I wish WWOHP was in WDW

[Albytaps]

My BF and I did Universal three years ago. It was fun but had no desire to go back. We did our first Disney trip back in September as adults and now we want to go back, but my BF really wants to go to WWOHP too I am in no way a Harry Potter fan and the thought of the logistics of getting there (no car) and the cost affiliated with it is making me cringe. Don't you have to pay admission to WWOHP in addition to admission to US?

You might be thinking of the line to get into WWOHP. I'm not sure that the still do this, but when it first opened you had to get on a line to get int WWOHP since it was so popular and everyone in USO wanted to go there. Even with theline to get in, it was very crowded and hard to get around people.

 

[nkereina]

Did you do just Universal Studios or did you do Islands of Adventure as well? Pre-kids, IOA was our favorite park out of the 7. (4 Disney parks, US, IOA, SW being the 7 parks). Now that we have kids, Epcot is our favorite park, with IOA being in the number 2 spot. The Universal Studios side is fun as well, but it's IOA that gets us coming back again and again. (And we have yet to be there since WWoHP opened).

We did both US and IOA. We liked it, it was fun, but now WDW has ruined me and I can't imagine going to Orlando and spending time at any place other than WDW

As far as the separate admission cost I mentioned, I must have just gotten mis-information. I'm glad to hear it's just part of IOA, that makes the thought of going there a little more realistic for me.

 

[chartle]

We did both US and IOA. We liked it, it was fun, but now WDW has ruined me and I can't imagine going to Orlando and spending time at any place other than WDW

As far as the separate admission cost I mentioned, I must have just gotten mis-information. I'm glad to hear it's just part of IOA, that makes the thought of going there a little more realistic for me.

On the Podcast here they commented that the advertising for WWOHP was so huge that they made it sound like it was its own park. So you are not far off.

 

[Bonniec]

We have passes to all the parks and I have twin 17 year olds and then a 5 year old. We love all of the parks and they all offer different things.

If you're a thrill junky, then US/IOA are going to be your favorites. Disney's thrill rides are really lacking in comparison. If you want to be a child again and escape, then Disney will be better for their "magic". I personally think both parks do a pretty good job of keeping up with the times, however US/IOA is really starting to pull ahead here. We'll see how Fantasy Land 2 and Avatar comes out. I'm betting these will be amazing!


WWOHP is wonderful and as I said, I'm not a fan. My only critique is that there should be at least 1 or 2 more rides in this area. I think it's a lot bigger than they expected it to be. I'd like to see them expand it a bit and add more rides.


As far as kids go.... my teenagers prefer US/IOA because they love the thrill rides. They like Disney too, but they hop parks each time to ride TOT, RRR Coaster, Everst, Splash, and Space. We split up.

My littlest prefers Disney, but it's almost 50/50 with him. He really loves IOA/US studios too. The place is much more kid friendly now. At IOA he also loves Spiderman, Popeye Rapids, and the kiddie coaster at WWOHP. At US he loves the Curious George area and animal show.

My compaint with US is that the kid things are just in once spot. There is zero point in walking to the side with JAWS with him or he's bored out of his mind!

IOA/US has the best kid swap lines. Disney could really learn from this. I would love to see Disney set up kid swaps with movies, toys, etc. Stuff for them to do while waiting. US/IOA has really nice kid swaps but I'd love to see them do it even better.


It would be great if I could go to any park and not have to split up with my family. Every single time DH and the twin teens go off for thrill rides, and 5 year old and I do kid stuff. It would be pretty awesome if they'd add in small play areas like you see at malls. Or even just a few of the wall toys they have at doctor's offices (US has a coupe of those). That would make my littlest excited about doing a kid swap!

 

[MikeOhio]

I completely agree, I wish it was at WDW

There is no way anyone could tell me that avatar fits in with Disney better than Harry Potter.

 

[RMulieri]

You might be thinking of the line to get into WWOHP. I'm not sure that the still do this, but when it first opened you had to get on a line to get int WWOHP since it was so popular and everyone in USO wanted to go there. Even with theline to get in, it was very crowded and hard to get around people.

They still do this in times of PEAK crowds( like Christmas).

 

[Tramp68]

You might be thinking of the line to get into WWOHP. I'm not sure that the still do this, but when it first opened you had to get on a line to get int WWOHP since it was so popular and everyone in USO wanted to go there. Even with theline to get in, it was very crowded and hard to get around people.

They still do this in times of PEAK crowds( like Christmas).

hey actually do not have a line anymore. They hand out return passes. You get a slip of paper that tells you what time you will be admitted. The day it happened we were told that by the time you are told to return most times you will not need the pass anymore.

We were at WWOHP at least 7 different days over the course of the month of July and it only happened once. (not near the 4th either) The other 6 times the crowds were very managable. Most of the time the line for Forbidden Journey was only 40 minutes. (just not in the AM) We just avoided WWOHP on that particular day they handed out return time passes for later in the afternoon.

 

[disneyfamiof4]

we did disney and ioa at the end of september....as for WWOHP we were disappointed, The rides were fun, and the architecture was amazing, but it was way to crowded stores are way to small and the people who work there dont know anything about the books or movies. My 4 yr old is a huge fan and tells everyone she can't wait until she is 11 (since in the books you have to be 11 to be accepted to hogwarts) she was talking harry potter with a few employees none of them had any clue what she was talking about and still didnt when I clarified for her. durvish and banges was a complete mess i couldnt even walk in there. The workers on FB were incredibly rude whiny teenagers and whats with the dead plants in the cue, they could've just put fake "magical" plants in there instead. Maybe I am just too big of a fan and I agree with those who dont want hp in disney but it could definitely use some lessons in "magic"

 

[mskibbe72]

we did disney and ioa at the end of september....as for WWOHP we were disappointed, The rides were fun, and the architecture was amazing, but it was way to crowded stores are way to small and the people who work there dont know anything about the books or movies. My 4 yr old is a huge fan and tells everyone she can't wait until she is 11 (since in the books you have to be 11 to be accepted to hogwarts) she was talking harry potter with a few employees none of them had any clue what she was talking about and still didnt when I clarified for her. durvish and banges was a complete mess i couldnt even walk in there. The workers on FB were incredibly rude whiny teenagers and whats with the dead plants in the cue, they could've just put fake "magical" plants in there instead. Maybe I am just too big of a fan and I agree with those who dont want hp in disney but it could definitely use some lessons in "magic"

I've heard this on more than one occasion and makes me look forward to WWOHP less and less...

Disney really dropped the ball on this one.

 

[klmall]

We have been to Universal 3 times in the past (last time was 2002) and plan to go again in December after 6 days at Disney World. I'm glad there are many parks to choose from when we go to Florida and that since it's been so long we will walk into US and feel like we are experiencing whole new parks; such a rush! Something we don't get at Disney as much as we like Disney.

We've always felt US appeals very much to older kids more than Disney and offers better bang for the buck with its Express Passes and FOTL for onsite guests. For $249 a night we're staying onsite with 3 adults in December and will be able to walk into the express lines for almost every ride multiple times. Compare that to Disney where we're paying more per night to be on the monorail (by choice I know) and fight to get Fast Passes.

Universal tickets are also a great deal; often discounted and a bargain. We like the wide variety of rides and lands even for young children! I'm a big fan of Dr. Seuss Land!

 

[Feralpeg]

Are any of the WWHOP fans NOT fans of HP? It seems so many folks love WWHOP on this board, I'm wondering if it has any appeal to those who don't care for the series. Is it wonderful because it's so faithful to HP, or is it wonderful because it's a great theme park experience?

I was a fan of Universal long before HP opened. I think the Studios portion of Universal is much more realistic to a studio backlot than DHS. Maybe, that's because it is a working backlot. I've been in a few things filmed at Universal and it is so interesting.

I think the shows at Universal are great. I've seen the Monster Makeup show many times, but it is always fun!

IOA is just wonderful and I'm not a coaster person. I love the themed lands. When I walk into Jurassic Park, I feel like I'm walking into the movie. I love just wandering the Universal parks. The HP experience is just incredible. So much detail. I can't tell you how funny and exciting it was when I walked into the ladies room and heard a voice in the stall only to realize it was Moaning Myrtle! Incredible! Her voice is played in the restrooms. Very funny!

I am also a huge WDW fan. I have APs for both Disney an Universal. I think they are both great in their own respect.

 

[ols386]

I wasn't overly impressed by Harry Potter World, but I've never been into any of the HP books either.

The best thing I liked about it was the butter beer. Other than that, they can keep it at US.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

but for the experience of being in the books. It all comes to life and the attention to detail rivals, if not surpasses, Disney!

I will have to disagree to an extent. The one thing Disney does really well is "Show". You can't stand in Frontierland and see any part of the back side of Splash. When you are in the park, you can't see anything offstage (with the exception of the Contemporary, I believe).
I was really disappointed when we left the beautiful and totally immersive WWOHP and as I rounded the corner, I could totally see the entire warehouse that is FJ. It was so sad to see the facade of Hogwarts attached to this generic warehouse. :roll eyes: They could have done so much better.

The only real downside to WWOHP is how crowded it is. Everyone wants to be there. If you think the rush to Toy Story Mania is bad in the morning, you ain't seen nothing yet.

While WWOHP was definitely super busy in the morning, when we were there in June, we were able to walk right on to FJ at 7:00 pm (2 hrs. before park closing) with no wait. Try that at Toy Story Mania...or Soarin...or Space. I don't know, something is wrong when you have a zero wait at your headliner attraction 2 hours before park closing in June.

Also, people that complain that UO doesn't have enough things for young kids I would say this:
where in the 4 Disney Parks will you find a water/squirty park the size and as detailed like Curious George in US?
How can you compare the Boneyard or Honey I shrunk the Kids playgrounds to the entire area of Jurassic Park in IOA or Fievel's Playground in US?
maybe not alot of rides for little ones but how many times have I seen parents drag kids out of these playground areas, little kids don;t really appreciate rides that much compared to play areas.

That was probably the part of US that I disliked the most. There were entire families treating Curious George like their own personal water park. Teenage girls walking around in bikinis and just laying on the ground. Same goes for adults. I guess I just figured it was a splash area for little kids, not a water park. I thought it was dirty and couldn't wait to get out of there.

All that being said, we did enjoy our stay at US/IOA. However, we were done in 2 days....and yes, we did everything (got to love EP). I still think that US is having attendance troubles. My kids got on RRR with a 30 min. wait at 6:00 on a Saturday night in June. There has got to be a reason why US isn't filling this park.

 

[CdnCarrie]

My BF and I did Universal three years ago. It was fun but had no desire to go back. We did our first Disney trip back in September as adults and now we want to go back, but my BF really wants to go to WWOHP too I am in no way a Harry Potter fan and the thought of the logistics of getting there (no car) and the cost affiliated with it is making me cringe. Don't you have to pay admission to WWOHP in addition to admission to US?

That's like asking if you have to pay to go to Future World if you already paid to go to Epcot.

 

[chartle]

That's like asking if you have to pay to go to Future World if you already paid to go to Epcot.

I think that was the plan.

 

[fairyprincess88]

we did disney and ioa at the end of september....as for WWOHP we were disappointed, The rides were fun, and the architecture was amazing, but it was way to crowded stores are way to small and the people who work there dont know anything about the books or movies. My 4 yr old is a huge fan and tells everyone she can't wait until she is 11 (since in the books you have to be 11 to be accepted to hogwarts) she was talking harry potter with a few employees none of them had any clue what she was talking about and still didnt when I clarified for her. durvish and banges was a complete mess i couldnt even walk in there. The workers on FB were incredibly rude whiny teenagers and whats with the dead plants in the cue, they could've just put fake "magical" plants in there instead. Maybe I am just too big of a fan and I agree with those who dont want hp in disney but it could definitely use some lessons in "magic"

That's strange because I have the oppostite of what you have experienced. I have always found the staff to be very knowledgable about the books. They have to be. My friend just applied for a positition in the WWoHP and you have to go to "Hogwarts Classes" and pass your NEWTS to be hired. There are several tests to take on everything Potter related before you are even allowed to work in the area. I have had very indepth and fun conversations with many of the staff there, and even put through some very tough Potter trivia in line at Ollivanders by the girl working there. I've also never had a rude TM at FJ.

One of my favorite parts about going to the WWoHP is the staff. They have always made each trip more special and a truly magical time. Sorry you didn't have the same experience.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's strange because I have the oppostite of what you have experienced. I have always found the staff to be very knowledgable about the books. .

Same experience.





The one thing I wish they hadn't listened to JK about is the physical space in the shops. The movies make it look small, but you have small actors filling the space, most of them being children, and she should have allowed for more normal humans, mostly adults, when thinking of space issues. Not to mention the fact that the movies were in sets, not complete four walled rooms where actual shopping must be done.

As for TMs not understanding a four year old....yes, well, I've found that many people don't understand any given four year old.



I know my husband stood in some water while retrieving DS from the Fievel play area...September was HOT and I could hardly blame him.


Speaking of kid stuff, has anyone else made it back to the Ball Factory? Gotta either dodge the water or follow the footprints for the dry path, but it's lots of fun once you're back there!

 

[TinkPearl]

My older DS is now a HUGE Potter fan so we've had to fit IOA into our Disney trip this year and it's costing us over $300 more PLUS our food for the day. (we get free dining with our Disney trip) So, for that reason.....YES, I REALLY wish it were a part of Disney.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We also have APs for both WDW and US/IOA and agree with Feralpeg that they are both great in their own respects. Bottom line is WDW and US/IOA cater to different demographics.

Just a comment for those who said US/IOA tickets cost more than WDW, I give you this:
1 day ticket for Disney - $90.53 (non park hopper)
1 day ticket for US or IOA - $92.68

2 day ticket for Disney - $178.92 (non park hopper)
2 day ticket for Disney - $237.50 (with park hopping)
2 day ticket for US/IOA - $146.98 (includes park hopping)

 

[Bellamouse]

and whats with the dead plants in the cue, they could've just put fake "magical" plants in there instead.

It's so funny you should mention this....

I am not a super nit-picky person, and really, I don't even normally notice such things! A lot of detail I'm supposed to notice often has to be pointed out to me for me even to see it. But for some reason the pathetic plants in the FJ queue really bothered me! I kept thinking, they spent all this money on this amazing "world" and couldn't spend a little extra on some nicer plants?? They really were pathetic.

Anyway, I agree it would be nicer if the WWOHP was at Disney just for convenience sake, but honestly, I must have said 10 times while there last week that the ticket price I paid was worth it for just that section of the park. I enjoyed it SO much. We spent hours there and almost no time in the rest of the park. Can't wait to go back some day.