Crowds better in morning or late in the day? (IOA, tomorrow April 14th)

[meister]

Hi everyone... first, thanks for this resource. It's a great help!

My family and I are in FL for vacation and we're thinking of hitting Islands of Adventure tomorrow, April 14th. From what I read in various places, it's probably the best day to go while we're here.

The question is this... the park is open 9am-8pm. I'm guessing the family will run out of steam after after about 7-8 hours of park going. So with that in mind, should we get there first thing when the park opens, or should we wait a bit and go for the afternoon/evening? Waiting in long lines are my big concern. I'm not a big fan of long queues.

Or just bite the bullet and get the Express Pass and not worry much about it? FWIW, my wife and son are big Harry Potter fans and are excited about that. And my son and I are thrill ride fans.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[macraven]

you will get various opinions on this question.

what i would do is be there prior to park opening and hit parry hotter once you are let into the park.

then work towards the front of the park.


if you start early, you will be ahead of the crowds that come in around 10ish.


you can take a mid day break for lunch in City Walk to recover from your early morning start.

for the late afternoon then, hit parry hotter again and redo the rides you enjoyed earlier in the day.


sundays usually have lighter crowds as families are arriving or departing that day for back home.
but, you never know how the park crowds will be until you are there.


don't buy the express pass until you are in the park.
you might not need them at all.
they are non refundable.

and if it would storm with lightening, rides would be shut down (lightening) until it passes.
many could leave the park during that wait out period and lines would not be an issue for you then.


if you would encounter long ride lines, use the single rider lines if they are open.
it will cut your wait time tremendously.

 

[Metro West]

The question is this... the park is open 9am-8pm. I'm guessing the family will run out of steam after after about 7-8 hours of park going. So with that in mind, should we get there first thing when the park opens, or should we wait a bit and go for the afternoon/evening? Waiting in long lines are my big concern. I'm not a big fan of long queues.

Or just bite the bullet and get the Express Pass and not worry much about it? FWIW, my wife and son are big Harry Potter fans and are excited about that. And my son and I are thrill ride fans.

Thanks for any advice!

Go early and make a day of it. Just take your time and don't rush. There are plenty of places to rest during the day so try to stay as long as you can.

Don't purchase EPs until you can see the wait times for yourself.

 

[NurseW2Kiddies]

Ride times this morning at both parks were managable. By 4 US was crazy but to be expected with Mardi Gras.