Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[Tlamp]

I must be crazy because I could not handle not being at a rope drop. I go first thing in the morning or I am not going. It would stress me out too much.

 

[homie wanna liv]

Really crowded they started giving away tickets that had a return time on them instead of a line.

 

[coastgirl]

Yep, we wasted our time going to IoA this afternoon. Had an easy time at US and decided to walk over around 1 instead of coming back before close--it was crazy! The line for Forbidden Journey was winding back into Jurassic park. At 1:30 we got a return time to enter Hogsmeade for 2 hrs later, but spent the afternoon at Aquatica instead. Planning for our last visit for this trip tomorrow at rope drop. I thought it was crowded last week!

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Are the touringplans for WWoHP as detailed in the UG still valid for rope drop? Do you still need to get there really early and stand in line and NOT move in order to get into Hogsmeade at any point in the morning? I have some friends going the week of March 6th and they are kind of clueless so I want to give them the best advice possible!

 

[Debs Hill]

OMG!! Why is it so crowded at the moment?!!!

We are going on 25th March for 4 days and staying at Royal Pacific........how crowded do you think it will be?!! What time are guests being allowed in for morning early entry? Are the evenings busy!?!
Debx

 

[Tlamp]

OMG!! Why is it so crowded at the moment?!!!

We are going on 25th March for 4 days and staying at Royal Pacific........how crowded do you think it will be?!! What time are guests being allowed in for morning early entry? Are the evenings busy!?!
Debx

President's day week. A lot of kids in the North east and other places have school break.

You will be there during other sections of the country's spring break as well so it may be crowded

 

[hammie59]

If you're planning on seeing everything in Wizarding World, you may want to add a third day ... as the crowds at that time of year will no doubt be extremely high. If you're staying at a Universal hotel, make sure you take advantage of the early admission into that area. Otherwise, it will take you a full day to see it all because of the crowds.

Really? Extremely high in May? Now I'm throughly confused. So far everything I've read has early to mid May being on the lighter side. Even the Express Pass is priced the lowest during this time if you go on a weekday.

 

[mesaboy2]

Really? Extremely high in May? Now I'm throughly confused. So far everything I've read has early to mid May being on the lighter side. Even the Express Pass is priced the lowest during this time if you go on a weekday.

Yeah, I think you'll probably be okay in May. Spring Break is over and summer season hasn't gotten going yet. The price of Express and park hours are for me the best predictors of crowd levels.

 

[tink20]

Staying onsite Sun June 5- Thurs June 9. Will it be really crowded, we plan to take advantage of early entry.

 

[mom23hooligans]

We'll be in Orlando next week and was wondering if we'd be better off going to IOA on Friday or Sunday? Our priority is Harry Potter. Assume we need to get there first thing in the morning. Any other tips would be fantastic. Thanks!

 

[Thumper_Man]

We'll be in Orlando next week and was wondering if we'd be better off going to IOA on Friday or Sunday? Our priority is Harry Potter. Assume we need to get there first thing in the morning. Any other tips would be fantastic. Thanks!

Welcome to the Disboards.

Most people that have come back and reported have said that it's better to go on Sunday.

 

[hammie59]

With that said, how about between tues, wed, thurs, or sunday?

 

[Thumper_Man]

With that said, how about between tues, wed, thurs, or sunday?

As I mentioned, people that have gone and reported back said Sunday was the best day to go. Probably because people were leaving and/or just arriving on this day.

I really don't know about Tuesday and Wednesday. We were there last year in October during the Columbus Day holiday week. We went on Thursday. The WWoHP section was pretty busy most of the day, but manageable. It was a little better in the evening. We were able to get into the shops, Three Broomsticks and got to see mostly everything. Forbidden Journey and Ollivander's had the longest waits. The rest of the park, everything else was pretty much a walk on. I guess everybody was at WWoHP.

 

[mesaboy2]

With that said, how about between tues, wed, thurs, or sunday?

On any given calendar week, those four days tend to be the lightest. Monday, Friday and Saturday tend to be the heaviest. It obviously depends on the circumstances, though.

I went this past weekend and guessed going in that Friday would be the lightest of my three days, while Saturday and Sunday would be worse. That's because this week is a holiday week for some of the northeast, not to mention Presidents Day weekend for everyone. Looking back, I think I was right....

The last time I went before this was off-season on a Thursday: last Dec 2. It was dead.

 

[hengonz]

I was planning to go to IoA on Sunday, March 20, mainly for the WWoHP. That is the start of Spring Break for some. Does anybody think it would be totally crazy to go on that day (too many people, too long of lines, too long of wait times, etc.)?

 

[suetoo]

So, reading this...should I be worried that we scheduled to go to IOA on Monday March 7, specifically for WWoHP? It sounds like Mondays are busy, but the EP looks cheapest and we seem to be right before Spring break. This is a one day trip from DIsney! Can't wait!

 

[OrcaPotter]

Crowds have already begun to pick up considerably again as some schools begin spring break. Right now, middle of the week is your best bet. As we get further into March and April, I would expect summer-level crowds.

My tip? Try WWOHP toward the end of the day, especially if you're not staying at a Universal hotel and eligible for the extra hour access. People believe in getting there at "rope drop" but that's what causes the immense crowds initially. Lines for Forbidden Journey may stay consistently long, but Hogsmeade will probably be easier to move around in later on. Consider doing single riders for FJ--just like at Disney, your wait will be a fraction of what the regular queue is. Then just ask to take the castle tour in order to see the rest of Hogwarts later.

 

[Tink2Day]

Wow, I'm so glad our trip 'fell' at just the right time. Apparently all the crowds from NJ week were in the Disney parks. Much more crowded and much longer wait times in WDW.

We went on a Sunday, about 1/2 hour after the park opened, walked straight back to WWOHP, virtually no lines or waits except the Flight Of the Hippogriff and Ollivanders and even those times weren't terribly long.
Left to go to some other areas of IOA, came back and still the same situation, plus about a 5 minute wait to get into D&B.
Such a shame that people are missing out or have long wait times.

All the more reason for expansion!

 

[suetoo]

Thanks for the tip...Any others would be welcome!

 

[mesaboy2]

So, reading this...should I be worried that we scheduled to go to IOA on Monday March 7, specifically for WWoHP? It sounds like Mondays are busy, but the EP looks cheapest and we seem to be right before Spring break. This is a one day trip from DIsney! Can't wait!

I think you'll be fine. I don't think the spring break crowds will start showing up until later that week--maybe Friday the 11th. The crowds this past week were unrelated and had to do with the northeast's winter break. My theory is this coming week and the next will be pretty light no matter what day you go.

I'll be there the day before you and expect low crowds.