Early Entry/summer/July 4th questions

[havoc315]

Just booked a trip for July 4th weekend. Staying onsite. I've generally avoided theme parks during peak insane crowds, but I was talked into this one...
So Universal's website isn't showing any early entry yet, but they are showing regular park hours from 8am-10pm..
Does this mean that 7am early entry will be added later? Is there is chance they aren't offering early entry for July, or that the regular entry will be pushed to 9am, and the early entry will be 8?
Was July 7am early entry in the past?

Assuming early entry is 7am, and we want to do the Harry Potter stuff without long lines, how early do we have to get there? I've seen many sites recommending arriving 30-60 minutes BEFORE early entry... I can't really imagine leaving the hotel before 6am, to arrive at the gate by 6am.
If early entry is 7am, and we arrived at the gate by 6:30-6:45, how would we be doing? (Recognizing these are peak crowds).

Finally, how is the onsite transportation? We are staying at Loews. Would it be just as fast to just walk to the park from the hotel? Or is the boat faster? How long should it take us to get to the park gate, from the time we leave the hotel?

Realistically, I could see us leaving the hotel by 6:15-6:30, if truly necessary, with just some yawns and bags under our eyes. But if we have to leave the hotel by 5:45-6am.... that just seems beyond painful.
Any advice would be helpful. I'm used to Disney in moderate crowds. Never done Universal, much less in peak crowds. Thanks.

 

[macraven]

If you stay at hrh, just walk to the park

So very close to the studios

 

[Kivara]

The walk from HrH to Studios is nothing...3-5 minutes, MAYBE 10 if you walk super slow (morning zombie-esque )

We always walk from RPR (maybe 5-7 mins to IoA and another 5 to Studios)

I would assume they haven't posted EE hours yet for July, as they have some time & they aren't quite sure exactly when Kong will open, etc. I can't imagine they would have no EE at all, as that is the only big perk at Cabana Bay and Sapphire (besides proximity to the parks & transportation.)

We try to arrive at the park with EE about 30 mins early. Sometimes they will open the gates an additional 15-20 mins early, and by getting there about 30 mins early, we are usually towards the front of the EE crowd line.

We usually walk out of the hotel about 40 mins early, and we have never missed gate openings...usually stand around waiting about 15 mins. One time we left about 10 mins before EE times, and the security check point on the path was very long, so we like to arrive and stand around a bit, instead of waiting at the security point. JMO

 

[havoc315]

Staying at Loews Royal Pacific, not Hard Rock. So a 5-10 minute walk to IoA or Studios? So that sounds like a better option than waiting around for the boat in the morning?

Ok... So leave hotel about 6:20 am... which will still be painful but doable I think.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[macraven]

Staying at Loews Royal Pacific, not Hard Rock. So a 5-10 minute walk to IoA or Studios? So that sounds like a better option than waiting around for the boat in the morning?

Ok... So leave hotel about 6:20 am... which will still be painful but doable I think.

Thanks for the advice.

Easier to walk to ioa from rpr

For the studios take the water taxi as you don't backtrack your steps when going to the studios

 

[Bluer101]

We will be there to for 9 days. EE should be for both parks for the summer. So 7 am but if you start walking from RPR around 6:30 you should be ok.