Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[Brynnie]

Suetoo....I am going to be at the parks March 7-11. FYI...I just noticed today that the EP price for Monday March 7th was just recently bumped up to the next highest price level, but the rest of the week is still at the lowest price. Universal must be expecting that Monday to be busy now.

 

[suetoo]

Wow That must have just happened today!! Well..that's our day there and after all the tips I got form these boards, I am ready to love it no matter what! Have fun on you trip as well!!

 

[mesaboy2]

Wow That must have just happened today!! Well..that's our day there and after all the tips I got form these boards, I am ready to love it no matter what! Have fun on you trip as well!!

Thats the spirit. Have a good time--both of you!

 

[Debs Hill]

We are staying at Royal Pacific.......what time will they let us in to IOA in the morning? Is it one hour prior to official opening or earlier?
Debxx

 

[mesaboy2]

We are staying at Royal Pacific.......what time will they let us in to IOA in the morning? Is it one hour prior to official opening or earlier?
Debxx

Officially, one hour prior to official opening. Sometimes it can a little earlier still, say maybe 10-15 minutes. Sooooo, it is possible they will let you in around 7:45-ish.

 

[hengonz]

Hey mesaboy2 (or anyone else out there),

Would you think that going to see WWoHP on March 20 is a crazy idea? It's a weekend (Sunday), and I know some schools will be on Spring break at that time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Mikelly1221]

I think that from here until after Easter it will be pretty crowded overall. Spring Break is starting up and that will cover most of March. Easter is the end of April, so expect really high crowds around that time.

Our Spring Break is March 14-18. We're going from Wed.-Sat., staying offsite, and I'm planning on us hitting the parks 1st thing in the am to combat any crowds.

 

[mesaboy2]

Hey mesaboy2 (or anyone else out there),

Would you think that going to see WWoHP on March 20 is a crazy idea? It's a weekend (Sunday), and I know some schools will be on Spring break at that time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

No, not crazy at all. I would expect it to be crowded, but go in knowing that and you'll probably be fine. If you're an onsite guest, then take advantage of the early entry. If not, then still show up at rope-drop and get all you can out of WWoHP before 10 or 11 rolls around. From that time until about an hour before close, it will probably be wall-to-wall people.

My favorite recent thread with tips on how to get the most out of WWoHP is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663104. All of it is helpful, but pay particular attention to post #1.

Also, the area is especially cool at night, so don't rush out at close--Universal will typically let you hang around at least 30-45 minutes afterwards and the relative lack of people makes it even better.

 

[hengonz]

I think that from here until after Easter it will be pretty crowded overall. Spring Break is starting up and that will cover most of March. Easter is the end of April, so expect really high crowds around that time.

Our Spring Break is March 14-18. We're going from Wed.-Sat., staying offsite, and I'm planning on us hitting the parks 1st thing in the am to combat any crowds.

No, not crazy at all. I would expect it to be crowded, but go in knowing that and you'll probably be fine. If you're an onsite guest, then take advantage of the early entry. If not, then still show up at rope-drop and get all you can out of WWoHP before 10 or 11 rolls around. From that time until about an hour before close, it will probably be wall-to-wall people.

My favorite recent thread with tips on how to get the most out of WWoHP is here: . All of it is helpful, but pay particular attention to post #1.

Also, the area is especially cool at night, so don't rush out at close--Universal will typically let you hang around at least 30-45 minutes afterwards and the relative lack of people makes it even better.

Thanks, you guys are great! All of this info should come in handy.

 

[Debs Hill]

Thanks for your help guys!
So, we plan to get to the main IOA gates pre-opening time.....do we just show staff our hotel keys and passes and wait to be let in? Will we be directed to go a certain way? What sort of waits can I expect for FJ at this time in the morning?

When does it start to get crowded in the shops?

We would like to eat at Three Broomsticks.....what sort of wait should I anticipate there? We will be there from March 25th for 4 nights!

Ive read a lot about going back in the evening before closing....how soon before closing would you recommend for things getting quieter?

Sorry about all the questions but you guys are the best!!!
Debx

 

[HLAuburn]

Thanks for your help guys!
So, we plan to get to the main IOA gates pre-opening time.....do we just show staff our hotel keys and passes and wait to be let in? Will we be directed to go a certain way? What sort of waits can I expect for FJ at this time in the morning?

When does it start to get crowded in the shops?

We would like to eat at Three Broomsticks.....what sort of wait should I anticipate there? We will be there from March 25th for 4 nights!

Ive read a lot about going back in the evening before closing....how soon before closing would you recommend for things getting quieter?

Sorry about all the questions but you guys are the best!!!
Debx

As the crowds narrow through the walkways between the ticket counters (but before the gates) there will be people there who ask to see your resort IDs. There may be a few people in each line at the gate to get in, but they always go pretty fast. Then everyone heads straight for WWoHP! When we got to FJ around 8:20 or so, it was practically walk on. I think they say 10-15 min because it takes that long to walk thru the castle! Crowds will continue to pick up the later it gets, but it should be fairly calm up until around 11 or so.

As for Broomsticks, we only went in to get Butterbeer in the late afternoon and it was empty. If you can plan for a late lunch or early dinner, that would be ideal.

Things do tend to quiet down right before close, but last time we were there, they were giving out tickets for a time to come back to WWoHP, so they crowds seemed to linger up until close.

Have fun!

 

[ChelMomto5]

Went to Studios today (2-27) and basically no wait (5-10 minutes) on every ride! After Studios closed at 6 we went to IOA for an hour. Headed straight to Harry Potter and had 15 minute wait for FJ! Of course we went on more than once. What an awesome experience! Thanks to a tip from this board that said go an hour or two before closing! Great Advice! Loved FJ and I'm not even a Harry Potter Fan!!

 

[englishteacha]

We were at IOA this past Wed and Fri and Harry Potter was very busy. 75 minute wait for FJ in the afternoon on Wednesday, and Friday we went right there and it was about a 30 minute wait right at 9:00 am. We did Ollivanders on Friday and had a butterbeer and then went to the Studios so I can't comment on how busy it was later in the day.

 

[englishteacha]

Me again...we have one more Universal day planned for tomorrow. Should we run to HP first thing in the AM, or can we take the day to sleep in and go in the late afternoon? Any thoughts on crowds? On Wed/Fri last week IOA closed at 6 and was packed in the HP section till the end of the day on Wed.

 

[sherriwise530]

sweet

 

[Toad_Passenger]

** previous information deleted, see below.

It's going to be busy with Spring Break, but I didn't know if any one day was preferable over another.

ETA: Okay, so after checking through some other things we have planned, it looks like we could hit WWoHP on the 12th, 13th, or 14th (Tuesday the 15th is out). Any experts venture a guess as to which is the best?

 

[DCDisney]

Sunday is often the best day of the week but not sure if that applies to Spring Break season.

 

[merrybee]

We visited Universal Islands of Adventure on Saturday, Feb. 26 & Sunday, Feb. 27 with the intent to do Harry Potter. As a background, we are a family of three. Parents and a unit who is 7 years old. I am a meeting planner for large groups and I specialize in logistics of moving large crowds around. We only did the Forbidden Journey, Ollivanders & ate at Three Broomsticks. We did not stay on-site at Universal.

Here is my opinion of the crowds and best plan of action:

Saturday, Feb. 26 was designated as a "Yellow - $45.99" express pass day. We arrived at the park at 10:00 AM and wanted just to check out the crowds at Harry Potter on a "Yellow" day. Holy cow! An hour after opening, they had Harry Potter crowd control at both entrances. What does this mean? They had Universal "agents" along the pathway every few feet when you got close to the entrance to Harry Potter and they had barricades at both entrances to Harry Potter. When we exited at the back Jurassic exit, we were told that we better have seen everything we wanted because we weren't getting back into that part of the park. The wait for the rides were over an hour. It was packed. My suggestion - if you have to visit Harry Potter on anything other than a Blue or Green Express Pass day, pay to stay on-site at Universal and get into the parks an hour early. Otherwise, if you see the barricades - ABORT!

Sunday, Feb. 27 was designated as a "Green - $31.99" express pass day. What a difference this made. We were inside the park at opening and headed left to the Jurassic (back) entrance. No barricades or crowd control were in sight.

We arrived at Ollivanders around 9:20 AM. We made the mistake of waiting for 45 minutes for the Ollivanders experience while the Forbidden Journey ride time crept from 20 - 60 minutes. By the time we were done with Ollivanders the crowds at Forbidden Journey were out of control - 60+ minutes at best. Olivanders stayed at about a 45 minute wait while we were there. If you just want a wand & not the show, go around back and enter the store.

We opted for the single rider line at Forbidden Journey. (Look left almost immediately when you enter the hall past the lockers.) Our wait was about 5 minutes (versus 60 minutes) and we took advantage of the child swap. We missed out on the detail of the caste but our son wasn't riding so we didn't want to wait in the regular line.

After Forbidden Journey, we went to Three Broomsticks at around 11:00 AM with no wait. It was mediocre at best but a must do for a 7-year old who reads all the books. If it is a nice day, opt to go and sit outside on the terrace and overlook the castle.

Note on Lockers: What a mess the lockers are...You have to move your belongings from ride to ride. We exited Ollivanders and I knew to ride Forbidden Journey we had to locker our son's new wand purchase. I went straight to the 1st lockers I saw, by the Dragon Challenge. Apparently you can only place your belongings in the Forbidden Journey lockers per the printed paper map. Of course, we didn't have a printed map and the locker police were trying to charge me $3 to retrieve a wand that I just paid $30 for. Not a chance - I told the locker police that he better release my belongings or I was going to raise a fuss!

All in all Harry Potter met expectations and we'll be back again.

 

[OrcaPotter]

Note on Lockers: What a mess the lockers are...You have to move your belongings from ride to ride. We exited Olivanders and I knew to ride Forbidden Journey we had to locker our son's new wand purchase. I went straight to the 1st lockers I saw, by the Dragon Challenge. Apparently you can only place your belongings in the Forbidden Journey lockers per the printed paper map. Of course, we didn't have a printed map and the locker police were trying to charge me $3 to retrieve a wand that I just paid $30 for. Not a chance - I told the locker police that he better release my belongings or I was going to raise a fuss!

You have to be careful with the free lockers at Universal. The "free" period is timed directly to the specific wait time for the attraction attributed to it. If the wait for Dragon Challenge is shorter than FJ (and 99% of the time it is), you're going to go over your free period if you decide to do the ride a second time or go off and do something else.

Each major attraction that requires guests stow any belongings has free lockers. You can find them easily at the front of such attractions, otherwise a team member can direct you. Be careful ... even if the time duration for your free period is longer than the wait time for your ride, don't think you'll have time to do the ride again or wait a bit to pick up your stuff. I learned last year that this was the case after walking on to Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge and deciding to walk back on to do the other coaster. I ended up having to get an attendant to open my locker when I returned because I apparently expired the free, one-ride-only time period and pony up cash once my wallet was freed. Pay close attention to the computer when you get your locker.

 

[ToodlesRN]

Any updates?
Leaving tonight will be at US Saturday morning and then Monday for Harry Potter!