Building on the global phenomenon that is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando Resort and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expansion of historic proportion with the entirely new themed environment, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley.

Scheduled to open in 2014, the world’s first centrally themed, multi-park experience expands The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across both Universal Orlando theme parks and allows Universal’s creative team to bring an unparalleled vision to this unique project.  The new area will bring to life some of the experiences and places found in and around London in the Harry Potter books and films, offering brand-new adventures for fans and theme park guests from around the world.

Diagon Alley and ‘London’ will be located within the Universal Studios Florida theme park, which is adjacent to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park, where guests now experience Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  The new area within Universal Studios will be just as expansive, immersive and authentic as the existing themed environment.

And – just like in the books and films – guests will be able to travel between ‘London’ and Hogsmeade aboard the Hogwarts Express.

Work on the new area is already underway.  When complete, it will feature shops, a restaurant and an innovative, marquee attraction based on Gringotts bank – all directly inspired by the fiction and films.

To bring Diagon Alley and ‘London’ to life, Universal’s creative team is working closely with Warner Bros. and the production design team from the Harry Potter films – just as it did for Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

“I’m so pleased that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has proved so popular to date, and I’m sure that the attention to detail in creating the new Diagon Alley area will make this an even better experience,” said J.K. Rowling.

“We are continuing the journey and adding an entirely new level of adventure,” said Tom Williams, Chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts.  “And we are bringing the same drive, commitment, enthusiasm and innovation to this project as we did to the first.”

“We are thrilled to offer the legions of fans the opportunity to embark on this new journey and experience Diagon Alley as it was brought to life in the books and films,” said Brad Globe, president, Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

“Our vision is to create two amazing theme park experiences that combine into one, complete, magical journey,” said Alice Norsworthy, executive vice president, marketing and sales for Universal Orlando Resort.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in June 2010 as a fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment – bringing to life the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and the blockbuster feature films from Warner Bros.  Since that time, it has become a global phenomenon, entertaining millions of people from around the world.

Visitors to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are swept into the adventures of Harry Potter.  They can tour Hogwarts castle, shop in Hogsmeade and dine at the Three Broomsticks.  They can soar above Hogwarts with Harry, be chosen by a wand at Ollivanders, sample Butterbeer and much more.

Today we celebrate the 24th birthday of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios).

The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.

— Michael Eisner, May 1, 1989

Here are a few tips to help prevent credit card fraud.

*Never give out your credit card number over the phone unless you placed the original call.

*Use extreme caution in how and where you dispose of credit card carbons and receipts. Tearing the paperwork into very small pieces and disposing of them in your home trash can and greatly reduced you changes of fraud.

*In the state of Florida, it is now illegal for a merchant to require a consumer to display a credit card when accepting a personal check. The only form of identification necessary is a driver’s license or state photo identification card.

*Keep a list of all credit cards and the issuer’s phone numbers in a safe place in case you need to report the cards lost or stolen.

*Many credit card companies are now offering cards that have your photograph on them. Taking advantage of this type of offer can greatly reduce the chances of your card being used fraudulently.

*Carry only the credit cards you need and plan to use. Cards that you are not using should be placed in a secured area of your home. Carry your cards separately from your wallet.

*Always double check the total on your bill prior to signing the credit card receipt and then compare all your receipts to your monthly statement.

*Before discarding expired credit cards, always make sure to cut them up into small pieces and discard them in your home trash can.

*When getting gas on your debit card, always choose the CREDIT option, this will only ask for your zip code, not your pin number.

*During a transaction, keep your eye on your card. Make sure you get it back before you walk away.

*Never sign a blank receipt. Draw a line through any blank spaces above the total.

*Report any questionable charges to the card issuer.

*Notify your card issuer if your address changes or if you will be traveling.

When traveling to Florida, always notify your card issuer. There is an abundance of places to visit and things to do, so you do not need the aggravation of you credit card being stopped because your issuer thinks it may have been stolen.

With reports of Disney investing as much as $1 billion in what has been dubbed the “Next Generation Experience” or simply “NextGen,” there has been much conjecture and hand-wringing about what the project would entail and what impact it would have on guest visits. By releasing some details about its forthcoming MyMagic+ program, which will initially focus on Walt Disney World, the company has begun to make its intentions clearer. For the most part, the new initiatives would appear to be a positive development for park fans.

Starting in 2011, the company began introducing technology-fueled innovations that gave a sense of where it was heading in its bid to more personally engage its guests, tailor its one-size-fits-all approach, and make its parks more enchanting. Examples of small, but welcome advances included interactive queues in attractions such as Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid in New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. (You can see the Haunted Mansion interactive queue in my Tips for Navigating Disney Park Lines video.) The distractions help reduce the monotony of waiting in long lines, a bane of theme parks.

Disney Imagineers also developed intriguing interactive experiences that let guests explore the parks, cruise ships, and Aulani, its Hawaiian resort. The self-paced adventures, which incorporate sophisticated technology, include the Muppets-themed Midship Detective Agency aboard the Disney Fantasy cruise ship.

Disney Pluses the Magic

In early 2013, the company revealed more details about its NextGen project by announcing MyMagic+. The program is being anchored by the rollout of a new Web site and mobile app, both called My Disney Experience. They are now available with limited functionality. When they are fully operational, which is expected to take place in spring 2013, guests will be able to plan their Disney World vacations and visits in the following ways:
Make up to three advance reservations of ride times, show performances, character meet-and-greets, and/or preferred seating for fireworks or parades by using the new FastPass+ program. Yup, you read that correctly. You’ll be able to book a ride down to the day and hour on, say, Expedition Everest months in advance of your visit. How crazy is that?
Explore options and get info about the parks and the entire resort.
In addition to FastPass+, use planning tools to book hotel rooms, make dining reservations, purchase park tickets, and secure other services.
Coordinate trip planning with family and friends who will be joining you.
Share trip photos with your posse.
So How Much Will All this Pampering Cost Me?

Here is perhaps the most revolutionary part of the new program: It’s free. Nada. Zip.
After Disney spent a reported $1 billion on developing the technology, the rampant speculation that it would charge visitors beaucoup bucks for the privilege of pre-arranging their ride times and other vacation itineraries was perhaps understandable. Many feared that a two-tiered system pitting the moneyed elite against the average Joes might evolve.

Instead, the company seems to be hoping that its magical program will help to further distinguish it from its competitors and make Disney World all the more compelling. Additionally, it seems to be banking on fattened coffers from MyMagic+. By making all of its guests’ visits so much more seamless and engaging, Disney surely hopes that they will barely notice when they’ve parted with more of their hard-earned dollars.

How Will It Work at the Parks?

OK, you’ve planned your visit and you’ve booked your Fastpasses well in advance. Now what? Here’s where it gets even more ingenious. Disney has developed radio-frequency identification (RFID)-embedded bracelets it is calling MagicBands. (There sure is a lot of magic going on around here, isn’t there?) The rubber bracelets will come pre-loaded with all of your reservations and other info.
The MagicBands, which will be complimentary for Disney World guests staying on property, will be capable of being used as hotel room keys, virtual charge cards to make cashless purchases throughout the resort, park tickets, and Fastpass tickets. In the same way that transponders allow equipped cars to zoom past toll plazas on highways, MagicBand-equipped guests will be able to quickly tap their bracelets and avoid bottlenecked turnstiles at the parks.

Guests not staying at a Disney hotel will be able to purchase MagicBands. Regardless, they will still be able to participate in My Disney Experience by using park tickets with RFID chips.

Would you rather save the appointment you made months earlier with the Expedition Everest’s Yeti for another day? No problem. Once guests are at the park, they will be able to make changes on the fly using the My Disney Experience app on their smart phones. The app is sophisticated enough to provide users with real-time info about standby line wait times and Fastpass distribution and return times for attractions.

Possible Downsides

It all sounds fairly remarkable, especially the fact that the benefits of MyMagic+ are free — for now. While the company hasn’t announced anything, wary Disney watchers still suspect that premium options, which could command premium prices, may be on the way. Instead of three complimentary FastPass+ tickets, what if those willing to pay the price could pre-book all of their rides and the rest of their vacations?
Even if the have/have-not scenarios never materialize, it would seem that Disney is making Fastpasses more readily available. That might make standby lines even longer for visitors who run out of Fastpasses or who don’t take full advantage of the My Disney Experience options.

There are also security concerns. Losing a MagicBand, which could contain valuable tickets, credit card data, hotel room access, and other sensitive info could be problematic. Also, there is the 1984 aspect that some may find disconcerting. Disney will be able to track every purchase, every ride guests enter, and virtually every move its RFID-embedded guests make at its resort.

And future iterations of the program will allow users to enter personal information into their My Disney Experience profiles such as anniversary dates and favorite characters. That will allow Disney cast members to add personal touches such as welcoming guests by name and acknowledging their special occasions. Perhaps rides could even be tricked out to respond to passengers. For example, imagine Captain Jack Sparrow whispering conspiratorially to you, by name, in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Personally, I would have no problem sharing personal info with Mickey and the gang. The way I figure it, most of us on the grid gave up any semblance of anonymity years ago. Even so, Disney says that guests will be able to provide as little or as much info as they wish. They need not participate in MyMagic+ My Disney Experience at all if they so choose