Harry Potter question UPDATED in post #35 with TRIP REPORT!!

[kristilew]

I think you are correct that you cannot get back out to the café once you start. If I remember correctly, in the outside area (the backlot), you could get drinks and some snacks. I think we got an ice cream and some butterbeer. I don't remember if they had sandwiches or hot dogs or something more substantial. The backlot is at the midpoint of the tour. You finish one building, go out to the backlot, then go to the next building.

Thanks - helpful!

 

[calypso726]

Hello- new poster/first timer here- I did the WB studios set tour last year when I went with ABD to London/Paris.

Viator offers an option that goes from London, but they only leave at specific times, IIRC.

For more flexibility as to when you go and how long you stay, you might just want to book the tickets online, and take the train to watford junction (not the other watford station) from euston station in london. It's approximately a 20 mintue ride with a high speed train. You can find train times online. Watford junction is a very small station, and right outside you will see the double deckers which go to the WB studios. You can't miss them because they're painted with HP images. Very pretty. The double decker ride is about another 15 minutes to the studio from watford junction. Times are posted online; they tend to coinside with the trains from euston, so you shouldn't have to wait long. It's about 2 pounds round trip for the double decker bus; I forget how much train tickets were but I found them reasonable.

That is what I did when I went to the WB studio last year and i found it convienient because I could decide when I wanted to visit the studio and how long I wanted to stay. It was very simple and easy, and possibly cheaper.

Just know that train and bus tickets don't need pre-purchasing but the WB studio tour does. So if you decide not to use viator, purchase your tour tickets in advance. They are not sold on site.

PS- visit platform 9 and 3/4 at King's cross station if you love Potter!

Best. First. Post. Ever. You just saved us some time and $. I was hating the idea of the time constraints with the tour companies and the cost of taking a cab there and back as an alternative solution We've bought our tix and plan to go on day 2 of our London/Paris ABD which has afternoon/evening on your own. We will take a cab from the Landmark Hotel to Euston Station - Watford Junction and then the WB double decker as you suggested. Thank you for posting this!

I think you are correct that you cannot get back out to the café once you start. If I remember correctly, in the outside area (the backlot), you could get drinks and some snacks. I think we got an ice cream and some butterbeer. I don't remember if they had sandwiches or hot dogs or something more substantial. The backlot is at the midpoint of the tour. You finish one building, go out to the backlot, then go to the next building.

Good to know! Thank you!

 

[kristilew]

Best. First. Post. Ever. You just saved us some time and $. I was hating the idea of the time constraints with the tour companies and the cost of taking a cab there and back as an alternative solution We've bought our tix and plan to go on day 2 of our London/Paris ABD which has afternoon/evening on your own. We will take a cab from the Landmark Hotel to Euston Station - Watford Junction and then the WB double decker as you suggested. Thank you for posting this!

Calypso, looks like you could also take the Bakerloo line from Marylebone Station (at the Landmark Hotel) out to Wembley Central and then take the train into Watford Junction. If you are buying a pass that will get you out to that zone anyway, it will be good on the rail as well as the tube. Journey planner gives a total time of 41 minutes, so you may save money on the taxi and not lose any time.

 

[calypso726]

Calypso, looks like you could also take the Bakerloo line from Marylebone Station (at the Landmark Hotel) out to Wembley Central and then take the train into Watford Junction. If you are buying a pass that will get you out to that zone anyway, it will be good on the rail as well as the tube. Journey planner gives a total time of 41 minutes, so you may save money on the taxi and not lose any time.

Thank you for the info. It is very appreciated.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Best. First. Post. Ever. You just saved us some time and $. I was hating the idea of the time constraints with the tour companies and the cost of taking a cab there and back as an alternative solution We've bought our tix and plan to go on day 2 of our London/Paris ABD which has afternoon/evening on your own. We will take a cab from the Landmark Hotel to Euston Station - Watford Junction and then the WB double decker as you suggested. Thank you for posting this!

I'm so glad my post was helpful. And thank you so much for being so thankful (if that makes any sense).

I researched the heck out of my London/Paris trip and am happy to share. I did two pre and one post day so I worked hard to fill the time wisely.

I was actually surprised at the number of people on my ABD tour that had no clue about anything. How could you spend all that $ on an overseas trip and not prepare yourself?

 

[tufbuf]

I'm so glad my post was helpful. And thank you so much for being so thankful (if that makes any sense). I researched the heck out of my London/Paris trip and am happy to share. I did two pre and one post day so I worked hard to fill the time wisely. I was actually surprised at the number of people on my ABD tour that had no clue about anything. How could you spend all that $ on an overseas trip and not prepare yourself?

Yes! You were very helpful!! As well as RSM, who is forever reliable!! Thank you!!

 

[acndis]

I'm so glad my post was helpful. And thank you so much for being so thankful (if that makes any sense).

I researched the heck out of my London/Paris trip and am happy to share. I did two pre and one post day so I worked hard to fill the time wisely.

I was actually surprised at the number of people on my ABD tour that had no clue about anything. How could you spend all that $ on an overseas trip and not prepare yourself?

Rapunzellover,

I actually posted these questions on the London/Paris Meets board but haven't been able to get a response (SayHello was kind enough to respond but the trip has changed too much since she's been).

This is OT for this HP thread but I'll give a go anyway and am happy to move it the conversation back to the Meets thread.

1. On Day 2, I got Phantom tickets through seetickets. Will that work? What time are the ABD activities wrapping up that day?
2. When did folks do the London Eye? How long did it take? My son will not want to miss this!
3. Our free night in Paris is New Year's Eve! Crazy! What time did you get back from Versailles? We are trying to reserve Taillevent and had planned for 8 pm. Will that work?
4. What time was the Arc De Triomphe climb?
5. We had so many optional things in Arizona/Utah more than any other ABD we've had! I loved it but was wondering if there's any of these type of activities on this trip. I don't want to make too many extra plans as my son does not want to spend one minute away from the guides/Junior Adventurers.

Thanks! I can't wait to hear about Calypso's trip, too!

 

[xwewhisper]

Its a great place to go if you're into HP. Being in the Great Hall was trippy.
Took the bus thats associated with the studio tour. Had a little trouble locating the bus stop, as we're not used to the naming/numbering system in Westminster.

We took the Golden Tours bus too and were at the wrong stop at first! They don't explain well

I went in July and it was amazing! I am a big Harry Potter fan so it was no question that I'd go, but was still a little skeptical whether it was worth the price and time. However I was completely blown away!

I booked a bus trip with Golden Tours. The 5pm and 6pm entrance times are discounted. Plus if you stick the trip in your shopping cart and don't checkout, wait a few days and you'll get an additional 5% coupon in your email! (You'll get one reminder email without a coupon and then a second with a coupon a few days later).

The bus tour gives you approx 3.5 hours, we took about 3 hours to see everything. Though I can see how someone could spend more time there. I didn't do the audio your but kind of wished I did.

It sounds like the train option is pretty easy. The downside to the bus is that you can hit traffic and there's no AC. Not usually a problem but we were there during a heat wave and it was like a sauna on there!

We did the evening discounted 5pm tickets and did feel rushed at the end to make it through, but it was quite convenient with them! The heat wasn't bad for us as it was rainy and chilly in August (for this Texas girl!)

Best. First. Post. Ever. You just saved us some time and $. I was hating the idea of the time constraints with the tour companies and the cost of taking a cab there and back as an alternative solution We've bought our tix and plan to go on day 2 of our London/Paris ABD which has afternoon/evening on your own. We will take a cab from the Landmark Hotel to Euston Station - Watford Junction and then the WB double decker as you suggested. Thank you for posting this!

This is the evening we did ours, it was a bit time-crunched but we could have stayed longer as our bus had us leaving before they closed. Enjoy!!

Calypso, looks like you could also take the Bakerloo line from Marylebone Station (at the Landmark Hotel) out to Wembley Central and then take the train into Watford Junction. If you are buying a pass that will get you out to that zone anyway, it will be good on the rail as well as the tube. Journey planner gives a total time of 41 minutes, so you may save money on the taxi and not lose any time.

I was going to mention this, the station is EXTREMELY convenient to the hotel you will be staying at.

Rapunzellover,

I actually posted these questions on the London/Paris Meets board but haven't been able to get a response (SayHello was kind enough to respond but the trip has changed too much since she's been).

This is OT for this HP thread but I'll give a go anyway and am happy to move it the conversation back to the Meets thread.

1. On Day 2, I got Phantom tickets through seetickets. Will that work? What time are the ABD activities wrapping up that day?
2. When did folks do the London Eye? How long did it take? My son will not want to miss this!
3. Our free night in Paris is New Year's Eve! Crazy! What time did you get back from Versailles? We are trying to reserve Taillevent and had planned for 8 pm. Will that work?
4. What time was the Arc De Triomphe climb?
5. We had so many optional things in Arizona/Utah more than any other ABD we've had! I loved it but was wondering if there's any of these type of activities on this trip. I don't want to make too many extra plans as my son does not want to spend one minute away from the guides/Junior Adventurers.

Thanks! I can't wait to hear about Calypso's trip, too!

I will go try to find your questions in the right place and answer them

 

[Rapunzellover]

Rapunzellover,

I actually posted these questions on the London/Paris Meets board but haven't been able to get a response (SayHello was kind enough to respond but the trip has changed too much since she's been).

This is OT for this HP thread but I'll give a go anyway and am happy to move it the conversation back to the Meets thread.

1. On Day 2, I got Phantom tickets through seetickets. Will that work? What time are the ABD activities wrapping up that day?
2. When did folks do the London Eye? How long did it take? My son will not want to miss this!
3. Our free night in Paris is New Year's Eve! Crazy! What time did you get back from Versailles? We are trying to reserve Taillevent and had planned for 8 pm. Will that work?
4. What time was the Arc De Triomphe climb?
5. We had so many optional things in Arizona/Utah more than any other ABD we've had! I loved it but was wondering if there's any of these type of activities on this trip. I don't want to make too many extra plans as my son does not want to spend one minute away from the guides/Junior Adventurers.

Thanks! I can't wait to hear about Calypso's trip, too!

will post answers in the knights/lights meet thread. But it's changed slightly since I went as well.

 

[heatherbelle]

For those visitingLondon it is a very compact city to see on your own. Please don't waste money on expensive tours.

For the. London Eye just make sure you Pre-purchase your tickets on-line one to avoid the queues try and avoid weekend, the same goes for any London attraction really.

Depending upon when you are visiting Buckingham Palace is expensive but well worth the fee. It''so only open July and August.

Excellent post before about how to get out of London to see HP.

If you do one of the Hop on off buses, you usually get a ticket for a free river cruise up to green which, then take the docklands railway back into London to save time and for a unique trip.

 

[Rapunzellover]

For those visitingLondon it is a very compact city to see on your own. Please don't waste money on expensive tours.

For the. London Eye just make sure you Pre-purchase your tickets on-line one to avoid the queues try and avoid weekend, the same goes for any London attraction really.

Depending upon when you are visiting Buckingham Palace is expensive but well worth the fee. It''so only open July and August.

Excellent post before about how to get out of London to see HP.

If you do one of the Hop on off buses, you usually get a ticket for a free river cruise up to green which, then take the docklands railway back into London to save time and for a unique trip.

The thing about tours is they often save you time. And abd gets you special treatment. But I agree london is a super easy city to navigate.

If doing london with abd -- don't buy london eye tickets as they are a part of the package.

The state rooms of buckingham palace are without a doubt worth the money. But book far in advance for them.

 

[kristilew]

The state rooms of buckingham palace are without a doubt worth the money. But book far in advance for them.

A couple of years ago, I managed to snag tix for DD and me when they were also showing off Kate's wedding dress and a model of the wedding cake. That is one tiny woman!

These tickets also included a tour of the Royal Mews, where the carriages and stored and displayed, and some horses are stabled. Very interesting! If you are doing predays during the time the palace is open, I agree, try to tour it!


I also agree with both Rapunzellover AND heatherbelle - London is super easy to do on your own, but, everyone's comfort level and interests are unique. It depends on the kind of trip you're looking for. I've been told Italy (which is our actual ABD, we're just hopping over to London for a few days first) is super easy to do on your own too. But I don't want to think about a single thing on my Christmas vacation except what time to be ready for the next bit of fun.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Oh-- kate's wedding dress! Awesome. I saw the queen coronation robes. Very cool. And the mews are neat.

Personally, I think traveling to a foreign country for the first time you should have someone who knows the ropes, especially for myself as a single gal. I would not use a guided tour for england and france again but abd was my first trip to those countries and I was glad to have them. I will go in may to italy for the first time and I will probably feel the same way.

Ps- even without needing a guided tour one should always have a hotel with a good concierge when traveling anywhere you need a passport or do not speak the main language. That's just good insurance if you get sick or heaven forbid lose your passport/money to a pickpocket! Especially for solo adventurers.

 

[rrali33tt]

I will be in London in two weeks. I forgot to book my HP studio tickets online and i was forced to book through a tour group to get tickets for that day. We have dinner reservations in London I don't want to miss so I needed a morning time slot. Just as an FYI with Golden tours, they allow you to pay an extra $15 to choose a later departure time. This option is only available if you CALL them. It is not available online. So if you would like transportation to/from and book with them you aren't locked in to the 3 hours they give you.

 

[kristilew]

I wanted to share our day going out to the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios, and thank everyone who helped me plan this day. It was great!

So, it’s DH, myself, and DD17. We’ve been to London enough that we’ve done the main tourist stuff, so we were ready to branch out. I would definitely say that for Harry Potter fans, this tour is worth doing even if it’s your first time to London. We learned so much about how films are made in general, and so, so much about all the craft and detail that went into the Harry Potter films. Every minute was fascinating!

We stayed in the Mercure London Paddington Hotel, which is literally right outside Paddington Station. So convenient! We took the Heathrow Express in, walked up the ramp from the station, and there was our hotel. Our plane landed at 7:15 am, and we were checked into to our room, which was ready, by 8:45. I had been a little worried that the location would be noisy, especially since we were on a lower floor, but we were facing an alley and both nights were silent. The room was typically small but comfy (a king bed and a double sofa bed) and the free wifi was fantastic. There were several pubs in the block around the hotel, and fast food in Paddington Station – including a Pret, where we grabbed our morning porridge. The station also had a Boots, which came in handy when we realized we’d failed to pack a few essentials.

The location was really nice for getting around London as Paddington also has a tube station, the entrance to which was right outside the hotel’s front door. To go out to the studios, we took the Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus, switched to the Victoria Line to Euston, then got on the London Midland train to Watford Junction, where there is a shuttle to the studios. (this was the best connection for the time of day we went, ymmv)

We had to buy a travel card that got us out to zone 9, then when we exited at Watford Junction we paid a bit more (about 12 pound for the three of us) that paid for a round trip ticket for the extra distance. We had obviously already used the first half of that, even though we paid at the exit, but this way we could get back without owing anything. The window clerk at the tube station couldn’t sell us that extension. The whole journey took just under an hour, then we waited about 5 minutes for the shuttle bus, which got us to the studios very quickly. DD was thrilled there was wifi on the shuttle.

continued in next post...

 

[kristilew]

When you pull up to the studios, there are some of the big chess pieces out front, from the first movie. That immediately got us all fired up.


We had reserved a 1 pm entrance time and had planned to grab lunch in the café there, off the lobby. This worked well. There was a good variety of hot and cold food, and everything we got was yummy. It was counter service, and there were long tables with benches. Before lunch, we picked up our digital guides (these were ok, not great. Could have done the tour without them, or if you are going alone and have time to click through every bit of info, then they’d be worth it) and the guy helping us told us we didn’t have to wait for our allotted time to enter. Knowing this would have helped me relax a little with the planning , as we were trying to time our arrival to not be late but not too early. Anyway, it all worked out and after lunch we headed in.


Disney had trained us well for the set up – there is a queuing area, then a group is let into a standing room preshow area. There a guide gave a little speech and showed us a bunch of movie posters from all over the world. Then the doors at the far end opened and we went into an auditorium and sat down. (Very much like Muppets at WDW) A screen in front went all the way to the floor and there was a short film featuring the Big 3 actors in front of the doors to the Great Hall. When they slipped inside, the screen rose and there were the doors.


(this is actually a shot of the doors inside the Hall. Outside there was a wreath, but we couldn't get a picture of them before we moved inside)

The guide led us into the Great Hall, which was all decked out for Christmas, and pointed out all the cool stuff, then let us wander for about 15 minutes.


It was so cool! All decorated for Christmas just like in the movies. This is the actual Hall they used for all the filming.


Each table was set up for a different house, with poppers and other things showing that house's mascot. There was a ton of Christmas "food" set out as well. At one point, this pudding was "magically" set alight for a few seconds. And these snowmen whirled around the top of their cake

There were a lot of Christmas trees, all with a little witch actually flying around the top. You can also see in the back ground the counter for the House Cup competition.

continued in next post...

 

[kristilew]

After the Great Hall, we were set loose to tour the rest on our own. There was a huge open area with different sets and displays scattered throughout. Way too much to tell about, but all fantastic. There were video screens at many of the displays with important behind-the-scenes people giving background, and lots of signs with neat information. We wandered around this portion for almost two hours, taking it all in.



There were many costumes on display

Even the sets were decorated for the holidays, such as the Gryffindor common room


and the Weasley's Burrow



At some point, DD found the place where they let you ride on a broomstick in front of a green screen (and of course, purchase the resulting video) so of course we had to get in line for that. It moved very quickly. If you had a group and wanted to all be in the video, you could choose to be in the Ford Anglica, but we were happy to let DD do her own thing.

They gave her a Hogwarts robe, helped her up onto a broomstick, and turned on a wind machine. Then the attendant gave lots of coaching as the broomstick moved up and down, and DD acted like she was flying. It was helpful that while we were in line, we could see the videos that were being recorded in each booth in real time, with the scenery added in. So she knew what she was “flying over” and she had seen that those who hammed it up came out looking a lot better than those who didn't really get it and just looked mildly embarrassed. The video, which of course we bought, on a usb stick, turned out really well. There are several minutes of extra footage from the films and the filmmakers about how they make it all work, then a 60 second video of DD, complete with music, flying through various scenes from the movies. If someone wants to tell me how to upload video here, I’ll be glad to post her segment.


After the video portion, they also took a bunch of still photos, which were also available to purchase. But while they told her which way to turn her head or eyes, they didn’t say what she was supposed to be looking at, so she looked way too happy about the Dark Mark appearing in the sky behind her and we didn’t end up buying any of the photos. I did grab a shot of it when it was displayed on the screen at check out.




From the filming area, we went right into a Disney ride photo style check out, where we decided what to order and were given a claim check to pick it up at the end in the gift shop. Then, on to more studio touring.

continued in next post...

 

[kristilew]

When we were done in the first, giant, soundstage area, we exited onto the back lot, a smallish area enclosed on the sides but open to the sky. Here was the Hogwarts bridge, the Knight bus, the Potter’s house, and the Privet Drive set, plus more chess pieces and a snack stand. A snow machine was set up as we entered, and it was cold enough that day that it took me a minute to realize the snow wasn't real!



We didn't linger here too long because it was so chilly, and headed on into the second part of the tour, which was more like walking along a set path than just wandering around at will. Here is where we got tons of details about the special effect make up and the creatures in the film. There was a neat exhibit about Buckbeak and how he operated.



There was a whole room about how buildings for the film were developed, and all the white paper models they used were on display. There was another room about the art that has been inspired by the movies. I was disappointed that there weren’t posters of all the art available in the gift shop – some of it was definitely “wall worthy” for my house!

Then we walked through Diagon Alley. The audio guide said this was almost a "hot set" ready for filming. It was pretty cool.




The final room was the giant model of Hogwarts, used for all the exterior shots in the movies. It was breathtaking! They had covered it in “snow” and we were able to walk all around it on a ramp that started on an upper level and wound down around the castle.


The lighting kept changing, giving the castle different looks.


The attention to detail was amazing.



Of course, like Disney, we exited into the gift shop. Where you could buy anything at all to do with Harry Potter. We looked at everything, and were sorely tempted by a few items, but ended up leaving with just DD’s flying video and lots of happy memories. The shuttle was waiting for us outside, and we reversed our journey back into London.


So grateful for everyone who gave me advice on this day. It was magical!

 

[Rapunzellover]

Sounds like an awesome time! Did you get any butterbeer in the outdoor area? So yummy!

 

[sayhello]

Wonderful! The Christmas touches look really, really great! And they didn't have the Buckbeak exhibit when I was there. That looks neat, too!

I just wanted to mention that the reason they weren't strict about the entry times was probably because you were there in the off-season. When I went in August, they were VERY strict about the times. They checked times getting in the line, and when you went into the pre-area with the posters. I just don't want folks to think it's always like what you experienced.

I don't think the chess pieces were out front when I went. That looks way cool!

Thanks for reporting back!

Sayhello

ETA: You can post videos just like you post photos. Upload them to photobucket, get the link, and put it in the popup for the photo link. You get a Thumbnail that, when clicked, takes the person to your video on photobucket. I've done it many times. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd *love* to see your daughter's video!