Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[tink20]

Columbia has cargo shorts for women.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

 

[RainbowsMist]

We were there today....

FJ was 90 minutes at rope drop we chose to wait because we really wanted to do it. Bottle neck would be a complete understatement today (we made the mistake going to WWHP from Seuss Landing Side).

From 9 - 12 we only got in FJ and Hippogriff. Then on our way to lunch after Hippogriff they were issuing re-entry passes. We never got our Butterbeer....the wait was 30-45 minutes on each end. Next we were going to do Jurassic Park but the wait was 70 minutes so we skipped it...we then thought we would do Duddley Do Rights Ripsaw Falls...wait awas 85 so we skipped that too. We did get on Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barge...wait was 30 minutes. Spiderman and Hulk were both 90 minutes so we thought "let's go over to US and come back to IOA after supper".

At US we did RRR (first it broke down during our wait, then they issued us express pass which we used later), we then went over to the Simpsons Ride which was 30 minutes, tried to do MIB but it was 90 minute wait so we went to the Mummy (20 minutes), back to RRR using the express pass, Jimmy Neutron (20 minutes). By then it was supper time so we headed back to IOA (we bought the meal deal there so we had to use it there). Heading to our restaurant we check the Hulk (said 30 minutes so we thought we should go before we ate...we all agreed it was more like 45 after all was said and done). After we ate supper it was around 7:00 so we went back to Spiderman which was only 20 minutes, then to Doctor Doom's Fearfall (15 minutes)...by then it was 8:30..park closed at 9:00.

At 8:30 FJ was still posting a 60 minute wait

We have 2 more days with Park to Park. The rides we focused on today were more for DD's (16) friend who met up with us for just today. It was her first time there. We were just there last May so we've already done everything.

Our next 2 days we've all agreed we're going to wait and go after 3:00. Crowds definitely seemed lighter (if you could call it that)...and it's so pretty at night. We definitely want to experience HP at night and we want to shop in HP. Also we want to do Jurassic Park, Seuss Landing and a couple of things at US we didn't get to do today.

We went going fully prepared to deal with crowds but in all honesty I was still blown away with the amount of people. One of the things we always loved about US/IOA was we always felt like we had the parks all to ourselves
Last year we did EVERYTHING in IOA by 1:00..this year we did 2 things! We couldn't get over it! I'm convinced those days are over.

One more thing...today they were making EVERYONE us lockers for FJ...even if you had a fanny pack..but the good news was the locker didn't charge anything even after waiting 90 minutes

 

[tolemommy]

Thanks for all the advice. I think we may go for it even if it is crowded. We are HP geeks.

 

[Debs Hill]

Getting worried about how crowded it will be!!!
We are planning on going to IOA on the morning of Saturday 26th March (staying on site) so hoping to be over there by about 7.30-7.45am. What sort of waits can I expect at this time in the morning? We then thought we woud come back on Sunday and Monday evening to see Harry Potter in the dark.....will crowds still be mad?!
Debx

 

[tink20]

Hi Rainbowsmist, Is the wait for FJ still that long, even if you use single rider line? Or were they not doing single rider?

 

[ToodlesRN]

We were there on the 7th and it was insane, everyone was walking shoulder to shoulder. a few in the party went on the dragon roller coaster (35 min)as I walked in honey dukes it was busy but doable the line was long to pay for your stuff about 15mins. When I walked out they had already formed a line to go inside I heard about 25 min wait. I went and got a butter beer about 5-10 min wait. We all meet up and went to ride the FJ it said 90 min wait, we used the lockers at the dragon ride, otherwise it would have been close to 120 min wait. after the FJ ride it was about 12-1pm we wanted to eat lunch at 3 broomsticks the line and crowds were insane and decided to leave and comeback later. Around 6-7pm went back less crowded,but since the park closed at 8pm they were already shutting down stores and moving people out never did the stores or Olivlanders (sp). One of the workers said Sunday wasn't busy, everything was walk on no waits????

 

[xApril]

Crazy busy!

Went over at around 5:30. They weren't giving out the timed entries, but they were definitely looking like they were going to be doing it again soon. They had the exit blocked off (so you couldn't enter that way to get a locker) and the posted wait time for standby was 90 minutes.

We waited in the line for a locker for awhile. Crazy congested in there and hardly any free lockers whatsoever. We got in the single riders line, which was backed all the way down the stairs. I really wanted to ride though to confirm something I had read online, so we waited. I want to say it took us about a half hour to get through single riders. When we got out of line, the posted standby was 110. Dragon Challenge was 10 minutes, Flight of the Hippogriff was 35. I don't even want to guess Ollivanders.

(This was today)

 

[mikelan6]

I arrived at IOA around 11:00 am on Msrch 16. I was given a return time for WWoJP for 2:50 pm. I returned a few minutes early and they let me in. Wait time for FJ was 75 minutes, but I went through the dingle rider line waiting about 20 minutes. I was also able to do the Castle Tour without waiting. It took about 15 minutes to get into the candy shop.

I understood that HP merchandise was only for sale at WWoHP - wrong. They were selling HP merchandise at the main shops at IOA and US - including wands.

 

[Meteora]

Hi all! We went yesterday and were very happy we got there at rope drop. The posted wait for FJ was 60 minutes (yes, at rope drop), but ended up being a little less. FotH and DD both stayed under twenty minutes until about 11.

When we returned around 6 pm, we found that while we could get into the area, the crowds hadn't lessened greatly. The posted wait for FJ at about 7 was 110 minutes, but it fluctuated between 60 and 100 from 7 to 9 pm. We were told twice (at 7:30 and 8:30, by two different cast members) that there was no single riders line due to the ride being at capacity. The second time we also asked about the castle tour and were told the castle tour was going through the line but not riding at the end. At that point it seemed clear that the employee was probably trying to dissuade us from entering at all, but due to the lack of information, we just kind of shrugged and left. FotH was less than a ten minute wait at 8:30, so we did that. Still, next time I'd like to be armed with better information about the single riders line, as the way the employee hesitated and made a face before answering led me to wonder if he was conveying accurate information or just sort of improvising when he didn't know the answer. Same for the castle tour. By evening, most of the other lines in the park had dropped to 30 minutes or less (except the Seuss trolley, which stayed triumphantly at 55 minutes through closing). It was really just FJ that was long.

 

[mesaboy2]

The second time we also asked about the castle tour and were told the castle tour was going through the line but not riding at the end. At that point it seemed clear that the employee was probably trying to dissuade us from entering at all, but due to the lack of information, we just kind of shrugged and left.

That's exactly what the castle tour is--always has been. The TM was telling you the straight dope.

 

[julie1218]

That's exactly what the castle tour is--always has been. The TM was telling you the straight dope.

wait. i'm confused. i thought that there was a separate line for the castle tour. are you saying that it's all the same line? i could have sworn that i read otherwise in this thread. i thought i read that the castle tour line did not go through the greenhouse.

 

[Don Pacho]

wait. i'm confused. i thought that there was a separate line for the castle tour. are you saying that it's all the same line? i could have sworn that i read otherwise in this thread. i thought i read that the castle tour line did not go through the greenhouse.

Yes, there is a separate line for the castle tour. However, you don't get to see all scenes as with the regular queue line.

 

[mesaboy2]

Yes, there is a separate line for the castle tour. However, you don't get to see all scenes as with the regular queue line.

Yes, the castle tour queue is a separate queue. In most parts of the castle however, it runs right next to the main queue, like the second lane of a highway. They do not let you ride when you come to the end of this queue. The CT queue does not go through the greenhouse, and takes you through a different portrait room. It also ends before you get to the Sorting Hat, which if riding, is just before boarding.

 

[LetsGoSteelers]

we are planning on going prob sun or mon, oct 2 or 3....any suggestions?

 

[mesaboy2]

we are planning on going prob sun or mon, oct 2 or 3....any suggestions?

Sunday is usually less crowded. But that time of year, the parks should be relatively dead.

 

[xipetotec]

Now that WWOHP has been open for the better part of a year, What is everyone's take on WHICH DAY is the LEAST crowded.

We're not going until EARLY March 2012, but I figure these kind of crowd trends must be starting to appear?

 

[perugiagirl]

We were there today....

One more thing...today they were making EVERYONE us lockers for FJ...even if you had a fanny pack..but the good news was the locker didn't charge anything even after waiting 90 minutes

This recent post stating that on the day this poster went all bags were required to be in lockers -INCLUDING FANNY PACKS!!!--has me concerned. My strategy included using a hip pack and I am worried that I will now need to stand in locker lines!

Does anyone else have recent experience in this regard? I'm really hoping this was just a one day thing, but since I am going next week I need to know if this is a trend!

The poster above was there just this last Monday (3-14).
Have any of you been there in the last week, and if so were fanny/hip packs allowed on FJ?

 

[mesaboy2]

This recent post stating that on the day this poster went all bags were required to be in lockers -INCLUDING FANNY PACKS!!!--has me concerned. My strategy included using a hip pack and I am worried that I will now need to stand in locker lines!

Does anyone else have recent experience in this regard? I'm really hoping this was just a one day thing, but since I am going next week I need to know if this is a trend!

The poster above was there just this last Monday (3-14).
Have any of you been there in the last week, and if so were fanny/hip packs allowed on FJ?

I was there on March 6, so I don't know if you're still interested in my response.

However, on a previous trip I noted someone (who I did not know) in line with a fanny pack and a TM was asking them how many prongs the fanny pack had--two or three. This was apparently important, at least to that particular TM. I did not see how it turned out, but the moral of the story is you may or may not be let on with it. Take that for what it's worth....

 

[perugiagirl]

duplicate

 

[hammie59]

I was there on March 6, so I don't know if you're still interested in my response.

However, on a previous trip I noted someone (who I did not know) in line with a fanny pack and a TM was asking them how many prongs the fanny pack had--two or three. This was apparently important, at least to that particular TM. I did not see how it turned out, but the moral of the story is you may or may not be let on with it. Take that for what it's worth....

So I have 2 thoughts on this. A) two prongs maybe means smaller pack?? or B) 3 prongs vs 2 means it's less likely to come undone with 3??

Now I'm worried too, cuz that was my master plan as well!