Half Day Plans - Ticket Type

[saszegedi]

I have never been to Universal, but have some time as part of a conference in the area next week (9/22). I am planning to enter the park around 1pm and am mostly interested in the Harry Potter areas. This also happens to be a HHN evening, but I wouldn't be interested in any of the houses/shows/etc. A HHN ticket is much cheaper than the 2 park ticket I was looking at previously, but would I be able to experience Harry Potter like I would during the day? If not going the HHN route, is 4 hours enough in Universal Studios before switching to IoA? My date and time are fixed, so trying to maximize park time and minimize the budget!

 

[namelessoracle]

I have never been to Universal, but have some time as part of a conference in the area next week (9/22). I am planning to enter the park around 1pm and am mostly interested in the Harry Potter areas. This also happens to be a HHN evening, but I wouldn't be interested in any of the houses/shows/etc. A HHN ticket is much cheaper than the 2 park ticket I was looking at previously, but would I be able to experience Harry Potter like I would during the day? If not going the HHN route, is 4 hours enough in Universal Studios before switching to IoA? My date and time are fixed, so trying to maximize park time and minimize the budget!

Diagon Alley and all the non HHN stuff is easier to access and use during HHN in my experience. People actually call it out as the way to do a non crowded Diagon Alley. And I can speak from experience there is very few people in there during Horror Nights, my partner loved the non existent crowds to get pictures. However during HHN large chunks of Universal you wont get to do. Be aware a lot of people do the "switch to IoA because Horror Nights" thing, so Isles can get crowded at night, alot of people will be on your "avoid Horror Nights" plan.

 

[georgina]

Yes, 4 hours would be enough to do Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. As said in the above post, a lot of people will be heading over to IOA in the evening, so the line for Hogwarts Express will be long and Hogsmeade will be crowded.

With the HHN ticket you can do Diagon Alley but not Hogsmeade, which is missing a lot of Harry Potter stuff. A park to park ticket is required to ride the train.

 

[Lynne G]

If you are really only interested in Potter, I’d buy the park to park, 2 park ticket. Not sure train is running right now, but to go to both the Studios and IOA on the same day, you need that park to park ticket.

While may be more expensive for a one day ticket to both parks on the same day, HHN ticket while cheaper, will only let you see the Potter area in the Studios, and seems a waste, when that area is not much to do other then some stores, ice cream place, fast food place, and one ride, and HHN has so much to offer that is not Potter, and that you have to walk through at least some of the scare zones to get to where the Potter area is, at the back of the park.

And yes, with 4 hours to wander around the Studio’s Potter area is more than enough time, in my book. And to get to enjoy both parks’ Potter, makes sense to ride train, if open, or walk over to IOA. May also get lucky, and that night has castle show. Plus, to get the most out of your day ticket, IOA is usually open until 9 pm. You’d have from 1 to 5pm to visit the Studios, then from the 10 or so minutes walk over to IOA, lets you have from then until IOA close. Hagrid’s is more fun at night anyway, to me. I hope you do get to enjoy the parks that day, even with an afternoon start.