Best itinerary for HP fans 2 day park to park with early admission

[lisadmo]

We are loyal Disney fans but also love Harry Potter. On our next trip to Orlando we are doing 2 days at Universal. We are staying at a Universal hotel and have 2 day park to park tickets so we can use the Hogwarts Express. I'm looking for itinerary suggestions to minimize wait times at the major HP attractions. We are going during a busy time but don't want to pay for express passes. I would appreciate any and all suggestions!

 

[MarcIsMe]

We went last week and took other suggestions and used early entry on one day to go straight to Hagrids. There was already a decent line, but they started moving it about 30 minutes before park open. I consolidated all our stuff and shoved it in the locker while wife and son stayed in line. The line moved continuously with one brief holdup in the room with the cages and stuff, so got off ride by regular park open which gave us a jump on the other two rides in the area. This was on a Monday, I am sure a weekend would be different.

 

[themeparkoholic]

One suggestion I have if you’re prioritizing Potter is to catch the Hogwarts Express earlier in the day, like before 2:00 pm. From my experience starting mid-afternoon parkgoers want to switch parks, and the lines can back up.

There are also single rider lines for Gringotts and Forbidden Journey that cut down the wait significantly, but you miss a lot of queue theming. However if you just want to get on the ride, totally worth it. Hagrid on the other hand has a single rider line that is much more hit-or-miss, I’d just wait in line (especially early entry) rather than rely on single rider. Hope you have a great trip!