I got to visit Diagon today... Here is a couple of quick observations.
1. Just about every store has an outside queue, except Florean Fortescue's. This looks to be a big mistake. There is a small queue inside the shop, but I don't think Universal expected this place to be the hit its going to be. Without a doubt the line for this place is going to be massive. And its going to be pouring out in the street, because of its lack of extended queue. The line moves at a snail pace, with the undeceive customers inside asking what the flavors taste like. I tried Chocolate Chili which I don't really recommend. It tastes like Chocolate Ice Cream with Cayenne Pepper dumped into it. Toffee Pudding Ice Cream was great. I also tried Butter Beer Ice Cream, which is soft serve and also great. I do prefer Frozen Butter Beer over its ice cream version. Here is one tip. You can get 2 scoops in each ice cream cup. Both scoops don't have to be the same flavor. So you can try two different flavors.
2. The interactive wand areas are having some problems and malfunction a lot. At least 4 interactive locations were not working tonight. The ones that are working, work pretty good. My tip to get them to work the first time, is always find and point your wand at the Xbox Kinect Sensor. I know that takes some of the magic away looking for the Xbox sensor, but trust me...it helps a lot to get these things to work.
3. The food at Leaky is okay. Im not really in to British Pub fair. I think I like 3 Broomsticks better then Leaky. I had Toad in the Hole, and also some Cottage Pie. I found both portions kind of small and not that taste. I think I will do my eating at Simpsons when I'm at Universal. 2 neat things about Leaky Cauldron is its two signs. Outside in the London area, the Leaky sign is black and you see nothing on it. But as you walk under it, magically the a Cauldron and the words Leaky Cauldron appear. Its a really cool effect that went un noticed. The Leaky sign inside Diagon has a crack in the Cauldron, and water actually leaks out of it. Again a really cool touch.
4. The Hogwarts Express is amazing of course. If you can do only one trip on HE, the trip from Diagon to Hogsmead is the best. The curved screen windows you look out from the HE is fantastic. If you put your face up to the glass, and move your head around the edges...you can see a lot more scenery hidden from view. The screens are great and videos on youtube don't do them justice...but with that being said they wont trick your mind into thinking your actually looking outside to a real world. Getting off the train in Hogsmead and walking to the Hogsmead entrance through the forest is simply amazing. You truly feel like you been transported into the world of Harry Potter, and you forget you were ever in Universal Studios or IOA. I also love that inside Kings Cross they have live entertainment inside the station. The had a guy playing the guitar once you walk in. I never been to London, but in New York, almost every Subway station has someone playing an instrument for some spare change.
5. I think that the Gringotts Photo Connect is really dumb. And after riding the ride a couple of times, you are going to really hate being asked to be taken out of line and getting your picture taken. My problem with the Photo Connect, is the photos themselves. Basically its just a photo of you standing infront of a blank wall. When you get off the wall you can have the standard 5 by 7 or a Huge picture of yourself on a lanyard standing infront of a Blank Wall. I think it would of been cooler if the picture was infront of vault, or next to a goblin. Maybe the picture could of been a Hologram of yourself that moves a little on the front page of the Daily Prophet. A boring picture standing infront of a wall, plastered on a lanyard is just stupid. But what do I know. Im sure it will sell like hotcakes.
Diagon Alley is everything I imagined it would be, and its truly amazing. I remember listening to Hate to Fly describing the place on OU Podcasts ages ago, and just could not wait for the day that I finally would walk streets of this land. Believe the hype on this place, its that damn good. The bar has been raised so high, I really don't know how any theme park can ever match or surpass it. New Fantasyland is a joke compared to this place, and that includes 7 dwarfs mine train.