Surprise!! Timed entries for WWOHP today --and BIGGG crowds

[fa mulan]

Today was our IOA in the a.m. day --- plan was to get to Ollivanders first thing for DD14. Well....THAT didn't work. After a blissfully quiet day at US and great evening at IOA yesterday, today was just the opposite.

We were thru the turnstiles by 8:45ish and heard castmembers (or whatever they're called at US/IOA!) yelling to the crowd that hotel guests could go right to HP World....they also mentioned "something" about reservations... So DH says
"what are they talking about reservations for?" and I say, unsuspectingly, "Oh it's just for the hotel guests..." and on we march toward the enormous line growing in the Lost Continent... when DH says again "I keep hearing them mention reservation times" and I say again "It's just for hotel guests!!" But DH insists on asking and finds out ---much to my horror ---- that you need a timed entry slip just to enter WWOHP!!! By this time, it's 9:15 ish, and he rushes back to the entrance - - and he calls to tell me it's an HOUR wait for him just to get the white timed entry slips. Luckily, I see a 'castmember' with a stack of slips and ask for one, and luckily he has them for 10-11 am entry. So I grab 4 of these, and we proceed to HULK (which is fantastic and we are able to ride 2x ).

This timed entry thing was a fiasco and pretty bad of Universal, in my book. They could've handed them out when they took our tickes, so that earliest in would get the earliest timed entries. Anyway, they realized it didn't work (CM admitted so) - - -and by about 2:00, they were simply metering the entries in and clicking off the people that were leaving WWOHP. Oh, and if you wanted to reenter WWOHP, you'd need to REstand in line. AAAAGH

Ollivander's wait was reportedly 2 1/2 hours when DH got in line, but DH timed it and it "only" took 1 hour-ish. Oh and a tip here: DD14 sadly did NOT get picked -- but 'Ollivander' picked a 2d person during our time there. The first was a teenager upfront and close to the door. The 2d was after everyone was going into the Owl Post next door, and it was one of the last children in line, in back -- a girl of about 10.

I don't know how US was today, but IOA was PACKED!!!! And I'm just glad we road FJ last night. Posted times today were 120 minutes when I looked.

We did manage to eat at 3 Broomsticks without too much wait to get in (b/c we opted for the deck).

Who knows what the rest of the week will bring (and I'm certainly no US/IOA expert)... but I would bet on HUGE crowds each day at WWOHP!!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Hemlock]

Wow, thanks for the update. I'm hoping the crowds will have died down somewhat by the time we visit in the spring.

 

[mdb78]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! We are planning to go to IOA on Thanksgiving Day. Some school districts actually have this whole week off, but I didn't think I would read a crowd report like this!

 

[gibbersome]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! We are planning to go to IOA on Thanksgiving Day. Some school districts actually have this whole week off, but I didn't think I would read a crowd report like this!

I was thinking the same thing. Since many students are out all this week for Thanksgiving, the crowds may be bad until this Sunday.

 

[McIntoshTx]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! We are planning to go to IOA on Thanksgiving Day. Some school districts actually have this whole week off, but I didn't think I would read a crowd report like this!

120 minute wait I can watch a Harry Potter movie in that time

We were there on a Monday in October this year and it was very crowded but not as you described. FJ was a 60 minute wait. The wand show was looking to be at least that long. We are going back on Sept 25th in 2011 but we are staying at one of the Universal hotels so we will get into WWoHP at 8am instead of 9am. I plan to hit it hard and be out by 9:30am so we can avoid the crowds.

Thanks for the report

 

[PirateLover]

We were also there yesterday. We arrived a little later (around 9:30), bought our tickets and headed straight for HP.

We also ran into the timed entry issue, but we didn't need any tickets or anything,we just stood in line and were let in as people were let out.

We waited to get into the WWOHP for about an hour and then headed straight to FJ. There was 120 minute wait and it was all of 120 minutes. The ride broke down about half way through. It was started up again after about a 10 minute wait.

We then went to Hogs Head for a butter beer. No wait, but the wait at the carts were at least 30 + minutes.

We then got in line for Honeydukes-about a 45 minute wait to get in.

At this point we were starving so we decided to bite the bullet and get in line for Three Broomsticks-waited an hour at 1:30. The food was awesome and totally worth the wait.

Rode Dueling Dragons-20 minute wait.

Went on to Olivanders-2 hour wait-decided to skip it We were spent from fighting the massive crowds and standing in lines

 

[mesaboy2]

We were also there yesterday. We arrived a little later (around 9:30), bought our tickets and headed straight for HP.

We also ran into the timed entry issue, but we didn't need any tickets or anything,we just stood in line and were let in as people were let out.

We waited to get into the WWOHP for about an hour and then headed straight to FJ. There was 120 minute wait and it was all of 120 minutes. The ride broke down about half way through. It was started up again after about a 10 minute wait.

We then went to Hogs Head for a butter beer. No wait, but the wait at the carts were at least 30 + minutes.

We then got in line for Honeydukes-about a 45 minute wait to get in.

At this point we were starving so we decided to bite the bullet and get in line for Three Broomsticks-waited an hour at 1:30. The food was awesome and totally worth the wait.

Rode Dueling Dragons-20 minute wait.

Went on to Olivanders-2 hour wait-decided to skip it:confused3 We were spent from fighting the massive crowds and standing in lines

Good call. I might wait a max of about 45 minutes for that, and that's if I'm in a good mood. Sounds like you already paid your dues with all the lines!

 

[Planogirl]

Wow, we were there in August and it was crowded but we never saw FJ over 100 minutes. It must be so packed at Universal right now!

I'd still go though. It would be fun.

 

[phamton]

Yesterday was a test at trying the reservation system. They are trying to help all of the guests with crowd control and not having to wait in unbearable lines. If it was a fiasco, I am sure it will be ditched. I haven't heard yet on how well it worked or didn't work. I am just glad that they are trying new things to help guests with the crowds in the Harry Potter area.

 

[SandraLee]

I'm going the week after Christmas and I hope they have the time-entrance thing down by then. We'll be there bright and early . . .

I just can't figure out why they don't 'fast pass' the whole thing. Wouldn't they rather have people walking around and spending money on food rather than waiting 120 minutes in a line??

 

[damo]

I'm going the week after Christmas and I hope they have the time-entrance thing down by then. We'll be there bright and early . . .

I just can't figure out why they don't 'fast pass' the whole thing. Wouldn't they rather have people walking around and spending money on food rather than waiting 120 minutes in a line??

Timed entrance is fastpass.

I was under the impression that they did this during the summer at some point as well?

 

[SandraLee]

I thought I read that the line for FJ was 120 -- even with the timed entrance. Did I mis-read that part?

I'll be interested to read more about the timed entrances. Seems to time into the whole area, but not into the rides wouldn't be terribly effective in minimizing the wait times at FJ.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I'd rather have a timed entrance than wait in line. I hope they can work out a system, maybe where there's a pulsed standby line and a timed entrance line for WWOHP.

Just typing this sounds ridiculous. There's never been anything like this before anywhere.

 

[ducky_love]

Maybe the timed entrance is just to control the crowd getting into that part of the park without making people stand there for hours waiting to get in? I have been there when it has been a little scary walking in Hogsmeade. There are just so, so many people everywhere. I think they are doing their best to figure it all out. Nobody expected it to be quite this popular.

 

[damo]

I thought I read that the line for FJ was 120 -- even with the timed entrance. Did I mis-read that part?

I'll be interested to read more about the timed entrances. Seems to time into the whole area, but not into the rides wouldn't be terribly effective in minimizing the wait times at FJ.

When you said just "fastpass the whole thing", I thought you meant entrance in the Wizarding World.

Not sure how effective fastpassing FJ would be since there are long lines to get into the stores anyways.

Single riders is an effective way to go to minimize waits.

 

[mjohnson96]

I think the timed entry idea is a good one if they implement it well, they really need to inform people of it though.

It is not the same but when we went to the American Girl Grand Opening here in Kansas they did the timed entry and it really worked out great. We got our ticket saying what group we were in and then at that time for the group we headed over and got into line to get in. Much better to spend 3 hours shopping, playing, and eating than standing in line waiting.

 

[SandraLee]

I think the timed entry idea is a good one if they implement it well, they really need to inform people of it though.

Much better to spend 3 hours shopping, playing, and eating than standing in line waiting.

I totally agree. And, that would include waiting in line to get *in* to a shop... let alone waiting to pay with your stuff to get out!

It sounds really bad when people describe the crowds in Hogwarts as 'scary'. It would so make more sense to minimize the number of people and thus reducing the lines and people can move through more quickly. Plus, they might even generate more revenue if you can pay for your stuff without having to wait so long!

 

[stwyatt]

here at parks now, staying onsite, they opened gates at 7:45 for hotel guests. we got in line at 7:30 and line was on bridge to citiwalk--this is just onsite hotel guests!! we went straight to FJ just a steady walk thru castle not really a wait. rode once, and came out and the crowds were unbelievable, so we left and did US and will be at gates tomorrow morning at 7!!! this is our 4th time to universal this time of year and it's nothing like previous years, crowds are crazy---however, anything except WWOHP is easy with fotl. as we left ioa at 8:45am!!! crowds coming from citiwalk was something i've never seen here--feel sorry for anyone not here early

 

[mdb78]

here at parks now, staying onsite, they opened gates at 7:45 for hotel guests. we got in line at 7:30 and line was on bridge to citiwalk--this is just onsite hotel guests!! we went straight to FJ just a steady walk thru castle not really a wait. rode once, and came out and the crowds were unbelievable, so we left and did US and will be at gates tomorrow morning at 7!!! this is our 4th time to universal this time of year and it's nothing like previous years, crowds are crazy---however, anything except WWOHP is easy with fotl. as we left ioa at 8:45am!!! crowds coming from citiwalk was something i've never seen here--feel sorry for anyone not here early

How was the US side?

 

[stwyatt]

we actually arrived at US from IOA at opening for US. so we walked on everything. on sunday, you could easily get on anything with fotl. we don't do the rrr coaster so i can't comment on it