Advice - Monday Afternoon/Evening or Early Tuesday?

[fwong]

We're going to Universal Studios Orlando - and like many people, gringotts and the hogwarts express is our only must-rides for this visit.

Since we'll be at the Royal Pacific, we have Early-Park-Access and Express-Unlimited. But I've read that Express-Unlimited does not work on Gringotts, Hogwards Express or Forbidden Journey - so that's no help.

Looking for advice -

• We check-in on Monday, should we try to tackle Gringotts/Hogwarts later in the day Monday to get it out of the way?
• Or wake-up early Tuesday, and use our early-park-access and just get in line for Gringotts (how long is the wait for early-access people?)

 

[macraven]

when is your trip?
this summer?

 

[fwong]

when is your trip?
this summer?

Forgot to mention that - Next week - July 28th

 

[hpfan100]

I'll be there Monday too!!!! From everything I'm reading it looks like getting up extra early for EE is the best way to ride Gringotts. For exploring DA I hear afternoons/ evenings work well. With express you'll be fine for everything else.


There are some threads about Gringotts on here to check out. I'd think them but I don't know how to on my phone.

 

[fwong]

I'll be there Monday too!!!! From everything I'm reading it looks like getting up extra early for EE is the best way to ride Gringotts. For exploring DA I hear afternoons/ evenings work well. With express you'll be fine for everything else.

Short-version: Got in line Monday evening, 140 minutes wait (posted wait 150 minutes)

Here's my Gringott's report. I wasn't looking forward to getting up early in the morning. After talking to several people around the area and based on what I read on the forums, you need to leave the hotel before 6:30am and get in line for the 6:45am gate openings to keep the Gringotts wait under an hour. That did not sound like a fun way to spend vacation.

On Monday when we arrived, I checked the Universal app (ride-times only work when you're on universal property) - and Gringotts was clocking at 120 minutes. I can live with that. By the time we got to Gringotts it was about 7pm, and the wait-time was posted at 150 minutes.

But we were in Diagon Alley now, and the family voted to tough it out - so we got in line. The ride broke 3x while we were in line. Including just before we boarded the "elevator" and it even broke when we were seated in a car at the station.

Total time from entering the line, to actual ride-start was about 140 minutes. Less than posted even with the break-downs. Its as if Universal factored-in the ride breakages

Now when we got out of the ride there was a HUGE bonus, Diagon alley was still open but mostly empty. It's gorgeously lit at night, and you can walk the mostly empty stores. (I think people went to watch the night show). Another huge bonus - Diagon Alley is magical with the fireworks blasting overhead.

 

[Bothepro24]

I find it amusing that someone would wait in line for over 2 hours rather than wake up early. Yeh, its vacation, but your at an Amusement Park, why stay in hotel with benefits that allow early entrance, if sleeping is was important just do that at home

 

[fwong]

I find it amusing that someone would wait in line for over 2 hours rather than wake up early. Yeh, its vacation, but your at an Amusement Park, why stay in hotel with benefits that allow early entrance, if sleeping is was important just do that at home

It's vacation! Waking up my family before 6am, rushing breakfast, rushing to the park entrance to line-up, and then rushing to Diagon alley for another line is not my personal definition of a vacation

Sleeping in late - no schedule - that's my idea of a vacation.

I wish Universal copied Disney's Extra Magic Hours (2-bonus hours for hotel guests) -- THAT sounds like a vacation to me. Disney's smart enough to realize that an extra hour in the morning is not a "benefit" to everybody.

So why stay at a Universal hotel? Complimentary Universal Express Unlimited of course! (which wouldn't work for Gringotts anyways) Once we got gringotts out of the way - we enjoyed our other days with minimal waits for everything else.

Plus Monday was our throw-away day since that's the day we checked-in. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[glocon]

Short-version: Got in line Monday evening, 140 minutes wait (posted wait 150 minutes)

Here's my Gringott's report. I wasn't looking forward to getting up early in the morning. After talking to several people around the area and based on what I read on the forums, you need to leave the hotel before 6:30am and get in line for the 6:45am gate openings to keep the Gringotts wait under an hour. That did not sound like a fun way to spend vacation.

On Monday when we arrived, I checked the Universal app (ride-times only work when you're on universal property) - and Gringotts was clocking at 120 minutes. I can live with that. By the time we got to Gringotts it was about 7pm, and the wait-time was posted at 150 minutes.

But we were in Diagon Alley now, and the family voted to tough it out - so we got in line. The ride broke 3x while we were in line. Including just before we boarded the "elevator" and it even broke when we were seated in a car at the station.

Total time from entering the line, to actual ride-start was about 140 minutes. Less than posted even with the break-downs. Its as if Universal factored-in the ride breakages

Now when we got out of the ride there was a HUGE bonus, Diagon alley was still open but mostly empty. It's gorgeously lit at night, and you can walk the mostly empty stores. (I think people went to watch the night show). Another huge bonus - Diagon Alley is magical with the fireworks blasting overhead.

So there were fireworks? Is that every night?

 

[fwong]

[/B]

So there were fireworks? Is that every night?

I believe it runs every night in the summertime at 9:45pm. And these fireworks accompany a movie-themed night show at the lagoon in the Universal Studios park.

You can't see the lagoon part of the show from Diagon Alley b/c all of the buildings are designed to make you feel like you're in London. But you can hear/feel and see the fireworks overhead in the sky above Diagon Alley.

 

[glocon]

Hmm. I was thinking there was something in DA not on the lagoon. That would have been cool- maybe something along the lines of Filibusters Fireworks.