How many hours does it take to do IOA ?

[marriedmarylander]

On a Saturday in mid-May (non holiday weekend).

 

[robvia]

Mid May is just before most schools get out, crowds should be light, but it is a Saturday. Arrive early, and you can take one lap around the park in 3 hours hitting the major thrill rides. Then go to lunch and do things you missed. Most arrive at 11am, the parking garage opens at 8am, be there when it does.

 

[marriedmarylander]

Only 3 hours?

 

[Jamesbyr]

I dropped my teenaged kids off there at 8:30 AM on a Sunday (Presidents weekend) and by 3:30 they had sone everything TWICE and were calling to be picked up.

 

[marriedmarylander]

This is making me think we can do IOA and Universal Studios in one day...

 

[maui2k5]

I am also thinking that both parks can be done in one day. I will be going to WDW Sept 22-Oct 1 with my GF and plan on 1 day at Universal/IOA (probably a Tuesday) and one day at Sea World (probably Wednesday). After looking at the attractions at IOA and being it will be a slow time of year, I think it is very feasible to do IOA and Universal in one day. Granted we may not see everything, but I have been to Universal several times so that would get less attention than IOA. I am also thinking about buying the 3 Day Hopper pass for $122 from ticketmania.com that do not expire (well - I think it actually expires in 20 yrs based on what the call center at Universal told me). I will just save the two days for another trip...

 

[marriedmarylander]

I am also thinking that both parks can be done in one day. I will be going to WDW Sept 22-Oct 1 with my GF and plan on 1 day at Universal/IOA (probably a Tuesday) and one day at Sea World (probably Wednesday). After looking at the attractions at IOA and being it will be a slow time of year, I think it is very feasible to do IOA and Universal in one day. Granted we may not see everything, but I have been to Universal several times so that would get less attention than IOA. I am also thinking about buying the 3 Day Hopper pass for $122 from ticketmania.com that do not expire (well - I think it actually expires in 20 yrs based on what the call center at Universal told me). I will just save the two days for another trip...

That's a good idea bout the 3-day tickets... although I'm not sure if we'll go back anytime soon... we might loose the tickets through the years... We'll have to see.

 

[JessicaR]

Dont you think how many hours to "do IOA" is speculative? I would think many people tour the parks differently. Does doing the parks just mean the major rides/attractions? Not taking the time out to really "see" the park? Over the years reading here I find the difference between a florida resident touring the parks and a person visiting that gets to see if if they are lucky once a year to be drastically different. So...is it just me that takes their time and doesnt rush from ride to ride to be able to do the park in a certain matter of time...and anyway curious, why you would want to?

 

[Motherfletcher]

Jess is right. robvia and I are theme park commandos. We get there at opening and hit everything before the masses show up. When the masses show up we leave and chill back at the hotel to return later. The problem with doing both parks is those attractions that build queues early. If you go to IOA the Hulk, Spidey, Dr. Doom need to be done early. At USO Shrek, Mummy, Jimmy Nuetron need to be done early because by about 11 the lines are more than I am willing wait for. You could do IOA early and go to USO about 4 hours before they close?

 

[maui2k5]

Jess is right. robvia and I are theme park commandos. We get there at opening and hit everything before the masses show up. When the masses show up we leave and chill back at the hotel to return later. The problem with doing both parks is those attractions that build queues early. If you go to IOA the Hulk, Spidey, Dr. Doom need to be done early. At USO Shrek, Mummy, Jimmy Nuetron need to be done early because by about 11 the lines are more than I am willing wait for. You could do IOA early and go to USO about 4 hours before they close?

I realize that I will not likely be able to see everything, but for example - my girlfriend and I recently went to Six Flags over Texas and were done with the major attractions in less than 2 hours. Granted there is not as much to see at Six Flags as either IOA or Universal, but my point is we will mainly want to get a good taste of the parks and will visit them again down the road. If we are able to see all the big things then we would both be pretty happy with that. IOA would likely be the 1st park to go to and being that it would be late Sept on a weekday, I would imagine the crowds would be fairly light. Last year when I was in Universal Hollywood in early September, the crowds were non existant and all the rides were walk on. Hopefully this will be the case in late Sept at IOA and Universal so we can see as much as possible in one day.

If we do not do both IOA and Universal in one day and take a day each, then we would not have time to do Sea World which I definitely want to go to with my GF. I would rather see the big things at each park then only see one...

 

[marriedmarylander]

By "do IOA" I guess I mean do all the roller coasters on a weekday (Friday).

 

[Motherfletcher]

By "do IOA" I guess I mean do all the roller coasters on a weekday (Friday).

Who's "do"? I'm getting a little mixed up between threads? Friday would be better than Saturday. We are able experience all of IOA's thrill attractions by 11 even on a busy peak day like between Christmas and New Year's.
Another strategy we used, since Shrek is the biggest obstacle, is queue up for Shrek at about 3 minutes before closing. The wait was close to an hour but when it let out the park was cleared out and kind of a nice time to lolligag.
Average annual daily attendence at IOA is about 17,000. So crowded to me is more than that.

 

[Sunkissed]

So, allotting a day for each park (only 2 adults) in early Dec. would be a waste of time and money?

 

[johnvree]

Don't rush this park. It is rich in detail and very well themed. You will miss a lot if you simply run from attraction to attraction.

 

[Motherfletcher]

So, allotting a day for each park (only 2 adults) in early Dec. would be a waste of time and money?

No. I think you will want to stop and smell the roses in Dec. It will be less crowded and you can easily spend a day in each park to see it all.