Going in September JUST for HP

[StacerJane]

Hi alll! My family and I will be taking a day out of our WDW vacation during Labor Day week to go to Universal. We have ZERO interest in anything other than HP. We've been to Universal once before and none of us were very impressed, but we are big fans of Harry Potter and my mother desperately wants to see the Wizarding World. We're planning on going that Wednesday, September 4th, since crowds are predicted to be pretty low in the middle of that week. Because of the low crowds and the expense we've already laid out for this trip, I don't see us purchasing an Express Pass. Especially since we won't be doing rides anywhere but the Wizarding World, and none of us will be upset if we miss the new coaster because we didn't want to stand in line for hours. We will have a car and I think we will probably just drive over ourselves. Park hours indicate that IOA will be open three hours later than Studios, but I don't really want to do Hogsmeade before Diagon Alley (I know, it's probably silly, and if people say it doesn't matter or we're wiser to park at IOA and do our entry there, I absolutely will do that). Will we even need the extra three hours, or are we going to be done and out of there? I'm the trip researcher in the family, so I'm trying to just gather as much info as I can. So I guess with all of this in mind, I'm just asking if there are any strategies we should utilize to get the most out of our one day in WWoHP? I'll gladly take any and all recommendations and advice. Thanks!

 

[georgina]

I'm a little confused by your post - Diagon Alley is in the Studios (which closes earlier), so it would be fine to start there, keeping in mind that it should have early entry for those onsite at 8 AM. The only advantage to starting at Hogsmeade at IOA is that there won't already be people there for an hour before you. I enjoy the atmosphere at Hogsmeade in the evening.

Parking garage is the same for both parks.

 

[StacerJane]

I'm a little confused by your post - Diagon Alley is in the Studios (which closes earlier), so it would be fine to start there, keeping in mind that it should have early entry for those onsite at 8 AM. The only advantage to starting at Hogsmeade at IOA is that there won't already be people there for an hour before you. I enjoy the atmosphere at Hogsmeade in the evening.

Parking garage is the same for both parks.

Sorry, I'm worried about getting back to the car in the evening if we park at Studios and wind up not getting back over there before that park closes at 6 PM. Maybe that's not an issue, though? Like I said, we only went once, quite some number of years ago, and I think even then we just did Islands of Adventure since we thought the rides would appeal to us more. If the parking isn't really an issue, then I don't have as much to worry about in terms of where to start.

 

[sandam1]

First off, you need to understand that the parks are back to back. You will park your car in one parking garage, walk through City Walk and then decide which park you want to start in.

Both parks appear to open at 9 a.m. The Studios side will (probably) have early entry for the on-site hotel guests, but that doesn't impact the crowds too much. I plan on spending part of the day in Diagon Alley, taking the train to Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure), spending some time there and then that the train back to Diagon Alley (yes, it is a different experience each way). The only trick is that when the Studios side is about to close (5-6ish), you DO NOT want to try taking the train. The wait time usually skyrockets at that point because everyone is trying to do the same thing that you are. You can check the wait time (make sure you download the Universal app), but you will probably be better off walking from park to park.

If you want the full HP experience, plan on eating at the Leaky Cauldron for breakfast or lunch and then the Three Broomsticks for dinner.

The HP light show on the castle starts at dusk (ask a TM during the day and they can usually tell you an exact time) and should not to be missed. HOWEVER, don't try to go the first show. They happen every 10 minutes or so and the first one will be packed. Wait a bit and you should be able to have your choice of spots to stand.

Don't completely discount going on Hagrid's (the new coaster). Reports of reasonable actual wait times (under an hour) have been surfacing, depending on the day, time, weather and technical downtime. Obviously only you can decide what your family's tolerance for waiting is, but it might be possible.

We are going to be there that week as well (9/1-5) so if you have any specific questions, let me know. September is usually a great time to go, although we usually target the end of the month.

P.S. I assume that you know that you need to get park-to-park tickets.

 

[cfoxga]

- Get to the park at least 30 minutes prior to opening. There is a lot to see and do, especially if you want to go on the rides. It might be tough to squeeze it all into 1 day
- Since this is your first trip, you probably want to do the regular lines (instead of express) to get the full HP experience.
- You should really take the train both ways, since the show is different in each direction. Hopefully you can get back to IOA to spend the extra three hours there and do things you missed in the morning
- There are some easter eggs, like the phone booth outside Diagon Alley. I forget all of the details...
- Don't forget to try Butter Beer!

 

[skylock]

You park in the garage, then walk thru city walk, turn left for IOA and right for the studios.

 

[StacerJane]

First off, you need to understand that the parks are back to back. You will park your car in one parking garage, walk through City Walk and then decide which park you want to start in.

This is incredibly helpful. That takes care of my biggest concern. For as much as I know about Disney World, I am totally ignorant of the inner workings of Universal! I'm sure that's abundantly clear.

This whole post is a big help. We certainly will hop in line for Hagrid's if there's a reasonable wait time. I'm just saying we aren't going to be the type of people who feel the trip was ruined if we do end up missing it. Thank you!

 

[sandam1]

One last tip - depending on who is in your group (ages/heights), once you have done the regular line once (and you should do the regular line for the HP rides first), look for the single rider line for re-rides. Your group will be split up, but really, how often do you care who you are sitting next to on a ride?

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I would add that you can hang out in the HP areas a little while after close. The stores and rides are closed but if you have a wand, you can do spells and if you don't, there will probably be a few people around doing spells and you can watch them. We've had better luck hanging out in Hogsmeade than DA after park close. When we were there in Nov, they started to empty DA pretty quickly (security will tell you it's time to go) but in Hogsmeade, we were there easily half an hour after close and no one told us to go (they also ran the holiday castle show after park close).

 

[atricks]

Universal is closing early that night for the Halloween Horror Nights dress Rehearsal (Employee only). You'll probably be able to do Hagrid's since the ride has gotten much more reliable lately. (and lines will be more manageable if they have everything up to speed) and that week is usually fairly slow (after Monday until Friday when they start up Horror Nights). I'd do the new King Kong if you haven't done it yet, also.