Another Peak at Harry Potter Land!

Oh how I love getting these emails! Even when I forget to post the contents for over a week...

Anyhoo, Harry Potter Land or excuse me, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter aka where my savings is going on 2010 (24 WILL BE THE NEW 7 BY THEN, OKAY?! Oh god did I just say out loud that I will be 24 one day? Terror.) has released another bit of concept art, this time for Dervish & Banges, the Hogsmeade store where Hogwarts students pick up their supplies for school, Quidditch and anything Wizard. Here it is!



I'm pretty sure I'm gonna buy everything in that store. Must save up more moneys than I thought! OMG I hope so bad they have a way of actually sorting you with a sorting hat based on some sort of accurate test and then we get like, a free badge for that house and spend the whole day buying things for our house and for our classes and for EVERYTHING EVER AND AHHHHH I WANNA BE THERE NOW.

For more WWHP concept art, head here and I'll be sure to post anything new as soon as I get it! See full post

Universal Makes Me Sad [Promotion Shmamotion]

Sooooo Universal Studios introduced a new yearly pass today - a promotion to help bring in new regular attendees. I've always loved Universal and purchased an annual pass in June. The pass I bought got me this: admission for free for one year (except many black out dates) and a discount for Halloween Horror Nights. I paid 80 bucks for it.

What does this new pass offer, you ask?

According to the press release,

The 2009 All Access Pass will offer unrestricted 365-day “no black-out date” park access, a dedicated VIP “hassle-free” express front gate entrance, Backlot Studio Tour priority boarding privileges for most of the year, plus an array of discounts on all food and merchandise purchases at the theme park and $12 off the purchase of guest tickets.

Oh and it costs $72. In case you're keeping count, that's five bucks more than general admission and eight bucks less than I paid.

So here's the thing. When people buy an annual pass (people like me) chances are they will still only visit once or twice a year unless guests come in town and want to go. But admission tickets are expensive. Twelve dollars off (for up to six guests) would make guests more likely to want to go, and thus make the annual pass more worth it to holders. Plus, I would have really loved Studio Tour priority and discounts on the expensive as hell food and merchandise. But no. I paid MORE money and got LESS perks.

As the end of the day it doesn't really matter, because you bet I'm gonna make sure I gets a free upgrade, l and also things like this don't actually matter in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to vent anyway.

Oh Universal, you ignorant tramp you. We're in a fight.

[Source] See full post