- Mar 24, 2010
- 106
- 3
Wait a minute...only 25 people can go into the shop at one time, and the wand selection process takes 2 to 5 minutes....Umm yeah, I have a feeling the wait for this will be longer then the wait for the dark ride. I understand that they want to make it "authentic" but that is a REALLY stupid idea if Universal plans to sell anything. I have a feeling I will never seen the inside of any of these shops...at least not the first few months the park is open. Yikes!
Exactly why recreating the movies isn't 100% possible, unless you are rich enough to afford making a movie yourself. I think it's a great idea to have the Ollivander's Experience, but the experience Harry had in the film didn't operate under the laws of Supply and Demand -- Harry was alone (story element) with a fistful of his parents money. Most tourists are on a budget, dealing with a time-crunch, and the thousands of other human beings around them who feel that they deserve the special attention just as much as you.
Also, the Ollivander's Experience isn't going to rake in the cash if it works with a limited number of mini-magicians at once. If UO invested tons of money in the effects, but don't have an efficient means of making that money back, they wouldn't do it unless the income from something else could cover Ollivander's. Queues will be long, prices may be high, and the quality of the product even questionable. Think about the Bippity-Boppity Boutique at Disney -- $50 for the basic package, just to get a Disney makeover. Ollivander's is a similar product that will "make-over" a kid into a wizard, with the special focus of an actor, effects, and park space. If it's "free" (except for the wand), expect LONG lines and poor quality. If it's expensive or a "fee" is charged just to enjoy the experience, expect shorter lines and a slightly better product. They could offer the experience for free and jack up the price of the wands, but that wouldn't change the length of the queue and would result in a price increase somewhere else -- food, merchandise, Uni Express, or even park admission.