Rope drop strategy?

[emilyecross]

My brothers (22 and 27) and I (26) are planning a Universal day during our Disney trip later this month. On 3/21, Islands opens at 9:00 and Studios opens at 9:00 with an 8:00-9:00 Early Park Admission. We're not staying on property at Universal, so we don't have access to the early hour. We are just planning on doing Harry Potter stuff, anything else would be a bonus. What should our rope drop strategy be? Do we need to get there super early, or is an ~8:30 arrival okay? Is rope dropping even necessary?

On a different front, we're not planning on purchasing Express passes, but since they're available in the park we might make a snap decision day of.

(As an aside, I'm vaguely aware of the long waits for the Hagrid ride. If we end up missing it because the wait is too long, not a big deal.)

 

[TommyJK]

If you have any intention/hope of riding Hagrid's coaster, you should Rope Drop IOA. Get there around 8:20ish I would say, and then head straight for Hagrid's (and hope there are no early morning delays for the ride).

 

[cfoxga]

You are getting into Spring Break time, so I would expect the parks to be quite crowded. Even without wanting to ride Hagrids, I would get to the gates before 8:30 if you are going to IOA. They usually open at 8:45 and most will head to Hagrids. That would be a great time to hit the rest of the park.

EPs are quite expensive. It is usually cheaper to get a room at a Deluxe Hotel (with up to 5 unlimited EPs for the arrival and departure days) than to buy 3 or more EPs. But you'd have to commit to that upfront. With only one day, you'll have to plan out exactly what is important without EPs.

 

[Polyonmymind]

You will need to purchase park to park tickets to ride the Hogwarts Express train between both parks to experience Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

For touring ideas, look at this thread...
https://www.disboards.com/threads/wizarding-world-touring-plans-and-details.3666427/

 

[emilyecross]

All set on the tickets. That thread is helpful, thanks!

Thanks everyone for the helpful info!