Advice re Private VIP tour in December

[CaliforniaGirl09]

We will be making our first trip to Universal Orlando in December before a Christmas cruise on the Dream. Our park dates are Dec 20 and 21. We are staying at the Portofino so we will have the express ticket option. I have a few questions that I hope the pros can help with.

--What are the crowds like pre-Christmas? I was assuming they would be horrible, but some of the calendars seem to suggest otherwise.

--Our main goal is to do the Harry Potter rides. We just went to Hollywood Studios a few months ago, so we aren't as focused on the overlap rides. My understanding is that the regular express ticket option that comes with staying on site doesn't work with the Harry Potter rides. I was a little confused by the early park opening for on site visitors, but will the Harry Potter rides be open for that and would it be possible to bang those rides out early even without the express ride option?

--My son is special needs and we use a GAC at Disneyland. I've heard the Universal GAC works like the new one at Disneyland (with return times). I assume I can use it on the Harry Potter rides? DS17 has Tourettes as well as an ID and even the Disney "fast pass" lines can be very difficult for him, so minimum line time is extremely important for the enjoyment of all. Will the GAC coupled with the EE be adequate, or do you think or should I try a private VIP tour?

--My understanding is that the private VIP tour is basically a front of the line pass and you can go on whatever you want, however many times you want. If someone has taken one recently, I'd really appreciate an overview. The reports I was able to find were fairly old.

Thanks for any light you guys might be able to shed.

 

[macraven]

if you book the private tour thru VIP tours, yes, your tour guide you have will make it possible for limited or no waits.


for the GAP, go to guest services and they will discuss it with you.
let them know you have unlimited usage of the express lines but need the extra help for the non express line rides.

you give the card to the TM at the ride line.
if the line is less than 30 minutes, you are allowed to enter the express line at that point.

if the regular line wait is more than 30 minutes, they will deduct a time period and issue you the time you can return to use the express line.

since you are staying on site and get free express, this will be a big help for you.

the GAP will help you for the rides that do not have express lines.
(parry hotter stuff)

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Thank you so much for the reply. I really appreciate the info. Do you know what the wait times are like for the Harry Potter rides during that early opening period? I'm thinking that if we hit those rides then, we may be okay.

 

[psiprez]

Just as a note... I found that the Express lines were just as noisy, dark, and confined as the regular lines, just with a shorter wait. The two lines are frequently intermingled in dark rooms, and can feel chaotic, especially with the preshow videos and lights going off.

However, for many of the older attractions, the wait for Express is 0-5 minutes... especially before 11am.

Obviously the VIP tour would awesomely address the issue, but given the costs, I think you could try just the Express, with the understanding that you may need to be flexible with your expectations on what you will be able to see and accomplish in the parks.

Can't help you with early entry HP wait times... we went in the afternoon. In DA, Gringott's was always 120-300, the train said 20 but took 40. In Hogsmeade, FJ said 60 but took 10, the coasters were walk-on, Three Broomsticks was 45 for lunch but walk-in after 2pm and before dinnertime.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Just as a note... I found that the Express lines were just as noisy, dark, and confined as the regular lines, just with a shorter wait. The two lines are frequently intermingled in dark rooms, and can feel chaotic, especially with the preshow videos and lights going off.

However, for many of the older attractions, the wait for Express is 0-5 minutes... especially before 11am.

Obviously the VIP tour would awesomely address the issue, but given the costs, I think you could try just the Express, with the understanding that you may need to be flexible with your expectations on what you will be able to see and accomplish in the parks.

Can't help you with early entry HP wait times... we went in the afternoon. In DA, Gringott's was always 120-300, the train said 20 but took 40. In Hogsmeade, FJ said 60 but took 10, the coasters were walk-on, Three Broomsticks was 45 for lunch but walk-in after 2pm and before dinnertime.

Thank you so much for the info about the express lines. That is definitely a consideration for us. It sounds like it will come down to the HP rides for us. As we aren't sure when/if we will ever get back there, we want to make sure we hit all those rides. We took a VIP at Disneyland recently and loved it, I'd love to hear how they compare. It looks like the Orlando one might even be better . . .

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Just thought I'd report back that we went ahead and bit the bullet on the private VIP tour. I'll make sure to report back with our (hopefully) wonderful experience.

 

[alagille]

Soo, I'm just wondering what you decided and how it worked out? VIP private tour or just express pass?

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Soo, I'm just wondering what you decided and how it worked out? VIP private tour or just express pass?

Hey alagille, thanks for following up! We ended up doing both--used the express pass that came with our hotel reservations on Saturday and did the private VIP tour on Sunday. The express pass was fabulous and would have covered all our needs--with the big exception of the Harry Potter rides. For that the VIP tour was fantastic. Being able to go directly the front of the line was pretty amazing--especially for my special needs son. It was the most relaxed he's ever been at a theme park. I loved the VIP product, and wish the other place would have something similar I'm really glad we did it, although it's probably too expensive to do again unless we had a bigger group (there were only 5 of us). Since our biggest priority and main reason for the trip was the Harry Potter rides it was "worth" it to us.

 

[alagille]

Hey alagille, thanks for following up! We ended up doing both--used the express pass that came with our hotel reservations on Saturday and did the private VIP tour on Sunday. The express pass was fabulous and would have covered all our needs--with the big exception of the Harry Potter rides. For that the VIP tour was fantastic. Being able to go directly the front of the line was pretty amazing--especially for my special needs son. It was the most relaxed he's ever been at a theme park. I loved the VIP product, and wish the other place would have something similar I'm really glad we did it, although it's probably too expensive to do again unless we had a bigger group (there were only 5 of us). Since our biggest priority and main reason for the trip was the Harry Potter rides it was "worth" it to us.

Didn't think to ask, was this during the Christmas season (super busy) or in the first half of the month. That would be a deciding factor too.
As for the cost, my dh doesn't ever *REALLY* want to know. He's just figured out that if he shows up, goes along for the ride, he's usually in for some cool experiences. He's a keeper, well trained!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Didn't think to ask, was this during the Christmas season (super busy) or in the first half of the month. That would be a deciding factor too.
As for the cost, my dh doesn't ever *REALLY* want to know. He's just figured out that if he shows up, goes along for the ride, he's usually in for some cool experiences. He's a keeper, well trained!

Your DH sounds like my DH. What he doesn't know won't hurt him Yes, it was during the Christmas season--it was actually the weekend before so really busy.