Harry Potter World in one day with express pass?

[mercuryvenus]

I’ve been a Harry Potter fan since the books first came out, but haven’t ever made it to Harry Potter world. The husband has, but I want to drag him along as an add-on to one of the WDW trips we have coming up.

Could we get through everything at Harry Potter world in one day if we bought the express pass? My priority is to go on the rides, but I’d also like some time to see the shops. I know you have to buy a ticket to both sides of Universal (ugh) and pricing it out is somewhat nauseating ($620 for tickets and the express pass for two people). It would definitely be a one-time splurge, given the massive price tag.

But anyway — is one day feasible? Looks like the parks are typically open from 9am-9/10pm. We’d look to rope drop and then just keep going until we get through everything.

Thanks!!

 

[MrKnight]

Yes both are definitely doable in one day, and IMO, I don't think an express pass is necessary if you are just doing those two lands, the express pass is only worth the value if you plan on using it for the entire park, not just one land. You will more than likely have plenty of time left over after having seen both lands and you can explore the remainder of the parks into the evening and enjoy the nighttime entertainment.

 

[jimmymc]

Yes it is. Express Pass works on all attractions except Hagrid's, so maybe do that one early in the day. The only other line you would have to wait in is Olivanders, which is about 45 to 60 minutes. If you just want a wand and don't care about it choosing you, you can buy the wands of famous characters elsewhere in the park.

 

[mercuryvenus]

Yes both are definitely doable in one day, and IMO, I don't think an express pass is necessary if you are just doing those two lands, the express pass is only worth the value if you plan on using it for the entire park, not just one land. You will more than likely have plenty of time left over after having seen both lands and you can explore the remainder of the parks into the evening and enjoy the nighttime entertainment.

Thank you! After I posted, I also learned that they do a virtual line thing … is that like fast pass, where you get to go into a faster line during your return window?

Looks like the only Harry Potter ride that doesn’t take it is Hogswarts Express. So I agree that getting the express pass probably isn’t worth it, assuming it’s relatively easy to get a virtual line spot for the other rides.

 

[Pooh's World]

I’ve been a Harry Potter fan since the books first came out, but haven’t ever made it to Harry Potter world. The husband has, but I want to drag him along as an add-on to one of the WDW trips we have coming up.

Could we get through everything at Harry Potter world in one day if we bought the express pass? My priority is to go on the rides, but I’d also like some time to see the shops. I know you have to buy a ticket to both sides of Universal (ugh) and pricing it out is somewhat nauseating ($620 for tickets and the express pass for two people). It would definitely be a one-time splurge, given the massive price tag.

But anyway — is one day feasible? Looks like the parks are typically open from 9am-9/10pm. We’d look to rope drop and then just keep going until we get through everything.

Thanks!!

For $620 you could basically get 2 annual passes.
And then you could take in Harry Potter more leisurely.

Seems dumb to spend $620 on tickets for 1 day as opposed to 300+ days.

 

[HopperFan]

Was just there, if you get there early and go straight for Hagrids, you should be fine. We waited in no line at Olivanders, train fluxed 20-60 minutes. Hagrid virtual only - no walk up line. They were testing online virtual queue. Gringotts and Forbidden were both reasonable waits. We ate in Leaky Cauldron. Shops were easy to explore.

 

[Lisse24]

Agree with what others have said, if you plan a full day and ONLY want the Harry Potter stuff, there's no need for Express Pass. Of course, it can make your vacation a bit more enjoyable and will give you more time for walking around and shopping. Still, unless you're going during a really busy time of year, it's not going to save you THAT much time.

(Also: Do Hogwarts Express in both directions - it's a different experience each time).

 

[mercuryvenus]

Agree with what others have said, if you plan a full day and ONLY want the Harry Potter stuff, there's no need for Express Pass. Of course, it can make your vacation a bit more enjoyable and will give you more time for walking around and shopping. Still, unless you're going during a really busy time of year, it's not going to save you THAT much time.

(Also: Do Hogwarts Express in both directions - it's a different experience each time).

Thanks! We’d be adding on a day to our Disney trip in early November, so not a peak time. We’ll be at Disney with family members who don’t care about Harry Potter, but might enjoy other parts of Universal, so we may just see if everyone wants to do a Universal day, and then just split up based on what people are interested in.

 

[Belle1962]

Price one of universals premier hotels. They include unlimited express pass. We used to just plan universal for our last night and switch hotels. You get two days of express pass got one night at the hotel (checkin and checkout day).

 

[CAPSLOCK]

1. I agree, 2 adults don't require Express Passes to just do the HP areas. You can also take advantage of single rider lines for re-rides. Definitely do Gringotts first through the actual queue, single rider lines takes out all the setup and preshow.

2. The Hogwarts Express definitely DOES take EP if you get it. And will likely be your longest wait. But it's a nice ride and worth doing.

 

[georgina]

Thank you! After I posted, I also learned that they do a virtual line thing … is that like fast pass, where you get to go into a faster line during your return window?

Looks like the only Harry Potter ride that doesn’t take it is Hogswarts Express. So I agree that getting the express pass probably isn’t worth it, assuming it’s relatively easy to get a virtual line spot for the other rides.

Right now only Hagrid's is using the virtual queue I think. The other Harry Potter things are not. Adding to what Capslock said, do not do single rider for Forbiden Journey either or you will miss all the castle.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thank you! After I posted, I also learned that they do a virtual line thing … is that like fast pass, where you get to go into a faster line during your return window?

Looks like the only Harry Potter ride that doesn’t take it is Hogswarts Express. So I agree that getting the express pass probably isn’t worth it, assuming it’s relatively easy to get a virtual line spot for the other rides.

The only HP ride that has a virtual line is Hagrids which is the only one that doesn’t honor express pass. Unless things have changed recently.

 

[mercuryvenus]

The only HP ride that has a virtual line is Hagrids which is the only one that doesn’t honor express pass. Unless things have changed recently.

So according to this article, nearly all the HP rides have virtual line, but they say Universal adds/removes virtual line options for the rides based on crowd flow.

https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/virtual-lines/

 

[Pooh's World]

The only HP ride that has a virtual line is Hagrids which is the only one that doesn’t honor express pass. Unless things have changed recently.

But virtual Hagrid line is a walkon now once you get your queue time. So if this was your first time, it would be annoying to have to rush through the whole themed walkthrough.

 

[Erica Ladd]

So according to this article, nearly all the HP rides have virtual line, but they say Universal adds/removes virtual line options for the rides based on crowd flow.

https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/virtual-lines/

Ok. Read the article. Our 2 most recent trips I NEVER saw any HP rides come up on VL and only saw a few of the others pop up either. (February and April 2021). I’m sure that’s changed with increased capacity but VL is not guaranteed like EP is (except Hagrids fir HP rides). Something to consider for a one day trip…

 

[Pooh's World]

Ok. Read the article. Our 2 most recent trips I NEVER saw any HP rides come up on VL and only saw a few of the others pop up either. (February and April 2021). I’m sure that’s changed with increased capacity but VL is not guaranteed like EP is (except Hagrids fir HP rides). Something to consider for a one day trip…

That was a different virtual line system (Feb/April) then the one they are currently testing (July)

The goal of the new virtual line system seems to be to make all rides walk on so that the guests are not trapped in the queue for long periods of time (where they cannot spend money)

 

[Erica Ladd]

That was a different virtual line system (Feb/April) then the one they are currently testing (July)

The goal of the new virtual line system seems to be to make all rides walk on so that the guests are not trapped in the queue for long periods of time (where they cannot spend money)

Yes I know it’s a new VL system for Hagrids. I haven’t heard them testing it for any other rides than Hagrids yet. Are they? Or will they start soon? Is there a timeline?

 

[Erica Ladd]

And I appreciate any current info - we return in September and I want to know all about how to do everything!

 

[mercuryvenus]

Ok guys, so now I’m really confused. Should we get the express pass? I don’t want To spend the money on park tickets and miss rides — especially Hagrids.

 

[Pooh's World]

Ok guys, so now I’m really confused. Should we get the express pass? I don’t want To spend the money on park tickets and miss rides — especially Hagrids.

Since you are a Harry Potter fan, I wouldn't get the express pass because you would miss too much. Even King's Cross station the express pass bypasses alot of the queue.

Honestly, I would see if you can do everything in one day but leave an extra day open in case you need two days. You can also upgrade from a one day ticket to an annual pass if you need to use the 2nd day.

Even the Forbidden Journey Castle ride sometimes the line is short so there would be a tendency to walk too fast and miss all the cool rooms in the castle starting with the greenhouse. But you want to take your time and look at everything. That ride also has a single rider line which bypasses alot of the rooms and goes straight to the ride but I don't recommend missing all the rooms and hallways on your first visit.