Help me get to Harry Potter on time!

[grover]

Wondering how much time to give ourselves for our drive to US/IOA from POR?
We will have our own car, going to these parks on a Tuesday & Thursday.

Want to be there for opening at 9am (but I hear sometimes they let people in early?)..helloooo Harry Potter!!

What time should we leave POR in order to accommodate for the drive/parking/walk from the parkade so that we are at the turnstiles prior to park opening??

 

[goofy4tink]

Leave your resort by 8am. It takes about 30 mins to drive, then figure on a few minutes to park, then 15 or so to walk over to IoA front gates. If they allow non-resort guests to get in early, it won't be much before 8:45 or so.

 

[Jestocost]

Leave your resort by 8am. It takes about 30 mins to drive, then figure on a few minutes to park, then 15 or so to walk over to IoA front gates. If they allow non-resort guests to get in early, it won't be much before 8:45 or so.

Agreed. But be aware that guests at the three onsite US/IOA resorts do get into WWoHP an hour before the park is open to the general public. As a result, there are liable to be a fair number of people in WWoHP before you get there and lines already will have formed. Nothing you can do about it short of moving to a US/IOA resort for the night, but be prepared.

 

[dudspizza]

Agreed. But be aware that guests at the three onsite US/IOA resorts do get into WWoHP an hour before the park is open to the general public. As a result, there are liable to be a fair number of people in WWoHP before you get there and lines already will have formed. Nothing you can do about it short of moving to a US/IOA resort for the night, but be prepared.

and EVERYONE heads straight there. In March, we went there as soon as we were allowed and Harry Potter was already full to capacity. We had to wait for a pass to get in later in the day. Once in, it was horrible in there (the people, not the area). It was so packed you could barely move. That said, it was really, really cool.

duds

 

[grover]

Leave your resort by 8am. It takes about 30 mins to drive, then figure on a few minutes to park, then 15 or so to walk over to IoA front gates. If they allow non-resort guests to get in early, it won't be much before 8:45 or so.

sounds good..thanks!

 

[grover]

Agreed. But be aware that guests at the three onsite US/IOA resorts do get into WWoHP an hour before the park is open to the general public. As a result, there are liable to be a fair number of people in WWoHP before you get there and lines already will have formed. Nothing you can do about it short of moving to a US/IOA resort for the night, but be prepared.

Yep..knew about that..that is why I want to make sure I am in the park before it gets real crazy with all the regular guests coming in!

 

[Jestocost]

Yep..knew about that..that is why I want to make sure I am in the park before it gets real crazy with all the regular guests coming in!

It can happen fast, too. We stayed onsite at US/IOA over spring break and went in to WWoHP as soon as it opened for onsite guests. We spent maybe a little over two hours there and as we were leaving to head into IOA they already were warning us that we'd have to get a ticket with a return time later in the day if we wanted to come back.

 

[Lewisc]

It's not just guests staying onsite. Guests who book a package through Universal can stay at a "partner" hotel. The package includes breakfast at the 3 Broomsticks and early admission to HP.

The HP section of IoA might be real crazy, even if you get to the park at regular opening.