Harry Potter- Wizarding World FAQ

DH is taking DS to see the HP stuff for one day during our Sept Disney trip. We have never been to US or IOA before, so I'm a bit lost when it comes to making a list for things for them to do.

1-I read somewhere that you shouldn't take bags to Universal because they make you put them in a locker while you go on a ride and if you get off the ride sooner than they think you should and try to get your things out of the locker, you have to pay. What about cameras? I'm just ... what?

2-I know Dragons and Forbidden Journey (the ride itself) are out for DH and DS, and DS's main objective is going to be taking pictures of everything on the Hogsmeade side including the theming in the que for Forbidden, but they will most likely ride Gringots and take pictures of everything in Diagon Alley as well. He will also like the chance to have a wand choose him (this is the biggest priority); as I understand it, there is a store on each side that does this. Knowing this, what is the best side for them to start of with?

3-We have the park-to-park tickets, so they will be able to ride Hogwarts Express; they can do this more than once, yes?

4-If I'm looking at the maps right, the HP sections are at the back of each of the parks; what is the quickest way to get to the back of the park?

5-When it comes to the interactive wands, are there places on both sides where he can use the wand and if he is chosen for the pick-a-wand thing, will that wand be an interactive wand? About how much do they cost?

6-The day they are scheduled to go, US is open at 8am and IOA is open at 9am. Considering what DS will want to do, does this really affect which park they should start with?

7-Since DS probably won't get to come back anytime soon, are there any little must see/experience things that you could recommend? I already heard about Moaning Myrtle and have put the info on DH's cheat sheet (along with directions to the parking garage :rolleyes1 ).

Thank you all for the help. Not sure why I'm so confused about this.
 
DH is taking DS to see the HP stuff for one day during our Sept Disney trip. We have never been to US or IOA before, so I'm a bit lost when it comes to making a list for things for them to do.
He will also like the chance to have a wand choose him (this is the biggest priority); as I understand it, there is a store on each side that does this. Knowing this, what is the best side for them to start of with?

Make sure your child knows that it is a LONG SHOT that he will be selected to have his wand choose him. It's a small show experience. There will be 25 or so people in the room, ONE of them will be chosen to participate. If your son is the right age, and looks particularly cute that day, he'll have a better chance. There ya have it.

We've been to IoA once. We go to WDW most years. We went ~four years ago expressly to visit HP with our son. We were very lucky and our boy was chosen. There was only one other child in our group, and she was a young teen (too old). Our son was about 10 at the time, and was perfect for the "awwwww" factor...
 
1-I read somewhere that you shouldn't take bags to Universal because they make you put them in a locker while you go on a ride and if you get off the ride sooner than they think you should and try to get your things out of the locker, you have to pay. What about cameras? I'm just ... what?
I always take a back pack to Universal. I have 3 kids, and without fail, one will need tissues, one a water bottle, etc. all day long. Of course, it is much easier to go without a bag, if you can get most of your stuff into cargo pockets.
You do have to use lockers for Forbidden Journey and Gringotts. I have never had a locker try to charge me anything except when a ride was delayed and over-extended my locker time. A worker happily opened it for me for free when I explained what happened.


2- He will also like the chance to have a wand choose him (this is the biggest priority); as I understand it, there is a store on each side that does this. Knowing this, what is the best side for them to start of with?

I have heard that it is faster to go to Universal Studios shop, BUT I have only been in the shop on IoA, before the US side was built.

3-We have the park-to-park tickets, so they will be able to ride Hogwarts Express; they can do this more than once, yes?

You do have to exit and rejoin the queue after each ride, if you want to ride it back-to-back. But, with a park-to-park ticket, you can ride the HE as many times as you wish.

4-If I'm looking at the maps right, the HP sections are at the back of each of the parks; what is the quickest way to get to the back of the park?

IoA, turn right after entering the park, skirt the edge of Suess area, go straight through Lost Continent, and BAM! Potter-world!

In US, the fastest way, I felt, was to take the Hogwarts Express over. But we had Early Admission for IoA when we were there, so we started every day in IoA, then hopped on the HE when we wanted to switch up parks.


5-When it comes to the interactive wands, are there places on both sides where he can use the wand and if he is chosen for the pick-a-wand thing, will that wand be an interactive wand? About how much do they cost?

I've only done the show once, before interactive wands, but I would assume they would use the interactive wands for the show, as they are more popular now and pricier. I would let your son know not to get his hopes up too high. We stood in line for 45 mins. My three boys were the only kids in the shop (ages 6-11) and they picked a young woman (early 20-ish) because she was jumping up and squealing. (My boys know in public settings that we expect them to be a bit "restrained" to respect others, but they were excited to get a wand and a bit disappointed not to be picked.)

6-The day they are scheduled to go, US is open at 8am and IOA is open at 9am. Considering what DS will want to do, does this really affect which park they should start with?

If they get there early enough, I would say start with US (Minion ride will get a LONG line early, so do that first if possible) and catch the HE to the other park when ready.

7-Since DS probably won't get to come back anytime soon, are there any little must see/experience things that you could recommend? I already heard about Moaning Myrtle and have put the info on DH's cheat sheet (along with directions to the parking garage :rolleyes1 ).

Butterbeer!! Moaning Myrtle, the shows are fun (Celestina, frog choir, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and the Tales of Beetle the Bard), Florean's Ice Cream parlor was a tasty stop. In the Three Broomsticks, sit inside and watch the walls at the second floor level. You can see the shadow of a house elf, the shadow of a broom sweeping, and a shadow of an owl flying. In US, stand outside number 21 Grimmauld Place, and watch the windows. Every now and then Kreacher will pop his head between the curtains. I'm sure there's a million other things as well.

Thank you all for the help. Not sure why I'm so confused about this.
No worries! Everything is confusing at first!
 
Make sure your child knows that it is a LONG SHOT that he will be selected to have his wand choose him. It's a small show experience. There will be 25 or so people in the room, ONE of them will be chosen to participate. If your son is the right age, and looks particularly cute that day, he'll have a better chance. There ya have it.

We've been to IoA once. We go to WDW most years. We went ~four years ago expressly to visit HP with our son. We were very lucky and our boy was chosen. There was only one other child in our group, and she was a young teen (too old). Our son was about 10 at the time, and was perfect for the "awwwww" factor...

I figured that, so DH and I decided not to tell him. If he gets chosen, it'll be a huge surprise. He is 11, so I'm hoping that will count in his favor :D
 


1-I read somewhere that you shouldn't take bags to Universal because they make you put them in a locker while you go on a ride and if you get off the ride sooner than they think you should and try to get your things out of the locker, you have to pay. What about cameras? I'm just ... what?
I always take a back pack to Universal. I have 3 kids, and without fail, one will need tissues, one a water bottle, etc. all day long. Of course, it is much easier to go without a bag, if you can get most of your stuff into cargo pockets.
You do have to use lockers for Forbidden Journey and Gringotts. I have never had a locker try to charge me anything except when a ride was delayed and over-extended my locker time. A worker happily opened it for me for free when I explained what happened.
Thanks so much. This just seemed crazy to me. Where are the lockers for Gringots? He's going to want to take pick of the inside, so it doesn't make much sense to put the camera in a locker before he gets in the queue.

2- He will also like the chance to have a wand choose him (this is the biggest priority); as I understand it, there is a store on each side that does this. Knowing this, what is the best side for them to start of with?

I have heard that it is faster to go to Universal Studios shop, BUT I have only been in the shop on IoA, before the US side was built.
Do they do the wand show at the US shop?


3-We have the park-to-park tickets, so they will be able to ride Hogwarts Express; they can do this more than once, yes?

You do have to exit and rejoin the queue after each ride, if you want to ride it back-to-back. But, with a park-to-park ticket, you can ride the HE as many times as you wish.

4-If I'm looking at the maps right, the HP sections are at the back of each of the parks; what is the quickest way to get to the back of the park?

IoA, turn right after entering the park, skirt the edge of Suess area, go straight through Lost Continent, and BAM! Potter-world!

In US, the fastest way, I felt, was to take the Hogwarts Express over. But we had Early Admission for IoA when we were there, so we started every day in IoA, then hopped on the HE when we wanted to switch up parks.
And the HP at IoA was built first right? And that side "starts" the story and it continues at US?

5-When it comes to the interactive wands, are there places on both sides where he can use the wand and if he is chosen for the pick-a-wand thing, will that wand be an interactive wand? About how much do they cost?

I've only done the show once, before interactive wands, but I would assume they would use the interactive wands for the show, as they are more popular now and pricier. I would let your son know not to get his hopes up too high. We stood in line for 45 mins. My three boys were the only kids in the shop (ages 6-11) and they picked a young woman (early 20-ish) because she was jumping up and squealing. (My boys know in public settings that we expect them to be a bit "restrained" to respect others, but they were excited to get a wand and a bit disappointed not to be picked.)
We haven't told DS about the wand thing yet because we don't want him to be too disappointed if he isn't picked. We have the same rule for our house; we weren't sure DS would get to do Jedi training on his first trip because he was standing there quietly with just his had raised while most of the other kids were screaming and jumping around, but the trainer guy came all the way to the left side of the stage where we were standing (away from all the ruckus) and chose DS as the last Jedi!


Do you happen to know what time they do the little show?

6-The day they are scheduled to go, US is open at 8am and IOA is open at 9am. Considering what DS will want to do, does this really affect which park they should start with?

If they get there early enough, I would say start with US (Minion ride will get a LONG line early, so do that first if possible) and catch the HE to the other park when ready.
DS isn't big on rides, so they will probably just do the two in the HP sections. We are only taking him to US because he has been over the moon about all things Potter in the last couple of years.

7-Since DS probably won't get to come back anytime soon, are there any little must see/experience things that you could recommend? I already heard about Moaning Myrtle and have put the info on DH's cheat sheet (along with directions to the parking garage :rolleyes1 ).

Butterbeer!! Moaning Myrtle, the shows are fun (Celestina, frog choir, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and the Tales of Beetle the Bard), Florean's Ice Cream parlor was a tasty stop. In the Three Broomsticks, sit inside and watch the walls at the second floor level. You can see the shadow of a house elf, the shadow of a broom sweeping, and a shadow of an owl flying. In US, stand outside number 21 Grimmauld Place, and watch the windows. Every now and then Kreacher will pop his head between the curtains. I'm sure there's a million other things as well.
These are great! Thanks so much.


Thank you all for the help. Not sure why I'm so confused about this.
No worries! Everything is confusing at first!
 
Where are the lockers for Gringots? He's going to want to take pick of the inside, so it doesn't make much sense to put the camera in a locker before he gets in the queue. I believe the lockers are before you get in line, but I know I got pictures all through Gringotts, so they might not be as strict if you can fit your camera into your pocket before riding.


Do they do the wand show at the US shop? Honestly, we weren't interested in doing the wand show again, but I have HEARD that they run two shows at the US location, which would be why it is faster. I'm sure someone on here could tell you for sure.

And the HP at IoA was built first right? And that side "starts" the story and it continues at US? Yes, the IoA side is the beginning of Harry's journey into the magaical world through about book 4. The US side covers things, for the most part, that happen books 5-7.


Do you happen to know what time they do the little show? You stand in line for the wand show like a ride, they take in a small clump of people (about 20ish), into Ollivander's shop, at a time and do each show then.


DS isn't big on rides, so they will probably just do the two in the HP sections. We are only taking him to US because he has been over the moon about all things Potter in the last couple of years. In IoA, there is also a Hippogryff ride, it's like a kid-coaster. Lots of fun too, and you can carry on your bags/camera. You walk past Hagrid's Hut, see Buckbeak, and Hagrid's voice is used for the announcements while in queue.
 
I'm still trying to work out whether I will be going next year or the following year, so I'm just kind of gathering information now. I am going to be solo. I'm not really into thrill rides (due to phobia and physical reasons). Can I comfortably do both sides in one day? Do I absolutely need to do any of the rides? Any must sees for a solo adult?
 


Was planning on visiting Universal tomorrow (Sunday) for HP, before the heavy rain started, but it looks like it's already in for tomorrow morning now. :( What do locals think, given the weather forecasts, worth a try (buying a one-day hopper, so expensive!) or not?

Andre
 
going solo is fun, i go alone for my vacations there.

keahgirl, go to www.universalorlando.com and look at the park map.
read about the rides to get an idea if you would enjoy doing them.
get the layout of each park so you have an idea of your way around
in them.

if the trip next year or the year after will be your first or only visit to the darkside, stay onsite.
i would plan on doing more than one day for your first visit.

so much to see and more is planned and might be in place in the next years.
Kong will open up next year and from what i have read, will be great.

a lot depends on the date you will go for the one day only.
do you have a specific date in mind?

of course anyone can do both parks for the highlights in one day.
go early for early entry and stay until the parks close.
you will get highlights of many things but can still miss out on a lot of things in the parks.
 
going solo is fun, i go alone for my vacations there.

keahgirl, go to www.universalorlando.com and look at the park map.
read about the rides to get an idea if you would enjoy doing them.
get the layout of each park so you have an idea of your way around
in them.

if the trip next year or the year after will be your first or only visit to the darkside, stay onsite.
i would plan on doing more than one day for your first visit.

so much to see and more is planned and might be in place in the next years.
Kong will open up next year and from what i have read, will be great.

a lot depends on the date you will go for the one day only.
do you have a specific date in mind?

of course anyone can do both parks for the highlights in one day.
go early for early entry and stay until the parks close.
you will get highlights of many things but can still miss out on a lot of things in the parks.

My first trip will be Harry Potter only, so I'm not really concerned about other rides or areas of the park. I'll be going in February, but I'm not sure of the date yet.
 
Was planning on visiting Universal tomorrow (Sunday) for HP, before the heavy rain started, but it looks like it's already in for tomorrow morning now. :( What do locals think, given the weather forecasts, worth a try (buying a one-day hopper, so expensive!) or not?

For the record, it worked out perfectly. The weather was fine all morning, with just the usual Florida 30 minute mid-afternoon downpour. In fact, it was remarkably good weather as the light cloud kept the temperatures down, and it was a good deal more pleasant than the last few days.

Also the weather warnings had thinned the crowds somewhat, meaning that even though we didn't quite make actual rope-drop (we walked into main Universal park at 8:45am) we did Minions with a 5 minute wait, then Gringott's twice with NO wait (i.e. walked straight up to the lift room, and then onward to the ride), then Hogwarts Express, and Forbidden Journey, also with no waits. Then some shopping, wand-choosing at Olivander's, and a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, and back on the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley and it was still only about 11:30am.

So all in all, well worth going!

Andre
 
Where are the lockers for Gringots? He's going to want to take pick of the inside, so it doesn't make much sense to put the camera in a locker before he gets in the queue. I believe the lockers are before you get in line, but I know I got pictures all through Gringotts, so they might not be as strict if you can fit your camera into your pocket before riding.


Do they do the wand show at the US shop? Honestly, we weren't interested in doing the wand show again, but I have HEARD that they run two shows at the US location, which would be why it is faster. I'm sure someone on here could tell you for sure.

And the HP at IoA was built first right? And that side "starts" the story and it continues at US? Yes, the IoA side is the beginning of Harry's journey into the magaical world through about book 4. The US side covers things, for the most part, that happen books 5-7.


Do you happen to know what time they do the little show? You stand in line for the wand show like a ride, they take in a small clump of people (about 20ish), into Ollivander's shop, at a time and do each show then.


DS isn't big on rides, so they will probably just do the two in the HP sections. We are only taking him to US because he has been over the moon about all things Potter in the last couple of years. In IoA, there is also a Hippogryff ride, it's like a kid-coaster. Lots of fun too, and you can carry on your bags/camera. You walk past Hagrid's Hut, see Buckbeak, and Hagrid's voice is used for the announcements while in queue.

I'm not so good on the inserting the replies, so just putting it below....

The US Olivander's is MUCH larger than the IoA one, so it gets a lot more people through. When I was there in Feb, the US one was a walk up, while the IoA had a long queue. Really the performance and the themeing around where the performance is, is the same both sides. The smaller one has more stuff on the walls around you on all sides to look at but not worth waiting for just that! Plus any HP fan would know Harry got his wand at Olivander's in Diagon Alley and that's where you should do it. It runs continually throughout the day, US and IoA sides. The shop it feeds into on the US side is also much larger. I don't think they are using the interactive wands in the show (the selection use to go by birthdate, not sure if that is still the case) but I would strongly recommend getting an interactive wand, casting the spells seemed to be a highlight for everyone doing it.

HP IoA was built first, BUT Diagon Alley appears in the books/movies first as the shopping district where Harry got all the supplies and then the train is the journey from London to the school in the countryside, just like in the books/movie. The actual Gringots ride is later in the story, and Kreacher etc, but I would recommend Diagon Alley first, then go to Hogsmeade.

DS is tall enough for the rides? People may recommend the single rider line for Gringots, but it has a taller height restriction than riding with someone, so check that
 
I'm not so good on the inserting the replies, so just putting it below....

The US Olivander's is MUCH larger than the IoA one, so it gets a lot more people through. When I was there in Feb, the US one was a walk up, while the IoA had a long queue. Really the performance and the themeing around where the performance is, is the same both sides. The smaller one has more stuff on the walls around you on all sides to look at but not worth waiting for just that! Plus any HP fan would know Harry got his wand at Olivander's in Diagon Alley and that's where you should do it. It runs continually throughout the day, US and IoA sides. The shop it feeds into on the US side is also much larger. I don't think they are using the interactive wands in the show (the selection use to go by birthdate, not sure if that is still the case) but I would strongly recommend getting an interactive wand, casting the spells seemed to be a highlight for everyone doing it. So DH and DS need to get to US first thing in the morning and go straight to Olivander's and hope DS is picked for the show. And before they buy a wand, they need to make sure it's an interactive one. About how much do the interactive wands cost?

HP IoA was built first, BUT Diagon Alley appears in the books/movies first as the shopping district where Harry got all the supplies and then the train is the journey from London to the school in the countryside, just like in the books/movie. The actual Gringots ride is later in the story, and Kreacher etc, but I would recommend Diagon Alley first, then go to Hogsmeade.

DS is tall enough for the rides? People may recommend the single rider line for Gringots, but it has a taller height restriction than riding with someone, so check that Geeze, I didn't think of a height restriction; he's 11 years old, so I didn't think it would be an issue. I'll have to check that out.
 
The interactive wands are $47.95 plus tax. My son got an interactive wand based on his birthday, but we just went to the shop; we didn't do the Ollivanders show this time. The interactive wands look the same, except for a small clear nub on the end (looks kinda like a mini lightbulb top on the end)

According to the website, Gringotts height restriction is at least 42", but it doesn't say anything about if that is alone or with an adult.
 
Ok y'all I need HELP! I'm trying to do a Disney/HP Wizarding World trip in December completely in secret from my daughters. I have never been to Universal, EVER. The oldest is a complete Potterhead and I want to make this happen.

So we can only do 1 day, I'm planning to get the hoppers so they can ride the HE. I understand that there are 2 "worlds," I need help figuring out which one to do first and where I should have an Uber drop us off (staying on Disney prop). What tour plan would you do to pack the most in? This girl is going to DIE when she sees it! She was Hermione for Halloween and her 9th birthday was HP.

I feel like I'm flying blind because I have zero experience with Universal. We're only going for our girls to visit HP, so I'm trying to figure out how we even get to Gringott's/Diagon Alley quickly through the parks.

Any insight/advice you can give would be so appreciated.

DD 6 yo DD 9 yo
 
Ok y'all I need HELP! I'm trying to do a Disney/HP Wizarding World trip in December completely in secret from my daughters. I have never been to Universal, EVER. The oldest is a complete Potterhead and I want to make this happen.

So we can only do 1 day, I'm planning to get the hoppers so they can ride the HE. I understand that there are 2 "worlds," I need help figuring out which one to do first and where I should have an Uber drop us off (staying on Disney prop). What tour plan would you do to pack the most in? This girl is going to DIE when she sees it! She was Hermione for Halloween and her 9th birthday was HP.

I feel like I'm flying blind because I have zero experience with Universal. We're only going for our girls to visit HP, so I'm trying to figure out how we even get to Gringott's/Diagon Alley quickly through the parks.

Any insight/advice you can give would be so appreciated.

DD 6 yo DD 9 yo

No kids here, but I am right there with you! I know ZERO about Universal, and I too am only going for HP.
 
So DH and DS need to get to US first thing in the morning and go straight to Olivander's and hope DS is picked for the show. And before they buy a wand, they need to make sure it's an interactive one. About how much do the interactive wands cost?

Geeze, I didn't think of a height restriction; he's 11 years old, so I didn't think it would be an issue. I'll have to check that out.

Gringott's first, Ollivander's in Diagon Alley will be a relatively short queue or a walk-up, no huge panic

11years old he should be tall enough, but for anyone else it's 48" for the single rider line, and 42" for the normal line (with an adult). They phrase it a bit strangely on the Universal site Supervising Companion required for children 42"-48" (106cm-121cm) in height which means for single rider, no supervising companion, hence 48" is the required height for the Single Rider line. I have seen them handle a 42-48" child in the single rider line as either let a parent sit with them (to much muttering by everyone around), or tell them 'no' (to much muttering by the others in the same group in the single rider line, but really, you're not meant to be in a group!!!)
 
Ok y'all I need HELP! I'm trying to do a Disney/HP Wizarding World trip in December completely in secret from my daughters. I have never been to Universal, EVER. The oldest is a complete Potterhead and I want to make this happen.

So we can only do 1 day, I'm planning to get the hoppers so they can ride the HE. I understand that there are 2 "worlds," I need help figuring out which one to do first and where I should have an Uber drop us off (staying on Disney prop). What tour plan would you do to pack the most in? This girl is going to DIE when she sees it! She was Hermione for Halloween and her 9th birthday was HP.

I feel like I'm flying blind because I have zero experience with Universal. We're only going for our girls to visit HP, so I'm trying to figure out how we even get to Gringott's/Diagon Alley quickly through the parks.

Any insight/advice you can give would be so appreciated.

DD 6 yo DD 9 yo

Universal only has one drop off area, the 2 Universal parks are next to each other, not like Disney where you need to be dropped at a particular park.


Is it just the 3 of you or is there another adult? The 2 big rides, Escape from Gringotts and Forbidden Journey will probably be too tall for your 6 yo and possibly even your 9yo - FJ height restriction is 48" and Gringotts is 42" with an adult, 48" without an adult, if it is just the 3 of you, the child swap option might not be an option. If your girls are too short for those 2 rides, it will take a LOT of the pressure off any touring plans. The other 2 rides at Hodsmeade IoA are the Flight of the Hippogriff 36", and Dragon Challenge 54". Even if you can't ride FJ, you can still tour the castle in the queue, and that is a must to for a Potterhead. Dragon Challenge you can still walk into the first bit of the queue area and they have the car and the TriWizard cup.

If your 9yo is tall enough for FP, it has a couple of intense bits in it, giant spiders and swooping death eaters, though last time I went in Jan the death eaters didn't have their black cloaks on and weren't nearly as intense as they were with their robes on!
 
We did exactly this a few weeks ago (see my post above on 31 Aug). I checked to see which park had the early entry option for resort hotel guests and (as we could not use that feature) chose to start in the other park. If all things are equal, start with Gringott's though. We arrived by car at about 8:15am and still needed to buy tickets (it would have been better and cheaper to have had physical tickets in advance if possible). I would say that was a bit late, as the queue had already been admitted to the park when we got to the turnstiles at 8:45am, so I would suggest getting there a bit earlier so you are there before they admit people (i.e. in the line at least 30-40 mins before official park opening time).

Andre
 
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