PS: Reel, what did you think of the current new brightness of the projections on FJ?
I have been on FJ between 10-15 times in the past year. They are definitely tinkering with it. Some changes are good and some are bad.
*Yes, the brightness and projections are noticeable and good.
*The new ride profiles seem to be a work in progress and no 2 rides feel the same. I was in the single rider seat every time (the very last one to load.) I find that you spend much more time on your back than before.
*because they're tinkering with the profiling, the timing is off between the ride vehicles and the domes. This means that the transitions are not as seemless as they were before and you see that you are, in fact, entering and exiting a white dome. This is bad show, but forgivable if this is due to a "work in progress."
*FJ was down at least 3 hours on Wednesday. IoA happened to be especially crowded. It was also very hot. I wanted to die. The temp bridge was open. At times, single rider would back up past the Gryffindor Common Room. The ride temporarily broke down while I was on it which I enjoyed.
*Dementor effect never worked for me, but it would work for others on my bench. I rode 4 times.
*The Dark Mark projection was missing everytime.
*The ending Dumbledore projection was missing on one ride.
*Did they go back to the only Floo projection?
Major Positive:
The Chamber of Secrets is MUCH more prominent in this new profile. It may even be lit better. You see every snake statue, and there is no doubt where you are. I am thrilled by this. You also seem to spend more time with the Willow (on your back.)
Negative:
You see other ride vehicles, portions of the building you were never meant to see (the tunnel before the Willow as you're under the Willow) and you see the domes. You also stare at the tunnel where they bring benches from when you transition from Dumbledore to Floo for a good 2-3 seconds (but this may have always been the case?)
Keep in mind, I've only been on two trips to WWoHP, so I may be misremembering things, but the ride does look and feel different. Hopefully HTF or others can back me up on some of this.
As for the rest of the land, I don't think they want JKR or a WB rep visiting anytime soon. The Tomes and Scrolls window seemed off to me but again, I've only been one other time and that was a year ago. The Dominic Maestro window was definitely not working.
Has the Magic Neep cart always sold pretzels and churros?