Harry Potter Crowd Report Thread...

[seattle-swarm]

Is there a way to find out how long the lines are before entering the park?

We fly in the morning of Sunday, 4/3, and cannot check into our room until later in the afternoon. If Sunday is the best day of the week to go to WWoHP, it might be worth heading over there after we arrive instead of later in the week.

But I don't want to waste one of our two-day-passes if the lines are already long...how can we find out before we enter the gates?????

(Our second day will be the following Sunday, 4/10).

Thanks!

 

[Brandis]

If you have an iPhone, there is a free app from Undercover Tourist for Universal which shows wait times.

Another app is called Ride Hopper, there is also a free version I think. That one shows wait times of parks all over the US. Just compared current wait times for FJ and both say 75 min right now.

 

[Metro West]

Is there a way to find out how long the lines are before entering the park?

We fly in the morning of Sunday, 4/3, and cannot check into our room until later in the afternoon. If Sunday is the best day of the week to go to WWoHP, it might be worth heading over there after we arrive instead of later in the week.

But I don't want to waste one of our two-day-passes if the lines are already long...how can we find out before we enter the gates?????

(Our second day will be the following Sunday, 4/10).

Thanks!

There used to be an app that would tell you that information but I believe it's no longer available.

 

[billnye97]

If you have an iPhone, there is a free app from Undercover Tourist for Universal which shows wait times.

Another app is called Ride Hopper, there is also a free version I think. That one shows wait times of parks all over the US. Just compared current wait times for FJ and both say 75 min right now.

Ride Hopper is also available in the Android Market as well. The FJ wait time on it states 65 minutes so they are both pretty close.

 

[julie1218]

If you have an iPhone, there is a free app from Undercover Tourist for Universal which shows wait times.

Another app is called Ride Hopper, there is also a free version I think. That one shows wait times of parks all over the US. Just compared current wait times for FJ and both say 75 min right now.

i have the free undercover tourist app, and it just shows disney. is there a separate undercover tourist app for universal? or if i get the paid ut app will it have universal? thanks.

 

[DizDragonfly]

i have the free undercover tourist app, and it just shows disney. is there a separate undercover tourist app for universal? or if i get the paid ut app will it have universal? thanks.

On your UT app, tap the little "i" in the upper right hand corner. You'll see "More Apps" there and a direct link to the Universal Studios Free app. Hope that helps.

 

[julie1218]

On your UT app, tap the little "i" in the upper right hand corner. You'll see "More Apps" there and a direct link to the Universal Studios Free app. Hope that helps.

thanks!

 

[ZellyB]

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 last Tuesday 3/15. I had on a small fanny pack and wasn't questioned about it at all and kept it on for the ride.

 

[gmark2000]

Friends went on Friday the 18th and reported an hour and a half wait at rope drop. We went on Sunday the 20th and the wait was 30 minutes at 5:30pm and down to 15 minutes at 6:00pm.

 

[RainbowsMist]

Had a MUCH better WWOHP experience today

I took the advice of a previous poster and arrived at the park at 7:45 (park scheduled to open at 9:00). We paid for preferred parking (I HATE that walk at the end of the day ). We were at the gate by 8:00 waiting in line. We were about 10th in our line. Sure enough they opened the gates at 8:30 so off we went. We then were stopped right before Rip Saw Falls. We waited there for about 5 minutes then they let everyone through. We headed straight to FJ. Wait time was posted as 30 minutes (this was MUCH better than Monday the 13th with 90 min wait at park opening). We grabbed our locker and off we went. We figured we waited about 25 minutes (a note on the locker situation today..they were saying "anything that doesn't fit in your pocket MUST go in a locker"....that being said I did see a lady in front of me have a small fanny pack on and they didn't say anything...whether they saw it or not I don't know).

I got my Butterbeer this time..was about 6th in line (much better than the previous 30-45 min wait)...thought it was nasty to drink but I wanted the mug!! DD then bought her wand, we went to Honey Dukes and ate at Three Broom Sticks. While we were in line they changed the menu from Breakfast to Lunch so we ordered The Great Feast. Needless to say we had a really early lunch, but it was all for the experience

Overall the crowds today were very managable. FJ was the longest ride we waited for. Everything else was 10-20 minutes and Universal's wait times were about the same...some 5 minutes

One note: we were suppose to go yesterday but got busy doing other things so we went today. I didn't realize until mid afternoon that IOA closed today at 7:00 rather than 9:00. I'm wondering if that played a part in why the crowds were so good for Spring Break? I noticed today and next Tuesday have the same closing times. All the other days are 9:00

 

[damo]

(a note on the locker situation today..they were saying "anything that doesn't fit in your pocket MUST go in a locker"....that being said I did see a lady in front of me have a small fanny pack on and they didn't say anything...whether they saw it or not I don't know).

I

Did you actually see people last week with fanny packs being told to put their fanny packs in a locker or did you just hear them say that everything must go in a locker?

 

[RainbowsMist]

Did you actually see people last week with fanny packs being told to put their fanny packs in a locker or did you just hear them say that everything must go in a locker?

Last week I actually saw the attendant standing at the lockers and point to a lady's fanny pack and asked her to go put it in a locker. Like others have said, maybe it depends who's working

The lady I saw today had a fanny pack on no bigger than a Pepsi can so maybe they didn't see it..she also had on a heavier sweatshirt and it was half tucked under that. I only notice it when she turned to speak to her DD.

The locker experience was much better for me today. I went and did the locker while DH waited with the girls. It was much less congested. I was in and out within a couple of minutes. That early in the morning I didn't run into locker sections being booked already like I did the other day. I have a large camera so not getting a locker isn't an option for me

 

[bigAWL]

I think I've seen a few reports here now saying that lines were a bit shorter in the evening. I'll be taking my family for the first time in October, but it'll be the holiday weekend. We're staying off site. Would you suggest going as early as possible or waiting until evening?

Do on-site guests get in early every day?

 

[macraven]

I think I've seen a few reports here now saying that lines were a bit shorter in the evening. I'll be taking my family for the first time in October, but it'll be the holiday weekend. We're staying off site. Would you suggest going as early as possible or waiting until evening?

Do on-site guests get in early every day?

holiday weekend meaning columbus day or halloween?

columbus day weekend can be busy.
IOA closes early on that weekend.
the studios close at 5 and ioa would be 6, unless it is extended to 7:00.
HHN events changes the parks closing time on the weekends in october.

since you are staying off site, go early before the park opens.
you can get more done before 11 than you can near the closing time for that time period.

 

[bigAWL]

holiday weekend meaning columbus day or halloween?

columbus day weekend can be busy.
IOA closes early on that weekend.
the studios close at 5 and ioa would be 6, unless it is extended to 7:00.
HHN events changes the parks closing time on the weekends in october.

since you are staying off site, go early before the park opens.
you can get more done before 11 than you can near the closing time for that time period.

It'll be Sat and Sun of Columbus Day weekend. I was planning early mornings at IOA both days, and WDW parks in the evening. So I guess that's what I'll stick with.

 

[macraven]

It'll be Sat and Sun of Columbus Day weekend. I was planning early mornings at IOA both days, and WDW parks in the evening. So I guess that's what I'll stick with.

i know that weekend well.

have been going for the same time period for lots of years now for HHN.

go very early on saturday and sunday morning.
be in the line close to 8:00 so that when the onsite and packaged guest people enter early, you will be up front in the line for the general opening.

concentrate on being in the parking garage early as possible.
the walk from the garage to the gate could be 10 minutes, depending on where you park in the garage.


i would not count on late afternoon for less crowds in parry hotter section.
unless there is a heavy rain, guests will probably be there in numbers.

you could get lucky and not have hugh crowds on saturday morning until 11ish.

not every one on vacation will get up early on a saturday morning.
hopefully, your lines will not have long waits and you will be able to do and see all that you desire to.

disney will have later hours those 2 days for the evenings.
i just checked their calendar.

hopefully with your plans, you will get the best out of both worlds on that weekend!

 

[bigAWL]

i know that weekend well.

have been going for the same time period for lots of years now for HHN.

go very early on saturday and sunday morning.
be in the line close to 8:00 so that when the onsite and packaged guest people enter early, you will be up front in the line for the general opening.

concentrate on being in the parking garage early as possible.
the walk from the garage to the gate could be 10 minutes, depending on where you park in the garage.


i would not count on late afternoon for less crowds in parry hotter section.
unless there is a heavy rain, guests will probably be there in numbers.

you could get lucky and not have hugh crowds on saturday morning until 11ish.

not every one on vacation will get up early on a saturday morning.
hopefully, your lines will not have long waits and you will be able to do and see all that you desire to.

disney will have later hours those 2 days for the evenings.
i just checked their calendar.

hopefully with your plans, you will get the best out of both worlds on that weekend!

Thanks for the great, detailed advice. Any idea what kind of traffic to expect on I-4 north on those weekend mornings? Or should I take a different route from AKV?

Oh, and I'll add another question. I assume HHN will be in effect at the Studios those nights. Does that normally affect the crowds at IOA? Or maybe only the evening crowds?

 

[BiggFam8]

I have the Ride Hopper app and it has times for all over the country. FH shows 40 (estimated).

 

[macraven]

Thanks for the great, detailed advice. Any idea what kind of traffic to expect on I-4 north on those weekend mornings? Or should I take a different route from AKV?

Oh, and I'll add another question. I assume HHN will be in effect at the Studios those nights. Does that normally affect the crowds at IOA? Or maybe only the evening crowds?

i have done the I-4 early in the morning when i switch resorts.
have not had any traffic problems if i hit the road by 7:00 on a weekend.

hhn will not effect ioa that much.
the studios side will start to have increased crowds by 3:00 on those saturday and sundays.
many will come in early and use the stay and scream section so they can stay in the park to await hhn early.

if ioa hours are extended, there will be those that switch from the studios to ioa.
not all, but it does have its numbers.

 

[itsjustforgames@live]

On Forbidden Journey anything not in your pockets are supposed to be put in a locker....I've found that the lines are shorter for FJ if you wait until around 5pm as everyone seems to rush to Hogwarts as soon as the park opens.