Is Hogwarts Express worth it?

[WorldOfPooh]

I agree with PPs that it is a must do if you're a Potter fan. Its very detailed and unique, and something the whole family can enjoy together (not a thrill ride). You should make time to ride it from US to IOA and the reverse because the scenes are different going in the different directions.

If you're not big Potter fans, then worth would depend on your budget and how much you'll be able to take advantage of park hopping aside from the ride.

Should Gringotts be done first in London. Or should you go from London to Hogwarts and then back before doing Gringots?

 

[nkereina]

Should Gringotts be done first in London. Or should you go from London to Hogwarts and then back before doing Gringots?

Logically, and to align with the way Harry does it in the story, it makes the most sense to start in Diagon Alley and then ride HE from London to Hogwarts. I don't think its necessary to skip Gringott's and go back to it after Hogwarts. IMO, the order doesn't make a huge difference and we just go with what works best for our plans.

 

[ghtx]

Yes!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I'll be the voice of dissent. I love the Harry Potter books and the movies. I also like the ability to park hop at Universal, but not for the sake of the Hogwarts Express.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

I'll be the voice of dissent. I love the Harry Potter books and the movies. I also like the ability to park hop at Universal, but not for the sake of the Hogwarts Express.

So you would rather walk all the way to the front entrance of Universal, walk over to Islands and then walk all the way up to Hogwarts? Seems like a waste of time.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

So you would rather walk all the way to the front entrance of Universal, walk over to Islands and then walk all the way up to Hogwarts? Seems like a waste of time.

We usually hopped after a meal at City Walk or one of the resorts. We also sometimes had a toddler sleeping in a stroller. We hated to wake her up to get on the train.

 

[MeridaAnn]

Should Gringotts be done first in London. Or should you go from London to Hogwarts and then back before doing Gringots?

I did love doing Diagon Alley first and following Harry's schedule the first time I visited, but the addition of Hagrid's coaster changes the calculus a bit. I did have one time where I was able to get a virtual queue pass for Hagrid's, but the only one available started in like 5 minutes and the wait for the train was over an hour and I couldn't get over to Island of Adventures in time (it was also a day when the parks were at capacity at the time, so I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to leave and use the main entrance to IoA in time), so I ended up losing the VQ pass and I didn't get to ride Hagrid's that day. So my current suggestion would be to start in IoA and try to get on Hagrid's at rope drop or get a VQ pass as early as possible to make sure that you get on that before exploring the other HP stuff. But I think it still varies from day to day when/if they start the VQ and if there's a standby option in the morning at all, so it can be hard to say for sure.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

So you would rather walk all the way to the front entrance of Universal, walk over to Islands and then walk all the way up to Hogwarts? Seems like a waste of time.

I would greatly prefer that they add a moving walkway that runs parallel to the train that could transport us to the other park in less than 5 minutes, than wait in the excessively long lines and excessively extensive boarding and unboarding process.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

I would greatly prefer that they add a moving walkway that runs parallel to the train that could transport us to the other park in less than 5 minutes, than wait in the excessively long lines and excessively extensive boarding and unboarding process.

Just wake up early. simple.

 

[greg9x]

If Hogwarts Express was a stand alone ride that you paid the difference for park to park tickets compared to single park ($50+ for single day ticket)...you would be very upset at the value you got. If you are going to have park to park tickets anyway, then yes you go ride it. But would not recommend getting those tickets solely for HE. And with the line that can be for it at times, it can be much faster to walk to other park.

 

[WorldOfPooh]

If Hogwarts Express was a stand alone ride that you paid the difference for park to park tickets compared to single park ($50+ for single day ticket)...you would be very upset at the value you got. If you are going to have park to park tickets anyway, then yes you go ride it. But would not recommend getting those tickets solely for HE. And with the line that can be for it at times, it can be much faster to walk to other park.

Universal Annual Pass is between $250 - $390. Includes park hopper, Hogwarts Express and parking.
There's no reason not to get it if you are going 3+ days.

 

[Cottoncandylove]

Short and simple...yes, it is absolutely a must do and both ways lol. Enjoy!!

 

[Kellydelly]

The parks are not huge so we always buy the park2park passes and do both parks in a day. Of course we do that over several days. Not a Harry Potter fan but the theming is amazing and I enjoy that part of the parks. The train ride probably makes more sense if you are a fan. There's a movie playing in the window of your journey which I pretty much ignored and just enjoyed being off my feet for a couple minutes, lol.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Just wake up early. simple.

I'm not really sure what waking up early has to do with wanting to avoid waiting in the line for the train when you want to go park to park...

 

[WorldOfPooh]

I'm not really sure what waking up early has to do with wanting to avoid waiting in the line for the train when you want to go park to park...

There's little line early in the morning. This is true of any popular ride at a theme park.

The early bird gets the worm.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

There's little line early in the morning. This is true of any popular ride at a theme park.

The early bird gets the worm.

Obvious misunderstanding here. I am not a HP fan and could care less about riding the train. Since its obvious that the train connects park to park, i would love to have another option such as a moving walkway or just a path right next to the train for when i am in one park in the middle of the day and see some low wait times in the other park and want to get there ASAP. Rather than walk all the way out of one park and all the way back through the other, or wait in line for a train ride that i don't particularly care about, i would love to be able to just walk alongside the train to get to the back of the other park. This has nothing to do with time of day in any way.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

And honestly, it's not just to get on HE. Before HE existed, we got park2park. Our kids were younger then, and didn't do much in the way of thrill rides, so we walked between parks every day to be sure they had plenty to do. We'd start with Transformers and Men in Black on the US side, hit up Springfield, get lunch, and then head to IOA for Spiderman, Suess, Poseiden, Jurassic Park, etc. We would do water rides at IOA one hot morning, go dry off and change, and we could hit either park later in the day.

So look at the rides your family enjoys, and see if it doesn't make sense that it's more than just being able to ride HE; it's getting the best of each park any day you go!

 

[greg9x]

Universal Annual Pass is between $250 - $390. Includes park hopper, Hogwarts Express and parking.
There's no reason not to get it if you are going 3+ days.

Yes, but the OP was questioning between single park for 2 days or park-park for 2 days solely on riding HE.

Seasonal Pass is $305 (No free parking), Premier $509 (plus tax for both)....maybe your quoting FL resident rate with a renewal ? But the OP would need more days or another trip in a year to make an AP worth consideration.

 

[mitsukoshi samurai]

If you are a Potter fan, it's great! There are so many great details in both the queues and the ride itself and it's really fun. On my first visit to Universal, my family and I tried to go through all the Potter stuff in the order it's encountered in the books - starting at Olivander's and Gringott's in Diagon Alley and then taking the train over to get to Hogwarts - and it was such a great experience because we've always all been big fans and it just felt like we were actually living the story!

If you're not familiar with the books or movies, though, I imagine it wouldn't have much impact beyond being sort of cute and probably wouldn't be worth it for that alone if you weren't otherwise planning to get the two-park ticket.

Could make you a potter fan

 

[cjlong88]

The HE is great right now because parties get their own compartment to themselves. Usually they seat up to 8 guests in each, but we were able to enjoy extra room and spread ourselves out. I wish we could ride it like that all of the time. It feels more intimate and immersive.