Wizarding World of Harry Potter

[IMFearless]

Azkaban was by far the best of the movies. Ironic, even though I love them all, if I really had to rank them, Azkaban would come in a very close last.

[Captain Schnemo]

The Enchanted Oak is also completely gone now!

That is a serious bummer. It had some great atmosphere (and chicken) and the bar was a really nice place to relax. Some parts of the inside did seem a bit like a cut-rate Tree of Life, but overall, I imagined groups of D&D-loving nerds wetting themselves when they walked in. And some of those little alcoves would have been a perfect place to get their nerd on and actually play D&D.

I've wondered how long it would be before IoA started knocking down things I liked.

I wish I were a Harry Potter fan so I could be more excited about the new island.

[agingerbugg]

Although I am a Harry Potter fan (the books, NOT the movies), I don't know if I will visit the new island. The experience of visiting IoA is so disappointingly frustrating. There really are not that many attractions, the staff all have terrible attitudes and it isn't the immersive atmosphere that Disney has. Of course the last time I went, my friends called me a Disney snob, because I kept comparing the experience to WDW.

[Cheshire Cat]

IoA is very hit and miss... the islands are ither very immersive or just loaded with attractions. Well themed areas suh as Seuss Landing, Jurassic Park and the Lost COntinent are almost on par with Disney, but they lack a whole lot to do (although Seuss Landing is more because of age restriction). However, islands loaded with attractions such as Marvel and Toon Lagoon, have very sparse theming. I know they're supposed to be like comics come to life... but I don't think they should have gone for cut-outs... if they wanted to bring comics to life I think they should have just gone for a full 3-dimensional environment. There's soemthing thematically limiting with all the cut-outs and "flat" scenery of that side of the park.

[Captain Schnemo]

I thought the cut-outs were pretty disappointing when I saw preview pictures of them, but I have to say that I think they work perfectly "in the wild". That section of the park just has so much energy, it's unlike anything I've ever felt at Disney. Walking into that island just makes me feel better...almost like a drug.

Last time I was there, the art was starting to ripple and peel, so I hope they have a plan for that. It still looks great from a distance, but it's a bit trashy close up.

Toon Lagoon, however, is a giant mess of theming, and pretty weak all over. Going from Marvel to Toon really sucks the wind out of my sails.