Studios on a HHN day?

[The Gatekeeper]

Hi! We will be visiting for a long weekend in October when Studios closes at 5 every day of our trip. We have little kids and are not attending HHN but we have Premier Annual Passes & we would like to use the after 4 express passes at Studios. I was wondering about the park closing process. Is it even worth it to be in Studios to try to get a few rides in before 5? If you're in line by 5 do they let you stay in line? Any experience with this? I would imagine IoA attendance surges when Studios closes so I'm wondering what to prepare for over there in the evenings as well. Thanks for your insight!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Last year, a lot of people were in the stay-and-scream holding pens by 4 (the holding areas aren’t just big areas where people mill about; people form a line upon entering so the first into the area are first into the house). So even though there are a lot of people entering Studios between 3 and 5, I don’t think there’s necessarily a corresponding increase in crowds waiting for rides. I imagine you’ll be allowed to wait as long as you’re in the queue, but haven’t tried it personally, as I’ve been lined up in the holding area. You’re probably good to get in a few rides.

There IS a surge to IoA as you get closer to 5. You’ll see vastly different wait times for the different directions of Hogwarts Express. You should be okay there in the evening with your express pass, keeping in mind Hagrids and Velocicoaster will have long waits. I’m not sure if they’ve announced for this year, but last year there was a Dark Arts at Hogwarts with a special light show on the castle, masked Death Eaters wandering the streets of Hogsmeade, and cool fog and green light special effects.

 

[georgina]

The roaming death eaters last Oct was an unexpected surprise. Very cool. Not sure how little kids would react.

 

[tlseege]

The roaming death eaters last Oct was an unexpected surprise. Very cool. Not sure how little kids would react.

It was amazing! My little girl shoved her wand up her shirt so the death eaters wouldn't see that she was a witch. Man we laughed so hard.

 

[pmas]

Are crowds during the day at Studios on HHN a little quieter than usual with the parks closing early? This seems to be a thing over in Magic Kingdom on MNSSHP where it seems ride times are much shorter in the day with people not going to MK because of the early close.

We're doing 2 days in Universal and I'm wondering if an early start in Studios on a party night then hopping over to IoA for a little bit at 5, then coming back to do a full day in IoA (where most of the rides our kids are interested in will be) will make sense.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Are crowds during the day at Studios on HHN a little quieter than usual with the parks closing early? This seems to be a thing over in Magic Kingdom on MNSSHP where it seems ride times are much shorter in the day with people not going to MK because of the early close.

We're doing 2 days in Universal and I'm wondering if an early start in Studios on a party night then hopping over to IoA for a little bit at 5, then coming back to do a full day in IoA (where most of the rides our kids are interested in will be) will make sense.

Most people have hoppers at UO, both because the parks are smaller/closer, and because it’s the only way to ride the Hogwarts Express. Disney folks are more likely to have base tickets, so are more likely to avoid MK on a party night.

You can absolutely do an early start at Studios, but realize there will be a lot of people doing the same start in Studios and migration to IoA in the evening. The wait for Hogwarts Express can get really long at King’s Cross station as people leave Studios before it closes for HHN.

It’s a viable plan, and it’s what I’d do if I weren’t going to HHN, but it’s probably not going to give you the low crowds you are hoping for like on MK party nights. That said, if your trip is in September, that tends to be a lower crowd time, so even if HHN doesn’t deflate the waits in Studios compared to IoA, the waits will probably be shorter than if you went at a busier time of year.