Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[dryomama]

We are headed to HP on Dec 15, which is a Wednesday. I sure hope crowds are LOW!!! It will be our first time there!!!

 

[Lucky4me]

I hope it's like this when I get there on the 13th! Or maybe Wednesday will be the better day.

I think Wednesday morning is the best time to visit any theme park. Don't have any data to back that up, just my over all experience. I think for a lot of people it's a "rest" day in the middle of their trips.

 

[mesaboy2]

Went today and it was much like reports from yesterday--virtually dead. Walked on--no wait at all--virtually everything at Universal, including FJ (twice), DC (both sides), and Hippogriff. For FJ, walked without stopping through the main line for the fun of it (I was a single today) after doing the SR line (faces and dragon-smoke both times). Walked all the way up and on Hippogriff. After riding Hippogriff, literally no one at gates to replace anybody--I almost did it again without getting off.

Stores in WWoHP also dead, and Ollivanders--yes Ollivanders!--had NO ONE waiting outside except a lonely TM 20 minutes before closing. Did it just for fun.... Never saw more than a 1- or 2-show wait for it after 4.

Other attractions around Uni without any waits: Spiderman, Hulk, Mummy. Less than 5 minutes each for Twister and Terminator. Less than 10 minutes each for Simpsons and Neutron, but those were only because the previous show wasn't out yet.

Longest I waited all day was about 20 minutes for Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and Poseidon's Fury, neither of which I had done before. HRRR was okay, not as good as Hulk, and Posiedon's Fury was a big old "meh".

 

[ducky_love]

Yep- crowds were awesome yesterday!!!

I didn't get a face or skull on HP and I was careful to smile for the camera. I really think my glasses screw something up. That was ok because I have never seen WWOHP so empty. It was fun talking to the TMs they all were "in character" and seemed to be having a great time. It makes you see how nice the park would be if it wasn't such a zoo all the time.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yep- crowds were awesome yesterday!!!

I didn't get a face or skull on HP and I was careful to smile for the camera. I really think my glasses screw something up. That was ok because I have never seen WWOHP so empty. It was fun talking to the TMs they all were "in character" and seemed to be having a great time. It makes you see how nice the park would be if it wasn't such a zoo all the time.

Huh, interesting idea. This is probably coincidence but I wore contacts yesterday and saw my face. I think my previous times with skulls I had glasses--I know at least once I did. Perhaps the glare from the lenses has something to do with it....

I was making idle chat with a TM yesterday at WWoHP and she said, like we have heard around here, that there is talk of expanding WWoHP more into Lost Continent. We'll just have to see.

And on a crowd-related note, this TM also mentioned the number 9,000 a couple of times. I think she was saying that was the supposed capacity of WWoHP. If I got that right, that seemed high to me, but I never heard a number before.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I'm hoping for some slow winter crowds when I head down Feb 4-7. The only times I have been at WWoHP so far was in the summer and it was a mad house, plus face melting hot. A fellow Potter nerd friend wants to go and I'm always willing(thank you South West for your winter fares). It would be lovely to actually have the space to explore the area without needing a cattle prod. *crossing fingers*

 

[syenisch]

Don't see any reason why Feb 4-7 would be crowded. The holiday rush will be long over, and that's well before Spring Break.

 

[andrewsmommy]

I'm hoping for some slow winter crowds when I head down Feb 4-7. The only times I have been at WWoHP so far was in the summer and it was a mad house, plus face melting hot. A fellow Potter nerd friend wants to go and I'm always willing(thank you South West for your winter fares). It would be lovely to actually have the space to explore the area without needing a cattle prod. *crossing fingers*

We'll be there Feb 3-5 - hoping for slow crowds too!

 

[rangerxenos]

I think we may try Universal tomorrow, I am hoping that the low crowds continue!

 

[lori1043]

no Mardi Gras either. it's late this year.

You get high crowds when Mardi Gras, Daytona and Presidents day are all in the same week.

 

[lkmom]

We will be there also Feb 4-6.

Question: We're arriving very late Thursday night on 2/3. Planning on parks on Friday and Saturday. We'll be staying onsite so have early entry.

I'm thinking we will be tired Friday and we should sleep in a little and go to US on Friday and then get up early for early entry to IOA on Saturday.

We could go to the parks a little bit on Sunday before leaving but it won't be a full day so it would more than likely be to redo anything we really liked or catch something we didn't get to the first two days.

I've heard Saturday's are usually busier for Harry Potter. Are we better off going to IOA on Friday instead even though we will have had a late night traveling on Thursday?

 

[Its Eeior]

I will be at WWOHP next Sat and was wondering how the crowds were today? Anybody here make it last weekend?

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I will be heading to Universal and Disney from the 18th - 24th.. yes, I am a bit nuts. I know it will be super crowded, but I want to do it this time. I may even go again on my birthday.. the 28th, but just for the day. I have to see if my sister or kids want to go with me then too.. I really don't expect to even get on FJ after the 20th.

 

[the Dark Marauder]

And on a crowd-related note, this TM also mentioned the number 9,000 a couple of times. I think she was saying that was the supposed capacity of WWoHP. If I got that right, that seemed high to me, but I never heard a number before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik

 

[Laurabearz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik

 

[JAL2525]

Going down in a couple of weeks...anyone with any background on new attractions and the holiday's care to venture a guess as to what it will be like?

 

[mesaboy2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMHTK15Pik

LOL, I had no idea I was unwittingly quoting pop-culture. I'm starting to show my age.

 

[briar_rose_59]

A friend and I were there this past Friday Dec 3 in the morning/afternoon (headed back to Disney for MNSSHP that night). Crowds were VERY low in the morning. Dragon Challenge was 10 mins the whole time we were there so we rode each side once. Forbidden Journey was a 15-20 minute wait I believe, we only rode it once because I didn't feel well after riding. Also rode Flight of the Hyppogriff with a 5-10 minute wait.

Outside of HP Hulk had a 5 minute wait, Spiderman was 5-10 minutes, we went over to US to try the Simpsons ride but it had a 20 minute wait and that would have only given us 5-10 minutes to get back through the park/city walk to our shuttle so we skipped it and just checked out the kwik-e-mart instead.

 

[Tree-via]

Saturday's crowd was not too bad, except for midday. (we bailed and went to the other side of the park around 1 and came back later.)

The wizard at Ollivander's door said that it was a good Sat. He had seen much worse and some better.

The longest we waited in line was "90 min." for the Forbidden Journey. By just before closing time, my 13 yr. old was riding the Dragon Challenge over and over again, just walking around to do it again.

 

[Tadsgirl]

I will be at WWOHP next Sat and was wondering how the crowds were today? Anybody here make it last weekend?

We were there 12/2 thru 12/4.

The crowds were heavy but not crazy on Saturday. We found that if you wait for the big rides until after six, you have less than a 20 minute wait.

Suess Landing was crowded because Grinchmas opened. WWOHP was stuffed but not packed. You could easily get around people with strollers and wheelchairs. After seven, we went through FJ's que twice without too many stops.

Hope that helps!