Harry Potter for the First Time!!

[kritter]

We are going to be at WDW in April and then going to go to Universal for the day to take our kids to Harry Potter!! Any advice that you give me would be greatly appreciated or tips. TIA!!

 

[Pygmypuff07]

When you head into the park go strait to Olivanders and the
forbidden Journey. If you want one of your kids to be picked, try to be really energetic and excited when you come up to the person who is standing a the door and talk to the person. It also helps to wear Harry Potter stuff like a robe or a scarf. If it is really busy at the time you go, get your butter beer inside the Three Broomsticks or the Hogs head pub. Also, if you are going at spring break time it might be good to get express passes(I went to the Universal site and it says for the first week of April express passes are $49). The wait for some of the bigger attractions can be up to a 150 minute wait(Express passes do not include The Forbidden Journey, Rip Ride Rockit or Pteranodon Flyers) . If you stay at one of Universals three onsite resorts( Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel and Portifino Bay) you get an unlimited
Express Pass.
Hope this helps!!!

 

[kritter]

When you head into the park go strait to Olivanders and the
forbidden Journey. If you want one of your kids to be picked, try to be really energetic and excited when you come up to the person who is standing a the door and talk to the person. It also helps to wear Harry Potter stuff like a robe or a scarf. If it is really busy at the time you go, get your butter beer inside the Three Broomsticks or the Hogs head pub. Also, if you are going at spring break time it might be good to get express passes(I went to the Universal site and it says for the first week of April express passes are $49). The wait for some of the bigger attractions can be up to a 150 minute wait(Express passes do not include The Forbidden Journey, Rip Ride Rockit or Pteranodon Flyers) . If you stay at one of Universals three onsite resorts( Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel and Portifino Bay) you get an unlimited
Express Pass.
Hope this helps!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU !! The twins will definately wear their robes and their scarves. We will not be staying there we will be at WDW and just driving there for the day. The girls are so VERY excited. What can they get picked for??

TIA!!

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I also just wanted to add, Harry Potter is at Island of Adventure, not Universal. Although I call it Universal too. It's Universal Orlando's Island of Adventure.

Your kid can get picked for the wand ceremony in Olivander's shop. They jam like 30 ppl into this little tiny room and they put on a little 5 minute show where the wand chooses someone from the audience. However you usually have to stand in line at least 30 minutes just to get in. We went in the off season and the line was over 30 minutes both times we went. We just went to one of the wand kiosks right out in the area and bought a wand there. I watched the wand ceremony on You Tube and knew I was not going to wait in line for that.

Another piece of advice...The first day we went we went to IOA, we parked in regular $15 parking. Fine. Next time we went a few days later we went to US and the guy asked us if we wanted preferred parking and he said it was closer. So we said sure. It was $20. It was no closer... it was just on the 3rd level, where you are on the level you need to be on when you walk out onto the walkway area. We still parked in the same area of the parking garage, just on a different floor. So to me, preferred parking is not worth the extra $5.

If you are not staying on-site and you aren't getting the early entry or the Express pass and seeing WWOHP (Wizarding World of Harry Potter) is important to you, go straight back there when you get into the park. Stay to the right and head towards the back of the park. You will go through Seuss land and keep heading back. You will get back there to it and the first thing you will see is the train. You will know you are in the right area.

If any of you get motion sick or car sick very easy then you might want to take some Meclizine (over the counter generic Antivert) to keep you from getting sick. I get very motion sick and FORGOT to take my pill that morning and the ride made me very dizzy and queasy. I wasn't on it 20 seconds and had to lay my head back and close my eyes. But from what I did see of it right at first it is an awesome ride. When we go back this coming October I plan on taking 2 motion sick pills that day and riding Forbidden Journey 2 or 3 times. I may even try Dragon Challenge.

We loved IOA way more than Universal. Universal seemed really small to me compared to IOA for some reason. I don't think it is significantly smaller but it seemed that way to us. HOWEVER, Universal has some good shows. Make sure and catch the Horror Make Up Show (it is a comedy it is not scary) and the Beetlejuice Rock n Roll Show. If you have ever seen the movie Beetlejuice you will love the show. There's some really good performers.

We didn't really care for the Sinbad stunt show at IOA but the Patrick the talking water fountain right near the Sinbad theater is funny if you can catch him talking. It's a big water fountain with a carved stone face. Stand in front of it and see if he squirts you or starts talking to you. If he is not talking try him back later. He was only whistling and snoring when we first walked past him and when we came back about an hour later he had just started talking and my 3 kids walked out in front of him and he joked with them and asked them questions and tried to get them wet. It was a neat little thing to watch. I got it on video but I don't know how to post video on here so you will just have to take my word for it.

I would watch the Poseidon thing on You Tube before you waste any time on it. I think it is too cartoony and cheesy for what it is. I didn't like it. It is right near Mythos, the restaurant.

The kids loved Rip Ride Rockit. ADVICE on that ride...send everyone through the single rider line. You get through it so much faster going through it as single riders. You won't get to ride in the same car but you can all wait for each other after you get off. If you plan on riding it that is. Once you see it you may so OH H*LL to the NO like I did. I didn't ride the HULK either.

We went on a few wet rides and got drenched even with rain ponchos on. It was liked dumped pouring right on my head on the River Rat Barges or whatever it is called. The Jurassic Park ride will get you wet too. I would warn you that you might get wet on Jaws but they just closed that ride down the other day, for good. We chose not to ride it when we were there because the guy said you might get VERY WET and we were through getting very wet. Our next trip is a NO WET RIDES trip.

I think IOA and WWOHP was the favorite part of my trip besides seeing Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba. That was the very top best part of the trip for me. That show was amazing. It is in Downtown Disney and if you have a night to kill they have shows at 6 and 9. You really have to buy your tickets in advance online or by calling before you ever get to town so you can pick good seats. Don't get low seats close to the stage, they suck. Get higher category 2 seating or even category 3. If you only plan on going to Disney once and may never go back, Cirque is worth seeing for sure.

You are going at a busy time. April is Spring break time so when you get there if the lines are just way too long and it is miserable there, go ahead and get the express pass that will get you through the lines a little quicker than standing in the regular stand by lines. It is going to be expensive, like a PP said, about $49 during your time frame and that is in addition to the ticket cost. Depending on how many ppl will be with you it may not even be something you can afford, but if you can it might be worth it to you. We didn't do it because we went in the slower season while kids were in school.

October spoiled me. I only want to go back in October. Low crowds and beautiful weather. Walking on to almost every ride with little to no waits. I think I would be scared to go in March or April.

Good luck with your trip and if you have any more questions you can come back and ask them any time. There are always ppl on here who can answer questions or give you helpful tips and tricks to make your trip better.

 

[the_princess]

My best tip: Come early, before 12 noon and leave WWOHP between 1-4 in the afternoon where it's packed and come back around 4. After that it's pretty much emthy. We were there in Dec and after 4 FJ had a 10 min wait and the other rides were walk on's... Enjoy it's a fantastic place

 

[momm2four]

Semi-funny story..two of my boys asked for wands when we went, but we were on a budget trip and had no extra for sticks that would end up under their bed or broken so I said no.

My third son (who was 11) wanted to watch Olivanders wand shop show, so he and I stood in line for it. After 40 min or so, we got in. My son had no Harry Potter garb and didn't show any extra enthusiasm, so it never even entered my mind that he would be chosen. As Olivander came down the steps, he looked right at Nathan and started talking to him. Of course, the wand "chose" him the same way it chose Harry in the movie, and after that happened, they ushered him and me from Olivanders shop to the real shop where they sell the other wands/merchandise.

I felt so guilty telling him to put the wand back on the shelf. I really wanted to get it for him, but I knew that if I bought him one, I would have to also buy one for his older brother. $60 was just not in the budget, so I had to say no. The experience was priceless though

And the Butterbeer advice is spot on...the line at the cart was really long, but I went into the Hogshead and only had to wait for one other person to be waited on.

FAVORITE THING : Horror Makeup Show...it was so funny, we went back to see it again the next day. They had a different guy playing the part, and he added his own spin to the script and made it a totally different show. Both were HILARIOUS!!! Cant wait to go back in April and see it again

Lori P.

 

[zack123]

Are you only going to IOA, or are you visiting both parks? Some of the things previous posters have mentioned (Horror Makeup Show, Beetlejuice, Rip Ride Rockit) are at Universal Studios. WWoHP is at Islands of Adventure.

If you can choose your day, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays tend to be the least busy - but during spring break it will probably be busy most days. WWoHP is the newest and most popular area in either park, there will be crowds and lines any time that you go.

Try to get to the park as early as you can and check out WWoHP first thing. Sometimes they open the park 15-20 minutes earlier than the posted time, if you are at the gate you can get in early. Most people try to do Ollivander's first, if the line isn't too long, and then the Forbidden Journey Ride. If you don't get to do one of these in the morning, try again in the late afternoon/evening, crowds may be lower then.

Tip about the Ollivander's show: You can watch it on youtube. Check it out and decide how long you're willing to wait in line to see it. It is cute, but very short - some people are disappointed to see a 5 minute show after waiting 45-60 minutes. And even if your children are selected, you still have to pay for the wand if you want to keep it.

You can also purchase the wands at a cart near the Hippogriff ride, and at other gift shops throughout the park, if the store is too crowded.

At Forbidden Journey: If you are taking a backpack, camera, or anything else that does not fit in your pockets, you will be asked to put it in a locker during the ride. The lockers are free for the duration of the ride.

Youtube also has videos of this, I think - although some are dark, you should get an idea of the movement of the ride and if you think it will be too wild or scary for your group. There are spiders, a dragon, and dementors on the ride. Riders must be at least 48" tall.

Forbidden Journey does not use the Universal Express Pass, everyone must wait in the same line (with the exception of single riders). The single rider line tends to be much shorter, but you do skip most of the regular line, which is a very nice tour of Hogwarts castle with a lot to see. During the ride, you really can't see the other people in your car, so you might think about whether you want to do the single rider line or not. If you do, they usually also offer a "castle tour" line which will let you see most of what you missed by doing the single rider line.

There are two other rides in WWoHP: Flight of the Hippogriff, a calm family coaster, and Dragon Challenge, a "big" inverted coaster with loops, a big drop, and 55+ mph speeds. Dragon Challenge riders must be 54" tall, and this is also a "hands free" ride with free lockers available. You can see Hagrid's Hut from the Hippogriff line, and the Weasley's car stuck in a tree from the Dragon line - both have "chicken" exits if you don't want to ride.

You might also find out the times for the Hogwarts Frog Chorus and the Triwizard champions, two fun outdoor shows that you can catch several times per day. The kids can have their picture taken with the stars after these shows.

You can eat at the Three Broomsticks restaurant, if you wish. It is counter service, with seating available, for lunch and dinner. There is a sticky on this board that shows the menu and prices. It is full service at breakfast; they do not always have walk-ups available for breakfast, but you can ask when you get there. There are lots of other great places in the park to eat, if you'd prefer something else.

You might also wish to walk into the restrooms, if only to hear Moaning Myrtle. And look in all of the shop windows. The ones with actual stores are small and crowded, but it is fun to see what's in them if you get a chance.

There are two kinds of butterbeer - regular and frozen. I prefer the frozen, but both are good. The pear cider in WWoHP is very good as well. If you wish to purchase adult beverages, they are available in the Hog's Head Pub (which also serves non-alcoholic pear and apple cider and butterbeer).

A few people mentioned Universal's Express Pass, which allows you to skip the regular lines for many attractions. This can be a good idea if the park is busy, but do not buy it in advance, as it is date-specific and non-refundable. If you get there and it is very crowded, you can go into nearly any store in the park and buy them. Two things to note: they are only good once at each partcipating attraction, and there are several attractions that do not participate (Ollivanders, Forbidden Journey, Pteradon Flyers, and Rip Ride Rockit.

The rest of IOA is great too - my favorites were The Hulk roller coaster, and Suessland. There are also several water rides - but beware you will get a little wet on Jurassic Park and completely soaked on the others.

If you get a chance to check out the Universal Studios, there's lots of good stuff there too - including more coasters (Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy), a simulator (the Simpsons), Men In Black (where you get to shoot aliens), and a lot of fun shows. You will need a 2-park ticket if you plan to check out the studios side.

 

[hayanyujah847]

Thanks much for this thread! I haven't been able to get to IOA since the Wizarding World opened up and I'm a huge HP fan so am finally that it's finally in the planning stages for May!!! This thread was super helpful and I highly appreciated the tips!