Apparently, Universal's contractor now is pouring the footers for the track supports for the new coaster, and the track supports are on site, awaiting installation.
"It seems like it is going to be a suspended/inverted coaster, as the support-to-track connectors are 'underneath' the support structure," the poster wrote.
That track placement would support the chatter that the new Harry Potter coaster will be North America's first Mack Rides Inverted Powered Coaster, the same model as the Arthur coaster at Europa Park and Dragon Gliders at Motiongate Dubai.
I have not been yet on either of those coasters (the Dreamworks Animation indoor land where the "How to Train Your Dragon"-themed Dragon Gliders is located was not open when I visited Motiongate, and I haven't been to Europa Park yet), but both provide an excellent platform for a more narrative-driven experience than your typical roller coaster ride.
In that sense, these installations are more like Universal's Intamin-designed Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts than some Mack Rides family coaster you might have ridden somewhere else — except that the track will be above you on this new ride instead of below you as it is on Gringotts. Visitors ride in four-person cars that can rotate under the car's mount, allowing designers to direct your attention along the ride. On-board audio also is supported, allowing for music and narration. The Arthur installation won the TEA's THEA Award for Best New Ride System this year.
Universal has not yet confirmed the ride system for the new attraction, other than to say it will be a family friendly "coaster experience." Nor has Universal revealed setting or theme for the ride. It has, however, announced that the new Harry Potter coaster will open sometime in 2019 at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure.
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Universal has very few attractions that everyone from the whole family can enjoy - either too scary, or too child like. Please stay away from screens.
Now, a family can ride together!
- a suitable replacement for Dragon Challenge
- Fit in to the HP world, internally and externally
- Give a new and immersive re-rideable experience for HP fans
- Apparently, it has to be suitable for kids
- Be reliable and have sufficient volume
- Uni critics would probably say that it can't have "too many screens"
I think the biggest challenge on this list will be making something exciting enough to satisfy fans of Dragon Challenge, whilst being tame enough to be family friendly. I hope it's not TOOO family friendly -- that's what Disney down street is for.
I think where something like Transformers took a wrong turn away from the excellent Spider Man is the lack of combination. Spidey has way more in the realm of practical effects and even some pyro. I still enjoy Transformers, but it's a definite #2 to Spider Man.
Exciting times to be a theme park fan, eh?
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