Express Pass

[vicky33006]

Hi!

So we are planning a ten day stay in Disney, but my DS is really, really into Harry Potter. The other day some other little boy told DS about WWOHP and DS just couldn't stop taking about "if we ever go back to Florida" just so he can visit WWOHP.

So we only have one day and that whole day will be in IOA. I want to make the most of the day (will be during President's Day Week so I'm thinking it will be busy). I assume we will need the Express Pass but I'll wait to make that call. What I'm wondering about is the ride with the castle... Forbidden Journey I think? Does this ride accept the Express Pass? Does the Express Pass make you miss the castle? I know with Disney sometimes you end up missing the standby stuff with the FP. I'm thinking we don't want to miss this stuff inside the castle? Anyone have any insight here?

I think a good chunk of our time will be spent exploring this area. DS even talked about the excitement of real butterbeer. If we were able to do other things in IOA it would be a bonus (DS is a big super hero fan too), but the focus would be Harry Potter I think. So any advice or tips? Thanks!!!

 

[Metro West]

Forbidden Journey does not accept Express at this time.

 

[ksdave]

Normal suggestions- Consider staying one night at a UO hotel to get Express and the early entry. This would make WWOHP much easier to navigate. Also suggest at least two days at UO. There are a ton of great attractions at both Studios and IOA that are definitely worth the time.
My folks were always staunch WDW fanatics and never considered going to UO until WWOHP. My daughter is an absolute Potterhead, so they took her there for her birthday. They absolutely fell in love with so many things at UO, from the Harry area to Sal's pizza at PBH to The Horror Make-up Show. The best part of central FL is that there are three great theme park destinations, not just one.

 

[RMulieri]

WWoHP is a small area ( equivalent to one of the lands at magic Kingdom)You should be able to explore it and still see more of IOA easily.Forbidden JOurney ( the castle ride) does NOT participate in Express.Neither does Ollivanders wand shop.The other 2 rides do have Express pass.

 

[vicky33006]

Forbidden Journey does not accept Express at this time.

Good thing I asked! I would have been so surprised! Thank you!

Normal suggestions- Consider staying one night at a UO hotel to get Express and the early entry. This would make WWOHP much easier to navigate. Also suggest at least two days at UO. There are a ton of great attractions at both Studios and IOA that are definitely worth the time.
My folks were always staunch WDW fanatics and never considered going to UO until WWOHP. My daughter is an absolute Potterhead, so they took her there for her birthday. They absolutely fell in love with so many things at UO, from the Harry area to Sal's pizza at PBH to The Horror Make-up Show. The best part of central FL is that there are three great theme park destinations, not just one.

I'm think I've been in the camp like your parents and am a WDW lover. DS, however, is getting a little older and I'm starting to think he might even enjoy US more than WDW Anyway, I don't mind trying it out. For this trip though, I don't think we can do an onsite stay at US. We've planned all of our nights at POFQ. I didn't want to head to IOA during the weekend because I know it's busier so we've planned it during the middle of our stay. I'm hoping it will be OK because our biggest reason for going will be WWoHP. Anything else will be an awesome bonus! Looks like I need to build in an onsite stay for at US for our next trip though! Thank you!!

WWoHP is a small area ( equivalent to one of the lands at magic Kingdom)You should be able to explore it and still see more of IOA easily.Forbidden JOurney ( the castle ride) does NOT participate in Express.Neither does Ollivanders wand shop.The other 2 rides do have Express pass.

This is exactly what I was looking for!! Thank you!!! I'm not sure about the Express Pass now except that it would amuse us after leaving the WWoHP. DS won't ride that Dragon coaster, but will ride the other one. So, we really only need the Express Pass for one ride in that area. I know DS wants to do FJ, visit Honeydukes, and try some butterbeer. I'm assuming he would love to eat at 3Bs. It's hard to find out all this stuff without revealing the surprise! I think he would like Olivander's, but what I've read doesn't make it sound that great and it's slow correct? We might skip it. In your opinion what would be a good touring strategy for us? I'm thinking we should obviously head to WWoHP first since that's our main goal. Should we head to FJ first? Or try Olivander's? I'm sure even Honeydukes and 3Bs get very busy. I know so much about WDW and nothing about US!!! This is overwhelming. Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[RMulieri]

If you are interested in Ollivanders, DO THAT FIRST.it only allows for approx 20 people into the show at a time and the show is about 10 mins or so.Lines build fast and stay long and are outside in the sun.Forbidden journey is a continuous loader and the line moves fast and has some indoor portions and part of the appeal for FJ is the line that goes through Hogwarts

 

[damo]

If you want to skip Forbidden Journey, you can still tour the castle. If your son love Harry POtter, he'll get a kick out of touring the castle. Just ask the attendant before you enter the line.

 

[jessicamouse]

We just did one day at IOA this weekend. The park was busy, as you would expect during the summer, but not unmanageable. I will say that as WDW lovers, we were disappointed . We bought the unlimited express pass and our ONE DAY ONE PARK total was $380!!!!! For twi people!! Yikes! At the end of the day, it didn't feel worth it. I love thrill rides and the hulk and FJ were awesome, no question, but the rest if the park felt small and unthemed compared to WDW. We would have been happier spending less by saving the money we spent on the express pass and just getting there early. FJ was the only ride that had a long wait and our pass didn't cover it. I felt like a chump having purchased the pass. I would skip it if I were you, in my opinion.

 

[vicky33006]

If you are interested in Ollivanders, DO THAT FIRST.it only allows for approx 20 people into the show at a time and the show is about 10 mins or so.Lines build fast and stay long and are outside in the sun.Forbidden journey is a continuous loader and the line moves fast and has some indoor portions and part of the appeal for FJ is the line that goes through Hogwarts

I still haven't decided if we should do Ollivander's or not. I'm wondering if DS would get a kick out of it. He doesn't like thrill rides at all, so I'm thinking maybe we should try this. We just don't want to wait for hours. I'll check into it. Thanks!!

If you want to skip Forbidden Journey, you can still tour the castle. If your son love Harry POtter, he'll get a kick out of touring the castle. Just ask the attendant before you enter the line.

Thank you!!! This is good to know. Is FJ scary? DS loves, I mean loves, HP but every once in a while I have to skim parts of the book before reading them to him to be sure nothing too scary is coming up. He has nightmares. I really think he would love FJ, but I am a little worried about the scare factor.

We just did one day at IOA this weekend. The park was busy, as you would expect during the summer, but not unmanageable. I will say that as WDW lovers, we were disappointed . We bought the unlimited express pass and our ONE DAY ONE PARK total was $380!!!!! For twi people!! Yikes! At the end of the day, it didn't feel worth it. I love thrill rides and the hulk and FJ were awesome, no question, but the rest if the park felt small and unthemed compared to WDW. We would have been happier spending less by saving the money we spent on the express pass and just getting there early. FJ was the only ride that had a long wait and our pass didn't cover it. I felt like a chump having purchased the pass. I would skip it if I were you, in my opinion.

Eek....this is the stuff I was worried about. TBH though, I am not expecting anything too great out of IOA. I'm only planning to go because of DS's obsession with HP. I'm also planning on spending a good amount of money because DS will want more HP stuff than Disney stuff I'm sure!!! If we get to do anything else during our day at IOA it will be a big bonus. From what I'm seeing though, the Express Pass won't help us much in WWoHP. But it might be nice for later in the day. I just don't know. DS can't do thrill rides at all. He hates them. That's why I never really looked into IOA/US when I'm on a trip with him in the first place. It's just this obsession with HP popped up....and I can't see missing it now. He saw a pic of Hogsmeade on the computer and nearly died!!! Thanks!!!

 

[damo]

We never recommend purchasing the express pass in advance. You can purchase it INSIDE the parks at most stores if you find that the lines are longer than you would like.

 

[RAPstar]

Sometimes, paying for one night at the onsite hotels can be cheaper than paying for the express pass for your family. Plus you can still use the early entry. There are some people who do that and don't even stay in the room that night. So that could still be an option, just throwing that out there.

 

[ksdave]

I just have to make a comment: I have been to WDW many, many times, starting back in Feb. 1972. I even got to visit the preview center before that park opened. I have family members who worked on building both MK and EPCOT, and I personally marched in the MK parade 3 times. I can truly be called a WDW fanatic.
BUT, I truly cannot understand how Disney people can say that IOA has no theming. Are they truly looking at everything around them, or are they so jaded by the "mouse versus everybody else" mentality that they cannot enjoy something that is not "mouse-built"? IOA has as much detail and variety as MK, and definitely more than both EPCOT and DS. The Port of Entry is awesome in its detail, if people just slow down to enjoy it. The signs on the upper levels of the buildings are hysterical and the "conversations" you hear leaking out the windows are even better. Each area is almost overloaded with theming related to its name and the attractions are all directly related to the theming. I challenge anybody to find an area at WDW that is more richly and accurately themed than WWOHP!
OK, rant over. Peace!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Sometimes, paying for one night at the onsite hotels can be cheaper than paying for the express pass for your family. Plus you can still use the early entry. There are some people who do that and don't even stay in the room that night. So that could still be an option, just throwing that out there.

This is what we are going to do... At first I was looking at going to US and IoA for a day in the middle of our wdw trip... It didn't make sense financially... Now that I have tacked it on the end of our trip and we are doing an overnight stay, it makes much more sense... And that is at rack rate, still hoping for a discount!

 

[vicky33006]

We never recommend purchasing the express pass in advance. You can purchase it INSIDE the parks at most stores if you find that the lines are longer than you would like.

Thank you!!! I didn't know this! I figured it had to be picked up at least at the front of the park so that I wouldn't want to have to run back...This is good to know!

Sometimes, paying for one night at the onsite hotels can be cheaper than paying for the express pass for your family. Plus you can still use the early entry. There are some people who do that and don't even stay in the room that night. So that could still be an option, just throwing that out there.

Really??? I had no idea!!!! This leaves me with so, so many questions!
-We are planning our IOA day right in the middle of our trip. Would it be absolutely insane to pay for a night at POFQ AND a Universal hotel for a night? It seems crazy, but I don't want to split up my stay.... If we did that though, I would assume we would jump over to stay at Universal for the night so we would be there early. Could actually be a lot of fun..
- Are there cheaper resorts comparable to values on WDW property? We wouldn't want anything too expensive, but it would be cool if it was a fun place for the kids...EEK! I feel like I have so much more to look at now!

I just have to make a comment: I have been to WDW many, many times, starting back in Feb. 1972. I even got to visit the preview center before that park opened. I have family members who worked on building both MK and EPCOT, and I personally marched in the MK parade 3 times. I can truly be called a WDW fanatic.
BUT, I truly cannot understand how Disney people can say that IOA has no theming. Are they truly looking at everything around them, or are they so jaded by the "mouse versus everybody else" mentality that they cannot enjoy something that is not "mouse-built"? IOA has as much detail and variety as MK, and definitely more than both EPCOT and DS. The Port of Entry is awesome in its detail, if people just slow down to enjoy it. The signs on the upper levels of the buildings are hysterical and the "conversations" you hear leaking out the windows are even better. Each area is almost overloaded with theming related to its name and the attractions are all directly related to the theming. I challenge anybody to find an area at WDW that is more richly and accurately themed than WWOHP!
OK, rant over. Peace!

I've never been to IOA at all, but since DS has this obsession with HP, I have been looking into WWoHP. I am amazed. It looks...just wow! I love, love Disney, but I'm willing to admit that this might just be my DS's very favorite part of our trip. The only reason I'm not expecting much else is that he won't ride the thrill rides at all. But WWoHP.... I think he's going to just love it.

 

[RAPstar]

The cheapest Uni hotel, as of right now, is the Royal Pacific. The Cabana Bay opens next year and is expected to be cheaper, but also less perks (no unlimited express, no water taxi, etc).

That being said, their cheapest still isn't that cheap. All but the Hard Rock are official Lowe's Hotels, which is a luxury chain. You're travelling during a peek time, so it will probably be up there. But they do have AAA discounts, and Universal passholder discounts. But the discount rates tend to sell out quickly.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, your son is 6 and the trip is next February? Think he'll be of the height for Forbidden Journey by then? For some reason I'm forgetting if it was height and fear or just fear that kept our 6.5 year old off of FJ during our first trip. Regardless of reason, he didn't ride that time. Too scared; wouldn't even enter the castle. And he's a HUGE fan of Potter. (well, of the Weasleys, really, but at that time he still thought he was Harry in disguise as a redhead. )

If this is a one time thing you might want to make sure he'll be tall and brave enough to hit FJ.

There are (I'm phobic so I'll just use the Rowling word) Acromantulas that spit on you, there are big Dementors that float towards you. There's a dragon that breathes fire at you (you feel the heat). Can your son handle those? It's a good ride, but it isn't benignly sweet, that's for sure!

That said, on the no-FJ trip DS still rode Flight of the Hippogriff literally 14 times in a row one Early Entrance morning. (and ended the day with 15 times on the Woody Woodpecker coaster...thankfully by that time I had figured out that DS could go in the line and on the ride all by himself.

Aha, I think that mark is 48", so if he could do that, that means he could have ridden FJ by height. So it was just fear/concern/worry.

As long as you guys are cool with Hippogriff, if he gets a bit nervous. I think a really important thing to realize is that Wizarding World is the *later* books/movies. It's not the early ones that littler kids are more likely to have seen. DS only just finished up the books/movies in the last 6 months, so he's been mystified by some of the things in Wizarding World until then.

 

[indimom]

We were just at Universal last week and I wanted to add another possibility.
I noticed that the Ollivander show slimmed down considerably toward closing time at the park. Like only 20-30 people in the line. So, if you stick it out to the end of the day, you could squeeze the show in then. FJ was also shorter at the end of the day. Keep in mind, we were there during the summer crowds and you will be visiting during a much slower period. I think you will be surprised how much you can get done.

IOA is heavy on theming and is a beautiful park. I'm sure that a six year old boy would have a lot to enjoy there. Marvel Comics has character interactions that are great, and while he may not ride Hulk, Spiderman is a lot of fun. My son loved Storm Force Accelatron (jazzed up tea cups).
And I would think most 6yo would still get a kick out of the Dr. Seuss area. There are so many little tidbits to catch there in addition to the kid-friendly rides.

On the subject of the on-site hotels. They are pricey, but beautiful. We signed up for a Blue Sky rewards card, used it for $500 in purchases we would have made anyway and paid off immediately, then used the rewards to pay for a night at the hotel. Express passes and a nice hotel for FREE. So, don't be afraid to search out similar options if the price is outside your budget.

Have a great trip!!

 

[vicky33006]

The cheapest Uni hotel, as of right now, is the Royal Pacific. The Cabana Bay opens next year and is expected to be cheaper, but also less perks (no unlimited express, no water taxi, etc).

That being said, their cheapest still isn't that cheap. All but the Hard Rock are official Lowe's Hotels, which is a luxury chain. You're travelling during a peek time, so it will probably be up there. But they do have AAA discounts, and Universal passholder discounts. But the discount rates tend to sell out quickly.

Thank you so much! I went on and priced everything with RPR and estimated that the Express passes would be expensive based on the time we are going. So it looks like staying at RPR would cost us about $100 extra over just buying passes and Express passes for everyone. That's not bad actually. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the price of the resort for a night, but it really wouldn't be all that much extra. Questions....is it walking distance to IOA? Also, say we decided to stay for the one night. We would only pack a small bag. When we checked out early in the morning, would be be able to store the bag at RPR until we could come back to get it later after we were done? Are there generally cabs outside the lobby? Thanks for all your help!!

 

[vicky33006]

OP, your son is 6 and the trip is next February? Think he'll be of the height for Forbidden Journey by then? For some reason I'm forgetting if it was height and fear or just fear that kept our 6.5 year old off of FJ during our first trip. Regardless of reason, he didn't ride that time. Too scared; wouldn't even enter the castle. And he's a HUGE fan of Potter. (well, of the Weasleys, really, but at that time he still thought he was Harry in disguise as a redhead. )

If this is a one time thing you might want to make sure he'll be tall and brave enough to hit FJ.

There are (I'm phobic so I'll just use the Rowling word) Acromantulas that spit on you, there are big Dementors that float towards you. There's a dragon that breathes fire at you (you feel the heat). Can your son handle those? It's a good ride, but it isn't benignly sweet, that's for sure!

That said, on the no-FJ trip DS still rode Flight of the Hippogriff literally 14 times in a row one Early Entrance morning. (and ended the day with 15 times on the Woody Woodpecker coaster...thankfully by that time I had figured out that DS could go in the line and on the ride all by himself.

Aha, I think that mark is 48", so if he could do that, that means he could have ridden FJ by height. So it was just fear/concern/worry.

As long as you guys are cool with Hippogriff, if he gets a bit nervous. I think a really important thing to realize is that Wizarding World is the *later* books/movies. It's not the early ones that littler kids are more likely to have seen. DS only just finished up the books/movies in the last 6 months, so he's been mystified by some of the things in Wizarding World until then.

This is such great info!!! DS is seven and will be nearly eight when we go, but he scares a little easily. This is going to be something for me to think about and discuss with him once he knows about the trip. He is over 48" so that wouldn't be an issue, but things might scare him. At least we could do the castle tour if he can't ride FJ and I know he'll enjoy Hippogriff. I also know he'll love any Marvel characters he is able to meet! The Spiderman ride should be a favorite too. So I think there will be plenty for him to do, and I can't imagine not going to see all of this stuff since we will be so close at WDW! Thanks so much for all of this though. Now I know I need to forewarn DS about FJ.

We were just at Universal last week and I wanted to add another possibility.
I noticed that the Ollivander show slimmed down considerably toward closing time at the park. Like only 20-30 people in the line. So, if you stick it out to the end of the day, you could squeeze the show in then. FJ was also shorter at the end of the day. Keep in mind, we were there during the summer crowds and you will be visiting during a much slower period. I think you will be surprised how much you can get done.

IOA is heavy on theming and is a beautiful park. I'm sure that a six year old boy would have a lot to enjoy there. Marvel Comics has character interactions that are great, and while he may not ride Hulk, Spiderman is a lot of fun. My son loved Storm Force Accelatron (jazzed up tea cups).
And I would think most 6yo would still get a kick out of the Dr. Seuss area. There are so many little tidbits to catch there in addition to the kid-friendly rides.

On the subject of the on-site hotels. They are pricey, but beautiful. We signed up for a Blue Sky rewards card, used it for $500 in purchases we would have made anyway and paid off immediately, then used the rewards to pay for a night at the hotel. Express passes and a nice hotel for FREE. So, don't be afraid to search out similar options if the price is outside your budget.

Have a great trip!!

Thanks so much for all of this!! I see there is a lot for him to do. WWoHP will be the priority, but it seems like there will be a lot there for DS to do, so it will be nice to know I'm not spending all of this so DS can only enjoy four attractions! And also thank you for the tip regarding the Blue Sky rewards card. I'll look into that for sure!

 

[RAPstar]

Thank you so much! I went on and priced everything with RPR and estimated that the Express passes would be expensive based on the time we are going. So it looks like staying at RPR would cost us about $100 extra over just buying passes and Express passes for everyone. That's not bad actually. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the price of the resort for a night, but it really wouldn't be all that much extra. Questions....is it walking distance to IOA? Also, say we decided to stay for the one night. We would only pack a small bag. When we checked out early in the morning, would be be able to store the bag at RPR until we could come back to get it later after we were done? Are there generally cabs outside the lobby? Thanks for all your help!!

Yes, you can walk to the parks from RPR, and they have a free water taxi. RPR is actually closer to IOA, when walking, so it will help with early entry. The walking path takes you almost right in front of the entrance. When you check out, they will hold your bag for you at baggage services, and I'm sure there will be taxis or they can call one for you. Also, you can still use the unlimited express on your check out day. So if you wanted to try and fit in some rides you missed that day, you can still use that express to knock them out.