Confused - HP and the rollercoasters

[melbatoast]

Do you have to wait in an hour line to get into the HP area to ride the 2 rollercoasters?? We are planning on going the last week in March which is spring break and I'm worried about the crowds. We are staying onsite so can get there one hour early, and will have the express pass that works on one of the coasters. Will it still be a nightmare???

 

[ducky_love]

Just be sure to get there as soon as onsite guests are allowed. You won't have to wait in the mess if you are the first people there. But yes, they do shut down the entire land and make people wait in line to enter if the crowds merit.

 

[HLAuburn]

I'll be able to give you some first hand experience after we get back in a couple weeks, but from what I've gathered, if you really want to see WWoHP, you need to take advantage of the early entry for onsite guests.

In our case, we'll be able to get in at 8, so we plan on leaving the resort at 7:30ish. It seems like they usually open a few minutes before and although everyone is heading to the same place, you have to imagine that it's a MUCH smaller crowd than when the gates open for the general public at 9.

My kids are a little young to be big HP fans, but our plan is to head straight to Forbidden Journey since my DD6 likes thrill rides. I've read that you should try to get into Olivander's first and the FJ before the park officially opens - they seem to be the most crowded as the day goes on.

I'll be sure to report on our early entry experience when we get back - we're so excited!

 

[damo]

Since this will be the first year of Spring Breaks for Wizarding World, it is really impossible to judge the crowds. Everyone thought that this week would be fine and it has been chaos.

 

[Metro West]

Do you have to wait in an hour line to get into the HP area to ride the 2 rollercoasters?? We are planning on going the last week in March which is spring break and I'm worried about the crowds. We are staying onsite so can get there one hour early, and will have the express pass that works on one of the coasters. Will it still be a nightmare???

I tell you...with the way the crowds have been so far, I'm afraid to think about Spring Break and summer crowds. No one can guess what the crowds are going to be like later this year.

 

[amym2]

Definitely take advantage of getting into the park early. We were there over the holidays and shortly after the park opened, the wait to get into WWOHP was 90 min, then another 90 min to get onto FJ, 45 for Hippogriff, and 30 for Dragon Challenge.

 

[Tink2Day]

Seems like no one has any idea what the crowds will be like, too new of a part of the park.

We thought it would be packed when we went during 'Jersey Week' (I think that's what it's called), Second Sunday in November, it was cold so that may have helped with the crowds?


It was a little bit crowded but no waits beyond 20 minutes on one ride (Hippogriff), other than Ollivander's which I thought might be a long wait but seemed to move pretty quickly.

 

[MrShiny]

In July, we had no problem getting into WWoHP in the evenings. Is that still the case?

 

[characterhelp]

We were there over christmas. We got to the area around 9am and there was a 2 hour wait to get in, but we got "return time" tickets for 11:30 am. We went and rode some other rides, then can back and walked right in (and then waited for 1.5 hours for the rollercoaster!!!)

 

[mesaboy2]

I'll be able to give you some first hand experience after we get back in a couple weeks, but from what I've gathered, if you really want to see WWoHP, you need to take advantage of the early entry for onsite guests.

In our case, we'll be able to get in at 8, so we plan on leaving the resort at 7:30ish. It seems like they usually open a few minutes before and although everyone is heading to the same place, you have to imagine that it's a MUCH smaller crowd than when the gates open for the general public at 9.

My kids are a little young to be big HP fans, but our plan is to head straight to Forbidden Journey since my DD6 likes thrill rides. I've read that you should try to get into Olivander's first and the FJ before the park officially opens - they seem to be the most crowded as the day goes on.

I'll be sure to report on our early entry experience when we get back - we're so excited!

Spot on--couldn't agree more!

 

[McIntoshTx]

On Oct 17th of 2010 we were there. No line to get into the WWoHP but the crowds inside were so insane I could only stomach it for 1/2 before I grabbed the kids and fled to the calmness of the rest of IOA. People people people everywhere. Of course I live in a town of 4300 so I am not use to crowds.

Going back in Sept 2011 and staying onsite so I can use the early entry. Will be out of WWoHP by 9:30am before the insanity hits.

 

[MiniLaura]

My kids are a little young to be big HP fans, but our plan is to head straight to Forbidden Journey since my DD6 likes thrill rides. I've read that you should try to get into Olivander's first and the FJ before the park officially opens - they seem to be the most crowded as the day goes on.

I'll be sure to report on our early entry experience when we get back - we're so excited!

On 1/5, we got in with early entry and headed striaght for Ollivander's and got into the first show. After the show, we went to the store, browsed for a wand and bought one--all that in about 15 minutes. Then we went to FJ and the wait was only 15-20 minutes. I actually, thought that that wait time was perfect because the castle is amazing and I got to enjoy all the sights as we went through the line. True you can see most of the castle with the castle tour, but you miss some parts including Herbology, the headmaster's door, and the Sorting Hat.

I think if you went Ollivander's and got into one of the first two shows (be among the first 40 people) and then didn't buy a wand, you could easily get to FJ with minimal wait. You can always go back later to get a wand without going to the wand show.

 

[melbatoast]

What exactly is the wand show? How long does it last??

 

[mesaboy2]

What exactly is the wand show? How long does it last??

It is what everyone here calls Ollivander's and lasts ~10 minutes. It is a recreation of the scene in the first book when Harry gets his wand. While a short show and sort of charming, the wait times are often insane--as in 60-minutes+ insane. When done you are escorted into a shop where you can purchase wands, but you can still purchase them without seeing the show at that location (the Owl Post) or at several outdoor carts.

 

[HLAuburn]

It is what everyone here calls Ollivander's and lasts ~10 minutes. It is a recreation of the scene in the first book when Harry gets his wand. While a short show and sort of charming, the wait times are often insane--as in 60-minutes+ insane. When done you are escorted into a shop where you can purchase wands, but you can still purchase them without seeing the show at that location (the Owl Post) or at several outdoor carts.

So do they fit about 40 people in for each show? And how do they pick the person who is to be chosen by a wand? Sounds really cool, but I don't know if I'd wait 60+ min!

 

[christophfam]

So do they fit about 40 people in for each show? And how do they pick the person who is to be chosen by a wand? Sounds really cool, but I don't know if I'd wait 60+ min!

It is a small room. My guess would be more like 25. If you are an on-site guest, and go straight there in the morning you will be in one of the first shows. It is a cute show, but I agree that I would not wait 60 minutes for it. Twenty minutes, yes, and at that time of the morning with a quick sprint there, 20 minutes or less would be about right.

I know there are some utube posts of the show if you want to check it out, but it is very much like when Harry gets his wand in the first movie. They usually only pick one person to let the wand chose them. I've been with my kids 3-4 times, always up front and they've never been picked, but enjoy the show nonetheless.

The pp is right that the line for FJ isn't very long after you exit the show at that time of morning. We've never rushed over and have in fact taken our time looking in Olivanders and still had minimal waits for FJ. In fact, if you want to look around Olivanders it is one of the best times of the day to do so. The other great time is at park closing.

 

[mesaboy2]

So do they fit about 40 people in for each show? And how do they pick the person who is to be chosen by a wand? Sounds really cool, but I don't know if I'd wait 60+ min!

Yes, more like 25 per show. There is no real magic formula for being picked--the things most likely to work in your favor are children of a certain age (say 5 to 10 maybe) and a certain excitement level, without going overboard.

I noticed you mentioned going to FJ first then Ollivanders because of your DD6's love of thrill rides. If you have any intention of doing both, then I will add my voice to the chorus that recommends you do Ollivander's first, then FJ as it will save you time overall. The Ollivanders line is typically consistently long after the first half-hour/hour of operation until just before close, while the FJ line varies much more and it has other options (such as rider-swap and single-rider) to lessen the wait. Plus the FJ queue is interesting, while the Ollivanders queue is not--the wait for Ollivanders will feel longer even in the unlikely event it is actually shorter.