Last Minute Wizard Adventure... How would you do it?

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

What: Father/Son trip with preteen son who has read the first 5 HP books.
When: Third Week November

The goal is to experience the Wizarding World. We are open to other attractions as well. We are new to Universal Studios.

Where should we stay? How long should we stay? What should we see? Where should we eat? Do's/Dont's? Express Pass?

How would you do it?

 

[damo]

You are missing Thanksgiving crowds, so that is a good thing. I think 3 full days is nice for a first visit staying at one of the express hotels. I think a young teen boy would prefer Royal Pacific or Hard Rock.

However, if money is an object, you could easily stay at Cabana Bay in a family suite for a very reasonable price.

Check out the annual pass stickies for info there. You may be able to get a good AP rate at a cheaper price than using a normal ticket even with the added cost of the AP. Make sure you don't choose the Seasonal Pass if you are going to be going during a weekend any time after Nov. 15 because there are blackout dates.

 

[georgina]

Holiday events start on Nov 16. There is a special parade in the evening at US, a Grinch show in IOA multiple times a day and you can meet the Grinch. I watched some of his interactions with people last year and he was very funny.

I would say if you NEED an EP depends on which days of the week you will be there. It is NICE to have, but not always necessary.

You need the park-to-park ticket in order to ride Hogwarts Express. Look at the menus for Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron before to see if he would like to eat there. They are the themed CS places in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We never bought the interactive wands, but plenty of kids seem to enjoy waving them at the special locations and seeing what happens.

If he is into the Marvel characters, they come out several times a day in IOA (riding in on motorcycles/vehicles) and do meets. There is also a superhero dinner at IOA that I know little about.
Thought I should edit that - characters that have been meeting are - Spider-Man, Captain America, Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm and Rogue, as well as Marvel Villains like Dr. Doom and The Green Goblin.

 

[Jane Miller]

Be sure to purchase park to park tickets (if don’t do AP) so can do Hogwarts Express. And need to ride it (say) from US to IA and then back again later as see different videos both ways.

Both HP restaurants are good for lunch/dinner (a bit overpriced for breakfast) and can give a sense of tasty British food. Butterbeer is a given (I prefer the frozen) but they have all sorts of recognizable HP drinks in numerous spots in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. If you haven’t, go to Universal’s site and they do a great job describing attractions and food and beverage spots (probably under dining). The shops are amazing even if just to look, but I am sure an interactive wand will be a must.

As a retired teacher, I am thrilled you have a reader and what a great reward a trip to Universal can be! I adore both parks and the attractions should be fun for both of you. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

Check out the annual pass stickies for info there. You may be able to get a good AP rate at a cheaper price than using a normal ticket even with the added cost of the AP. Make sure you don't choose the Seasonal Pass if you are going to be going during a weekend any time after Nov. 15 because there are blackout dates.

Quick sanity check: am I correct in reading that a seasonal pass would be about the same price as a three day ticket? I'm looking at Nov 18, 19, 20 (Mon-Wed). I don't see any blackout dates for those days. Or am I grossly misunderstanding the costs?

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

Be sure to purchase park to park tickets (if don’t do AP) so can do Hogwarts Express. And need to ride it (say) from US to IA and then back again later as see different videos both ways.

Both HP restaurants are good for lunch/dinner (a bit overpriced for breakfast) and can give a sense of tasty British food. Butterbeer is a given (I prefer the frozen) but they have all sorts of recognizable HP drinks in numerous spots in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. If you haven’t, go to Universal’s site and they do a great job describing attractions and food and beverage spots (probably under dining). The shops are amazing even if just to look, but I am sure an interactive wand will be a must.

As a retired teacher, I am thrilled you have a reader and what a great reward a trip to Universal can be! I adore both parks and the attractions should be fun for both of you. Hope you have a great trip!

Good to know about the Hogwarts Express BOTH ways. Thanks. And yes, he is a reader. I have tried to slow down his progress through HP by requiring him to read some classics in between each book.

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

I would say if you NEED an EP depends on which days of the week you will be there. It is NICE to have, but not always necessary.

You need the park-to-park ticket in order to ride Hogwarts Express. Look at the menus for Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron before to see if he would like to eat there. They are the themed CS places in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We never bought the interactive wands, but plenty of kids seem to enjoy waving them at the special locations and seeing what happens.

I will check out the menus - thanks. It's the themed aspect I'm looking for, so perhaps we'll stick to Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron. I'm planning Nov 18, 19, 20 which is Mon-Wed. I think I'm going to go with regular park to park tickets.

 

[RogueX]

Cabana Bay is a good hotel, particularly if you are looking to save some money for butterbeer and other treats.

For the Wizarding World areas, all of the rudes are fun, but Hagrid's Motorbike ride is great. I don't know if they accept express pass yet, in July they weren't.

Also, in the Diagon Alley section if you need a spot to take a break, there's a turn near Knockturn Alley that few people seem to notice. We usually grab a butterbeer, ice cream or another snack and hang out there before going to another ride.

Hogwarts Express is highly recommended, plus it will get you over to the other side as long as you have the correct ticket.

There are plenty of non-Harry Potter rides that are fun, Minion Mayhem, Men in Black, any of the roller coasters, but for me, Universal's ability to bring the vision of Harry Potter theming out so well is what I like so much.

 

[georgina]

Quick sanity check: am I correct in reading that a seasonal pass would be about the same price as a three day ticket? I'm looking at Nov 18, 19, 20 (Mon-Wed). I don't see any blackout dates for those days. Or am I grossly misunderstanding the costs?

I think it may be a little more than a 3 day ticket. Last year we upgraded a 4 day ticket to seasonal AP and got a $10 gift card back. There should not be any blackout dates during the week, only on weekends.

I will check out the menus - thanks. It's the themed aspect I'm looking for, so perhaps we'll stick to Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron. I'm planning Nov 18, 19, 20 which is Mon-Wed. I think I'm going to go with regular park to park tickets.

I'm checking out of Cabana Bay on the 18th. If you take advantage of the early entry and the lower crowds in the mornings and evenings, you should be fine. Hagrid's does get long lines, there is an entire thread devoted to that ride (it is great!) and the best times to ride it.

Have fun! I made special trips with my DD in 2010 and 2015 specially to see the Harry Potter areas.

 

[damo]

Check out the annual pass rates for your dates here. Some really good deals. You would just need to have one seasonal AP for these rates. Might make it worth your while depending on where you were intending to stay. $94/night for Cabana Bay.

Annual pass rates for Nov 18-21

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

Check out the annual pass rates for your dates here. Some really good deals. You would just need to have one seasonal AP for these rates. Might make it worth your while depending on where you were intending to stay. $94/night for Cabana Bay.

Annual pass rates for Nov 18-21

Ok, that's a game changer. With one AP, I can get those much lower rates at Cabana Bay. Are there any other AP perks I could take advantage of?

 

[damo]

Ok, that's a game changer. With one AP, I can get those much lower rates at Cabana Bay. Are there any other AP perks I could take advantage of?

Here is the link for the Seasonal Pass. Just make sure you aren't staying over the weekend since that pass has blackout dates ... https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/annual-passes/uoap-types#seasonal-pass

And I'd book asap since those rates may not last long. You don't have to have the pass before you book.

 

[christophfam]

With the AP discount, can you swing Hard Rock? You’d get a very different experience with unlimited express pass.

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

And I'd book asap since those rates may not last long. You don't have to have the pass before you book.

I was worried about the timing of gettin an AP and booking. If I don't need to have the AP in advance, I can go ahead and book. Great info!

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

With the AP discount, can you swing Hard Rock? You’d get a very different experience with unlimited express pass.

That would be cool.

Planning 4 nights and 3 day park passes. Hard rock would be an additional $560. Is express pass worth that for a Mon-Wed in mid Nov?

 

[christophfam]

Yikes, well that’s quite a jump! That’s about $140/night more which is I guess expected. If you bought express passes for both of you, it would it more. If RPR or PBH is less those offer express as well. Is it worth it? Lines shouldn’t be that long while you are there but there will be lines. With express at that time, I’d be surprised if you waited more than ten minutes. Is your son the type to want to ride multiple times in a row? Take that into account as well. The premier hotels also offer boat rides to the parks instead of buses, their own dedicated security check and well a step up from the value hotels. I’ve stayed at cb and it’s great for a value. If I could only afford to go and stay at cb I’d be happy to go, but I’d have to go with more of a plan. Go early and late and skip the busy afternoon times. If I have express, I go whenever I wake with no rush or care.

 

[damo]

I think with 3 days in mid-November, you can afford to wait in some lines.

 

[AJA]

I wouldn’t spend the extra for unlimited express. Just keep your expectations manageable and you’ll be fine. Take advantage of early entry. -It really does make a difference at Universal. (Plus if you do get AP’s you could put that $500 toward a return trip).

You don’t need to have an AP to book the AP rate. We always wait and purchase our AP after checking in. They may ask you to stop back by and show it before checking out.

 

[Pop Goes the Weasel]

I wouldn’t spend the extra for unlimited express. Just keep your expectations manageable and you’ll be fine. Take advantage of early entry. -It really does make a difference at Universal. (Plus if you do get AP’s you could put that $500 toward a return trip).

You don’t need to have an AP to book the AP rate. We always wait and purchase our AP after checking in. They may ask you to stop back by and show it before checking out.

I'm accustomed to the Disney way - pre-purchase tickets and book fast passes. Is there any advantage to pre-purchasing tickets and AP online?

 

[damo]

I'm accustomed to the Disney way - pre-purchase tickets and book fast passes. Is there any advantage to pre-purchasing tickets and AP online?

Tickets are cheaper online. $20 less than at the gate. APs are the same price. I'd buy them both online but pick them up at the ticket desk at the hotel.