November trip from WDW to IOA . . .

[fitzperry]

We've booked a stay at the Poly for the week following Thanksgiving and plan to spend one day at IOA (really at HP). Because of commitments with family and friends we cannot do that at the beginning or end of our stay; therefore, staying onsite at US is not an option. Can anyone give me an idea of the sort of crowds to expect there on the Tuesday after thanksgiving? We will drive ourselves to US so transportation is not an issue? Can you help me plan our day? My dh will probably want to tackle a few things at IOA (we've never been there) but HP will be our main focus.

Sent from my iPhone. Please excuse typos.

 

[fitzperry]

Bumping.

Maybe I should clarify my question . . . I've spent some time perusing the stickies, as well as some other threads, and the consensus seems to be that it is best to stay onsite at Universal in order to take advantage of early entry, etc. That won't work with our WDW plans this time, but I'm hoping we'll be ok since the holiday weekend will be over. Is that reasonable?

The crowd level thread didn't include any reports from last year for our particular date, but there was one report from that week that indicated lower crowds. If that is the case, do we still need to arrive at the park an hour before it opens to the general public or would we be safe arriving closer to opening time or even not arriving until later (we are not early risers, particularly on vacation, but we (at least two of us) are Harry Potter-obsessed, so we will do it if necessary).

Is it necessary to spring for the Express pass at that time of year? I think I read that you can wait until the day of your visit to add that option. How do you do that?

Thanks!

 

[mesaboy2]

Yes, you should be fine without Express--I would expect crowds to be light the Tuesday after T-day. If you decide you want Express once inside the park, there are a number of locations all around IoA that sell them. There are signs outside each spot that are pretty hard to miss.

As for WWoHP, it is best to tackle very early in the day or late. Personally I would get there at least 30-45 minutes before official park open and hope for the best.

Have fun!

 

[Zim]

I agree - crowds should be on the low end. And unless it's changed now that it's been around for a year, the main ride in the Potter section doesn't even allow the Express Pass. But without early entry for staying at one of their hotels, you're looking at a long line no matter what in the morning... I think you might just want to take your time and plan to be in the potter section (which is at the far end of the park anyway) later in the day.

 

[Metro West]

I agree - crowds should be on the low end. And unless it's changed now that it's been around for a year, the main ride in the Potter section doesn't even allow the Express Pass. But without early entry for staying at one of their hotels, you're looking at a long line no matter what in the morning... I think you might just want to take your time and plan to be in the potter section (which is at the far end of the park anyway) later in the day.

 

[snowy76]

We just did IoA twice during our 12-night stay at WDW. One day the park opened at 8, another at 9.

Definitely be at the turnstiles well before opening - 30 minutes is probably best. They WILL let you in slightly before the official opening time and allow you to walk back to WWoHP. We were able to walk onto FJ twice before the line started to build, but it built quickly within the first hour.

For us, the single rider line for FJ was a godsend - there is no Express Pass for FJ, so do single rider if at all possible. I went with the older kids and we wound up riding together anyway, since it was so early and few people were in the standby lines. Then DH rode (we could've used the baby swap room but DS5 liked watching the hippogriff coaster). We also did the "castle tour" with our little one, which was cool (if you do single rider you don't see the main queue but the castle tour lets you walk leisurely through a separate lane and see all the rooms of the main queue).

Ollivander's line was long VERY early but if this is not a priority for everyone, I would say skip it. On our second visit, DD wanted to do it, so she waited while I took DS5 to Seuss Landing, and DH and DS17 rode Hulk a couple of times.

 

[fitzperry]

Thanks for the replies! At the moment my kids are less interested in the attractions than they are in draining their savings accounts and planning all the stuff they're going to buy, but I want to make sure we have an easy, fun day.