How to handle switching parks?

jbrinkm

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
My family has 3 full days allotted to Universal at the end of August. This will be our first time visiting. I've been reading guides and posts and still can't seem to figure out how to best handle arranging our days, given that the Hogwarts Express takes you to a different park than the one you started from... We enjoy Harry Potter and want to do the full H.P. experience - and also everything else in the parks. My kids are 12 and 14 and we really enjoy everything - roller coasters, shows, food, experiences, simple rides, etc. We're staying at Hard Rock so we'll have the early admission and express passes. I'm also using Touring Plans* to help streamline our trip so we can try to have a little down time (pool/rest) in the afternoons since it will be so hot. If we have an extra half day, I'd also love to pop over to Volcano Bay but not at the expense of missing something in the parks.

So given that background, here are my questions:
1. Do people with park-to-park passes typically do the whole Harry Potter experience all together, across both parks? Or do they typically do Harry Potter early as part of one park, do other stuff in that same park for a while, and then take the Hogwarts Express later in the day? And then back again right away? This sounds cool - but maybe doesn't take advantage of the perks we'll have? Should we try to ride the train just before our afternoon break when we're heading back to the hotel for a bit? Or at the end of the day? When is the best time to do the Hogwarts Express? Also, we'll want to do it both ways to get both experiences...
2. For those who stick mostly with one park for a full day, which one did you do first? Were you happy you did that one first?
3. Which rides are most important to do first/early in each park (long lines and/or no EP)? Will we need three mornings to avoid long lines by doing those rides early or would two mornings cover most of those rides?

*Touring Plans will help me figure out the best order to do things in one park, but I need to know which rides/experiences to enter into each day. So for day one, I have to state which park and which rides, same for day two and three.

Thanks for any help!
 
The main difference between a Disney vacation and a Universal vacation....
no need to overthink it or plan months in advance!

Staying at the Hard Rock gives you a huge advantage with EP and early admission.
Geographically, you are mere minutes from the parks.

My advice, go with the flow and enjoy!
 
The only rides that timing should matter significantly since you have EP would be Hagrids and Velocicoaster (when it opens), since these both don't have EP.
The other timing to consider would be water rides - Jurassic Park gets you sprayed/spritzed, but Dudley log flume and Popeye barges will get you absolutely soaked. So I'd recommend hitting those two rides a few times right before heading back to the hotel for a break or a swim. (JP you can hit any time, you dry reasonably fast after it).

Honestly, I don't think you need to use Touring Plans with the EP. You can literally walk up to whichever ride you're passing and hop in line - the EP lines should be under 10min unless it is a crazy busy day. Except for the Hogwarts Express, which does get a somewhat longer wait due to the social distancing limiting it to one party per cabin. However even with that, on a fairly busy Saturday the wait with EP was under 20min (they said it would be 30min) while the standby line was something like 70-90min.

I really like just wandering at will. You can wander in and out of the HP areas. They are both located at the back of the parks, so the train is pretty useful to travel from the heart of one park to the heart of another. I feel like we mostly hit it out of convenience when we have EP (otherwise, we mostly skip it because it does get long standby waits).
 
Run your TP advice by us here because a lot of time they are total nonsense with unnecessary backtracking and all together bad advice. If you haven't paid for it yet, don't. Instead, you can follow the free Harry Potter itinerary on the Orlando Informer site, if interested. They have non-HP themed itineraries too but the HP one serves as a good checklist of cool things to check out. It's not about zipping you onto the most rides but really immersing yourself in HP.

To that end, I would start in Diagon Alley then take the HE over when you're ready to hop. Hogsmeade is often miserably crowded between 12-4 so if it's too crowded when you get there, go do other stuff at IOA for a while. Take the train back to Diagon Alley late afternoon.

With 3 days and EPs you can- and should- just go with the flow. :)
 


I paid for TP last year when I thought we were going in 2020 but that didn't happen so I'm using it now to make a plan before it expires. It was unbelievably helpful when we went to Disney a few years ago - parks were super crowded and the zipping around back and forth got us onto probably 40% more rides than we would have been able to do just going with the flow. And we don't mind walking. But I hear you all - that Universal isn't like Disney and you can take it at a more relaxed pace.

However, three reasons I really want to do this planning:
1. I live in a place that has been very cold and snowy for months and haven't traveled anywhere since summer 2019, so I derive great enjoyment reading about and planning for a vacation in a warm climate - even micromanaged planning, LOL! And apparently I'm not the only one who likes planning vacations - see this National Geographic article
2. I have a lot of anxiety when I don't have a plan and I'm old enough that I know that isn't going to change. I may end up going with the flow and scrapping the plan once I get there, but for me to relax and enjoy, I have to have an inkling of what I'm going to do ahead of time.
3. If we do everything we want to do in 2 or 2.5 days at the Parks, we'll maybe be able to squeeze in Volcano Bay, which is part of the ticket package that I bought and I'm not sure when else we might be able to go there. We aren't a family that goes to Orlando on a regular basis - we've been to Disney/Orlando only once, 6 years ago, on a five day trip. This is a special trip for us and the Hard Rock plus all the tickets are a bit of a splurge (we also have 3 days at Disney at the start of the trip). So if the pre-planning process can help make our time more efficient during our short time on vacation, then it feels worth it to me. I enjoy it and my family enjoys the end result of the planning, so it's all good. We make it like a game or a scavenger hunt - "What's next?" "That way, let's go!"

Bchbetha, thanks for the heads up about Orlando Informer. I'll check that out!

J'aime Paris & CAPSLOCK - you've each answered one of my other two questions in the past few days for this same trip, thanks again for the feedback. You're going to know my vacation plans well by the end of this!
 
The best part of universal is no plan needed. And with EP you get to reride if you love something. We used hog warts express when we wanted to change parks or head back. we’d start in one park and do what we wanted. Then take train over and do a couple things on way out. Pool and lunch for a couple hours and then back. Volcano bay is fun but if you are enjoying universal don’t stress about getting over there.

We went pre-hagrids so that’s probably the only thing you really do need to plan. Don’t go into Kong unless express pass wait is 20 min or less or it takes forever. Gingrots and forbiddean journey are only ones that can have decent EP line so we did those first or closer to end of day. We preferred to do parks in a circle when we could.

Have a blast!
 
We do 2 week Disney trips, devoting 3 days to Universal each year. We like to do one full day of Harry Potter, riding the express both ways. Then we do one day at IoA and one at US, popping back into HP sections to redo things. That’s just how we like to do it. 3 days is plenty of time to see everything, especially with express pass. I totally get the need to plan every tiny detail, I’m right there with you. I think I may even r joy the planning as much as the trip! Have fun!
 


1. Do people with park-to-park passes typically do the whole Harry Potter experience all together, across both parks? Or do they typically do Harry Potter early as part of one park, do other stuff in that same park for a while, and then take the Hogwarts Express later in the day? And then back again right away? This sounds cool - but maybe doesn't take advantage of the perks we'll have? Should we try to ride the train just before our afternoon break when we're heading back to the hotel for a bit? Or at the end of the day? When is the best time to do the Hogwarts Express? Also, we'll want to do it both ways to get both experiences...
People do it either way. There's no right or wrong way, and there's no optimal time to ride it. It really doesn't matter. HE does tend to get busier mid-day as more people want to park hop, but with EPs, its not much of a concern.

True "Potterheads" like to do it the same way Harry did - start in Diagon Alley at Universal then ride HE over to Hogsmeade at IOA. We opted to save our HE ride for when we were done with things at Universal and were ready to park hop, but you can really do it either way. I would also suggest getting to IOA at park opening on a different day as well so you can experience Hogsmeade with lower crowds first thing.

2. For those who stick mostly with one park for a full day, which one did you do first? Were you happy you did that one first?
We always do Universal first because we spend the most time there. IOA is more of a half day park for us. As two adults, we pretty much skip Seussland. We also designate a special time for the water rides at IOA, making it the last thing we do before heading back to our hotel because you get *drenched*. So, if we spend most of the day at Universal, we'll hop to IOA just for the water rides before heading back.

3. Which rides are most important to do first/early in each park (long lines and/or no EP)? Will we need three mornings to avoid long lines by doing those rides early or would two mornings cover most of those rides?
IMO, two mornings is fine but the only ride with potential for long waits is Hagrid's. EP will cover you for everything else, but there is no EP for Hagrid's currently. The benefit of getting to the parks at opening when you have EP is enjoying certain areas with fewer crowds around. It would be good for first time Potter fanatics. For DH and I who have been many times now, we typically don't bother going at opening anymore so its not a must by any means. Definitely doesn't have the same impact as it does for WDW.
 
Remember that the Hogwarts Express is not the only way to park hop; it’s only a brief walk between the two parks as well. Some days they’ll even open a backstage walkway between Seuss Landing and the old BMG entrance, near Despicable Me.
 
We find that we hop back and forth between the parks several times a day. It's that quick and easy whether you do it via Hogwarts Express or via the front of the parks. The parks are literally right next to each other so you aren't wasting lots of time going from one to the next.

If you're potentially thinking of maybe doing VB, I would maybe suggest to possibly plan for it the morning of the 3rd day. Mornings are good at VB to do a lot of the slides before they get busy. By noon in the summer VB usually gets packed. So a good potential plan is do VB on the 3rd day in the morning, leave around noon when things get really busy to go back to the resort for lunch, then spend the afternoon/evening at the dry parks re-riding your favourites from the first 2 days.
 
I do understand some of the appeal of having a plan/itinerary. Saves the "what should we do next" debate. But, they really gave some terrible advice and often land you in more of a crowd than not. Be sure and just plan to have the ability to be flexible. If you walk by at attraction, show, store...that look interesting do them. Don't adhere to a schedule. It's easy enough with the wait time app too to get a sense of where the crowds are and then go the other way. :)
I am going to put in my plug again for skipping Disney and just having a relaxing Universal visit vs trying to do everything and being stressed. :)
 
For your first trip at three days, I would spend every waking minute I could in IOA/US and probably skip VB. I understand the desire to pre-plan, as I love to over-plan things. The good news is that the lines should be very short with EPs, so you won't be standing in lines there. I would say Hagrids is the single ride that requires special planning, and shows like Bourne/Horror Makeup just require you to be in line at a certain time.

If you can go in for EE, you'll get to do quite a bit before the crowds and heat hit. https://www.disboards.com/threads/wizarding-world-touring-plans-and-details.3666427/ is a great guide for HP fans.
 
I just want to second that the space between the two parks really is very short. Like a 5 minute brisk walk short. When we went in 2019 I left my then 13 year old in Studios walking back to the HP areas and went to Islands where we connected in that HP area. Park hopping is truly easy at Universal.

that said, I also get your "need" to plan.

Might I suggest youtube walkthrough videos of both parks, or the Unofficial Guide (21 edition)? It gives you a description of each ride, list out which rides are your favorites (make this a family list if that works for you) then build your plans from there. Start with what you MUST ride, then move to hey it would be nice if we rode this, leaving we're about to die from the heat we need AC (Fast and furious anyone? ;)

We also love Volcano Bay, and deliberately stay at Cabana Bay to get the proximity to that park. For us, a morning in the coaster park and afternoon at VB is the "perfect" park day.
 
I am going to put in my plug again for skipping Disney and just having a relaxing Universal visit vs trying to do everything and being stressed. :)

I've already booked Disney, so skipping isn't an option. But I won't be stressed! I'll just see where we are after two days and then I love the advice from TommyJK:
If you're potentially thinking of maybe doing VB, I would maybe suggest to possibly plan for it the morning of the 3rd day. Mornings are good at VB to do a lot of the slides before they get busy. By noon in the summer VB usually gets packed. So a good potential plan is do VB on the 3rd day in the morning, leave around noon when things get really busy to go back to the resort for lunch, then spend the afternoon/evening at the dry parks re-riding your favourites from the first 2 days.

This is such a great idea, particularly because DD and I are very fair skinned so a full day at the water park isn't great for us anyway (we do lots of sunblock, sun hats, sun umbrellas and shade at the parks...). Our third day at UO would be a Tuesday with many FL schools already back in session so hopefully the early part of the day won't be TOO crowded and we'll be able to do a lot of what we want to do there. I keep forgetting that we also have Wednesday morning - our flight doesn't leave until 3pm, so I don't think we'd leave the hotel before noon regardless (via rideshare most likely...) Since we got days 3 and 4 free, I don't mind just using that last day for just a few hours, and we'll still have EE and EP for that day. So we'd have 2 full days in the parks, plus two half-ish days also.
 
I'm loving all these suggestions. I just wanted to add that my way of planning Universal is just studying the park maps. I like those going with me (my husband and kids) know what rides they can go on, if they can go on them, where they are located so they know what other rides are nearby. I think just being informed at Universal and not walking around aimlessly makes it much more of a value.
 
Planning Disney and planning USO are totally two different creatures! I love Disney but hate the amount of planning required and the first time we visited USO we were like WOW you mean I don't need an excel sheet of rides, fp's, dinner reservations, etc??? SOLD! lol I do a loose plan for USO and some ideas of where we want to eat but that's about it. I mean when we went, FJ didn't have EP, so the line was always long, no matter the time lol but we went first thing in the morning and rode within a hour. We considered that a win! This time around we are staying on site and have early entry, so we'll hit Hagrids first thing and if the new coaster is open, that one as well, but we're going for an extended trip plus the OI meetup.

My suggestion for the HE, is ride it both ways but not necessarily the same day. You can start in IOA and spend a good portion of the day there and then switch to USO for the rest of the day, the next day do reverse, you'll have hit both parks, and rode HE both ways. Either way you'll have a great time and find out how much more relaxing it is at USO!
 
Just want to say thanks for posting this question! We, too, are first-timers planning a 3-day trip and I have the same exact questions...specifically wondering about how to handle he HP areas and VB. My husband and I have zero interest in water parks, but it’s the main priority for our boys - ugh. I was already kinda thinking we should make VB first part of day 3 and hopefully we can get them out of there in the afternoon to go back to the parks in the evening...so it was good to see that makes sense.
 
My husband and I have zero interest in water parks, but it’s the main priority for our boys - ugh.

Is your issue the rides or the ambiance (lol)? I'm not a water ride person- I don't know how to swim. That said, the ambiance at VB really is amazing. Depending on how old your kids are get there early, claim a seat with an umbrella and hang out in the lawn chair until your boys are done. There are spaces with chairs that are off the main path, but still part of the wave pool so you get the waves and music from the pool but not the people.
 
The way we do it is to start in one park and then take the Hogwarts Express to the other park and vice versa. It’s a different depending what direction you’re going in. And the line is almost nonexistent at lunch time.
 
Is your issue the rides or the ambiance (lol)? I'm not a water ride person- I don't know how to swim. That said, the ambiance at VB really is amazing. Depending on how old your kids are get there early, claim a seat with an umbrella and hang out in the lawn chair until your boys are done. There are spaces with chairs that are off the main path, but still part of the wave pool so you get the waves and music from the pool but not the people.
Glad to hear it has a nice atmosphere! Water parks just generally gross me out, I don’t know why. I feel like everything is slimey, especially the bathrooms, and wading through it all in bare feet gives me the willies. Our boys will be 16 and 11, so they can definitely run around while I sit in a quiet spot! 😆
 

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