Labor Day Weekend - Early Entry UA vs IOA?

[Nicole786]

I'm looking for some advice about my upcoming trip. We will be at Universal on Saturday, August 30th, and just from the date you can tell we have a few things going against us:

1. It's a Saturday
2. It's a holiday weekend
3. It's summer

However, to help alleviate this, we are staying at the HRH and have express and EE. I'm just not sure where to start the day. My thought process is to go to IOA EE because FJ doesn't have Express pass. However, i've heard that Rip Ride Rockit, Despicable Me, and Transformers all see Express pass wait times over 30 minutes in the afternoon.

Does anyone have advice?

 

[macraven]

august 30 is a friday.


going on a saturday will have crowds.

use the single rider lines when they are open to cut down on your wait times in case the express lines are longer.

you shouldn't have any issues with the ride/show lines since you are using the ex lines.



how many nights are you staying?

use early entry once for ioa and the next morning for the studios.

 

[Nicole786]

august 30 is a friday.


going on a saturday will have crowds.

use the single rider lines when they are open to cut down on your wait times in case the express lines are longer.

you shouldn't have any issues with the ride/show lines since you are using the ex lines.



how many nights are you staying?

use early entry once for ioa and the next morning for the studios.

Thanks for the reply!

I meant the 31st, my mistake. We will only be in the parks on the 31st. We arrive on the night of the 30th, and leave for the Dream on the 1st.

With 1 morning to do early entry, which do you suggest?

 

[macraven]

staying onsite, you can do either park for EE.

if you are a parry hotter fan, then hit ioa first.

less of waits if you use the EE as that part of ioa is the only section opened for that first hour for onsite hotel guests.


have you been to www.universalorlando.com to see what rides are in each park?

that might give you a better idea of what you are putting on your "can't miss" rides/shows.

spiderman is very popular in marvel land, so i would add that to the list too.

leave ioa around noontime and go to the studios.
hit RRR, TF, MIB and any other ride you want to do.

around 5ish, go back to ioa and repeat some rides or do ones that you did not ride the first time that morning.

what time are you leaving on check out day?
if you have a 9:30 pick up time, you could do EE for an hour before your car transfer comes.

 

[Metro West]

With 1 morning to do early entry, which do you suggest?

If you are more interested in HP, go with IOA. If you are more interested in Transformers, go with the Studios. Obviously there is more to do in both parks other than those two attractions but those are the two everyone wants to try and hit during early admission. It's really up to you.

 

[Nicole786]

Thanks for the input! I should have added I'm an AP, so I've been to WWoHP multiple times, never to transformers...but I'm traveling with those who have never been -- I think we've decided to do WWoHP for EE, so we can hit up Finnegan's for lunch! (yum!)