questions about IOA during a disney vacation

[sl_underwood]

Never been to IOA before but dd wants to go to WWOHP and I think SuessLand looks entertaining, lol. Trying to figure out how to plan this. We are planning to go the first week in Dec, so lots of time. How busy is IOA typically in early dec? Also, any suggestions for the least expensive one day one park tix? Is the FP worth the extra $$? And what is the least expensive way to get from our WDW resort to IOA? Touring plan suggestions? Think thats all for now, but prob will have more for later?

 

[Bonniec]

The first week of December isn't that bad. I think this year was a bit busier than normal but not horrible. I don't think purchasing an express pass is worth it because it won't get you onto Forbidden Journey.

You don't really need a touring plan for this park. So you can actually relax and enjoy it, lol. The only thing I would suggest, if you are morning people get there as early as possible for WWOHP. FJ and Olivanders have crazy long lines, but very worth it. Most everything else in the park is not that bad. Suess Land generally has low wait times and is very cute.

I would recommend having an earlier lunch at Three Broomsticks. Go earlier to avoid the crowd and you can get a butter beer there (or two). The food is really nice. Then make a dinner reservation for Mythos which is outstanding. (Make the reservation ahead of time.) I also recommend trying both the frozen and regular butter beers. I honestly have a hard time picking a favorite.

Don't be shocked by the crowd level at WWOHP. The shops are crazy overcrowded but it's a pretty cool area.

 

[lions1995]

We went the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. We took a taxi from our resort (BW) to Universal ($30 i think). We were at the gates by 8:30. I noticed that the early entry for Univeral resort had no one going through it. I figured they must all be in by now. But then they left us in at 8:45. We headed to FJ, rode it three times (and paid a bit extra to store bags). It was an amzinf light day (it was a bit overcast in the morning). By 12:30 we had finished WWoHP and eaten at teh three broomsticks. We made our way back through the rest of the park and were heading back to the resort by 4:30.

I would suggest NOT going on a weekend, be there early, do WWoHP first thing and you should be fine. I thought about the FP option as well, but it would have been a waste of money for us.

 

[zack123]

The Universal Express Pass can be helpful, but it is not recommended to buy it in advance. It is date-specific and non-refundable, if you change your vacation, get there and crowds or low, it rains, etc. you do not get your money back. The first two weeks of December it will probably not be that crowded. If you get there and decide the lines are too long, you can go into many different stores in the park and buy one.

The Express Pass allows you to skip the regular line once at each participating attraction. It is not a "front of the line" pass, it is a special line for onsite guests and those who have purchased the passes.

There are only a few attractions in IOA that do not accept Express: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the Ollivander's wand shop show, and Pteradon Flyers. Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge, the other two WWoHP rides, do accept Express.

There aren't a lot of discounts available for one-day tickets, but Undercover Tourist sometimes has tickets a little cheaper than other places. You can also get discounts if you are a AAA member, and the Universal website's tickets are cheaper than buying them at the gate. Some people have also been able to use credit card reward points to get free tickets, if you have a credit card with rewards, you might check to see if this is an option and how many points you need.

I think there is a sticky on here that discusses transportation, that you might want to check out.

 

[Nyrina4life]

Never been to IOA before but dd wants to go to WWOHP and I think SuessLand looks entertaining, lol. Trying to figure out how to plan this. We are planning to go the first week in Dec, so lots of time. How busy is IOA typically in early dec? Also, any suggestions for the least expensive one day one park tix? Is the FP worth the extra $$? And what is the least expensive way to get from our WDW resort to IOA? Touring plan suggestions? Think thats all for now, but prob will have more for later?

I would like to think of myself as an ex-frequent flyer at Islands of Adventure. The first two weeks of December are pretty mild as far as crowds go. You'll still have anywhere from 20 - 40 minute wait times. For the Harry Potter portion of the park I am not sure as I moved before I could experience it. My suggestion is head that way as soon as the gates open just so you can experience it without too much of a crowd.

I would advise against purchasing the express passes unless your goal is to ride every ride several times over. You can save that money for one of the nicer places to dine in. As for getting from WDW resort to Islands of Adventure, I'm not sure on the cheapest way as I was just a local resident coming from the opposite direction. If you ask one of the employees who frequent the roads they can give you the best route.

Have fun at the park!