EE

[lbatesetc]

EE sounds great, however exactly what will we be able to do? Some of us are not early risers, so wondering if it will be worth getting to parks so early.

 

[damo]

It is mostly the Harry Potter areas that area open. You can ride all the rides in these sections, as well as do the wand choosing shows, shop in the small shops and eat breakfast at the restaurants.

Sometimes, Despicable Me will be open and also sometimes the Caro-Seuss-El will be open.

 

[bchbetha]

If you want to ride without long lines and you don't have EPs (most Harry Potter rides don't take EPs either) and/ or don't want to do single rider, it really is wise to suck up the early wake ups. It was tough for our crew and we only made it for some of the EE (we just couldn't wake up!) but we walked onto Minions, Transformers, Gringotts... I told my family not to think of our trip as a vacation.

 

[RAPstar]

If you have any interest doing the Ollivander wand choosing, early entry is great for it. Me and my friend were the only two in the room so the guy doing the wand thing did both of us at the same time. Your mileage may vary

 

[schumigirl]

If you have any interest doing the Ollivander wand choosing, early entry is great for it. Me and my friend were the only two in the room so the guy doing the wand thing did both of us at the same time. Your mileage may vary

Wow.......only two of you!! Must have been nice actually.......

 

[policycobb]

What time should you arrive for EE?

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

What time should you arrive for EE?

my experience with EE overr Presidents Day weekend in Feb, of this year was taht if you didnt get there by 8 am sharp, it didnt help much,,,Its along walk from the parking lot to the HP sections

 

[damo]

What time should you arrive for EE?

If by "there" you mean the front of the park, I try to get there about 45 minutes before scheduled time. They usually start letting people in about 15 minutes early and you want to be near the front of the line.

 

[hildai]

We'll be there the week after Easter (I know it will be crazy busy!! ) The Universal Studios calendar shows a 7:00 a.m. open for EE during our stay. If I'm following the advice on this thread, that means we need to be at the gate by 6:45 a.m. or earlier??? Wow! My family may kill me

 

[damo]

We'll be there the week after Easter (I know it will be crazy busy!! ) The Universal Studios calendar shows a 7:00 a.m. open for EE during our stay. If I'm following the advice on this thread, that means we need to be at the gate by 6:45 a.m. or earlier??? Wow! My family may kill me

If EE is at 7, you need to be there way before 6:45. They will start letting people in by 6:45 since it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the HP areas. If you are at the back of the line when they start letting people in, you're not going to be making good use of your early entry.

 

[cyndik1111]

We were there last year during president's week. Park opened at 8. We were in line by 720 and we were way in the back. By the time we "rushed" to HP, the wait was already 45 minutes for FJ. So get to the gate 1 hour before opening. Oh, and they have check points to check your bags, that took time away from getting up to the gate too.

 

[bchbetha]

We were there last year during president's week. Park opened at 8. We were in line by 720 and we were way in the back. By the time we "rushed" to HP, the wait was already 45 minutes for FJ. So get to the gate 1 hour before opening. Oh, and they have check points to check your bags, that took time away from getting up to the gate too.

Did lines go back down after the initial crowds? I was wondering if there was a temporary surge or started busy and stayed busy. How were FJ lines throughout the day?

 

[cyndik1111]

It was hit or miss. But I think FJ wait time was 1 hour+ most of the day. We used an app that told us wait times and kind of used that to zigzag the parks. We found that 1 hour before close we could walk on to the HP rides with little to no wait. It was neat seeing the rides at night. But During the daylight was a must. The detail was amazing. If I remember correctly, we waited the 45 minutes but the detail in the cue was amazing and we kind of needed the extra time to see everything. So it wasn't bad for our 1st time. But the kids had no interest in seeing the detail on the 4th and 5th time so night time was perfect.

 

[soniam]

How can you tell which park has EE and what time it starts? The park hours on universalorlando.com just show normal operating times. Thanks

 

[soniam]

Found it. Nevermind. For anyone else that is looking, it is listed under "Plan Your Visit" tab then "Early Park Admission Calendar".

 

[schumigirl]

For anyone who needs it.........

https://www.universalorlando.com/Resort-Information/Theme-Park-Hours-Early.aspx

 

[PHamrick]

So, I checked the Universal website, but it doesn't appear to go out very far. We are visiting in August...so when might we know about EE? Thanks!

 

[schumigirl]

August EE hours are on the calendar in the link above..........

 

[gtpoohbear]

August EE hours are on the calendar in the link above..........

Actually everything past April says it's just the normal operating hours (indicated with a *). If that really IS the updated calendar, then there are no more EE after April. But I'm guessing they just don't post it that far ahead. The way they show it on that site is confusing though - if they haven't decided on EE days yet, I wish they would just leave it blank.

 

[schumigirl]

Universal only ever has park hours announced a few months out.......always has done.