Managing WWHOP with P2P

[BrianL]

Hey, Uni experts. What's the best way to manage seeing the Harry Potter stuff using the P2P and Hogwart's Express? I mean, we have 2.5 days, I assumed we would RD USO one day and IOA the next, but if we ride Hogwart's Express, we are switching parks. So, it seems like planning a full day at one park and then a full day at the other is counter productive, unless we ride the express and then turn around and ride right back. What are lines for it like?

Also, are there any considerations for riding Gringott's first thing? I'm not going to run to it. Is there a single rider line that works well?

Thanks!

 

[hopemax]

I recommend doing something like RD at one park, do the most popular things, and then HE to the other park to do some of the "lesser" attractions. Then repeat for the other park. And depending on lines, you may even be able to do some popular stuff. I think my strategy is basically, enter a park, pick a direction, when you get to the train, hop, then pick a direction and just work that way around. Then for the next day do the opposite. The train has definitely changed how I think about visiting, because it's not one park per day, but half a park, in each park, per day.

So for a RD at the studios, I might do Despicable Me, Transformers, Mummy, Gringotts, and then hop the train to do FJ, Poseidon's Fury, Seuss Stuff.
For a RD at IOA, I would do Hulk, Spiderman, Water Rides, FJ, then HE to the other park to do MIB, Simpsons, ET, Terminator, Twister, Disaster, that type of stuff.

There is a single rider line, for Gringotts but since it bypasses the queue, I haven't bothered to use it. Lately on my visits, waits have only been 30 min, and I'd rather see everything.

 

[bumbershoot]

So, it seems like planning a full day at one park and then a full day at the other is counter productive, unless we ride the express and then turn around and ride right back.

Honestly, it's that turning right around thing that I sort of recommend. Because you have to see it both ways anyway, right?

 

[BrianL]

Oh, is it different both ways? I haven't wanted to spoil myself.

I looked at a wait time app and it seems like it's not ridiculously high wait times, maybe because it requires P2P to ride.

 

[macraven]

there are two different views on the HE train ride.
coming and going are different.

 

[BrianL]

Hmm, okay. So I could do the hop one way one day and then the other way on the next day. I'm trying to schedule a late lunch at Mythos, so this information is helpful. Also US is open later than IOS each day I'm there. Is riding the train back right around IOA close feasible or does it take too long? Does everyone crowd it?

 

[macraven]

Hmm, okay. So I could do the hop one way one day and then the other way on the next day. I'm trying to schedule a late lunch at Mythos, so this information is helpful. Also US is open later than IOS each day I'm there. Is riding the train back right around IOA close feasible or does it take too long? Does everyone crowd it?

the parks are very close to each other.
you won't lose time going from one of them to the other.
if you walked over from the studios to go to mythos, you could be looking at a 15 minute walk.

if you decide to take the train HE from the studios to mythos at ioa, could take you longer if the line for HE is long.

i know there is a srl for FJ, don't remember about gringotts.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah, I'm familiar with the layout, but didn't want to waste time walking from park to park if it was better to plan another way. I'm probably over-analyzing a bit , but I tend to do that as the trip gets closer.

 

[johde]

Yeah, I'm familiar with the layout, but didn't want to waste time walking from park to park if it was better to plan another way. I'm probably over-analyzing a bit , but I tend to do that as the trip gets closer.

In general, you're not going to lose any significant time walking between the 2 parks. The Tim Tracker video blog measured the time it hot them to walk from the Hogsmeade Station in the back to IOA to the Diagon Alley Station in USF. To get a time comparison of walking vs. taking the Hogwarts Express. It took them 31 minutes to walk between the 2 stations and they were stopped by the parade at USF.

From the front of one park to front of the other park is probably 5-6 minutes. I parked hopped every day during my trip.