vinotinto
Just Keep Swimming
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2009
- Messages
- 7,012
We just got back from an excellent trip to the dark side, Friday through Memorial Day.
Some tips and musings:
1. Musing - We planned the trip about 3 weeks ago. How liberating to not have to make a single ADR, FP+ reservation, and simply go! I don't even like the Uni rides as much as Disney's rides, but we had a blast, and part of it was due to the ability to just do/see what we wanted, when we wanted.
2. Tip - As indicated in this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/ex...rsal-orlando-tickets-for-annual-pass.3453855/
After you enter the parks the first time with your AmEx tickets purchased with points, you can upgrade them to APs and they will apply the full gate value.
3. Musing - However, as indicated in this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/upgrading-to-annual-pass.3505972/#post-55657783
Be prepared to wait a little when you first go through with your new AP. We had to re-do the finger scan, and it would not take it, so it had to be re-set. We had to show IDs and a manager had to come over and write down the number of our APs. They told us it was a problem in their system and it should not happen and that they were taking our numbers down to fix it. We left Orlando after that morning, so I don't know if they indeed fixed it or not.
4. Tip - Park-to-park tickets worth it? - I've seen this asked multiple items. Is the Train to Hogwarts sufficiently interesting to pay the increased "hopper" price? What about the flexibility to go to the two parks? Well, this is my opinion, but if you are looking to save some money somewhere, and you have a large group where it's a larger chunk of change to get the hopper option, I would skip it. The train is exactly that - a train. You see a short train trip from Hogwarts to London and back. It's not the most clever or exciting of the HP features in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. And there's always a line. A.very.long.line. We hopped on one of our days, and it can be a long, tiring day if you try to do both parks. I think one park at a time, with some rest time is more doable.
5. Tip - Are Onsite Early Morning Hours Worth it? - Right now, only IoA HP has the EMH. Which means everyone is at Forbidden Journey (FJ) in that hour. Lines were longer than later in the day. Also, Flight of the Hippogriff had a much longer Express Pass line between 9:00 and 10:00 than later in the day, as the onsite guests from PBH, HRH, and RPR all seem to hit Hippogriff right after FJ. Not sure how it's affected if there's alternating EMH.
6. Tip - Is the Express Pass Feature Worth it? - I think it is, but I will say that we used it much less than our previous visit. We spent a lot more time in the Harry Potter areas, and there's no Express Pass for Forbidden Journey, the new Gringott ride, nor the train. Also, these areas get very congested. If HP is your focus, I would not sweat not having the Express Pass.
7. Musing - The HP lands are absolutely brilliant. I'm a huge Disney fan, but I feel Uni totally kicked it up a notch above Disney with HP. My DD8 loved doing the magic tricks and spells with her ($50) wand.
8. Musing - HRH was brilliant. We loved it at least as much as PBH. Food at the Kitchen for breakfast was great, as was room service. I liked the rooms and the hotel feel more than Disney, but I did miss the balcony, larger closets, and day bed found in many deluxe Disney hotels. I wish Disney would give some kind of park edge (beyond the transportation option) to its deluxe resorts.
9. Tip - My last tip is the best one and the one I wished I would have known about. It turns out the Uni will honor FL AP rates for GA, but only if you do it in-person. There's no way to do this online. I paid full price online because I did not know about this, but was able to get the special rate when I upgraded my DH, DS, DD.
10. Tip - Weekend much more crowded than Memorial Day. I think many locals come for the weekend.
That's all my musings and tips!
Some tips and musings:
1. Musing - We planned the trip about 3 weeks ago. How liberating to not have to make a single ADR, FP+ reservation, and simply go! I don't even like the Uni rides as much as Disney's rides, but we had a blast, and part of it was due to the ability to just do/see what we wanted, when we wanted.
2. Tip - As indicated in this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/ex...rsal-orlando-tickets-for-annual-pass.3453855/
After you enter the parks the first time with your AmEx tickets purchased with points, you can upgrade them to APs and they will apply the full gate value.
3. Musing - However, as indicated in this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/upgrading-to-annual-pass.3505972/#post-55657783
Be prepared to wait a little when you first go through with your new AP. We had to re-do the finger scan, and it would not take it, so it had to be re-set. We had to show IDs and a manager had to come over and write down the number of our APs. They told us it was a problem in their system and it should not happen and that they were taking our numbers down to fix it. We left Orlando after that morning, so I don't know if they indeed fixed it or not.
4. Tip - Park-to-park tickets worth it? - I've seen this asked multiple items. Is the Train to Hogwarts sufficiently interesting to pay the increased "hopper" price? What about the flexibility to go to the two parks? Well, this is my opinion, but if you are looking to save some money somewhere, and you have a large group where it's a larger chunk of change to get the hopper option, I would skip it. The train is exactly that - a train. You see a short train trip from Hogwarts to London and back. It's not the most clever or exciting of the HP features in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. And there's always a line. A.very.long.line. We hopped on one of our days, and it can be a long, tiring day if you try to do both parks. I think one park at a time, with some rest time is more doable.
5. Tip - Are Onsite Early Morning Hours Worth it? - Right now, only IoA HP has the EMH. Which means everyone is at Forbidden Journey (FJ) in that hour. Lines were longer than later in the day. Also, Flight of the Hippogriff had a much longer Express Pass line between 9:00 and 10:00 than later in the day, as the onsite guests from PBH, HRH, and RPR all seem to hit Hippogriff right after FJ. Not sure how it's affected if there's alternating EMH.
6. Tip - Is the Express Pass Feature Worth it? - I think it is, but I will say that we used it much less than our previous visit. We spent a lot more time in the Harry Potter areas, and there's no Express Pass for Forbidden Journey, the new Gringott ride, nor the train. Also, these areas get very congested. If HP is your focus, I would not sweat not having the Express Pass.
7. Musing - The HP lands are absolutely brilliant. I'm a huge Disney fan, but I feel Uni totally kicked it up a notch above Disney with HP. My DD8 loved doing the magic tricks and spells with her ($50) wand.
8. Musing - HRH was brilliant. We loved it at least as much as PBH. Food at the Kitchen for breakfast was great, as was room service. I liked the rooms and the hotel feel more than Disney, but I did miss the balcony, larger closets, and day bed found in many deluxe Disney hotels. I wish Disney would give some kind of park edge (beyond the transportation option) to its deluxe resorts.
9. Tip - My last tip is the best one and the one I wished I would have known about. It turns out the Uni will honor FL AP rates for GA, but only if you do it in-person. There's no way to do this online. I paid full price online because I did not know about this, but was able to get the special rate when I upgraded my DH, DS, DD.
10. Tip - Weekend much more crowded than Memorial Day. I think many locals come for the weekend.
That's all my musings and tips!
