Early Park Admission - Only 1 ride open?

[WhitneyMB]

Sorry, if this has been asked before--I just can't wrap my brain around it. My family and I always have to go to theme parks during peak/super busy times due to our schedules, so we are used to getting there at rope drop and taking full advantage of Early Admission with the lower crowds. We'll be going again in 2 weeks.

According to what I can find online, IOA only has 1 ride open during Early Park Admission (Forbidden Journey). We'll have the EP, so it seems like going the hour early for EP will be a total waste of time if nothing else is open, right? In fact it seems possible that we'd end up waiting longer then, compared to later when other rides are open.

Am I missing some advantage of EP? Such as are all the stores in Hogsmead open then too with no lines?

Here is the link to the rides that are open for EPA: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/early-park-admission/index.html#subnav-b

Thanks!

 

[bchbetha]

You beat the crowds in at the turnstile- that gives you an edge. Getting to explore the HP areas without wall to wall people is absoltely worth it for us.

 

[nighttowll]

The early entry is specifically for HP. During non peak times, one park allows entrance to that park’s HP land early. It could be IOA or it could be US. During peak times, both parks allow entrance to each HP land. However, the train does not start running until official opening time.

Don’t think of it like at Disney where certain rides are available early. The advantage is getting into the HP area early with less crowds, not getting through lots of rides. The HP lands get ridiculously crowded as the day goes on. The shops are very small, more than 4 or 5 people and they become very claustrophobic fast. Also, lines for spell spots and rides / attractions can get long.

Everything in HP is open, all restaurants, shops, and rides in the HP areas. FoH, FJ, and Ollivanders are all open and DD was as well before the rehab closure, so it is more than one ride in IOA.

In addition, all restaurants, shops, and services will be open and running in the front of the parks as well, such as those found in the Port of Entry at IOA.

You can also usually walk around other sections of the park and take pictures without crowds of people being in your shots, but this is up to the discretion of the TMs “guarding” those lands.

In all, there is a huge advantage to touring HP early if you are a fan. If HP isn’t really your thing, you’re fine to sleep in.

 

[WhitneyMB]

Everything in HP is open, all restaurants, shops, and rides in the HP areas. FoH, FJ, and Ollivanders are all open and DD was as well before the rehab closure, so it is more than one ride in IOA.

In addition, all restaurants, shops, and services will be open and running in the front of the parks as well, such as those found in the Port of Entry at IOA.

Thanks. This is what I was wondering. We were there three years ago and did EPA, but at that time we focused on the Harry Potter rides without Fastpass. We spent pretty much the whole time in line or riding it, so I didn't remember if all the shops were open or not. Now that the rides accept Fastpass, it was harder to judge if it was worth it--during a busy time.

 

[nighttowll]

I find it worth it because my tolerance for crowds is zero. I hate trying to maneuver around people in the shops and not being able to really see what is for sale or take in any of the details because all I can see are people crowded around me. I also like to do the spell spots without waiting in line. It just isn’t any fun for me if I have to watch multiple people set the spell off ahead of me.

We almost never ride the actual rides during EE. We usually use this time to shop and play with the wands. This pattern has worked well for us over the years. We will do the spells first, then do some shopping and send our wand along with our purchases to the front of the park or back to the room. This way we are wand free the rest of the day and don’t have to worry about getting a locker for it on the rides or loosing or breaking it.

 

[WhitneyMB]

We will do the spells first, then do some shopping and send our wand along with our purchases to the front of the park or back to the room. This way we are wand free the rest of the day and don’t have to worry about getting a locker for it on the rides or loosing or breaking it.

If you are bringing back a wand to the park that you have previously bought, can you still have it sent to the front of the park or back to your room with new purchases? I hadn't realized it was possible, but if so -- that's a great tip!

 

[nighttowll]

If you are bringing back a wand to the park that you have previously bought, can you still have it sent to the front of the park or back to your room with new purchases? I hadn't realized it was possible, but if so -- that's a great tip!

I’ve never had an issue. We make a purchase, and then I just tell the TM behind the register that I want to put my wand in the bag as well.

I will add we usually aren’t purchasing some tiny cheap item though. I could see that being an issue if you were only purchasing something small just to be able to send your wand back. Your wand wouldn’t really fit in a tiny bag, and I’ve never tried asking for anything special like a larger bag. My wand has always fit easily in the bag provided for my purchases. We've never had an issue when purchasing a shirt or stationary or other souvenirs that wouldn’t be very practical to haul around the parks. We normally take only lanyards with us, so it’s a given I’m sending the stuff back.

Maybe if it becomes an issue one day, they’ll stop letting me do it, but so far, I’ve been able to.

 

[soniam]

We are at Universal right now and have been doing EE at IOA. You are not guaranteed a short wait with EP, just a shorter wait. So, it’s still better to do it during EE. FJ hasn’t been bad for EP, but Gringotts has had some slow waits with EP.

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks. This is what I was wondering. We were there three years ago and did EPA, but at that time we focused on the Harry Potter rides without Fastpass. We spent pretty much the whole time in line or riding it, so I didn't remember if all the shops were open or not. Now that the rides accept Fastpass, it was harder to judge if it was worth it--during a busy time.

Since FJ was the only ride that didn’t have ep then, it makes sense that it’s what you think of since your focus wasn’t on Hippogriff or dragon challenge (no longer there, sigh).

Early entrance has allowed ds to get on Hippogriff up to 14 times in a row.

 

[slpeters]

We are going to have 5 park days when we go and if history is any indication it will probably be EE at IoA the whole time. I'm really struggling to think it's not sort of a worthless perk. I figure we'll do wand stuff one day and do breakfast at Three Broomsticks one day. I don't know that we'll really bother with the other days, which is a shame because 9 am park openings seem really late to me.

 

[GoldmanTrust]

If we wake up early, we do EE, if we dont feel like going early we just sleep in.

It is a great perk if you are up and dont have anything to do.

I personally don’t plan our days with EE in mind. But last year we did maybe five days early. It is a beautiful way to start the day. We would do maybe 3-4 hours, head back to the hotel and then come back later.

The parks are stunning early in the day. Especially with good coffee from Starbucks in your system!