as seen here), but the only event that was open to park guests from the Celebration were the Q&A sessions.

Maybe this is what they meant by the "additional ways for a limited number of people to participate in celebration events?" (Quote from the FAQs in post #12, linked in the blue arrow below - for some reason, I am unable to quote that statement the way I want it to, hehe).





Thank you - and you're welcome!

I'm aware of what was included in the packages. And, really, anything that was going to be included for the public should not been listed as and/or considered a perk of one of the packages. If we had actually gotten through on the morning that the packages went on sale and were able to purchase, I would not have been too happy about paying over $700.00 per person for our family to attend events that were open to the public.

 

[bumbershoot]

So if these events were open to the public, what was the point in paying a small fortune for the "special" packages?

I'm aware of what was included in the packages.

I couldnt help but notice that the wording for the meet and greet portion was a "Reservation to one in-park Harry Potter talent Q&A session".

Sehsun had no idea if s/he would get in, but a package purchaser did, and probably got to choose which one ahead of time.


My brother and his wife like to go to comicon in San Diego. The tickets are low cost, but nearly impossible to get. And even once you have them, the day is ENDLESS lines. Get to see MAYBE two panels per day kind of endless, and that might be only if both panels you want to see are in the same room. So you can just stay, and hope you don't need the bathroom, because if you leave you get back in line to get back in.

I bet my brother and sis in law would pay some money to have reservations! I can see why they were included in the package!

 

[SharonLowe]

So if these events were open to the public, what was the point in paying a small fortune for the "special" packages?

That to me was one of the screw-ups they made. They should have let premier package people into more than one Q&A instead of making us stand in line for hours to get into any extras. Plus, our Q&A only included 4 cast members, which looking at the photo and talking to others was kinda wimpy.

The 2nd screw-up was that on Saturday, they started randomly giving out passes to people in the park for the Saturday night gala that they had for the press and cast members. So many premier pass people complained that they ended up only letting those people line the red carpet; they didn't let them into the gala with all the food and extras they offered Sunday night (assume they had all that stuff for the people who actually attended the Saturday night event).

We had a really fun time but felt a bit cheated having paid so much for our premier package without knowing anything that was going to happen. Even after we arrived, no one seemed to know anything. And, we only learned about the stand-by lines for Q&A when we went to our Q&A. The gala was great, primarily because (1) we had a perfect spot on the "red carpet" - we weren't actually on the red carpet; we were right at the entrance where all the "talent" came in and were able to get photos of all of them as well as their autographs and (2) we were the first group let into the gala so we had first dibs on everything - my DD got to ride Dragon Challenge on her own - absolutely no one else was on the ride with her; she was thrilled. We also managed to get almost up front for the special Frog Chorus they did with Warwick Davis conducting. If those things had not happened I would have been writing a letter complaining about how they handled this event.

 

[SharonLowe]

I couldnt help but notice that the wording for the meet and greet portion was a "Reservation to one in-park Harry Potter talent Q&A session".

Sehsun had no idea if s/he would get in, but a package purchaser did, and probably got to choose which one ahead of time.

We not only weren't allowed to choose our time, we had no idea who was going to be at any of the sessions. Yes, we knew we were going to get in but we still had to stand in line for almost 2 hours to get a good seat. And, I had no choice over who I got to see. Our Q&A only included 4 people; looks like his had 7. I think he got the better deal on the Q&A, given how much I paid for the premier package. They should have had separate Q&As for premier package purchasers and made sure we got to see more of the talent than others.

 

[MikeyG]

Hmmm, that's a shame, this doesn't sound as appealing as I thought it would. I was looking forward to telling my friend about this because he loves Harry Potter. I was hoping to rent an apartment in LA near Disneyland

 

[fairyprincess88]

There were a lot of screw ups that Universal made this weekend. A LOT! And for the first time ever I found myself in Guest Services to complain and there was a line behind me and out the door of others on the packages to do the same. Not only were they opening the Q&As to anyone and everyone, but they were also handing out the red carpet passes for Saturday night to random park guests, as well as tickets to the Sunday gala. I was willing to pay for those Gala passes that were supposedly sold out and was told "no sorry" yet they gave it to a random lady 12 feet in front of me entering the Spiderman line with a "Surprise and Congrats." Why did not they not hand out the "red carpet passes" at 6 AM to those who could only be there if they paid for the package, not random people who just happened to be in the park? Why? Then to be told later they handed them all out already.

Guest Relations however, were the biggest joke of the trip. Not only were they lying through their teeth to those of us complaining, they were down right rude and hostile to some. The guy I had was nice but selling more BS than a used car salesman. When he stated that "we are not giving away passes to the Gala to random guests," 10 people behind me yelled out, "Yes you are we have seen it, that's why we're here!". In the end he gave us two free passes to come back to the park for a day. Because yes, I'm going to fly down to Orlando for a day to go to a park that at the moment I am completely angered with sure. Not to mention, it's not much help when I have an AP.

The worst was the GR guy next to me being so extremely rude and downright sarcastic to the girls next to me complaining about the same thing. He told them, "You are not special, I don't care what you paid, we can do what we want. You got what you paid for little miss, so what is your problem or are you just spoiled?" Then the girls pointed to me and said, "they were next to us when we saw the passes being given," so I said, "yes I was" and he turned and tossed up his hand and said, "I'm helping them, not you so shut it," I was disgusted. He sent them away with nothing, not even an apology or a kiss my butt. Then after they left the room he then proceeded to belittle her to the guest he next helped. Of course the guest he next helped was there to kiss butt and ask if she could get the "special pin she heard they had for Potter that weekend", you know, the one we all paid extra for? He couldn't run fast enough over to the fullfilment center to get her one and thank her for being such an amazing guest. Sadly for him though, once he started to berate these three ladies my friend discreetly flipped on her iPhone video and got all of it on recording for Universal. Usually I am there to commend their staff but making people cry and belittling them to others not involved needs to be seen and reported to his bosses.

As for the Q&As, we were scheduled for 4 on Sat. At 2 we happened to be in the area and saw a line and asked what it was for and were told it was for the 4 PM Q&A and we could get on the Standby line for it if we wanted. We had no idea there was a standby since well...we paid for this. So they put us in another line. We got front row for it but waited 2 hours. So on Sunday we just did standby for all of them since we figured everyone else was so we should since we paid for the Celebration. Spent all day Sunday in lines, so we got 4 Q&As but always sat in the very back by choice as not to displace others who paid but may not have known. That was kind of a plus, but we were still in shock they had standby at all when we were told specifically that you could only go to the one you paid for.

In the end, Universal dropped the ball royally and everyone we talked to on the packages were furious, even those we shared a cab with at 5:30 AM who were complaining they already went to compain at GS. Same with those in line with us at the Q&As. It was just bad. The biggest highlight of the trip for me was I chose a lucky time for my paid Q&A and got Rubert from the front row, since that was the only one he did.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

There were a lot of screw ups that Universal made this weekend. A LOT! And for the first time ever I found myself in Guest Services to complain and there was a line behind me and out the door of others on the packages to do the same. Not only were they opening the Q&As to anyone and everyone, but they were also handing out the red carpet passes for Saturday night to random park guests, as well as tickets to the Sunday gala. I was willing to pay for those Gala passes that were supposedly sold out and was told "no sorry" yet they gave it to a random lady 12 feet in front of me entering the Spiderman line with a "Surprise and Congrats." Why did not they not hand out the "red carpet passes" at 6 AM to those who could only be there if they paid for the package, not random people who just happened to be in the park? Why? Then to be told later they handed them all out already.

Guest Relations however, were the biggest joke of the trip. Not only were they lying through their teeth to those of us complaining, they were down right rude and hostile to some. The guy I had was nice but selling more BS than a used car salesman. When he stated that "we are not giving away passes to the Gala to random guests," 10 people behind me yelled out, "Yes you are we have seen it, that's why we're here!". In the end he gave us two free passes to come back to the park for a day. Because yes, I'm going to fly down to Orlando for a day to go to a park that at the moment I am completely angered with sure. Not to mention, it's not much help when I have an AP.

The worst was the GR guy next to me being so extremely rude and downright sarcastic to the girls next to me complaining about the same thing. He told them, "You are not special, I don't care what you paid, we can do what we want. You got what you paid for little miss, so what is your problem or are you just spoiled?" Then the girls pointed to me and said, "they were next to us when we saw the passes being given," so I said, "yes I was" and he turned and tossed up his hand and said, "I'm helping them, not you so shut it," I was disgusted. He sent them away with nothing, not even an apology or a kiss my butt. Then after they left the room he then proceeded to belittle her to the guest he next helped. Of course the guest he next helped was there to kiss butt and ask if she could get the "special pin she heard they had for Potter that weekend", you know, the one we all paid extra for? He couldn't run fast enough over to the fullfilment center to get her one and thank her for being such an amazing guest. Sadly for him though, once he started to berate these three ladies my friend discreetly flipped on her iPhone video and got all of it on recording for Universal. Usually I am there to commend their staff but making people cry and belittling them to others not involved needs to be seen and reported to his bosses.

As for the Q&As, we were scheduled for 4 on Sat. At 2 we happened to be in the area and saw a line and asked what it was for and were told it was for the 4 PM Q&A and we could get on the Standby line for it if we wanted. We had no idea there was a standby since well...we paid for this. So they put us in another line. We got front row for it but waited 2 hours. So on Sunday we just did standby for all of them since we figured everyone else was so we should since we paid for the Celebration. Spent all day Sunday in lines, so we got 4 Q&As but always sat in the very back by choice as not to displace others who paid but may not have known. That was kind of a plus, but we were still in shock they had standby at all when we were told specifically that you could only go to the one you paid for.

In the end, Universal dropped the ball royally and everyone we talked to on the packages were furious, even those we shared a cab with at 5:30 AM who were complaining they already went to compain at GS. Same with those in line with us at the Q&As. It was just bad. The biggest highlight of the trip for me was I chose a lucky time for my paid Q&A and got Rubert from the front row, since that was the only one he did.

Well, I'm glad you shared this. I HATE you and the other guests were treated that way - that seems totally unacceptable.

My oldest daughter and I were in mourning all weekend because the premiere packages sold out before we could get one and we were not there this weekend. I know it would have been great just to have been there, but I do know that if we had been able to book the premiere package and I had spent the $5,000.00 plus dollars for our family to go to this event and had been treated that way, I would have been beyond angry.

Still hating we didn't get to see "our" Weasleys, but glad I didn't have to put up with that crazy nonsense. I mean, really? 2 hours waits for people who spent that kind of money? CRAZY!

 

[lisajl]

to Fairyprincess...

OMG! My DD and her partner had a much better time!
They even got Ruperts autograph. She sent pics of her waiting in line for the Q&A but she thought was part of it.

I am sorry it was such a mess.

My DD's biggest complaint...a little kid from Brazil that was out of control.
At the red carpet event he was hanging off the barrier and screaming at the "stars" comng down the aisle. His mother just watched him acting like that.
He was so annoying it made the "stars" go around that area.
She was pretty pissed off about that.

Now, for those two passes you have...would you like to sell them?

 

[fairyprincess88]

I do have to add though that being in the park everyday at 6 AM was a plus. At one point I had Honeydukes all to myself. The worse morning was by far Friday where you couldn't go or do anything in the morning because they had stages set up for the Today Show ect. At first the only place we could go was to FJ, everything else was blocked including the smoking section. I did accidently get some one on one with Oliver Phelps as security was clearing a path for him and they asked me, "are you one of those Potter fans that freak out?" I said, "Ummm no, Im pretty normal" in confusion and they took my arm and moved me over to a corner by FoH and said, "good you get to be a human guard" and then up walks Ollie and he said, "good morning, guess you get to act like you know me." So I got to stand there with him behind me and two other girls to "hide him". It was quite hysterical as he kept saying, "I got chicks as bodyguards, I'm so cool like that."

The staff in the WWoHP was amazing as always and I commended more than a few of them by name on a separate trip to GR. Plus I got to see everyone on the cast that was there except Jason Isaacs. So in a way a great trip, in another way, not so much.