Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[llb]

My lifes work has me work in locked mental health units, working with the criminally ill and the like. And the only thing I fear is the wait at HP. I am planning on going July 8 staying at Royal Palms and leaving on July 9. I have read this thread and what I learned is that I am going on the two worse days-Friday and Saturday. The other item I learned is that it is sometimes better to go at night-crowd wise. The third item I read but have not learned is that there are two types of line, a ride line and a castle line-but I haven't figured out what that means-enlightenment appreciated from you vets. As well theres two places to stand in line-by Jurassic Park and another site (name escapes me) I think my best bet is to try it Friday night, time suggestion is appreciated and then early entry on Saturday. It seems its best not to bring any bags, ride HP and then go back to the hotel for any bag and continue going to the rest of the park. Help is appreciated and needed in all areas!

 

[mesaboy2]

My lifes work has me work in locked mental health units, working with the criminally ill and the like. And the only thing I fear is the wait at HP. I am planning on going July 8 staying at Royal Palms and leaving on July 9. I have read this thread and what I learned is that I am going on the two worse days-Friday and Saturday. The other item I learned is that it is sometimes better to go at night-crowd wise. The third item I read but have not learned is that there are two types of line, a ride line and a castle line-but I haven't figured out what that means-enlightenment appreciated from you vets. As well theres two places to stand in line-by Jurassic Park and another site (name escapes me) I think my best bet is to try it Friday night, time suggestion is appreciated and then early entry on Saturday. It seems its best not to bring any bags, ride HP and then go back to the hotel for any bag and continue going to the rest of the park. Help is appreciated and needed in all areas!

For FJ, there are three lines:

1. Main line--see all of queue, ride ride. Takes the longest.
2. Single Rider line--see almost none of queue, ride ride. Takes 30 minutes at the most.
3. Castle Tour--see almost all of queue, exit without riding. Never seen any wait.

 

[thepowellfamily]

Hello, new poster, avid Lurker here.

I've been to HP before, but always at night to beat the crowds. I love it at night, but I'd actually like to see the park during the day. I'm starting to feel like a vampire.

I'm worried about HP-land being full and TPTB closing access to HP-land like in 2010.

I'm going to LeakyCon and will ride FJ and see O's at the after-hours event, as they are indoor atractions anyway. But I've never been on DC or FotH, as I found them too dark at night to appreciate the set dressing, which is my favorite part of HP-land... the atmosphere. Only my husband is going to ride DC anyway. I just want pictures.

We have early admission, but I'm not really enthused about 6:45am. I have the breakfast scheduled at 9:30.

If I came at 8am on Friday, could he get on FotH and DC with a short wait? They didn't seem to be as popular as FJ. Also, should I shop first at Honeydukes before riding the Hippogriff? I know the shops get crowded, as well and I just need a Cauldron Cake or two at the Honeydukes bakery and some bottles of pumpkin juice for later snacking.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[SharonLowe]

Just back from Orlando. Went to Universal on Sunday, June 26. Arrived at HP around 8:30; Park had opened at 8 (when I had last checked, park was opening at 9 so we thought we were early....). Walked right on WWOHP; said it was a 30 minute wait but the "wait" was just the walk through the castle. Wait for Olivander's was over an hour; "kids" waited while I did other things and got them butter beer. After having done it, I wonder why so many people wait in that line - total waste of time for a 2 minute, at most, "show". Just go to the shop and pick your wand or go to the carts that now sell wands. Did the Griffin ride; used express pass; wait for regular was 30 minutes. Again, not worth that long of a wait - ride is way too short. We love HP but this park is a bit hyped up; only the one ride worth any wait.

 

[DonnettaR]

We are sneaking in a day at IOA to see Harry Potter before our Disney cruise. What do you think the crowds will be like so soon after the movie release?

 

[OrcaPotter]

I also went this past Sunday, June 26th. It was the first time I've gone on a Sunday, so I was interested to see if the theory about it being slower on this day was true. Turns it is, for the most part. WWoHP was still the busiest area with the longest waits, but I judge a "light" crowd in that area by how big the open spaces are in Hogsmeade (in the area in front of the Three Broomsticks, there was hardly anyone, and that's a first). The wait for DC was the longest I'd ever seen (45 min) but honestly, most of your "wait" for that ride is just getting through the obnoxiously long queue. I was playing tour guide for 2 friends who had never been, so we did DC when it was a 30 minute wait. We waited for the front row, so in total, it came a little close to that but otherwise, I'd say 20 minutes max. The posted wait for FH was 30 minutes, but we waited maybe 10-15 tops. This was all around 2:30 in the afternoon, earlier than I normally would have attempted to do anything in the area but I was with early-to-rise, early-to-leave folks. We had walked on to nearly every other ride in the park prior to that. FJ at that time had a posted wait of 90 minutes, so we did the castle tour with no wait, then did the single riders line. We waited maybe 15-20 minutes.

We did not attempt Ollivander's. I've seen it once, and would only do it again if there was no wait. The line wasn't as long as I've seen it in the past, but still at least a 45 minute wait. The shops had no lines out front otherwise, yet it was still uncomfortable if you just wanted to browse. Honestly, the prices they are charging for even a simple keychain make Disney look like a bargain ... and folks don't seem to notice. I don't have nearly as many of the cool things there simply because it's just priced way over what they're worth. I had finally remembered to bring my Gryffindor sling bag back to see if they would exchange it--the cheap "fabric" ripped clean wide open on the bottom seam after I used it once, holding only my wallet. And this gem had cost me $20. A manager agreed that that was ridiculous, but the cashier kept giving me this "look" as if I had caused the bag to rip and was trying to cash in or something without my receipt.

Wait times fluctuated between long and semi-long for most of the afternoon depending on the popularity of the ride. By 4 PM, though, we had done nearly every ride in the park (thanks to no waits for non-HP rides in the morning) and headed home. I suspect crowds to be more intense during the upcoming holiday weekend, though.

We are sneaking in a day at IOA to see Harry Potter before our Disney cruise. What do you think the crowds will be like so soon after the movie release?

I don't suspect there will be any difference in crowds than normal as result of the movie. When part 1 was released, though, they DID have a passholder only event in the evening--which caused a lot of anger among many passholders because they limited the event to X amount of APs and not every AP received the invitation at the same time. By the time I got my invite, the event was already completely booked. I called to complain, was told I was not the only one upset, and that they were considering doing something again for part 2 and handling it a different way. So far, nothing has been announced.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

My father and I are heading down Thursday but unfortunately we won't be able to get there until around 10am or 10:30. Is it going to be useless trying to get to do all the HP stuff? Not sure if we can squeeze Universal in on another day! Thanks!

 

[gopherit]

My father and I are heading down Thursday but unfortunately we won't be able to get there until around 10am or 10:30. Is it going to be useless trying to get to do all the HP stuff? Not sure if we can squeeze Universal in on another day! Thanks!

I wouldn't try it at 10:30 am...at least not FJ anyway... but would wander back at about 5 or 6 pm. Not sure when park closes (8 or is it 9 pm now?) but it ought to give you plenty of time to do FJ a few times, ride the coasters, wander the shops, and sip a butterbeer.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

I wouldn't try it at 10:30 am...at least not FJ anyway... but would wander back at about 5 or 6 pm. Not sure when park closes (8 or is it 9 pm now?) but it ought to give you plenty of time to do FJ a few times, ride the coasters, wander the shops, and sip a butterbeer.

Thank you! I'm trying to convince him to go on Sat or Sun morning right when it opens instead so we'll see. If not, I'll try to get him to go at night. Thanks again!

 

[mhelsley]

Big potter fan but don't like heat, crowds and long waits so we have a trip planned(cruise & a few days at Disney)and i'm tring to figure out if we could/should add Universal/IOA. This won't be our first time but first for Potter. The cruise part ends on Jan 2 so Universal could happen anywhere from 3-6 with the 3rd being a Tuesday. SO with the above info. would you or would you wait? If go for it what kind of game plan would you have include for both on property and off? If no when do you think the best time for us would be? Thanxs for the help.

 

[MrShiny]

I would absolutely go at that time of year! Should be cool and the holiday crowds gone. If off site, enter wwohp about 2-3 hours before closing and you will have no trouble!

 

[gailg3horses]

We are thinking about trying to see harry potter area on August 2nd. Its a tuesday. There isn't anything special going on that I know of. We have tried hp before and left bc the crowds were so thick they had a que set up to even get in w assigned entrance times and once inside you couldn't move. Do you think we will be disappointed again on that date?

 

[JennyMP03]

I'm going on Monday, July 11. We were planning to do Busch Gardens on Sunday, July 10... but we could switch the days and do IoA on Sunday instead. I would like to go to IoA on the day that it is likely to be least crowded because we're most interested in the Harry Potter attractions. Any advice on which day to visit IoA, Sunday or Monday, would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[DisneyGayl]

I've been stalking this thread to try to gauge what the crowds will be like during Christmas week. Frankly, I'm worried about the level of crowds I've been reading about!
We are having a week-long family reunion at WDW. Our group of 16 is made up of a lot of teens and early 20 year olds. The main thing they want to do in Orlando is see WWoHP. We are planning to go on Wednesday, December 28 and Thursday, December 29.
From what I've read, it seems like the best plan for us is to get there before IOA opens and high-tail it to WWoHP as soon as we can!
If anyone has any advice on the best way for us to enjoy WWoHP, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!
Gayl

 

[mesaboy2]

I've been stalking this thread to try to gauge what the crowds will be like during Christmas week. Frankly, I'm worried about the level of crowds I've been reading about!
We are having a week-long family reunion at WDW. Our group of 16 is made up of a lot of teens and early 20 year olds. The main thing they want to do in Orlando is see WWoHP. We are planning to go on Wednesday, December 28 and Thursday, December 29.
From what I've read, it seems like the best plan for us is to get there before IOA opens and high-tail it to WWoHP as soon as we can!
If anyone has any advice on the best way for us to enjoy WWoHP, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!
Gayl

Unfortunately, you are going to Orlando on the traditionally busiest week of the year for theme parks. Yes, go as early as you can. Onsite resort guests will have an hour head start on you, so still expect crowds when you are let in the park. Only other suggestion for WWoHP is to go near park close, but you are obviously limiting your time there with this approach. The advantages are that crowds usually start to die off the last hour or two, plus Hogsmeade looks fantastic at night. Perhaps you can do both early morning and late night? Good luck whatever you decide....

And !

 

[MrShiny]

I am a big fan of the last few hours approach. WWoHP is not that big, so if crowds are low (as they often are near closing), you can do everything on a couple of hours (or less) easy.

I suggest going the first day late - if you are really anxious go and do the rest of IOA first.

Then you can decide if that was good enough to try again or if you really want to do opening.

 

[consultant]

I've been there week before Xmas which is not as bad as week after Xmas. But I think my philosophy still holds true no matter when you go. We are theme park addicts and have never waited in line more than 20-30 minutes any time of year at any park. Lots of planning and due-diligence and sticking with your schedule is a must. But here's what all my years of experience and research boil down to:

If the park isn't open past 8 PM, GO EARLY, BE AT GATES 20 MIN PRIOR TO OPENING AND DO ALL THE MOST POPULAR RIDES IN THE PARK ASAP. Being there before 'rope drop' is CRUCIAL for the early morning strategy to work.

If the park is open past 8, AND everyone in your party can last until closing, split the most popular rides between early morning and the last two hours before closing or if you don't get there for rope drop, do the 'second tier' rides first and the 'first tier' rides within the last 2 hours of closing. Which you do early and which you do late depends on the park, the specific hours, and what your party wants to do most.

For us West Coast people we had great success with a late morning arrival then stay until closing. This way we didn't have to alter our time schedule that much, we ate lunch and dinner AFTER the peak periods. When all the families with young children were pooped out after dinner, we were enjoying all the good rides with virtually no lines.

If you are coming from East Coast or MidWest and have young children that are up at the crack of dawn, you may not be able to do the late night thing.

 

[DisneyGayl]

Thank you to everyone for the advice and for welcoming me to the Disboards!

I like the idea of going to WWoHP at night before the park closes!

I checked the Universal Studios website - IOA is open until 11:00 pm during Christmas week. That's good news!

So I think our plan will be to get to the park before it opens in the morning, ride and see what we can at WWoHP, tour the rest of IOA and Universal Studios, take a break in the middle of the day at my DS's condo and head back to the parks in the evening. Since we are planning to spend two days at Universal Studios, I think we will have enough time to do all we want to do at the parks!

Thanks again!

Gayl

 

[consultant]

Keep in mind, that EVERYONE goes to WWOHP in the morn. If you practically run there after the park opens, you'll avoid the lines, but go through the gates 15 min after the park opens, then good luck. We got to the park about 30 min after opening. I stood for about 15 minutes at the junction where you turn right to go to the Studios side, waiting for people to go to the bathroom and get coffees. 90%+ of the people walking by went straight to IOA. So, as planned, we went to the Studios side and rode rides like The Mummy twice with no line (my kids loved that ride) I think some people go to WWOHP in the morn not only because for the first few minutes the lines are short, but mainly because their kids are impatient and that's what they are begging to do, and some families may only spend one day at Universal so they do the important things first. With two days, I'd do one day you go to Studios right away and the other day you go to WWOHP right away so you can compare.

If you go to WWOHP and there's more than a half hour line for the main rides, you might consider immediately heading to Studios. We found that it wasn't until a couple hours after opening that Studios started to build crowds as everyone goes to IOA in the morn.

Thank you to everyone for the advice and for welcoming me to the Disboards!

I like the idea of going to WWoHP at night before the park closes!

I checked the Universal Studios website - IOA is open until 11:00 pm during Christmas week. That's good news!

So I think our plan will be to get to the park before it opens in the morning, ride and see what we can at WWoHP, tour the rest of IOA and Universal Studios, take a break in the middle of the day at my DS's condo and head back to the parks in the evening. Since we are planning to spend two days at Universal Studios, I think we will have enough time to do all we want to do at the parks!

Thanks again!

Gayl

 

[Paula25]

Major HP fans. We're in the middle of our HP Movie Marathon - watching all the movies in the 2 weeks before we hit the midnight showing on July 14.

Any advice on a January trip? We're thinking to visit US on Saturday, Jan 7 and hop over to IOA and WWOHP before it closes for the day if the waits are reasonable. Then early morning arrival at IOA on Sunday, Jan 8 going straight to WWOHP at rope drop.

Or should we do IOA on a weekday? Should be smaller crowds that week, but the shorter the waits the better.

What impact does the marathon at WDW have on crowds at US/IOA?

Thanks for the tips on the bags (we'll leave them at home) and the short cut through Seuss Landing!