First timer...help!

If you just want Harry Potter and don’t want to bother with hotel, just go early, but make sure it is not the park that ”hotel guests get access to Harry Potter early”. The land is exactly like a movie set, so it Is twisty and cobbled and can get really full with not a lot of people in the parks. Stores are small as well. Your other option is to go late. Think Disney rope drop advice and hitting the areas while everyone is at lunch. You don’t need the express passes for Harry Potter, you need to avoid the crowds. The lines to do wand spots can get long. You should be ok midweek, but set expectations low. Focus on a few Rides. Our family of Harry Potter fans love the Hogwarts Express both ways. It feels Harry Potter. The other rides are good but for some reason that train ride sells the experience for us. Of note, the only ride at Disney I can’t do easily is Avatar Flight of Passage and I just can’t ride that twice. The Harry Potter rides (except Hagrids) make me sick. Gringots is manageable like Avatar is manageable for me. I don’t ride it twice in a row.
 
Your DD will absolutely love the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We always start in US so we can begin in Diagon Alley and then take the Hogwarts Express over to IOA / Hogsmeade.

I could spend all day just roaming through the shops in Diagon Alley. We always have to get butterbeer ice cream. It’s seriously so freaking good. Diagon Alley might be my favorite HP area overall. Escape from Gringotts has an incredible queue. Even if you choose not to ride, I would still walk through.

The Hogwarts Express is two different experiences, so I would plan to ride it both ways between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is just stupid fun. It’s fast, but doesn’t have any loops. As other have said, there are two unexpected moments, but neither were scary to me. Surprising might be a better word. Forbidden Journey does give me some motion sickness, but again, if your DD is a huge fan, I would walk through the queue to see everything and then just choose not to ride if you’re nervous. I figured out how to ride it without getting sick, but it does take me out of the immersion a bit.

We could spend our entire day in the WWoHP. It is by far the most immersive land USO and IOA have to offer and the rides are some of the best themed attractions in my personal opinion.

Have a great time!
 
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We were a Disney family and I felt totally overwhelmed bc I knew nothing about Universal. You may THINK this will be your only trip, but we LOVE Universal. We now have annual passes now bc it's just as cheap as buying 3 day tickets. If you go that route, look up "Universal pass blackout dates" so it is not during one of your trips. If you want to ride the Hogwarts express, you need park-to-park tickets.

Universal is NOTHING like Disney as far as planning goes. You seriously don't need a plan at all. It is way more relaxed. Just download the Universal app and watch wait times. It's that easy. If you go during the week, you don't really need express passes unless it's spring break or another busy time. I'd stay at Hard Rock for a night to get express passes for free for 2 days (check in and check out day).

F,I learned the most watching Rix Flix videos on youtube. Feel free to message me if you need help :)
 
A few notes adding on to what others have said. Yes, Universal is way relaxed. However, during COVID, their wait times have been crazy long. Crazy Long. 2+ hours in some cases. My family has learned to rely on Touring Plans to help schedule the day and keep track of our itinerary for us.

Things we've learned: In general, the Hagrid's wait time is lowest at lunch (We've waited less time at 11:30 am than we have rope dropping early entry). Hit Forbidden Journey first thing, get your res time for Hagrids, and relax.

We decided the Hogwarts Express is not worth it for us. We have been on it before and with COVID restricting boarding to 1 party per booth, wait times have been extremely long. If this is not a trip you plan on repeating and you're there ONLY for HP stuff: do it, but expect to wait an hour each way.

Our nervous 7 year old rider did not like Forbidden Journey first time he rode it. It feels VERY different than any ride you've been on. This video shows the ride elements & movements, but doesn't spoil the ride itself. It may be helpful to show nervous riders. It's also just fascinating to see how that ride works!
 


It's also just fascinating to see how that ride works!

This sounds weird, but one of my favorite experiences on Forbidden Journey is when it broke down!

(spoiler alert):
The issues first happened during one of the Quidditch scenes when the screen didn't light up despite the vehicle still moving to the soundtrack, and then we got stuck during the dementors scene (flat on our backs - luckily for only a few minutes). From there they had to shut off the elements and turned on the service lights and we rode the ride without the extra arm motions until the end. It was really cool to get a look at everything, especially getting a look on how the screens worked! Plus we got a express pass to come back when the ride was back up.
 

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