need answers...dh wants to stay away due to crowds :-(

[sersee05]

We are staying in a condo. Its too late for me to get tickets from ut. Thinking of using official ticket center and picking them up.

But we dont have ep. Its too expensive to add. Dh is concerned with not bei g able to get on the rides. Then I see some of the wait times..and its crazy! We are going next week.

Now don't yell at me....haha but we are not hp fans. My kids actually don't like hp at all. No one will be upset if we don't see it. We would rather go on other rides.

Are the wait times for other rides is bad as say the gringotts? Dh is now thinking back to Disney since we can get a five day hopper a d bounce around..

Kids don't care because they haven't been to us. I'm the holdout because I want to go to us. Dis will be crowded too...but dh heard the horrible wait times for gringotts and I guess thinks it will be that way for every ride?

I make the final decision...so I want it to be an informed one. We are also staying within a budget and can do a give day hopper and have something to do every day. With US...I can't get the third day free if it's only from ut...do I would have to figure out what else to do for the rest of the days.

 

[stky6]

You can always just drive over and pick your UT tickets up from the UPS store that handles them, it's not that far from US.

Get the address and look it up on google maps

Don't have an answer for you on the wait times, we're heading down in two weeks but staying on site so hopefully it won't be too crazy

Might want to check this our for a guess on the crowds

http://blog.touringplans.com/2014/0...lando-wizarding-world-two-park-touring-plans/

 

[sersee05]

I think Im just trying to find out if Im going to be standing in line the same amount of time as in Disney(but with a bigger payoff in my opinion). But dh even heard of this Gringotts wait time and he went

Yes.. i guess I could! Originally we were going on Saturday so I knew we wouldn't make it in time to pick up on Sat. and Sunday they are closed. But now that we are leaving Sunday..I could pick them up from ups on Monday morning. Anyone have any experience with that part?

 

[RMulieri]

The other rides arent as bad as Gringotts, but they aren't low crowds either.It is summer and busy this time of year, and busier this year because of Diagon alley...Some wait times : Despicable me -105 mins , Transformers 45 mins, Rip Ride rocket 60 mins ,Spiderman 50 mins, Hulk 25 mins

If you get there early and ready to go, you can beat some of the lines.Especially if you are not doing Potter stuff, but honestly , the Potter stuff is DEFINITELY worth it.My neighbors are not fans at all.Never saw a movie or read a book and LOVED the Potter stuff.I wouldn't travel all the way there and skip it

 

[sersee05]

Point taken Rmulieri! I will def. Check it out... Thank u!

Think I'm buying three park unlimited. We have five days...so hoping I will be less stressed and get on everything by being free with unlimited....so sad not to have ep though.

 

[sersee05]

So..those ride times are really right in Line with some of Disney's times...

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

We are staying in a condo. Its too late for me to get tickets from ut. Thinking of using official ticket center and picking them up.

But we dont have ep. Its too expensive to add. Dh is concerned with not bei g able to get on the rides. Then I see some of the wait times..and its crazy! We are going next week.

Now don't yell at me....haha but we are not hp fans. My kids actually don't like hp at all. No one will be upset if we don't see it. We would rather go on other rides.

Are the wait times for other rides is bad as say the gringotts? Dh is now thinking back to Disney since we can get a five day hopper a d bounce around..

Kids don't care because they haven't been to us. I'm the holdout because I want to go to us. Dis will be crowded too...but dh heard the horrible wait times for gringotts and I guess thinks it will be that way for every ride?

I make the final decision...so I want it to be an informed one. We are also staying within a budget and can do a give day hopper and have something to do every day. With US...I can't get the third day free if it's only from ut...do I would have to figure out what else to do for the rest of the days.

Was there last week. Lines were very long. Spiderman often 60 minutes. Hulk 60-75. Dudley Do Right 75-90, Popeye River Barge 60. A bit shorter in Universal. ET 30 minutes, Simpsons 40-50. Transformers 60 plus, Despeciable Me 60. Sometimes the first hour of the day or real late it does get shorter, but without EP (I had to add it or I would have gotten on 3 rides the entire day) expect to be waiting a lot.

 

[phamton]

Each week now will get lighter crowds now that we are in August. Universal will not be any more crowded than Disney at this time. In a week the wait times will go down significantly. Most everyone is trying to do Harry Potter things so you should be fine in a week. it won't be low crowds but much more manageable.

 

[sersee05]

do you think crowds will be different by next week? I understand its summer and its when people go which is why we are going. I m not expecting to walk onto a ride..

but the fact that if i don't have express pass and get on maybe 3 rides..that is a little concerning...

 

[fwong]

So..those ride times are really right in Line with some of Disney's times...

I just got back from 3 days at Universal.

We stayed at Royal Pacific so we had the Express Pass Unlimited (which doesn't help for Gringotts, Forbidden Journey, or Hogwards Express), and we had the extra park hours. BUT, even though the extra hour says it starts at 7am, they let people in before 6:45am...and the line forms before 6:30am. So you have to get up REALLY early to take advantage of that. I dreaded that..

So on Monday, the day we arrived, we rode Gringotts with a 140 minute wait (posted a 150 minute wait)- express pass didn't apply for this ride - and entered about 7pm. No problems - the ride even broke 3x while we there and we still got on in less than 150.

Gringotts in the middle of the day is a 240+ minute wait! And to be honest - although I loved it because I love harry potter - not worth it compared to Amazing Spiderman. Although Amazing Spiderman is older, its just a much better (and longer) ride.

Several of the showcase rides had the biggest waits - Spiderman, Harry potter Forbidden Journey, Rip Ride Rocket, Dudley Do Right Falls, Hulk, and Despicable Me. Most other rides were 0-30 minutes

Harry Potter Dragon Challenge was usually less than 30 minutes and its MUCH better than Rip Ride Rocket (90 minute wait). Even Harry Potter Hogwarts Express never went above 30 minutes while we were there (and you'll want to ride it both directions).

Get the Universal App - and just like the Disney app - watch the ride times.

 

[sersee05]

Thanks fwong! We are not big Hp fans...so not riding the gringotts is not a deal breaker.

My kids have never been there so it's all new and exciting and will want to go to every nook and cranny that universal has.

I would never ever wait 240+ minutes for a ride. Ever.

 

[angryduck71]

You know, my DH used to complain about the crowds... I dumped him. My new boyfriend is AWESOME and my kid loves him and we've had a BLAST doing Disney and now going to do the Darkside in May. JUST KIDDING. I think it's just Gringotts being really really bad.

 

[mhf]

I just got back from 3 days at Universal.

We stayed at Royal Pacific so we had the Express Pass Unlimited (which doesn't help for Gringotts, Forbidden Journey, or Hogwards Express), and we had the extra park hours. BUT, even though the extra hour says it starts at 7am, they let people in before 6:45am...and the line forms before 6:30am. So you have to get up REALLY early to take advantage of that. I dreaded that..

So on Monday, the day we arrived, we rode Gringotts with a 140 minute wait (posted a 150 minute wait)- express pass didn't apply for this ride - and entered about 7pm. No problems - the ride even broke 3x while we there and we still got on in less than 150.

Gringotts in the middle of the day is a 240+ minute wait! And to be honest - although I loved it because I love harry potter - not worth it compared to Amazing Spiderman. Although Amazing Spiderman is older, its just a much
better (and longer) ride.

Several of the showcase rides had the biggest waits - Spiderman, Harry potter Forbidden Journey, Rip Ride Rocket, Dudley Do Right Falls, Hulk, and Despicable Me. Most other rides were 0-30 minutes

Harry Potter Dragon Challenge was usually less than 30 minutes and its MUCH better than Rip Ride Rocket (90 minute wait). Even Harry Potter Hogwarts Express never went above 30 minutes while we were there (and you'll want to ride it both directions).

Get the Universal App - and just like the Disney app - watch the ride times.

Love the UO ride time ap! have been watching it for several weeks and today about 6 p.m. i saw Gringotts at 90 minutes…first time i've seen it under triple digits. it's back up to 110 now but Men in Black is only 15 as is Dragon Challenge.

Also, use the single rider line. You probably won't sit together but not that big of a deal for 3 minutes.

Can you do without a bag and just use a waist bag? Saves locker time!

M

 

[sersee05]

lol Angry duck!


I will def. down load the app. I convinced him ! We get to go ..woot woot!

We are going to wing it and have a blast

 

[KorbensMomma]

It's almost time for your trip, remember you have to let is know how you like it.

Have fun, drink lots of water, and don't forget the sunscreen.

 

[cvjw]

Was at Universal July 23rd and 24th and then at Disney the 24th - 30th.

Universal was super crowded - we thought it was much more crowded than at Disney for our week. Long wait times at many of the headliners - we had FOTL, so we only waited in the normal lines for the HP attractions. Several times when we were at Disney and looked around and saw hardly an people, we joked that Disney was empty because everyone was in line for the new HP ride! We waited 2 hours two separate times to ride it

We did find a few short lines during our Universal stay - we walked onto the Hogwarts train, and a lady I was talking to said her son rode Hulk several times in a row with little to no wait in the am.

Have fun - the new HP land is awesome

 

[stky6]

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