Celebration of Harry Potter- vacation package or no?

[dolewhipdreams]

Hi all. I'm looking to attend the Celebration of HP for the first time and I would love input from some folks who have gone before. I have looked through the list of what is included in the vacation package vs what you get with regular park admission and I want your advice!

In your opinion, was the vacation package worth it (the standard, not the premium)? Conversely, did anyone go without a vacation package and feel like they had a fulfilling time? My biggest concern is the lines. I realize that with the standard vacation package that entrance to the panels, etc, is still first come first serve but that it's still a shorter wait than the general admissions lines. How much time did you spend in general admission lines vs package lines?

Money may be an issue so what it boils down to is this- can I still have a good experience at CoHP without a package or should I wait and go another year when I'll definitely have the budget to get one?

I've done lots of searches here and on google but couldn't quite find what I needed so thank you in advance to anyone who can chime in!

 

[bobbie68]

Hi we did the standard package several years back. We stayed off site with a package. I think even a standard package is better than GA. We had to be at the panels about an hour to an hour and a half before. I liked having the access before the rest of the crowds. I did not go without a package so I can't help you with a comparison. I am glad I had a package.

 

[only hope]

I've been twice without a package and once with. You can definitely enjoy it without a package. None of the panels at Toon Lagoon fill up, or at least they haven't the three years I've gone. All the seats are a good view. If you want a closer seat (the closest are for package holders) you will need to arrive about 30mn early, but it's really not necessary. The panels at the music stage that feature actors do fill up quite early as it has a lower capacity. For those, you do have to be there at least 45mn-1 hour early if you don't want to be in the very back or across the street where you can't hear. The events without actors don't fill up, unless they are within an hour of something with the actors.

The expo the past two years has been a bit of a nightmare without a package. Wait times for the main expo have consistently been at least an hour, often two or three, no matter the time of day. Friday is a little better. If you don't want to spend park time, you can arrive at the gates an hour early to be closer to the front of the line- but they let in package people first so you won't get in immediately. Once you're in the expo, there are even more lines everywhere to wait in, most at least 30 mn long. There are no separate lines for package holders inside the expos, unless they change it this year. With the package, you can walk right into the expo if you're one of the first people in line or if you go after the morning rush.

Beware that there is only one event on Friday, plus the expo.

Having the package is nice, but it is a lot of money for what you get, especially if you stay on property. I think they should charge less for the second person as normally hotels charge the same for one or two people. They should also offer a two night package for passholders- we can just drive home Sunday! Anyways, it is great to skip the expo lines, get the front row seats/area for the panels (we never saw any package holders turned away), the after hours event was fantastic, the gift was nice- but it is not necessary if you have patience.

 

[lillypotters]

Last year was my first year going, and we did the celebration package with an off-site hotel. We're planning to do it again this year at an on-site hotel, because we've never stayed on site before and HP celebration is the only Universal-only trip we take...it's definitely expensive, and I do think the price is a little padded (as mentioned above, the price of the hotel is included per person, and most hotels don't charge per person until you have more than two adults, if that makes sense), but the convenience of it and some of the extras (particularly the package only party in the HP sections on the first night) were worth it for me.

The package holder seating for panels didn't really seem like a huge advantage to me most of the time. It was nice not really having to wait in lines for those, but I think you could get away with not lining up too early and still get in with a decent seat. But last year there were package holder only panels with the cast members, which was nice because from what I could tell, those did fill up. Some of the larger events also have sections up front set aside for package holders, which was nice and also cut down on time, so with those I was pretty glad we had it.

A friend of mine attended without a package last year, and basically had double the time in line to the Expo/Sorting Hat. You essentially get to skip the line into the Expo itself, though you do have lines within the Expo. By having the package for this, we definitely saved on a lot of time and got to do a lot more, and it cut down on stress levels for me, planning wise.

The party the first night was probably my favorite part of the entire weekend; it's the only time the HP areas didn't seem totally packed to me, I was able to basically walk on to Gringotts, and many of the snacks and drinks are included with the package (we were able to get butterbeer and a single scoop of ice cream with no add-ons.)

Other things like pre-park opening and the breakfast voucher and the merch included were really nice and while I didn't need them to enjoy the weekend, it was nice to have.

I definitely think you could do it without the package and enjoy it, you'd probably just need to strategize a bit more. For me, it's worth it to have everything sort of taken care of ahead of time, and because I'm a very big Harry Potter fan, I'm more willing to indulge in something with a somewhat inflated price. Ultimately I think it has value, but if the price is really pushing it for you, it's not necessary.