Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[SmallWorld71]

First, I'd like to retract what I said about Saturday not being a good day to go. It may not be as good as Sunday, but the crowds this past Saturday were much less than yesterday (Tues.) or today (Wed.)

Yesterday's report: Arrived at IOA at 7:50. Entered park and was held in POE until about 7:58. Made our way with the small mob to WWOHP. FJ was down and they were holding people at the entrance to the castle. The line for Ollivander's was extremely long, prob. about 2 hours the whole time we were there. Since we'd already seen it, we rode Hippogriff and Dragons and decided to make it our souvenir shopping morning. I wanted to see The Frog Choir and The Tri-Wizard Rally but was told they didn't start until noon. When we left the are shortly before 11, FJ was still down, Ollivander's was a huge line and the line to get into HP stretched all the way through Jurassic Park. Shortly after, the skies opened so we did not return to the area since the shows would be canceled. That evening I checked at guest services at US (around 4:30) to see if FJ was working. It was down so we went to US instead. We felt bad for anyone who only had the one day there.

Today: We didn't arrive at the turnstyles until 8:40. Once we got through we were able to head to the right through Seuss Landing while the masses went the other way. Arrived at WWOHP at 8:55. FJ was a 30 min. wait. The boys were able to get 2 rides in using single rider in under 30 min. Once the masses were let shortly before 9 in the wait time climbed quickly to 60 min. We stayed until about 10, then returned just after noon. There was no line to get in today, but the place was packed. Huge line for Ollivander's, long line for 3 Broomsticks and long line to get into Dervish and Banges. We saw the 2 shows we wanted to see, had a frozen Butterbeer and a Pumpkin Juice, got our stuff from Honeydukes and left the area around 1:30.

Tips: The 3 best tips I learned from the DIS that saved us in WWOHP
1) Don't wait in the locker line. The line for FJ lockers was about 60 min. when we left this afternoon! It stretched all the way to the exit! Go to the right of the castle and go through Filch's Emporium and you will get a locker right away.

2) Don't wait in line at the Butterbeer cart. If you go down the corridor to the left of the bathrooms (public conveniences), it will bring you to the back of the Hogs Head. We walked right up to the counter in the AC, while others were waiting in the line outside in the heat for 45 min.

3) If you are staying onsite, it is worth it to get there at 8.

Hope everyone has fun on their future trips. : up2

 

[WDW-PRINCESS]

This thread was super helpful in my planning for our trip, so I want to share our experience. We stayed on-site at HRH. Left our hotel about 7a on 8/18, and got to the gate maybe 715ish or a little earlier. There were more people than I thought lined up already...about 4 lines of people, maybe 30-50 people in each (I didn't count so that is a loose estimate). I went to get our tickets and when I met my group in line, only one was in line. Two people didn't have their room keys, they went back to the room and me and another person stayed in line. It was decided that I would go get in line for Ollivanders and the other person would stay out and wait with the tics.

They stated letting people in between 730a and 740am. I rushed to Olliv. and was within the first 10 people in line. By the time my group got there, it was after 8am and the line had not moved. I didn't confirm this, but I heard the reason Ollivanders wasn't moving was that there was some sort of filming being set up, or something like that. I got out of line and we went to FJ, posted wait was I think 30min. It was fine to wait, even then we couldn't always stop for photos or to see Dumbledore/Harry/etc. talk. After that we went on FH and DC. Then we went to our 930a res at 3 Broomsticks. I got the pancakes and pumpkin juice. I liked the meal and the juice. I also tried butterbeer there...it was good too.

After this we went on the other DC coaster, and went in Zonkos and Honeydukes. At this point there was a line for Owl Post and Dervish. We then went and explored the rest of the park. I will add that during the first few days of our trip, it was sooo hot and humid, I would say that is was worse than last year at this time. Thankfully it rained the last few days, so it was much better.

We came back to the HP section after 5p (that's when they said they would let people back in). Here we did the single rider line for FJ...I think it was suppose to be a 30min wait...but it went by fast as the castle decor keeps you entertained. We then waited in line for Ollivanders. They said it was about a 45min wait, but it was less than 30min. We got in line at the Lockhart book displays. The wait wasn't that bad, but it is a super short show. 2 people, 1 person from our group got chosen. It was cute though. We then waited in line for Owl Post and Dervish. We avoided these earlier because of the line, but it didn't seem to diminish. But when we asked the wait time they said about 10min. It was worth it. I just bought some postcards and had the postmark put on.

Before leaving we bought the Bertie Botts beans. They were fun to eat, but not as many gross flavors and would have like I also bought a cauldron cake...so amazingly good!

The next day we went to universal...the park did not seem crowded at all in the 9-11a range. We figured people were at HP.

Also, We carried fanny packs in IOA...that was great advice on this board and they worked super well for us! Didn't have to use lockers

 

[disneysteve]

Yesterday's report: Arrived at IOA at 7:50. Entered park and was held in POE until about 7:58. Made our way with the small mob to WWOHP. FJ was down and they were holding people at the entrance to the castle. The line for Ollivander's was extremely long, prob. about 2 hours the whole time we were there.

We were there with you! We had done FJ the day before so we actually went right to Olivander's. The line was just starting to form and we had a short wait. I think we went in with the 3rd or 4th group.

Monday we bought butterbeer at the 3 Broomsticks and yesterday at the main cart with no wait either time. DD and I rode Dragon Challenge several times over the 2 days and never had a wait. We only did Flight of Hippogriff once and no wait there either.

 

[mdb78]

It's funny how HP is making the fanny pack cool again!

 

[Jennasis]

This is great info gang. I think I will inform our group that we will not carry bags of any kind into IoA. Wallets only!

 

[brenda1966]

It's funny how HP is making the fanny pack cool again!

Yipee!

Wait, fanny packs were uncool?

 

[Echo queen]

This is great info gang. I think I will inform our group that we will not carry bags of any kind into IoA. Wallets only!

Yes you should make it a point to be bagless. I wore cargo type shorts, no purse or wallet. And I am a die hard purse carrier lol

 

[Planogirl]

Yes you should make it a point to be bagless. I wore cargo type shorts, no purse or wallet. And I am a die hard purse carrier lol

That's exactly what I did. It's amazing how much stuff good cargo pants can hold. I had a wallet, cell phone, sunscreen and car keys.

 

[kjdaniel66]

Sunday was great! Thank you everyone for all the suggestions. Here is a rundown of our experience. Forewarning-I have not read any of the HP books and have only seen the first movie.

We visited Sunday August 15th. We were offsite and arrived to the parking garage at 7:45am. Garage attendant commented that we were so early and told us there was hardly anybody there. Followed some other offsite guests around to the Left up to Jurasic Park. Arrived at line just after a gift shop at 8:15am. At 8:30 we went right to FJ. As you walk in this way you can see the greenhouse and the line which was moving through. Posted wait was 30min. Did not store any bags. We moved continuously through the castle except for short stops for picure taking by us and others. DH and kids rode, while I waited in child swap area. There are benches and HP movie was playing. DH got off and told me 1st-no way I could ride, 2nd- it was awesome!
We walked out of the ride at 9:00. Stopped at Hippogriff-wait 5mins, while DH got on line at Ollivander's.

Off to Ollivander's. We waited in line 45 minutes. The line is mostly in shade and we were told they take about 30 people in at a time. Enjoyed a Butterbeer from cart very close to line. My two kids were selected and they had their wands chosen. Very neat little show, the space is tiny which made it nice. Took picture and went right to the register and paid.

10:00- Out the door and walked around to look at the stores. Walked right in to the candy store to get the chocolate frog and jelly beans. No lines for the stores. Dragon challenge was 45min wait, so we opted to do it in the evening.
10:30-Left WWOHP via bridge to FJ- this is a great picture spot with castle in backround. Posted wait time for FJ was 30 min, but line was out past the sign so I don't know if this was really accurate.
1:00- Returned to Three Brommsticks for lunch. Line was out the door and in a que. It moved quickly We were finished by 2:00.
2:00- Area was more crowded, FJ wait still said 30 minutes, again I don't know if this was accurate. No lines for stores except Ollivanders.

8:30pm- Returned to WWHOP. Downpoured rain when we arrived, area was crowded but very manageable. Saw people getting postcards stamped in the covered area outside of the shop. Rain dissipated, no lines at stores. Went to FJ, posted wait was.....you guessed it 30 mins. We walked through even faster than in the morning, I stayed in child swap with DD while DS rode again. We were out of there in 25 minutes start to finish (most of that time was walking through the castle as the line only stopped for a short time). Hippogriff had just started running and waited 5 mins. DS was not interested in Dragon Challenge, so we left.

The area was nice, but it is small. I asked the woman who helped me in the store if this was a slower day and she said yes, Sunday always is. So go on a Sunday and I think the crowds were definetely less in the am, but it is hard to tell about the evening due to the rain.

On a side note, a coworker who goes to Universal frequently and stays at Portofino (visiting same time as us) asked me if I was staying onsite. When I told her no, she told me "well you'd better be prepared for a 2 hour line just to get in". I just told her "we'll see". Thanks Disboards for all the great tips, it worked out perfect. Can't wait to see what she says about my 30 min wait!

did you end up riding the ride? Is it rough? My mom isn't in the best heath so that is why I am asking. I will get my 7 year old on it but I am worried about my mom. Also, if mom does not go on it does she miss all the cool things to see? She is a big HP fan so I want her to see as much as she can.

Also, scooters.....do you recommend leaving them outside the stores? and if so where? is there a place for them since HPWW seems so small.

Thanks in advance,
Kelly Daniel

 

[henry72]

We went to IOA yesterday (Aug. 24). We arrived at 7:50 which was when they were just starting to let people in. We rushed to WWOHP and FJ was down. We rode FOTH and DC with pretty much no wait. Olivander's had a long line but we had no interest in doing that. Crowds over all were not bad as this was before the park opened. At 9:30 we ate at the Three Broomsticks which was pretty good. When we got out FJ was still not up and they had not time table as to when it would be. Luckily later about 3:30 we went back and got there right after the ride opened for the first time that day. The place was pretty packed and by the time we got in line it was 40 minute line. I must say, I will stress that if you can - DO NOT TAKE A BAG WITH YOU. We didn't and that save about 15 minutes on our wait as we sailed pass the people in the bag line. It was pretty much a 40 minute wait that first time but we rode two more times in the singles line and it was a 5 minute wait and the first time we still rode together. After we rode the first time, the wait time was 60 minutes - this was probably about 4:30. The lines for butterbeer were also long but we went into the Hog's head and had no wait - plus a cool place to rest. (We tried the frozen and both liked it. We tried pumpkin juice at breakfast and neither of us liked it)

 

[henry72]

Wanted to add that I did wear my fanny pack on the ride with no problem.

 

[disneysteve]

Regarding backpacks, we purposely didn't carry one in to IOA because we had heard they couldn't be taken on many of the rides. What we didn't realize was that it is simple and FREE to get a locker. They have a great automated locker system. Even though we didn't bring a backpack, we did bring our water bottle so we ended up needing a locker multiple times anyway and it was a breeze both in IOA and Studios. I have no idea why they don't allow you to carry stuff since they do in every other theme park and amusement park I've ever been to but at least they have a really good locker system in place to deal with that.

 

[Snape]

Jeesh, sounds as if the lines are still long. I thought by this time things would have quieted a bit.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Jeesh, sounds as if the lines are still long. I thought by this time things would have quieted a bit.

Our kids don't return to school until 9/7. I would guess a lot of people planned for now knowing kids down south are already back.
I would expect a big drop off after Labor Day.

 

[Jennasis]

Regarding backpacks, we purposely didn't carry one in to IOA because we had heard they couldn't be taken on many of the rides. What we didn't realize was that it is simple and FREE to get a locker. They have a great automated locker system. Even though we didn't bring a backpack, we did bring our water bottle so we ended up needing a locker multiple times anyway and it was a breeze both in IOA and Studios. I have no idea why they don't allow you to carry stuff since they do in every other theme park and amusement park I've ever been to but at least they have a really good locker system in place to deal with that.

I wish to avoid the long locker lines at FJ. Normally I wouldn't mind using the free lockers (like I did way back when I went to IoA the day before it opened).

 

[GetGlowing]

Wanted to stress this point regarding lockers if you need them --

Tips: The 3 best tips I learned from the DIS that saved us in WWOHP
1) Don't wait in the locker line. The line for FJ lockers was about 60 min. when we left this afternoon! It stretched all the way to the exit! Go to the right of the castle and go through Filch's Emporium and you will get a locker right away.

2) Don't wait in line at the Butterbeer cart. If you go down the corridor to the left of the bathrooms (public conveniences), it will bring you to the back of the Hogs Head. We walked right up to the counter in the AC, while others were waiting in the line outside in the heat for 45 min.

3) If you are staying onsite, it is worth it to get there at 8.

Hope everyone has fun on their future trips. : up2

 

[SmallWorld71]

did you end up riding the ride? Is it rough? My mom isn't in the best heath so that is why I am asking. I will get my 7 year old on it but I am worried about my mom. Also, if mom does not go on it does she miss all the cool things to see? She is a big HP fan so I want her to see as much as she can.

Also, scooters.....do you recommend leaving them outside the stores? and if so where? is there a place for them since HPWW seems so small.

Thanks in advance,
Kelly Daniel

I thought it was very jerky and kind of rough, but everyone's perception on this could be different. What you could do, is have all of you walk through the castle on your first time through so that you can all experience it together. Then your mom could exit while you and the others ride. If you think it is not too much, she could ride using single rider which never had a long wait the times that we went. Or, you could ride single rider (DH and the boys walked on via single rider yesterday at 9 am) and then see who should ride and then everyone could walk through the castle together whether they are riding or not.

 

[JenM]

Regarding backpacks, we purposely didn't carry one in to IOA because we had heard they couldn't be taken on many of the rides. What we didn't realize was that it is simple and FREE to get a locker. They have a great automated locker system. Even though we didn't bring a backpack, we did bring our water bottle so we ended up needing a locker multiple times anyway and it was a breeze both in IOA and Studios. I have no idea why they don't allow you to carry stuff since they do in every other theme park and amusement park I've ever been to but at least they have a really good locker system in place to deal with that.

When I was there in 2005, my friend's stuff was stolen out a locker at IOA. Amazingly, someone turned it in to lost & found and we managed to get most of it back...but the digital camera with all of their WDW pictures (it was their twins' first trip) was gone, as was one of their credit cards, which had $500 charged on it by the time we learned the locker had been broken in to.

I don't want to scare anyone off from using the lockers, because I'm assuming (hoping) that's a rare occurance...but it did happen to us and it's a day-destroying thing to have happen during a trip. I'm headed down to US/IOA next month and I won't be taking any bags with me into the park.

 

[Planogirl]

When I was there in 2005, my friend's stuff was stolen out a locker at IOA. Amazingly, someone turned it in to lost & found and we managed to get most of it back...but the digital camera with all of their WDW pictures (it was their twins' first trip) was gone, as was one of their credit cards, which had $500 charged on it by the time we learned the locker had been broken in to.

I don't want to scare anyone off from using the lockers, because I'm assuming (hoping) that's a rare occurance...but it did happen to us and it's a day-destroying thing to have happen during a trip. I'm headed down to US/IOA next month and I won't be taking any bags with me into the park.

I wonder how they broke in? It's not easy to get into that things even if you're the right person!

 

[damo]

I wonder how they broke in? It's not easy to get into that things even if you're the right person!

Some people don't follow the entire directions. You have to make sure that you don't just close the locker, you have to actually lock it and you should check to make sure it is locked. I recall one of the TM's talking about that on here.