New Early Entry policies - Wizarding World of Harry Potter

[RachelleBeaney]

I was told on the phone that package guest will be allowed Early Entry into both parks. Don't know what this means for non package guest but I'll be there in less than two week and I will report back.

This is really interesting hermionesnape as it was under the terms and conditions of the WWOHP vacation packages that I read the term about early entry to 1 park per day. It's very unclear so I guess we'll find out soon (though I image that certain guests will be really mad if it hasn't been explained to them they wont be able to use early entry for every day of their stay!)

For me it's important to know as though we are going for 4 days we start our holiday on Presidents Day and I was going to avoid the WWOHP at all that day which means that if early entry is only granted to one park every other day I could end up only having 1 early entry morning to Diagon Alley on the third day of my stay (as I am avoiding early entry on Presidents Day) or two days if it's on the other days...I haven't quiet booked accommodation yet and am considering shuffling my other Orlando bits and pieces to make this work but it's hard when I have no clue how it will work! Oh well, Live and learn - Still can't wait

 

[RachelleBeaney]

i have stayed at all 3 of the deluxe hotels.
you can't go wrong with any of them.
they each have their own "personalities".

depending on the date you go, will determine how full the hotel will be.
HRH is the smallest of the 3 hotels with 650 rooms.

if you book a standard room and it is not a busy time, you have a 50/50 chance of a free upgrade to pool view if you ask for it at check in time.

a 4 night stay should work out well for you to explore the HrH, other 2 hotels, city walk and the parks.
the walk from HrH to the studios is 5 minutes or less.

www.citywalk.com
check it out for the menus and hours before your trip.

you can pool hop to the other 2 deluxe hotels during your stay.

do check out the Hard Rock Cafe and the Rock Shop in city walk.
that HRC is the largest one out of all the HRC.
be sure to take your camera with you!

it is always totally exciting reading up and planning for a stay at a new place.

this new planning for the HRH, City Walk, etc will keep you busy while you are waiting to hear more about the HP2 opening and those procedures.


i have been cutting back the number of nights i stay at disney the past years in order to spend more time at Universal.
i can't go to orlando without staying at both theme parks resorts...
this coming up trip i will only be at the motherland for 6 nights then transferred to the Darkside resort for the rest of my vacation.

Thanks for all that Info! It will be very helpful. This is our 3rd trip to UOR, just our first staying on property and we've been to the Hard Rock Cafe there twice I think, it is HUGE!

I'm with you about Universal and spending equal amounts of time between that and Disney. I guess it's probably to do with coming so far for our trips (we are located in Australia) but it seems pointless to me to not do and see everything in Orlando while we are there. Plus Universal is great, different to Disney, and in no ways better or worse but I have to admit I think i'd give it the edge over WDW, though perhaps not Disneyland (it's very close with the WWOHP but Disneyland was my first ever theme park - besides the ones we have here in Aus which are much smaller and less invovled - so it's special to me). Then of course theres Tokyo Disney - AMAZING, so all in all it's hard to choose - but I do really LOVE Universal Orlando! It has a great vibe about it and some amazing attractions

 

[peaches00]

i just did a little research and it looks like not only cabana bay will have early entrance but 32 universal Orlando partner hotels will also have it with universal vacation package. there had been speculation that they would do away with partner hotels but that is not the case. because they only had one hotel (rosen) advertised for harry potter packages starting june 29, I also thought this but all 32 partner hotels have early admission...is anyone else concerned about this???

 

[RMulieri]

i just did a little research and it looks like not only cabana bay will have early entrance but 32 universal Orlando partner hotels will also have it with universal vacation package. there had been speculation that they would do away with partner hotels but that is not the case. because they only had one hotel (rosen) advertised for harry potter packages starting june 29, I also thought this but all 32 partner hotels have early admission...is anyone else concerned about this???

I have been saying it for awhile..Universal is going to need add something else to early entry if they are going to keep all the partner hotels on a universal pkg, the deluxe hotels and all 1800 rooms of Cabana BAy on early entry..Now I get that not everyone uses the early entry perk, but still..That is ALOT of people to have if only section of one park is open.

 

[Bluer101]

i just did a little research and it looks like not only cabana bay will have early entrance but 32 universal Orlando partner hotels will also have it with universal vacation package. there had been speculation that they would do away with partner hotels but that is not the case. because they only had one hotel (rosen) advertised for harry potter packages starting june 29, I also thought this but all 32 partner hotels have early admission...is anyone else concerned about this???

Universal partner hotels.

If you stay at a partner hotel that does not mean EE.

Here are the benefits for partner hotels.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Partner-Hotels.aspx

Now if you stay at Rosen inn international and book the package then you get EE. If you just stay there you are not given EE.

So this limits it to 3 deluxe, cabana bay, and vacation packages offsite and onsite.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Vacation-Packages/Harry-Potter-Exclusive-Vacation-Package.aspx

 

[freediverdude]

What Bluer101 is saying is true- of the people staying at those off-site hotels, only people who have booked a Universal vacation package through Universal get the early entry, not everybody staying at those hotels. So that would be a small percentage of the rooms at those hotels which would qualify, I would think. But still, just opening Cabana Bay does almost double the amount of early entry eligible rooms, so who knows how this will turn out.

 

[Bluer101]

What Bluer101 is saying is true- of the people staying at those off-site hotels, only people who have booked a Universal vacation package through Universal get the early entry, not everybody staying at those hotels. So that would be a small percentage of the rooms at those hotels which would qualify, I would think. But still, just opening Cabana Bay does almost double the amount of early entry eligible rooms, so who knows how this will turn out.

But EE is still better than the mass public. I don't see it as a big issue. I'm sure they have ran all the numbers. They might only sell less partner hotel packages due to Cabana Bay now open.

 

[wendyt_ca]

We have been wondering the same for our Sept trip as well and how breakfast reservations will work cause we wanted to eat at the Leaky Cauldron.

 

[peaches00]

Universal partner hotels.

If you stay at a partner hotel that does not mean EE.

Here are the benefits for partner hotels.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Hotels/Partner-Hotels.aspx

Now if you stay at Rosen inn international and book the package then you get EE. If you just stay there you are not given EE.

So this limits it to 3 deluxe, cabana bay, and vacation packages offsite and onsite.

https://www.universalorlando.com/Vacation-Packages/Harry-Potter-Exclusive-Vacation-Package.aspx

I'm on the computer now...if you go to vacation packages on universal orlando, then scroll down to the partner hotels...under select it says included values, click that. It says early park admission for entire party. On every one of the 30+ hotels. Every one. Plus cabana bay. That's a problem.

 

[rcraw45425]

I'm on the computer now...if you go to vacation packages on universal orlando, then scroll down to the partner hotels...under select it says included values, click that. It says early park admission for entire party. On every one of the 30+ hotels. Every one. Plus cabana bay. That's a problem.

........that's a BIG problem!

 

[hermionesnape]

I'm on the computer now...if you go to vacation packages on universal orlando, then scroll down to the partner hotels...under select it says included values, click that. It says early park admission for entire party. On every one of the 30+ hotels. Every one. Plus cabana bay. That's a problem.

Partner hotels have had early entry since the original WWOHP opened in 2010 with vacation packages but only with the vacation packages. Most people don't buy vacation packages.

 

[peaches00]

I just reread what bluer said...yes, you only get early entry if you book vacation package, however with all the publicity diagon alley is about to get when they open diagon alley and the long lines that will probably ensue, hardcore Harry potter fans will book those packages more than before. I think.

 

[Bluer101]

I just reread what bluer said...yes, you only get early entry if you book vacation package, however with all the publicity diagon alley is about to get when they open diagon alley and the long lines that will probably ensue, hardcore Harry potter fans will book those packages more than before. I think.

Yes, that is always a possibility. But when HP 1 opened they had packages too and seemed to manage. We will all find out soon.

 

[rcraw45425]

Yes, that is always a possibility. But when HP 1 opened they had packages too and seemed to manage. We will all find out soon.

they had the packages then but not the packages and Cabana Bay! I'm afraid that that's going to be the deal breaker. I received yet another discount PIN for CB yesterday as my other one had expired on the 16th. If the keep making it so darned attractive it's going to add to the crowds I'm afraid!

 

[Bluer101]

they had the packages then but not the packages and Cabana Bay! I'm afraid that that's going to be the deal breaker. I received yet another discount PIN for CB yesterday as my other one had expired on the 16th. If the keep making it so darned attractive it's going to add to the crowds I'm afraid!

As a FL resident CB is $99 to $129 right now. Just because there is EE does not mean everyone is going to EE or the parks. I can tell you that there is always people checking in and checking out. Plus people in their rooms, eating breakfast, going offsite, and using the pools. Now all this is happening during EE. So the numbers are still good but time will tell.

I'm not saying right or wrong but we are there at the resorts at least 1-2 times a month. So we see a lot of things that most don't see. The last time we did EE was last summer during our 10 day stay. Only one day we did the EE. Granted HP1 has been open for 4 years so we will see. I hope you are wrong for the sake of the resort guests.

Maybe if it gets too crowded with EE maybe they can have the 3 deluxe resorts have express entrance to HP and CB / offsite packages use regular lines.

It's already crazy that CB can resort hop but the other 3 can't go to CB. How does a value resort get to use the amenities of the deluxe resorts that the deluxe guest pay for.

 

[pigletto]

As a FL resident CB is $99 to $129 right now. Just because there is EE does not mean everyone is going to EE or the parks. I can tell you that there is always people checking in and checking out. Plus people in their rooms, eating breakfast, going offsite, and using the pools. Now all this is happening during EE. So the numbers are still good but time will tell.

I'm not saying right or wrong but we are there at the resorts at least 1-2 times a month. So we see a lot of things that most don't see. The last time we did EE was last summer during our 10 day stay. Only one day we did the EE. Granted HP1 has been open for 4 years so we will see. I hope you are wrong for the sake of the resort guests.

Maybe if it gets too crowded with EE maybe they can have the 3 deluxe resorts have express entrance to HP and CB / offsite packages use regular lines.

It's already crazy that CB can resort hop but the other 3 can't go to CB. How does a value resort get to use the amenities of the deluxe resorts that the deluxe guest pay for.

Wow. None of this sounds good to me. The deluxe hotels are nice enough. But I'll be honest, we pay those prices for the early entry and express pass. If everybody and their dog gets early entry, and express pass is pretty much useless at in the HP areas for the most part.. then it kind of makes those prices seem a little more insane.
Add everyone who's paid 100 or more less than me per night allowed to hop to the resort we are staying in.. and I guess the whole thing leaves me a little sour.

 

[agavegirl1]

Hmmmm...very interesting information on this thread. I have booked at Portofino in late October. In November of 2010, I booked a Potter Package at RPR. We had breakfast at 3B and some other memorabilia included. We used our EE and even in mid November, there were a lot of people using the package benefits. This next trip is not a package since I am using Orlando Flex Pass Plus for tickets (also doing Sea World and Busch Gardens).

I was counting on EE for DA by staying Deluxe. If Uni finds the crowds with packages to be too big, will my chance at EE be compromised?

Also, I thought the Breakfast options at 3B were very authentic to my experience in London at my hotel. Walk-ups for breakfast did not seem to be available... just package people with reservations.

 

[peaches00]

As a FL resident CB is $99 to $129 right now. Just because there is EE does not mean everyone is going to EE or the parks. I can tell you that there is always people checking in and checking out. Plus people in their rooms, eating breakfast, going offsite, and using the pools. Now all this is happening during EE. So the numbers are still good but time will tell.

I'm not saying right or wrong but we are there at the resorts at least 1-2 times a month. So we see a lot of things that most don't see. The last time we did EE was last summer during our 10 day stay. Only one day we did the EE. Granted HP1 has been open for 4 years so we will see. I hope you are wrong for the sake of the resort guests.

Maybe if it gets too crowded with EE maybe they can have the 3 deluxe resorts have express entrance to HP and CB / offsite packages use regular lines.

It's already crazy that CB can resort hop but the other 3 can't go to CB. How does a value resort get to use the amenities of the deluxe resorts that the deluxe guest pay for.

There was talk of alternating deluxe and cb/package so that one group would have ee to da while other had ioa/wwohp and switch the next day. That would seem fair to me. Regarding pool hopping, I'm pissed too and am hoping they stop it but I don't think they will. I voiced my concern and loews blew it off...so if enough people complain, they might stop it. But people should def complain. Portofino is my fave vacation spot and I'm very nervous they will change it and it won't be as desirable.

 

[macraven]

my darkside trip isn't until october.
during my stay if i can not get a lounge chair by the pool, due to pool hoppers, i'll take pictures and send them along with my complaint to Loews.

i am booked at RPH and wonder since this would be the closest deluxe to Cbay, will they tend to migrate there.

i'm not concerned about EE days being alternated.
i'm at the hotel for 12 days and can live with specific dates for EE.
and i do make more than one trip each year to orlando,

i love to spend saturdays lounging around the pool though.

peaches has a good idea.
hopefully others will consider what she has already done and join in.

 

[zebsterama]

There was talk of alternating deluxe and cb/package so that one group would have ee to da while other had ioa/wwohp and switch the next day. That would seem fair to me. Regarding pool hopping, I'm pissed too and am hoping they stop it but I don't think they will. I voiced my concern and loews blew it off...so if enough people complain, they might stop it. But people should def complain. Portofino is my fave vacation spot and I'm very nervous they will change it and it won't be as desirable.

I agree with you wholeheartedly on both points. It's too bad that neither of these will happen before our trip in a few weeks - at least I assume there will be no major policy changes in the next little while.

One can still hope.