ONE Day at IOA...WWYD? Touring Plan?

[vickalamode]

DBF and I are going to Disney for a 7 night 8 day trip exactly one month from today ...since we have 8 days, we have decided that we would like to spend one day at Islands of Adventure, since WWoHP conveniently opened ten days after my Disney College Program ended and I moved back to MA

Anyways, I haven't been to IOA in 10 years and honestly don't really remember that much besides really liking the Hulk Rollercoaster and the Spiderman ride...oh and having a major pre-teen drama tantrum in the Dr. Seuss area.

The Disney Unoffical Guide has a touring plan and suggests these rides/attractions:

-Forbidden Journey
-Dragon Challenge
-Hulk
-Spider Man
-Doctor Doom Fearfall
-Bilge Rat Barges
-Rip Saw Falls
-Jurassic Park
-Poseidon's Fury
-Cat in the Hat
-Sinbad Stunt Show

Is anyone familiar with the Touring Plan in the Disney Unofficial Guide and found it to be a good plan? Also, would you folks consider the attractions listed above to be must-do's? What would you suggest skipping of the above attractions if we can't do it all? We are definitely wanting to see everything in WWoHP though.

Is there anything we should definitely try to fit into our schedule besides what is listed above?

We are planning on buying the express pass...it's only $20 per person online so even though it only lets us bypass the line once per ride I think we are still planning on buying it. We'll just have to suck it up and wait for Forbidden Journey, though, lol. Would anyone have any suggestions against buying express pass? The money isn't really an issue for us and we don't mind spending the $40 since we only have one day there and want to make the most of it...


We are planning on going on Tuesday, November 1st. It looks like Halloween Horror Nights will be over by then (unlike WDW they run MNSSHP on that day...). We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter and are planning on taking the MEARS bus for transportation. I know this unfortunately doesn't get us there exactly at rope drop but hey what can you do...does anybody think a taxi might be a good option? I hear that the shuttle is $20 per person so that is $40 round trip...how much would a taxi run us each way? If its only another $10-$15 we might do that?

Any suggestions for my newbie self would be appreciated! I am starting out trying to read these boards, I am a Disney pro but have NO IDEA about Universal, lol! Also we are not planning on or interested in "hopping" over to regular Universal Studios nor are we interested in spending more than one day or switching to a Universal Resort for 1 night for those perks... so please no suggestions on doing any of those things , I know how these boards can get LOL.

 

[mesaboy2]

As for the must-do's, I'd put Poseidon's Fury near the bottom of your list. And since I haven't seen/ridden them, I also don't have much love for either Sinbad Stunt Show or Dr. Doom--Sinbad because I've not heard many good things about it, and Doom simply because that's not a type of ride I enjoy. YMMV.

I don't think crowds at IoA should be that bad, so I think you'll be fine winging it for the most part. Since it is a must-do, start in WWoHP and do everything there until you're sated. Then just hit the rest in any order you like that makes sense to you.

I don't recommend buying the Express Pass in advance at least. Once you do, it is non-refundable and date-specific. You can buy them inside the park once you've seen the lines for yourself and can make an intelligent decision. $40 is $40.

Most headliners, including Forbidden Journey, have a single-rider queue that in many cases is just as fast as Express and doesn't cost a thing.

Can't help you with your MEARS questions, sorry.

 

[Bonniec]

I don't think you really need the express pass during that time (though if you stay on site, you get them). We were just there Saturday and the only ride that had a long wait was Harry Potter at 45 minutes. Everything else was under 20, including spider man.

 

[vickalamode]

Thank you mesaboy2 and Bonniec...

With that advice I will wait to buy the express pass until I get there. It's only $6 more per person than buying it online in advance. I'll see what the waits are until I make any decisions on that.

What are the most "major" attractions? I am thinking obviously WWoHP, Spiderman, Hulk?? Am I wrong or right? What else is on most people's "must do" list? We are not really picky people and pretty much like everything, so we want to know what the best things to see are and what we won't really be missing out on if we skip it...

I am hoping that it won't really be too busy the week we are there. We're going Oct 26-Nov 2. The day we would be at IOA would be a Tuesday.

 

[Bonniec]

The busiest ride by far is Harry Potter, and it's easily my favorite ride of any theme park anywhere. I'm not even a HP fan, lol.

I would say the next busiest ride is Rip Saw Falls. It's a cool ride but I'm not sure why it's always so busy. In November, you may or may not wish to ride it because you get soaked.

Spiderman is the 3rd biggest and a must do. Hulk isn't usually that busy.


How old are are the youngest in your party? HP is a scary ride but they have an awesome child swap.


The other must do after the HP ride....is get a butter beer! I know it's not a ride but good lord is that a yummy drink. Extremely sweet though. They have both frozen and regular and both are very good. I prefer the regular but we ususually get one of each and share.

Saturday I got my first pumpkin juice.... kinda gross, lol


ETA: Now that Ive said all this, there have been a few surprise days at all theme parks where they are suddenly busier this year. You certainly don't NEED to have the express pass. But if money is truely no object (jealous) then ya might as well get one.

 

[mesaboy2]

Thank you mesaboy2 and Bonniec...

With that advice I will wait to buy the express pass until I get there. It's only $6 more per person than buying it online in advance. I'll see what the waits are until I make any decisions on that.

What are the most "major" attractions? I am thinking obviously WWoHP, Spiderman, Hulk?? Am I wrong or right? What else is on most people's "must do" list? We are not really picky people and pretty much like everything, so we want to know what the best things to see are and what we won't really be missing out on if we skip it...

I am hoping that it won't really be too busy the week we are there. We're going Oct 26-Nov 2. The day we would be at IOA would be a Tuesday.

I would prioritize your list thusly. This is my opinion and represents only my personal preferences.

-Forbidden Journey
-Hulk
-Spider Man
-Dragon Challenge
-Jurassic Park (water ride, but you don't usually get too wet)
-Cat in the Hat
-Rip Saw Falls (water ride, very fun but you get soaked so I don't do it often)
-Bilge Rat Barges (same as RSF)
-Poseidon's Fury
-Doctor Doom Fearfall
-Sinbad Stunt Show

A Tuesday in late October should not be very busy. Even though buying Express is a little more if you're waiting until you're there (I'm not sure I knew that), I'm hopeful you won't need them at all and would still wait.