Avoiding the Diagon Alley madness

[torinsmom]

We are headed to Orlando July 4-11 to do Disney and Universal. I had thought Diagon Alley was opening earlier and we might get a peek. Now I am seeing July 8th which is about when we had planned to start out Universal visit(off site). So, should switch and do Universal first so we can at least hit WWOHP? We are only doing one day at each park this year. I guess there's no chance at seeing Diagon Alley before we leave, right?

 

[Metro West]

We are headed to Orlando July 4-11 to do Disney and Universal. I had thought Diagon Alley was opening earlier and we might get a peek. Now I am seeing July 8th which is about when we had planned to start out Universal visit(off site). So, should switch and do Universal first so we can at least hit WWOHP? We are only doing one day at each park this year. I guess there's no chance at seeing Diagon Alley before we leave, right?

I think there's a good chance you could possibly see DA before you leave...I think soft openings will going on that week. But of course...you're taking a chance and w/o DA being open officially, it's a matter of being in the right place at the end time.

 

[26555]

For people visiting July 8th and, what a week?, after......... there's no way to avoid it, rigth? If IOA had 5 hour lines to get to the turnstiles last time, how long did that go on? Reasonable by the next day?

You can't even elect to go to the "other" park to avoid long lines to get in b/c the train joins the parks so if IOA had a significantly shorter line, DA seeking folks would go there.

Can you do everything in DA with just a US ticket, except for the train where you need P2P ticket?

 

[RMulieri]

For people visiting July 8th and, what a week?, after......... there's no way to avoid it, rigth? If IOA had 5 hour lines to get to the turnstiles last time, how long did that go on? Reasonable by the next day?

You can't even elect to go to the "other" park to avoid long lines to get in b/c the train joins the parks so if IOA had a significantly shorter line, DA seeking folks would go there.

Can you do everything in DA with just a US ticket, except for the train where you need P2P ticket?

I think for people visiting DA anytime from July 8th till weeks after is is going to be mayhem.Lots of people were changing trips around this morning and it is already busy because it is summer.You ONLY need a p2p ticket for the Hogwarts express.You can enter either park and do everything else in each park

 

[Best Aunt]

For people visiting July 8th and, what a week?, after......... there's no way to avoid it, rigth? If IOA had 5 hour lines to get to the turnstiles last time, how long did that go on? Reasonable by the next day?

You can't even elect to go to the "other" park to avoid long lines to get in b/c the train joins the parks so if IOA had a significantly shorter line, DA seeking folks would go there.

Can you do everything in DA with just a US ticket, except for the train where you need P2P ticket?

I believe I read that if you get on the train at Hoggsmeade in IOA, when you get off the train in US you will not be inside Diagon Alley. You will be outside Diagon Alley. So if there is a line of people waiting to get into Diagon Alley, or if they are giving out some type of return ticket with a time at which you can come back to enter Diagon Alley -- you cannot jump the line to enter Diagon Alley merely by going through the turnstiles at IOA and taking the train over.

Not sure where I read it, though.

 

[RMulieri]

I believe I read that if you get on the train at Hoggsmeade in IOA, when you get off the train in US you will not be inside Diagon Alley. You will be outside Diagon Alley. So if there is a line of people waiting to get into Diagon Alley, or if they are giving out some type of return ticket with a time at which you can come back to enter Diagon Alley -- you cannot jump the line to enter Diagon Alley merely by going through the turnstiles at IOA and taking the train over.

Not sure where I read it, though.

I read the same thing..it wont give you any advantage

 

[26555]

I read the same thing..it wont give you any advantage

But it would get you in the park that has DA so I'd expect BOTH entrances to be crazy, right? It was a 5 hour wait just to get into IOA when WWoHP opened. So, even if you wanted to do everything else in the park, skipping HP stuff, just Seusville for sake of arguement, it took 5 hours to get in the park from what I just read.

So, b/c the train joins the parks, it won't mean you can avoid HP US craziness b/c if there is a 4 hr line at US, at least some will decide to go into IOA first and try to get into US that way............. I'd think.

 

[Lynzer4]

But it would get you in the park that has DA so I'd expect BOTH entrances to be crazy, right? It was a 5 hour wait just to get into IOA when WWoHP opened. So, even if you wanted to do everything else in the park, skipping HP stuff, just Seusville for sake of arguement, it took 5 hours to get in the park from what I just read. So, b/c the train joins the parks, it won't mean you can avoid HP US craziness b/c if there is a 4 hr line at US, at least some will decide to go into IOA first and try to get into US that way............. I'd think.

From my understanding it wasn't a 5 hour wait to get INTO the park. You got into the park as normal but then had to go stand in a line that was to get into WWOHP. That was the 5 hr line. So you could go into the park and ride the other rides and get into areas like Seusville.

 

[26555]

From my understanding it wasn't a 5 hour wait to get INTO the park. You got into the park as normal but then had to go stand in a line that was to get into WWOHP. That was the 5 hr line. So you could go into the park and ride the other rides and get into areas like Seusville.

I hope you are right but that wasn't how I interpreted post #23

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3291309&page=2

 

[Lynzer4]

I hope you are right but that wasn't how I interpreted post #23 http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3291309&page=2

Yes let hope because I arrive on the 11th

I thought that was why they started the return ticket time so people did have to stand in line all day. They don't make as much money if everyone. Is standing in line!

Can some that was there during opening HELP clarify????

 

[hermionesnape]

I was there for the opening and at some points through the day they stopped allowing people in IoA (they reached park capacity with the people in line). When we left IoA they warned us we would have to wait in line at that time to come back in the park.

The line to get into WWOHP was 8 hours at its longest. Lines to get in the park its self when at capacity were from 30mins to 1 hour.