Critique My Plans - Harry Potter

[ArielSparrow]

So this is what I want to do, for narrative's sake. However, I'm not sure if this order is ideal for crowds:

1. Gringotts
2. Ollivanders
3. Hogwarts Express
4. Forbidden Journey

Thoughts?

 

[agavegirl1]

That is the order I like. However, I prefer to plan out a little more detail. Exploring the areas in both parks is rewarding. They are so well done. How many in your party? Ages? Will you be purchasing an interactive wand for spells? If so, leave time for casting them. Be sure to ride Hogwarts express both ways. The story line is different.

 

[ArielSparrow]

That is good to know that it is different each way.

We will be getting an interactive wand.

There are just two of us, both adults (my husband likes HP about the same as anything else represented at USF, but I'm the obsessed Potterhead).

I was thinking we'd then ride back and spend more time in Diagon Alley before hitting up other lands.

We've been to Universal 3 days 5 years ago (so only Hogsmeade was open). Per UT, IOA is not recommended on the first day (we'll be going two days) so we will be focusing on USF the first day and IOA the second day.

I definitely want to soak up the details, but I will probably be anxious to get on things first before slowing down.

 

[bchbetha]

Barely scratching the surface with that plan! Don’t miss:
Knight Bus
Grimmauld Place
Knockturn Alley
One of the restaurants
...I’d at least add those.

 

[bchbetha]

I prefer to treat the parks as 1 big park and bounce freely between them either via train or foot. I play dodgem with the crowds as they really seem to ebb and flow between the parks.

 

[agavegirl1]

May I suggest this other thread with @Robo56 post for fully immersing yourself in the Potter experience....

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-clueless-and-a-bit-worried-about-it.3673438/

 

[ArielSparrow]

Whoa, I didn't know there was Knight Bus, Grimmauld Place, or Knockturn Alley! Touring Plans and wiki didn't mention those.

We are going to Leaky Cauldron, but that's not until much later in the day (this is just morning). And yeah, I didn't want to flesh it out until I got the bones set.

 

[bchbetha]

Knockturn Alley is the best. Lots of cool wand stuff to do back there. Fun gift shop at Borgin and Burkes too!

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I always like to remind people that if the park closes at 8 pm, you can get in line at 7:59 pm so you can ride your favorite thing one more time. Plus, if a ride has a long wait or is closed down for a while , you can alway try again at the last minute.

Arrive early....like really early....like 35-45 mins before the park opens...the HP sections are small and fill up fast!

The Ollivanders shop in Diagon Ally is larger and so the line usually moves faster than the shop over in Hogsmead.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

So this is what I want to do, for narrative's sake. However, I'm not sure if this order is ideal for crowds:

1. Gringotts
2. Ollivanders
3. Hogwarts Express
4. Forbidden Journey

Thoughts?

By the time you get to FJ, if you leave it at #4, the line will probably be anywhere from 4 mins to an hour or so. The lines for FJ and Gringotts get long and stay long...but they are worth it!!

 

[ruthies12]

There is also a sticky on the top of this board titled Wizarding World Touring Plans and Details that you should check out

 

[ArielSparrow]

There is also a sticky on the top of this board titled Wizarding World Touring Plans and Details that you should check out

Thanks! I glanced at it but I didn't want spoilers, and I didn't see mention of time (besides when to start). I was just wondering, since touringplans was suggesting to see all the HP stuff (and really, at least half of the parks) at opening, and it's physically impossible to do so, if I would be okay browsing first. Because my first instinct would be to rush to all the rides first before lines fill up. It's really hard for me to slow down and "window shop" but I know I'll miss stuff if I don't.

 

[bchbetha]

Touring Plans, for some reason, gives pretty crappy advice for Universal.

 

[ArielSparrow]

Touring Plans, for some reason, gives pretty crappy advice for Universal.

Good to know!

 

[ruthies12]

Since you are just 2 adults I think your order of doing the rides is fine since you will be able to use single rider line if the line is long. Definitely do Gringott's regular line first and foremost, you skip sections of it when you do single rider. Single rider is a great option though for re-rides.

One time the line wait was posted at 45 minutes for Gringott's and I literally rode it 5 times in a row in single rider. I just left my stuff in the locker and kept walking through, it was awesome. I was with another adult on that trip and the nice thing is you are still in line together so you still have someone to talk to you while waiting, you don't get split up until you get on the ride and then who cares if you are sitting next to each other during the ride, you can't talk then anyway.

My advice is to use the app to keep track of wait times. If Gringott's is really long in the morning then hop on the train over to journey. Gringott's wait usually gets a little shorter in the afternoon for some reason, though not always. Wait times can really fluctuate a lot but 2 things are pretty constant- the train is always busiest in the middle of the day and Olivanders is always least busy at night. If Olivanders has a long line consider just buying the wand you want in the shop and then doing the show later.

 

[ruthies12]

and since you were worried about spoilers I would suggest you take the detailed list with you, either printed out or saved on your phone. Once you've seen the areas for yourself, you can read through the list while you sit down for a meal and see if there was anything you missed, then go back to it. Have fun!

 

[agavegirl1]

The Harry Potter areas have a narrative, linear plot line and a lot of atmosphere. The Touring plans algorythims do not take into consideration things like that. They are based on wait times, crowd levels, vacinity and preferred order of attractions etc. Things that are more objective than subjective. Their descriptions of the rides and attractions are very helpful and more detailed. The Unofficial Guide for the rest of Orlando, including Universal contains a great deal more so you can make your own order then "Evaluate" it. Don't use optimize. And set up "Breaks" for sightseeing and set an amount of time. I don't find it more difficult than planning for WDW or less valuable. Just different.