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

[damo]

It was being held along the one of the "alley" walls behind the shop. And, it looked like it wasn't moving at all.



This sounds like a really good idea. IoA has always been DH's fave park, but after our experience there on Monday, I couldn't drag him back there. It seemed as if they were totally unprepared for the large crowds & everything felt very unorganized. We were extremely disappointed & wished that we had made other plans for that day. We were talking about it on our cab ride back & DH said, "At WDW, people would be outraged if they had to wait in 2 different lines for 1-2 hours just to get into Frontierland & then wait in another line for another hour to eat at Pecos Bill, & wait another hour to get into a gift shop, & get in line for another 2 hours to ride Spalsh Mountain...just for it to break down once we're finally close to the front." That's pretty much how we felt. After being there for almost 5 hours, we were only able to eat lunch (which included another 5 lines: one outside to get into the restaurant, another one inside to be assigned to a cashier, a line for the cashier, a line to pick-up your food, & a line to be assigned to a table) & ride one ride.

Yet people continue to flock to it. It is like Black Friday shopping. When there are that many people trying to get into that few attractions, there's not a heck of a lot you can do other than make people wait.

 

[gailg3horses]

but it was a terrible experience and we will not be going back. the area is soooo small and Universal just is not prepared to manage the crowds. They were handing out slips with a time on them for entry but didn't bother to tell you that until you walked all the way over to WWOHP and it was hard to understand the woman with the first bull horn. So we got our slip for about 40 minutes later and sat around and waited. then when we tried to get in it was utter chaos. People pushing and shoving children and anyone in their way and the staff not knowing what to do to make the situation any better. When you finally got let into the area, you could not move at all there were so many people again. You couldn't get into any of the stores, you couldn't get on any of the rides. It was an utter waste of time and money. We couldn't even spend any money b/c you couldn't buy anything. Absolutely ridiculous and stupid of Universal. We left after about 15 minutes in the HP area and went over to Disney with our annual passes. We had a blast at the MK which was yellow yesterday, but still did not feel that crowded even with all the crowds. absolutely shameful on Universals part and a waste of a lot of money on our part. Lesson learned and we will not be back.

 

[Magpie]

Both Saturdays are predicted to be busy, especially the 18th, but otherwise crowds should be relatively light. We're going on the 13th, so I've been reading every prediction I can find. For IOA, Mondays and Tuesdays are usually lighter than later in the week. I've heard some contradictory info on Sundays. For some reason, Wednesday the 15th is predicted to be busy at WDW, and it's not a recommended day for most WDW parks. So I think that might be a good day to go to Universal/IoA.

Time of day is the main factor for WWOHP as well as WDW parks. If you're staying on site, you should definitely take advantage of your early entry. If you're off site, you should still get there before the official opening time because often they'll let people in early. If you get there after opening, the lines will be a lot longer for the most popular rides.

For our week, overall it should be light (especially compared to this week, or Christmas week). It might be easier to get on popular rides at dinner time or closing time.

Thank you! I was initially disappointed that we would be travelling both Saturdays (and missing Mannheim Steamroller), but now, not so much!

We're staying on site at the Royal Pacific Resort. We're all big HP fans and want to see the Wizarding World first thing. My initial plan was to get everyone out of bed early on Sunday morning, with the goal of heading out the door at 7:30 to walk to IOA. I've been a bit worried that maybe I was being a little too gung-ho, and that it wouldn't be necessary to head out that early...? But from what you say, it sounds like this is the plan we should stick to.

 

[damo]

Thank you! I was initially disappointed that we would be travelling both Saturdays (and missing Mannheim Steamroller), but now, not so much!

We're staying on site at the Royal Pacific Resort. We're all big HP fans and want to see the Wizarding World first thing. My initial plan was to get everyone out of bed early on Sunday morning, with the goal of heading out the door at 7:30 to walk to IOA. I've been a bit worried that maybe I was being a little too gung-ho, and that it wouldn't be necessary to head out that early...? But from what you say, it sounds like this is the plan we should stick to.

That's when we leave RPR. I'd rather be near the front of the lines and wait for 20 minutes.

 

[tfoster]

The last time we visited US/IOA was the week before Christmas and the crowds kept getting progressively thicker the closer to the 25th (this was 4 yrs ago). I thought I was safe taking my kids out of school for a full week before the holiday but that wasn't the case. Disney was even worse, but now with the WWOHP I think Universal is going to be very crowded during your dates.

Okay - I just got finished changing our vacation dates (thank you, Southwest, for making flight changes so easy!). We were going to be at SeaWorld Dec 17-19 and Universal Dec 19-24. Now we're going to be at Universal Dec 12-17 and SeaWorld Dec 17-19. Nice thing is that we have reservations for the Beluga Interaction at SeaWorld on the 18th, and everything worked out so that they still fit into our schedule perfectly.

After reading these crowd reports, I'm feeling pretty relieved that we'll now be going a week earlier.

I love DISboards and all the helpful people who share their experiences!! Thank you!!

(P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!)

 

[Magpie]

but it was a terrible experience and we will not be going back. the area is soooo small and Universal just is not prepared to manage the crowds. They were handing out slips with a time on them for entry but didn't bother to tell you that until you walked all the way over to WWOHP and it was hard to understand the woman with the first bull horn. So we got our slip for about 40 minutes later and sat around and waited. then when we tried to get in it was utter chaos. People pushing and shoving children and anyone in their way and the staff not knowing what to do to make the situation any better. When you finally got let into the area, you could not move at all there were so many people again. You couldn't get into any of the stores, you couldn't get on any of the rides. It was an utter waste of time and money. We couldn't even spend any money b/c you couldn't buy anything. Absolutely ridiculous and stupid of Universal. We left after about 15 minutes in the HP area and went over to Disney with our annual passes. We had a blast at the MK which was yellow yesterday, but still did not feel that crowded even with all the crowds. absolutely shameful on Universals part and a waste of a lot of money on our part. Lesson learned and we will not be back.

I'm sorry you had a bad time - you picked a very unfortunate day to visit, especially considering how exciting and new the attraction is to many people.

But I imagine if the only day you'd ever tried to visit the Magic Kingdom was on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Boxing Day, you'd probably be calling Disney "ridiculous and stupid", too. Especially after they've closed the parks and left you sitting outside, because you were just a little too late arriving at the gate.

 

[damo]

I'm sorry you had a bad time - you picked a very unfortunate day to visit, especially considering how exciting and new the attraction is to many people.

But I imagine if the only day you'd ever tried to visit the Magic Kingdom was on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Boxing Day, you'd probably be calling Disney "ridiculous and stupid", too. Especially after they've closed the parks and left you sitting outside, because you were just a little too late arriving at the gate.

Kinda like deciding you will never go back to Best Buy because you went on Black Friday at 10 in the morning to buy an advertised television that was 70% off.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

Yet people continue to flock to it. It is like Black Friday shopping. When there are that many people trying to get into that few attractions, there's not a heck of a lot you can do other than make people wait.

Hardly. If Black Friday had been going on every single day for the last several months, I'm sure the department stores (unlike Universal) would have figured out a better plan by now.

 

[damo]

Hardly. If Black Friday had been going on every single day for the last several months, I'm sure the department stores (unlike Universal) would have figured out a better plan by now.

I don't think there is an ideal solution. The area is small and the crowds are massive and you can't control how long people will stay in the area. It isn't like a ride where you get off when you are done and someone else goes on in a controlled manner. You can't tell people that they can only spend 2 hours or whatever in the Wizarding World. It just won't work.

I have yet to see anyone come up with a solution. The best plan is to go at non holiday times. We went the end of August and it was lovely. My daughter went middle of September and it was lovely.

 

[fairyprincess88]

Hardly. If Black Friday had been going on every single day for the last several months, I'm sure the department stores (unlike Universal) would have figured out a better plan by now.

What exactly can they do about it? It's the most popular attraction area in Flordia right now, it's also still very new. The crowds will be there and there is nothing you can do to stop them from coming.

It just honestly boggles my mind how people seem to think there is some magical solution to the crowd situation in the WWoHP and Universal is it at fault for the area being crowded. They do early entry for package holders/resort guests. They try to pace in the crowds. They tried a time system. Pretty much they have tried everything and no matter what people have complained.

The bottom line is that the area is going to be crowded, and even if they do expand the area, well it's still going to be crowded. Harry Potter is one of the most popular phenoms in recent pop culture history. There was a 3 hour queue for the midnight release of Deathly Hallows here in New Jersey for crying out loud. Midnight book releases used to mean waiting in line for upwards of 8 hours. How could the theme park not also be crowded with longs lines? It's not exactly surprising.

I just really don't think there is a quick fix answer. It's crazy popular, therefore it will be crazy crowded. What is Universal supposed to do about it exactly?

 

[Magpie]

Hardly. If Black Friday had been going on every single day for the last several months, I'm sure the department stores (unlike Universal) would have figured out a better plan by now.

It hasn't been going on "every single day for the last several months". I've been watching the crowd report thread since summer, and while it's certainly never been "dead" there have definitely been times when the crowds are quite manageable. People have described being able to walk right in, ride the rides several times in a row, etc...

It's all in when you decide to go. The Thanksgiving holiday week was never going to be a great time to visit - not this year, anyway. And Christmas Week is going to be a nightmare. But if you want to book your vacation for January 15th, you'll probably have a pretty good time.

 

[phamton]

It hasn't been going on "every single day for the last several months". I've been watching the crowd report thread since summer, and while it's certainly never been "dead" there have definitely been times when the crowds are quite manageable. People have described being able to walk right in, ride the rides several times in a row, etc...

It's all in when you decide to go. The Thanksgiving holiday week was never going to be a great time to visit - not this year, anyway. And Christmas Week is going to be a nightmare. But if you want to book your vacation for January 15th, you'll probably have a pretty good time.

That is correct. It's Black Friday on Thanksgiving weekend and from Christmas to New Years. I went last week and the wait was only 15 minutes for FJ. Single rider was a walk-on.

 

[gibbersome]

That is correct. It's Black Friday on Thanksgiving weekend and from Christmas to New Years. I went last week and the wait was only 15 minutes for FJ. Single rider was a walk-on.

Eep! I'm getting worried hearing about all the crowd reports. We are doing Magic Kingdom on New Year's Eve, and Epcot on New Years day but only because we want to see the fireworks and Xmas decorations. We're not expecting to get on any rides and that's fine by us.

We decided not to do WWoHP on New Year's Day because it's also a Saturday and will certainly be a madhouse. But we're planning to do it Jan 2 and then again on Jan 10-12. At this point I'm afraid that going on Jan 2nd would be a bad idea as well.

 

[Timmy Boy]

Yes, the area is pretty small, but the designers knew this. They also knew that since the area is small, they must make up for it with detail, and lots of it. Universal is trying really hard to manage the crowds, but it honestly depends on the time of year you go. The week between Christmas and New Years? I wouldn't touch that are with a 5 mile stick. ALL the parks in Orlando are crazy busy during that time.

If you want to see it, plan a time when the parks are pretty empty. If you look at park hours and you see IOA's hours closing at 6 or 7, those are good days to go, because they aren't expecting many crowds those days. Yes, they may fall onto school days or work days, but you can stroll around the area, all the rides are walk ons (Forbidden Journey may be 30 or so, which isn't bad at all) and take your time. This time is actually approaching, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

We are planning our first visit for Friday and Saturday. Yes, I know. But I planned our trip 9 months ago. I knew it would be busy but thought it would be less so than WDW. I did not know that the WWOHP area would be as small as it is. I am a teacher so am limited as to when I can take vacation. I hate Florida summers so we prefer to come in the fall/winter. A friend of mine was at IOA Wednesday (also first trip) and said WWOHP crowds were horrible.

Right now we are in Vero Beach... If it was not sold out, I would totally ditch my plans for universal altogether. We are huge HP fans and my kids have been talking about Ollivanders for months. Our IOA/US tickets cost me $500, which was a lot for 2 days.

Hopefully, it will still be fun despite the crowds. If it is miserable, we probably won't go back. Say what you will about Disney, they know how to manage large crowds. You may have long waits, but their areas are well designed and the CMs know crowd control.

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Yes, the area is pretty small, but the designers knew this. They also knew that since the area is small, they must make up for it with detail, and lots of it. Universal is trying really hard to manage the crowds, but it honestly depends on the time of year you go. The week between Christmas and New Years? I wouldn't touch that are with a 5 mile stick. ALL the parks in Orlando are crazy busy during that time.

If you want to see it, plan a time when the parks are pretty empty. If you look at park hours and you see IOA's hours closing at 6 or 7, those are good days to go, because they aren't expecting many crowds those days. Yes, they may fall onto school days or work days, but you can stroll around the area, all the rides are walk ons (Forbidden Journey may be 30 or so, which isn't bad at all) and take your time. This time is actually approaching, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Fun Fact: IOA has *one* 6pm and *one* 5pm closing listed in their park hours from now-Sept 2011. ALL days are 9-7 or later.

 

[damo]

Fun Fact: IOA has *one* 6pm and *one* 5pm closing listed in their park hours from now-Sept 2011. ALL days are 9-7 or later.

Two next week and two the following week at IOA...

The next two weeks are a good time to go.

 

[Lucky4me]

I loved wwohp and will be back again-off season on a Wednesday morning.
But I still say it was terrible planning on Universal's part. I know about keeping it authentic and to scale and all that, but really, that should have been secondary when planning. When you're building a theme park, you have to keep in mind the people you're building it for. There are very few people who would rather have authenticity over convenience. The detail is wonderful, but what does it matter if there are so many people in there you can't see it?

My 24 yo daughter is the biggest Potter fan you'll ever see-even she said they should have made some of it to scale (maybe Hogwarts and fj) and the rest to fit the people coming to see it. (like widening the street and walkways, maybe adding more stores) Fans would have been just as happy. They never should have built it to make just one person happy-which it sounds like they did.
If they wanted to keep the area that small, they should have made it an exclusive-extra $100 to enter above and beyond the park entrance kind of thing and truly limited the number of people allowed in per day. Sort of like SeaWorlds's Discovery Cove. Could have been the same kind of thing.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I'm going down the week of Dec. 6. While I'm sure it will be crowded, I hope it's at least manageable.

 

[mdb78]

We arrived at IOA yesterday (Thanksgiving day) around 2pm and expected crazy crowds as reported earlier this week. We went straight to Marvel Island. The park wasn't bad at all. Hulk said 15 min., but was a walk on as was Storm Accelerator. Spidey was 30 min. Pteranodon was the usual long wait. By the time we got to WWOHP, it was around 5:15 and I expected wall to wall, but it wasn't. FJ said 90 min. wait and Hippogriff said 40 min. Did single rider at FJ with child swap. Out of there in 15 minutes. Hippogriff was down to 20 min., but only felt like 10 min. wait. Ate dinner at 3 Broomsticks, no wait. I went into Hogs Head after finish eating and only 2 people in line. Ollivanders was the usual long line. If it was crowded earlier in the day, I'm assuming people left if they had to be somewhere for dinner. Security started sweeping people out a little bit after closing. DH went into Honeydukes while I was taking pictures and a minute later a TM stepped out and started turning people away. I just told her my dh was in there and she let me in. I don't blame them, it's Thanksgiving and I'm sure they just wanted to get home. It sucks working on a holiday.