IoA virgin - please help

[Melh2os]

We are going to FL in early Nov and doing four straight days and five nights on Disney property and in the Disney parks. Are we crazy to try to finish the week with IoA? Kids are 9 and 6 and LOOOOVE HP. But if we are not staying at a Universal hotel, and don't get the early entry, are we screwed? Is it possible to do WWOHP late in the afternoon? Kids will want to spend a huge part of the day there and probably won't care much about the rest of the park. Just worried that we are trying to tack on one more day when they will be dead tired...and not getting the benefit of early entry with express pass. I'm not paying extra for express pass on top of $95 tickets. I am totally on board with staying at a Universal Hotel and doing the whole early entry, express pass perks thing but I don't think it's gonna happen on this trip. Thoughts - wait to come back to IoA in a few months on a different school break? How necessary and useful is it to stay onsite at Universal?? Are we hosed if we don't get to WWOHP til after general park entry???? Do the lines calm down later in the day? I wouldn;'t try to go on a weekend day no matter what time of year and am assuming early Nov. weekday crowds might be slightly less awful, but I want to be realistic and don't want to overwhelm or disappoint the kiddos after a full week at Disney where we pretty much know the drill and know what to expect in the parks. thanks!

 

[RMulieri]

You should be ok, the HP area does quiet down some LATE in the day( about an hour or so before park closing).BUT there is still going to be waits , probably 20 mins or so( could be more or less) for Forbidden Journey and similar for Ollivanders..KEEP IN MIND........Wizarding World of Harry Potter is like a land at MK, it is not a huge area, and EVERYONE wants to be in that section in the park.There is the signature attraction in the castle ( height requirement of 48 inches and it does have some scare factor to it)You can tour thru the castle and see it if you are not riding. There is Ollivanders wand show( they take 20 people or so at a time into the shop and a wand chooses a wizard) , Flight of the Hippogrif ( a kiddie coaster with height requirement of 36 inches) , Dragon Challenge ( an intense coaster with height requirements of 54 inches).That is it for rides in Harry Potter.There is also the 3 broomsticks counter service, Hogshead tavern for beer/butterbeer/pumpkin juice and some stores..Not enough to occupy you for a huge portion of the day and at peak times it is wall to wall people .There is also the Jurassic park area and Marvel superheros ( both appeal to kids).Don't discount Suessland either.

As for staying onsite..Truthfully it is the only way we go.The resorts are deluxe, all within walking distance or a dedicated boatride and the resort guest early entry and express pass spoils you ( much better than the fastpass system).But early November is not packed and you can get away with not staying onsite .
Next summer ...the Harry Potter expansion will be opening at the Studios park next door ( it will connect to IOA Harry Potter by way of the Hogwarts express) .It will greatly drive up and change park crowd dynamics for a long long long time after So staying onsite will be crucial then.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

Not that it would help on this trip but I do see that a moderate resort will open up in 2014.

 

[RMulieri]

Not that it would help on this trip but I do see that a moderate resort will open up in 2014.

It does , but will NOT have the express pass perk.Only early entry

 

[Melh2os]

Thanks for the input - debating whether we should just wait and return on a weekday in Feb or April when the kids have other school breaks...we want to do Sea World too (I used to work at Sea World of Ohio and it breaks my heart that I can't take the kids there now!!) so maybe a 2-day universal + 1 day sea world visit during mid-week in the spring might save us from theme park overkill in November??

Was thinking of adding another park hopper day and letting our Friday be one to take it easy, park hop at Disney and return to do any favorites.

 

[RMulieri]

Thanks for the input - debating whether we should just wait and return on a weekday in Feb or April when the kids have other school breaks...we want to do Sea World too (I used to work at Sea World of Ohio and it breaks my heart that I can't take the kids there now!!) so maybe a 2-day universal + 1 day sea world visit during mid-week in the spring might save us from theme park overkill in November??

Was thinking of adding another park hopper day and letting our Friday be one to take it easy, park hop at Disney and return to do any favorites.

Sounds like a good plan.Just keep in mind it will be far more crowded in Spring than early November.Staying onsite would be recommended then

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

WWoHP is definitely doable in early November! It's my favorite time to visit the parks. Even today, Labor Day, the main HP ride was never more than a 45 minute wait and a walk-on in the evening.

 

[es45]

Are there ANY benefits to staying onsite in early November other than the proximity of the parks? We are considering a similar vacation as the OP's but we should be able to add on a night at one of the onsite hotels. We plan to be there November 3 and 4.

 

[RMulieri]

Are there ANY benefits to staying onsite in early November other than the proximity of the parks? We are considering a similar vacation as the OP's but we should be able to add on a night at one of the onsite hotels. We plan to be there November 3 and 4.

I would always choose onsite even if it is a slower time of year.The express pass allows you to experience rides with no waits and you can re-ride rides faster too .The early entry and close proximity to the parks is also fantastic.