Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[zack123]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone recommend what would likely be the quietest couple of days to visit WWoHP between Tuesday 9th Nov and Mon 14th Nov 2011? We want to spend a couple of days there, with WWoHP being the most important, but seeing some of US and IoA would be great too.

One of our children is Autistic and so we want to cut down on waiting as much as we can. He wouldn't be able to cope with the special needs pass where they give you a time and ask you to come back to the ride later, that would cause a LOT of upset for him. Would we be better to book a night in one of the onsite hotels and get the pass? Or would it be cheaper to buy Express Passes? Or would we not need them at all?

Sorry for all the questions, hope you can help
Best wishes
Gertiesquidge

Is your son able to do single rider lines? If so, that also cuts down on the wait time for some of the attractions. Of course, in some cases (like FJ in WWoHP) you miss some of the cool things in the regular line, but at least for that one you can go back through on a tour and see the rest at your leisure. But in a single rider line, you don't usually all get to go in the same car; that doesn't always work for all families.

 

[dancer72]

Anyone have any projections on crowds for 12/22-12/25? I expect things to be very busy 12/26-1/2, but what about the days leading up to that? With 12/24-12/25 as the weekend, would that mean the crowds those days would be just as bad? What about 12/22-12/23 - any guesses?

Going for 12/22-12/29 and trying to figure out which parks to do which days, covering US, IOA, SW and DC, and which days would need to make sure I have express pass vs. days not needed...

 

[zack123]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone recommend what would likely be the quietest couple of days to visit WWoHP between Tuesday 9th Nov and Mon 14th Nov 2011? We want to spend a couple of days there, with WWoHP being the most important, but seeing some of US and IoA would be great too.

One of our children is Autistic and so we want to cut down on waiting as much as we can. He wouldn't be able to cope with the special needs pass where they give you a time and ask you to come back to the ride later, that would cause a LOT of upset for him. Would we be better to book a night in one of the onsite hotels and get the pass? Or would it be cheaper to buy Express Passes? Or would we not need them at all?

Sorry for all the questions, hope you can help
Best wishes
Gertiesquidge

November 9-10 and November 14 will be the quietest of your days. November 11-13, there is a big "Celebration of Harry Potter Films" event, meaning there will probably be big crowds at IOA and WWoHP those days.

I'm no expert, but I'd pick Tuesday, November 9, for IOA/WWoHP and the 10the or the 14th for US.

 

[Glencora]

Anyone have any projections on crowds for 12/22-12/25? I expect things to be very busy 12/26-1/2, but what about the days leading up to that? With 12/24-12/25 as the weekend, would that mean the crowds those days would be just as bad? What about 12/22-12/23 - any guesses?

Going for 12/22-12/29 and trying to figure out which parks to do which days, covering US, IOA, SW and DC, and which days would need to make sure I have express pass vs. days not needed...

Here's a link to a Universal crowd calendar. As always, YMMV.

http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/#axzz1aqoXHuZX

 

[Armadillo4]

As for Sunday versus Monday, it has been reported many times by posters how Sunday tends to be less busier than Mondays, at least in the off-peak seasons.

I'll be in Orlando starting this Saturday through Thursday. I'm going to try IOA on Sunday as I've seen that very thing posted here several times. And if I decide to go for a second day, I'll try Wednesday too. Hoping for low to moderate crowds at this time of year.

 

[LMO429]

Just curious why monday would be more crowded than a sunday?

 

[mesaboy2]

Just curious why monday would be more crowded than a sunday?

The prevalant theory is that most out-of-towners fly on Sundays and are then in a hurry to hit the parks the next day. Not sure I buy it, but it seems to pan out, at least in the offseason.

 

[dancer72]

Here's a link to a Universal crowd calendar. As always, YMMV.

http://www.orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/#axzz1aqoXHuZX

Thanks, that is helpful.

It says here 12/22-12/25 would be "moderate". What does "moderate" translate into in terms of wait times? Are express passes recommended for moderate days or are you OK on moderate days without it?

 

[OrlandoInformer]

Thanks, that is helpful.

It says here 12/22-12/25 would be "moderate". What does "moderate" translate into in terms of wait times? Are express passes recommended for moderate days or are you OK on moderate days without it?

Thanks for using my Universal crowd calendar. I updated the calendar legend with wait time and Express Pass advice. Hope that helps!

 

[zack123]

The prevalant theory is that most out-of-towners fly on Sundays and are then in a hurry to hit the parks the next day. Not sure I buy it, but it seems to pan out, at least in the offseason.

Not sure why, but I was there Sat-Sun-Mon (Oct. 1-3), and Monday was the busiest day for IOA and the least busy for US. WWoHP was particularly busy on Monday, even worse than Saturday, until about 5:30 p.m. Then the whole park turned into a ghost town.

US was busier on Sunday than Monday, but I didn't go on Saturday so I don't know what it was like then. There was HHN on Sunday but not Monday, so that made more sense.

 

[philliplc]

Here now. As expected Monday the 17 was busier than Sunday 16. Sunday evening was awesome with an uncrowded Hogsmeade and FJ dropping to next to nothing near closing. Monday wasn't terrible either but there were definitely more people around. Went to Disney today, but I imagine with the iffy weather it was very slow at IOA.

 

[Armadillo4]

Just curious why monday would be more crowded than a sunday?

The prevalant theory is that most out-of-towners fly on Sundays and are then in a hurry to hit the parks the next day. Not sure I buy it, but it seems to pan out, at least in the offseason.

My friends and I discussed this during our last trip trying to figure it out too. We hit upon the same idea as mesaboy2 and took it a little further.

• Out-of-town visitors often fly in on the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.
• Visitors arriving on Saturday: they spend Sunday at a Disney park, then go to IOA on Monday.
• Visitors arriving on Sunday: the many Harry Potter fans go to IOA on Monday.
• At the same time, out-of-town visitors are flying back home on the weekends. Guests leaving Orlando on Sunday, means fewer people visiting IOA that day.

Again, this is complete speculation by my friends and I with no data to back it up. But it's our best guess as to why Sundays are less crowded than Mondays, at least in the off-season. I'll be testing out our theory when we get there this weekend.

 

[zack123]

My friends and I discussed this during our last trip trying to figure it out too. We hit upon the same idea as mesaboy2 and took it a little further.

• Out-of-town visitors often fly in on the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday.
• Visitors arriving on Saturday: they spend Sunday at a Disney park, then go to IOA on Monday.
• Visitors arriving on Sunday: the many Harry Potter fans go to IOA on Monday.
• At the same time, out-of-town visitors are flying back home on the weekends. Guests leaving Orlando on Sunday, means fewer people visiting IOA that day.

Again, this is complete speculation by my friends and I with no data to back it up. But it's our best guess as to why Sundays are less crowded than Mondays, at least in the off-season. I'll be testing out our theory when we get there this weekend.

This makes sense . . . it also makes sense, if you are going to take a one-week vacation and you normally work M-F, to fly out on a Sunday and fly home on a Saturday (or very early Sunday). That way, you get the Saturday before your trip to be sure everything's in order, and the Sunday after you get home to recoup and get ready to head back to work or school.

For budget-conscious travellers, the cheapest day to fly is generally Tuesday, and if you're leaving on Tuesday your last park day would be Monday.

If your main focus was Disney, you might choose to visit WWoHP/IOA on your last day or your first day (so you could switch hotels easier).

Either way, Monday is going to be busy because it's a lot of people's first day or last day of vacation.

 

[OrlandoInformer]

I was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter today, and the wait time for Pteranodon Flyers was longer than the wait for Forbidden Journey (55 minutes vs. 45 minutes). It is definitely the slow season.

 

[OrlandoInformer]

Just wrote the following article for my site and I thought I'd share it with you guys as a way to thank you for linking to my crowd calendar. Here it is:


Top misconceptions about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is over a year old now. (By the way, I was there for the one-year anniversary–check out the video at the bottom of the post.) Despite its maturity, there are still plenty of misconceptions that persist. Let’s take a look, shall we…


The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is its own theme park

The oldest and still most prevalent misconception is that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is its own theme park. This misconception was brought on originally by the fact that Universal Orlando branded the area as a “theme park within a theme park,” as you can see in this 2009 article from OrlandoSentinel.com:

Each of Orlando’s theme-park resorts is promoting new attractions this year, but it’s something that won’t open until next year that really has people talking.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” the $200million-plus “theme park within a theme park” that is scheduled to open by next summer in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, has sparked a near-constant stream of speculation about just how the resort will bring Harry Potter’s universe to life.

Sometime in 2010 management got wise to all the confusion the a nifty-sounding claim created and dropped the term. However, the misconception continues now because of the next item on the list…


You do/don’t need a separate ticket to get into the Wizarding World

I have spent literally over 100 hours around and inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. That’s why I know that the one issue that raises the most confusion for guests who are actually visiting the park is the WWoHP reservation and return ticket system. The confusion is brought on by the fact that, to this day, Universal Orlando does not publish a single piece of information about the system–there’s nothing on their website and nothing in print at the parks. Further adding to the confusion is the fact that the system is only periodically used, and the system itself has changed several times–in several significant ways–since it was first introduced.

To go back to the first item on this list, the over ambitious marketing terminology mixed with the need for some guests to some times get a separate ticket for entrance into the Wizarding World perpetuates the misconception that the Wizarding World is its own park.


The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an all-new area

While the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was a $265 million expansion of Islands of Adventure, and it is now the largest island in said park, it is far from being all-new. In fact, of the three official attractions inside the Wizarding World, only Forbidden Journey was built from scratch. The other two–Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff–had previous lives as Dueling Dragons and Flying Unicorn. Before you cancel your travel plans, you will be happy to know that Hogsmeade Village is practically all-new. Speaking of Hogsmeade…


Is it Hogsmeade Village is Diagon Alley?

Hogsmeade Village, the lower area of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, is not Diagon Alley. The tiny town with bent chimneys is meant to represent Hogsmeade Village. This misconception persists mostly because Ollivander’s Wand Shop is located in Diagon Alley according to the Harry Potter books and movies. So how did it end up in Hogsmeade Village? I’ve been told that the location in Hogsmeade is a franchise of the original Ollivander’s. You have to applaud the successful small business owner.


The Wizarding World is the only place you can buy official wands

While we’re on the topic of Ollivander’s, lets put to rest a two other misconceptions. First, Ollivander’s Wand Shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not the only place in the world where you can purchase official Wizarding World wands. When the area first opened, it is true that they only sold official wands inside the gates of Hogsmeade Village. However, that has changed considerably over the last year, and now you can purchase official wands throughout Universal Orlando, at the Orlando International Airport, and even online from Universal. (Visit this page to learn more about where to buy wands.) The other Ollivander’s misconception…


Everyone visiting Ollivander’s gets to have the wand experience

I think most guests arriving at the Wizarding World know by now that the longest wait is going to be for Ollivander’s. What many do not realize though, is despite the fact that your family may wait up to two hours in the sun to get inside Ollivander’s, not every family entering the shop will get to have the wand experience. Indeed, only one lucky Muggle out of the group of about 20 people gets to have the wand choose him or her. Everyone else is a happy, or not-so-happy, spectator.


I have another five or so other misconceptions in the article on my site, but I'm going to cut off the article here so this doesn't become to large to post. If you want to see the rest, you can click here.

Thanks again for sharing my Universal crowd calendar!

 

[mesaboy2]

While we’re on the topic of Ollivander’s, lets put to rest a two other misconceptions. First, Ollivander’s Wand Shop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not the only place in the world where you can purchase official Wizarding World wands.

Since we're talking misconceptions, I thought it was the Owl Post where guests could purchase wands. Ollivander's proper is only the show space. Or do I have that wrong? Truly I want to know so I can share accurately with others who ask....

 

[OrlandoInformer]

Since we're talking misconceptions, I thought it was the Owl Post where guests could purchase wands. Ollivander's proper is only the show space. Or do I have that wrong? Truly I want to know so I can share accurately with others who ask....

Technically the original wand store was the Owl Post, you are correct. It has since expanded to include a new room in Dervish & Banges, the store connected to the Owl Post. But you can also buy them now at a cart outside of Hogwarts Castle, and also at the big Universal Stores at the front of each park and at CityWalk. And yes, you actually have never been able to buy wands inside Ollivander's--it is just a show place for the wand experience.

You can learn more on this page.

Hope that helps!

 

[christophfam]

I was at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter today, and the wait time for Pteranodon Flyers was longer than the wait for Forbidden Journey (55 minutes vs. 45 minutes). It is definitely the slow season.

I was there thurs and fri. It didn't feel like the slow season to me at all! The parks were very crowded with fj at 75 minutes most of the day. It was so much more crowded than when we were there early June.

 

[christophfam]

I was there thurs and fri. It didn't feel like the slow season to me at all! The parks were very crowded with fj at 75 minutes most of the day. It was so much more crowded than when we were there early June.

Here again today and what a difference! FJ is just 30 minutes. Still a lot of people around, but wait times are much shorter than a couple of days ago.

 

[mesaboy2]

Here again today and what a difference! FJ is just 30 minutes. Still a lot of people around, but wait times are much shorter than a couple of days ago.

Sundays are funny that way.