Anybody here up for critiquing our April 2 touring plan?

[NorthernCalMom]

We've never been to Universal Orlando, though we did visit Universal Hollywood in the past. Our focus will be the Wizarding World, though there are a few other rides we have our eye on as well. We also want to make sure to spend a good amount of time just walking around and taking it all in. We are staying on property at WDW (All Star Movies), so we won't have Universal early admission, and we're not planning on getting express passes either. I hope that, given that (and also given that this will be Good Friday, so maybe holiday crowds), this plan isn't overly optimistic. We won't be surprised if we have to spend a fair amount of waiting in line.

So, here's our plan (date is April 1):

Around 6:30: Meet up with UBER or Lyft driver. Try to be at Universal around 7:15am. Get through security and line up at turnstiles (since we won’t have early admission or express pass, we figure being close to the front of the non-early admission line can’t hurt). Check on Hagrid’s VL spots starting around 7:30 (I checked the app over the past couple of weeks and that first drop seems to happen any time between 7:30 and 8:02). Get the latest one possible (11-11:30?). 8am—walk swiftly to Gringotts. Mummy. Men in Black. Back to Hogwarts Express station (watch wait times). If we’re off MIB early and HE lines are short, walk around a little (otherwise do that later in the afternoon/evening). Take Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure (ask team member if capacity issues may be an issues if the line to come back is long and we choose to walk—I talked to somebody by phone about this earlier this week and she said it wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m a big one on double-checking on stuff like that). Late breakfast or early lunch at Three Broomsticks (get in line and mobile order from there once we’re getting close to being seated). If we did NOT get a Hagrid’s VL spot, try again at the later drop times. After brunch walk around Hogsmeade, checking wait times for Forbidden Journey and Spiderman. Explore the Lost Continent & other areas that look interesting. Ride Forbidden Journey whenever 45 mins or less (or, if it never goes that low, bite the sour apple and spend whatever wait time it takes--the kids and I did this one in CA, but the husband hasn't; at least the line is pretty fun once we're inside). Ride Spiderman whenever 45 mins or less. Check Hogwarts Express wait times. In the late afternoon, decide if we want to take HE back or walk. If we’re hungry, snack at Mardi Gras food festival booths. Explore Diagon Alley. Have a late dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. If anything has relatively short wait times, ride it. Call UBER or Lyft to get back to the hotel.

 

[cfoxga]

Sounds like a good plan, but without EPs any plans after 10:30 am are likely to change based on crowd levels. Hogwarts Express lines will likely get to be 60+ minutes, as will most of the popular rides. Hopefully, since you are going on a weekday things will be better than the weekends. As you get later in the day, crowds do tend to die back down, so you can get a decent amount done then...

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Mummy has been doing Virtual Queue on busy days, so keep an eye on the App to grab a time for that too.

 

[TreeFalls]

When we went, you could get through the turnstiles without having early entry, but you can't get past a certain point without showing your room key/AP. But you can go in shops, etc.

I think your plan looks good, and getting there early is your best bet. The one wrinkle I see is that the HE line is usually kind of long, so be prepared for that. My advice is to be very familiar with the park maps before you go, so you don't spend unneeded time trying to find your destination. Also, how have the MIB wait times been later in the day? You might consider doing Gringott's and Mummy as quick as possible, then get in the HE line before it builds up too bad.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Thank you so much! I‘ll let you know how it goes.

 

[policycobb]

If Hogwarts Express is a long wait, check to see if the walkway is open between IOA and US. It's next to the stage on the US side and comes out at Seussland on IOA side. There is a sign.