Harry Potter- Wizarding World FAQ

[Jays2013]

We are on-site. Royal Pacific.

 

[Ginya]

Will be at Universal in 2 weeks at end of WDW trip. Mainly going as DS is a huge minion/DM fan. He is 6 and too small for many rides & has no idea who HP is. That said, if not super crowded, I would like to see some HP stuff. Which part is 'can't miss?'

My mom is a HP fan & I would love to get her a great souvenir. Are the wands anything special without the interactive stuff in the park? Can you buy one or does it have to 'pick' you. No idea how it works. Any other ideas for a unique souvenir?

I think the souvenir my daughter bought would be nice for your mum. She bought a time turner. The magical necklace Hermione wore in the films? It is fairly large pendant on a chain and it came in a beautiful resin display case with a mirrored back.

 

[NYHeel]

Mickeyluv'r, that's what happened to DS. First CM said yes, second said no. Tears ensued. Required retail therapy to remedy while older cousin rode EE. He still keeps asking if I'm sure he'll be able to ride EE this time. Won't make that mistake again. I know he's not 48" (measure at Dr two weeks ago) so we won't try.
Thanks again Andre & Mickeyluv'r

If he's 47.5 inches then he's tall enough. I'm assuming the doctor measured him without shoes and all shoes add at least a half an inch. Why don't you measure him in shoes or sneakers and see what you get.

 

[Peezle]

SINGLE RIDER LINES: I have a daughter who will be at UO next week and she asked me to help her with trip planning. I've never been to UO, nor has she. I will definitely be telling her to take advantage of single rider lines when queue times get ridiculous. I've scoured the UO website but don't see a list of attractions that offer single rider lines. Is there a list hiding on the website that someone can point me to or does anyone know how many of the rides offer a single rider line?

 

[DisneyFreak06]

SINGLE RIDER LINES: I have a daughter who will be at UO next week and she asked me to help her with trip planning. I've never been to UO, nor has she. I will definitely be telling her to take advantage of single rider lines when queue times get ridiculous. I've scoured the UO website but don't see a list of attractions that offer single rider lines. Is there a list hiding on the website that someone can point me to or does anyone know how many of the rides offer a single rider line?

I'm not a pro at all, but I remember SR at a few rides: Gringotts, Men in Black, Rip Ride Rocket, Transformers (although I didn't need it when I went), Dr. Doom's FearFall and Forbidden Journey. There could be others, but I do recall these ones for sure.

 

[Peezle]

I'm not a pro at all, but I remember SR at a few rides: Gringotts, Men in Black, Rip Ride Rocket, Transformers (although I didn't need it when I went), Dr. Doom's FearFall and Forbidden Journey. There could be others, but I do recall these ones for sure.

Thank you, DisneyFreak06. I may just have to piece my list together. If I ever feel like I have a complete list, I'll post it for others.

 

[DisneyFreak06]

I just googled, and according to touring plans:

Universal Studios Florida

• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
• MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
• Revenge of the Mummy
• Transformers: The Ride 3-D

Islands of Adventure

• The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man
• Dr. Doom's Fearfall
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

 

[HarryLetters]

I would like to just say that some people have been giving their tickets or season passes with my custom Acceptance Letters for Christmas, and I thought it was such a neat Idea that I headed over here to post about it for the rest of you fans who may be leaving soon yourselves! https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/HarryPotterLetters/ I would have loved to get my tickets this way especially as a kiddo! I change the dates out in the letter to reflect the departure dates and also add, "term begins at Universal Studios," or, "at the Wizarding World in Orlando. Whatever you come up with! Potterheads are such a creative bunch! Thanks for letting me spam in here, hope its not too taboo. I'm a fellow potterhead and Universal lover, just started my own store to cater to those waiting on their Acceptance Letter!!

 

[nestmom]

Mickeyluv'r, that's what happened to DS. First CM said yes, second said no. Tears ensued. Required retail therapy to remedy while older cousin rode EE. He still keeps asking if I'm sure he'll be able to ride EE this time. Won't make that mistake again. I know he's not 48" (measure at Dr two weeks ago) so we won't try.
Thanks again Andre & Mickeyluv'r

Maybe with shoes he's 1 inch higher?

 

[tarak]

My toddler loves the few roller coasters she's been on. At almost-four, she still might not make it on the mine train ride at MK. We'll be at US for three days over MLK weekend and I know many rides won't work, including one in Seuss land. She does have a pair of hot-pink combat boots that she adores and they might just put her over-the-top for us.

I would have thought that 1/2 inch might be corrected by the right footwear without you having to do anything abnormal (they don't mind regular shoes, but platforms and stilts might be frowned upon... ). You can ask for him to be measured before you join the queue (although be aware of the comments above, which should not happen but you can never know for sure). But at least he'll definitely be able to do several of the rides, and they are great fun and very involving whether or not he likes the Harry Potter stories (in the same way that Spiderman and Transformers are fun even if you have not seen the films).

The active wands (the $50 ones that you can use around the park as mentioned above) are fun too, rather like the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game but with a bit more of a skill element. The prop replica wands are non-active and cheaper, sold as souvenir collectibles rather than activities. I have <cough> one or two displayed on my wall here.

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Have a great time at POR too.

Andre

My kids love Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. They seem more excited about the interactive wands than the rides at the park.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

I need some advice. Next Dec we are taking our son and his girlfriend to Disney (she's never been) but she is a huge Harry Potter fan and would love to do a day at Universal. It appears we would need passes for both parks to ride the train. Any advice would be much appreciated. TIA.

 

[andrewilley]

I need some advice. Next Dec we are taking our son and his girlfriend to Disney (she's never been) but she is a huge Harry Potter fan and would love to do a day at Universal. It appears we would need passes for both parks to ride the train. Any advice would be much appreciated. TIA.

Yes, you do need a park-to-park ticket in order to visit both parts of the Wizarding World (which are connected via the Hogwarts Express train). Universal are not stupid.

We did the same as you plan to do and bought an (expensive!) one-day hopper ticket, basically in order to just do all of the Harry Potter attractions. We did manage to do some other Universal stuff too, but as far as we were concerned we had already justified the cost so anything else was just a bonus anyway.

I would suggest arriving at the parking lot about one hour before the stated park opening time, and head for whichever of the two parks does not currently have early access hotel guests (if possible) as the best strategy.

Andre

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Yes, you do need a park-to-park ticket in order to visit both parts of the Wizarding World (which are connected via the Hogwarts Express train). Universal are not stupid.

We did the same as you plan to do and bought an (expensive!) one-day hopper ticket, basically in order to just do all of the Harry Potter attractions. We did manage to do some other Universal stuff too, but as far as we were concerned we had already justified the cost so anything else was just a bonus anyway.

I would suggest arriving at the parking lot about one hour before the stated park opening time, and head for whichever of the two parks does not currently have early access hotel guests (if possible) as the best strategy.

Andre

Thanks

 

[acbshada]

I would suggest arriving at the parking lot about one hour before the stated park opening time, and head for whichever of the two parks does not currently have early access hotel guests (if possible) as the best strategy.

Thank you for the tips, Andre. Quick question for you - is there a way to tell which of the two parks is offering early access for their hotel guests? I've done a few internet searches, but it doesn't seem to be an easy thing to find.

 

[andrewilley]

Quick question for you - is there a way to tell which of the two parks is offering early access for their hotel guests? I've done a few internet searches, but it doesn't seem to be an easy thing to find.

I found it hard to be certain too, it's not widely advertised at all. When we went they had just switched from both parks offering early-entry to only IoA offering it. I think Touringplans.com had the information but even they stated it can change at any time.

Andre

 

[acbshada]

I found it hard to be certain too, it's not widely advertised at all. When we went they had just switched from both parks offering early-entry to only IoA offering it. I think Touringplans.com had the information but even they stated it can change at any time.

Thank you! I'll make sure I check out Touringplans and see what I can find out. Otherwise, I'll keep my fingers crossed for the best.

 

[Melanie1437]

We just booked a 3 night trip at Cabana bay and 3 days park to park...as a suprise for our daughters upcoming 5th birthday. She loves harry potter and is really wanting a wand. We will be going to Universal just before her birthday and coming back in time for her party. Our trip is at the beginning of Feb. Any ideas on the best way to suprise her? I was thinking about a HP acceptance letter the night before (but would it need to say coming for a visit, because at her age she seriously believes) or maybe wrapping an empty wand shapped box that only has a note about going to pick out her own wand... but I'm not sure...Ideas anyone?

 

[andrewilley]

Any ideas on the best way to suprise her? I was thinking about a HP acceptance letter the night before (but would it need to say coming for a visit, because at her age she seriously believes)

Sounds like a great idea! There are sites online to create letters (e.g. http://photofunia.com/effects/hogwarts_letter) but they all have the standard book wording "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" which you may want to alter a bit in case she thinks she'll be able to go there for the next seven years. You might want to change it to "... invited for a special visit to ..." instead. There are some great tips online for making your own letters, I found http://www.instructables.com/id/Hogwarts-Acceptance-Letter-w-Wax-Seal/ which looks realty nice. Just choose a nice old-style font and create the text on your computer following as much of the layout from the film letter as possible, ideally with a nice vector outline image of a crest if you can find one online (this one doesn't look too bad: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Hogwarts_coat_of_arms_lines.svg, or you could look for a decent quality bitmap scanned image too). Good luck!

Andre

 

[Amsonia]

Oh how fun. You will have as much fun planning the surprise as your daughter will in getting it. I did see a thread somewhere where a woman was going to take her child through Diagon Alley and pretend they were shopping for school--if you are only going for a visit you might need to adjust that idea . I saw a lot of kids in robes and they are supposed to be quite easy to make, adding wand pockets, etc with some websites even showing how to do it from a man's XXL Tshirt depending on the size of your little one.

 

[pooh2001]

Harry Potter World Park does anyone think they will add merchandise from the movie Fantastic Beast movie ?
Could the products also be available in stores and online?