Hogsmeade vs. Diagon Alley

[KSR0330]

We're going to Universal and IofA during the Feb. holiday week. I planned our trips to US and IofA for the Saturday and Wednesday. According to crowd calendars, Sat will be very busy and Wed will be lighter.

How do Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley compare? Can you comment on which would be better to do on a very busy day and which would be better to do on the busy, but less busy day, both in terms of rides and shops?

Thanks!

 

[ladybugx]

Both are a bit of a nightmare to navigate when crowded, unfortunately. I didn't get to look around the shops and overall scenery nearly as thoroughly as I would have liked because there were always just SO MANY PEOPLE packed into every bit of space. That said, Diagon Alley is both the better of the two lands and the more popular, so I would say hit Diagon Alley on the less busy day.

Hogsmeade is smaller and therefore can fit less people, but I personally think Diagon Alley is just way more worth seeing and enjoying as thoroughly as you can. Plus, because they built the Diagon Alley buildings so tall so that you can't see anything besides Diagon Alley while you're in it, I find that being in there can begin to feel a bit claustrophobic after a while...it's worse when you are completely surrounded by people every which way you look.

 

[johde]

First of all, because of the Hogwarts Express and the closeness of the parks, I normally recommend getting Park to Park tickets. And, because of that, I'd recommend hitting both HP areas both days. Assuming you're talking about President's Day and the Wednesday after, Saturday the 14th is the 2nd weekend of Mardi Gras. Jesse J will have a free concert on the Universal Stage at park closing and a Mardi Gras parade.

On Saturday, I'd start at USF at Rope Drop, in quick succession hit Despicable Me, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, Simpsons and Men in Black as you work your way the long way around the park to Diagon Alley. At this point, check as see if Gringotts is running and has a reasonable line. I'd say if the line is under 45 minutes definitely get in line. They normally overestimate the queue length to account for potential ride resets. As long as the line is undercover in the extended queue out back you should be OK. I would spend time exploring Diagon Alley until 11:00 or a little after. Seeing Celestina Warback or one of the Tales of Beetle the Bard. From there, take Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmead. Ride Dragon Challenge (twice if you like roller coasters as the 2 sides are different). If your group is comfortable splitting up, you could ride Forbidden Journey in the Single Rider Line (possible combined with the Castle Tour to the the theming in the line). From there I'd probably each lunch at 3 Broom Sticks, then make a loop around IOA. Assuming you want to see the Mardi Gras festivities, I'd then ride the HE back over to USF and catch a couple of rides and shows while waiting for the parade and concert.

On Wednesday, I'd start at IOA, Hit Hulk, and Spiderman before making a beeline to Hogmead for Forbidden Journey if you want to take the regular line. Otherwise, use Wednesday and the lower crowds to catch the rides you decided had too long of a wait on Saturday.

 

[KSR0330]

Thank you both for the advice!

Jeremy, do you know about what time the parade is?

 

[johde]

The information I saw on Orlando Informer is that the Mardi Gras Parade is 45 minutes before the Concert. So, I would guess sometime around 8:00 p.m.

 

[goddesserika18]

Loved Dragon alley

 

[iZon]

Is the train worth it? I've been to Hogesmeade twice and am really going next week for Diagon Alley. The extra $40 for a one day park-to-park ticket would really just be for the train. Thanks.

 

[nkereina]

Tough call. We visited both in November. We felt that Hogsmeade was generally more crowded - not only because of the way it felt, but the wait for Hogwarts Express coming from Hogsmeade going to Diagon Alley was generally 20-30 minutes longer than going from DA to Hogsmeade. So, Diagon Alley was more pleasant to stroll through and less crowded feeling. That being said, Hogsmeade has more rides so you want to try to tackle those on a less crowded day or at least first thing in the morning for minimal wait. Gringott's is the only ride in DA (other than Hogwarts Express), but you can do Gringott's single rider which moves fast most of the day.

 

[Loki0panda]

I think trying both parks with the hopper is really worth it. The Hogwarts express really is amazing, and it was nice to switch from one to the other park whenever we wanted to. I would say get the hopper.