Please help me plan our day end of Sept for my HP fan kids

[SteveMP]

Hello all,

We will be in Orlando for a week end of September. We have WDW 4 day Magic tickets, and currently planning to go to WDW Sept 25-28. My teenagers are huge HP fans, so we were going to spend 1 day at Universal as well. So was planning to go to Universal on Friday, but looking at the hours that week, it looks like they are closing early, I am guessing due to the Halloween event? I see weds Universal closes at 7, but Friday they close at 5. Now I also asked about riding Hogwarts express, and people were suggesting the best way to ride was from Diagonal Alley to Hogwarts. So I guess the question is do we go to USF first, as they open at 8, do some stuff at USF, then take the HE to IOA, then ride the HE back to USF to experience the ride both ways, sometimes before 5(when USF closes), then ride HE back to IOA to spend until IOA closes at 7? We mostly want to do as much HP stuff as we can, though we have been to USH so we can skip flight of the hypogryph, etc. I'm just not sure the best way to schedule and bounce around to see as much as we can in one day. Thanks for any help!

 

[kylieelizabethhh]

So excited that you guys are taking a day and going to Hogwarts! You won't regret it - it's truly magical, even for people who aren't as big of fans of the series.

Yes, Universal closes at 5 because of horror nights, but Islands of Adventure will still be open until 7-8pm. So what I would do is:

Start your day at Universal. Head straight to Diagon Alley before it gets busy! Ride Gringotts, see the Ollivander show (I prefer this one over the one in Hogsmeade), check out the shops, etc. Then, with your PTP ticket, head over to IOA on the train! Do the Harry Potter stuff there, such as the castle ride, flight of the hypogriff, check out Honeydukes. Try and catch a show! Either the singing frogs and choir, or the Triwizard Cup entrances. Then, I would catch the train back to Universal (the video on the ride to Hogwarts is different than the video on the ride to Diagon Alley, so definitely ride it twice!) , eat lunch at the Leaky Cauldron or somewhere else in Universal. Spend the afternoon there riding rides, meeting characters, seeing the Horror Makeup show, then head over to IOA around 5pm for the rest of the night!

Since you're there for 1 day, I would definitely look into Express passes if you haven't. All of the HP rides accept Express now! So while the lines are short, you can wait and ride the rides. Then later in the day, when the lines are longer, you can use your Express to wait less and re-ride them!

Have an amazing time! I'll be there the 6th - 10th of October and can't wait.

 

[SteveMP]

So excited that you guys are taking a day and going to Hogwarts! You won't regret it - it's truly magical, even for people who aren't as big of fans of the series.

Yes, Universal closes at 5 because of horror nights, but Islands of Adventure will still be open until 7-8pm. So what I would do is:

Start your day at Universal. Head straight to Diagon Alley before it gets busy! Ride Gringotts, see the Ollivander show (I prefer this one over the one in Hogsmeade), check out the shops, etc. Then, with your PTP ticket, head over to IOA on the train! Do the Harry Potter stuff there, such as the castle ride, flight of the hypogriff, check out Honeydukes. Try and catch a show! Either the singing frogs and choir, or the Triwizard Cup entrances. Then, I would catch the train back to Universal (the video on the ride to Hogwarts is different than the video on the ride to Diagon Alley, so definitely ride it twice!) , eat lunch at the Leaky Cauldron or somewhere else in Universal. Spend the afternoon there riding rides, meeting characters, seeing the Horror Makeup show, then head over to IOA around 5pm for the rest of the night!

Since you're there for 1 day, I would definitely look into Express passes if you haven't. All of the HP rides accept Express now! So while the lines are short, you can wait and ride the rides. Then later in the day, when the lines are longer, you can use your Express to wait less and re-ride them!

Have an amazing time! I'll be there the 6th - 10th of October and can't wait.

Thank you! Just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy going back and forth. So sounds like a plan. I did look at the express passes but its already an arm and a leg for 1 day park hoppers! So will have to deal.

Have a great trip as well!

 

[gotomu212]

Have you thought about changing hotels for the last night? All of the hotels will get you an hour early entry to one of the HP areas, and a night at HRH, PB, or RP will get you express passes.

I'd plan on lunch and dinner at Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron too!

 

[SteveMP]

Have you thought about changing hotels for the last night? All of the hotels will get you an hour early entry to one of the HP areas, and a night at HRH, PB, or RP will get you express passes.

I'd plan on lunch and dinner at Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron too!

We aren't staying onsite, though i think i may switch to Wednesday and do Hollywood Studios on Friday instead. That we have an extra couple hours in case, plus maybe less crowded since less HHN crowd?

 

[macraven]

wednesday would give you longer hours in the parks
would be to your advantage of going then instead of the friday

no hhn that wednesday

 

[SteveMP]

wednesday would give you longer hours in the parks
would be to your advantage of going then instead of the friday

no hhn that wednesday

Yeah i think we might do that then. Disney Hollywood Studios is ame hours each day and there isn't a whole lot we really care to see at that park.