Harry Potter Touring Plan ??

[fitzperry]

Heading to Orlando for a cheer competition later this week and my 16yo daughter and I (and possibly my husband and 13yo daughter) plan to spend Friday at Universal, primarily HP. We toured Hogsmeade in 2011, so we'd prefer to start with Diagon Alley. However, my quick research indicates early entry will be available for Diagon Alley but not Hogsmeade. Since we will not be staying on site and, therefore, can't do early entry, would it be smarter to start in Hogsmeade? I'm concerned the crowds in Diagon Alley will be crazy before we can enter (we do plan to be there at park opening).

Any other tips you'd care to share? We are Disney regulars, but have only been to Universal the one time and spent almost the entire day in Hogsmeade. I doubt we'll do a ton of shopping but definitely want to hit all the rides and soak up the atmosphere as much as possible.

 

[macraven]

With spring break period, you will see lines at both places

Start where you wish

 

[bchbetha]

If you go first thing in the AM (like aim to be at the park 15-30 minutes prior to opening, at least, if you can), you'll still get a lot done regardless of where you start. I found people with that extra resort hour took their time getting to Diagon Alley and it didn't really get busy until 11am. I just don't think DA will be crazy. However, DA can handle a crowd better than Hogsmeade, which can be pretty packed midday (like hard to walk- lines were never terrible though). Consider too that the evenings are *great* times to explore the HP areas! They feel especially magical in the evening and night. Plus, the crowds thin out. So, early morning is not going to be your only opportunity for atmosphere and shorter lines.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I agree with the posts above. I would just reiterate that you should go to the HP sections at night since they are so pretty and the crowds may have thinned out by then. I would plan to get in the entry line 30 minutes early to get a head start.....we were there Jan 8-12 and thought there would be light crowds....we were wrong Even with early entry the Gringotts line was loong ...sigh...but worth it!