Universal-Is it really that bad?

[hammie59]

We have a trip planned to Disney in May and are staying on property. We have 2 days that are open and I'm considering taking ds (8) to Universal for one day while dh stays back at hotel with dd (3). Reason being, ds loves Harry Potter so I want to take him to the new attraction while he's in prime HP mode.

Problem is, I'm very hesitant because I've read horror stories of long lines if you don't pay the extra money for their version of a fast pass. I'm totally confused on how their system works and don't know if it would even be worth it to go just for one day. Any info or experience with this would be great.

Let me add, I've never been to Universal and can only do one day.

 

[DOOM1001]

The Universal parks are great but the Potter area in IOA can still be a zoo,I was there this past Saturday but got there around 1pm for Mardi Gras and the Frankie Valli concert at 8:30pm.We went to Islands of Adventure first to get a ride or two on the new Forbidden Journey Potter ride,however being Saturday and getting there that late in the day was not a good idea if you wanted to go on anything Potter.The standby line was 75 minutes so we tried to do the singles line which we had done on previous visits with waits as little as 5 minutes or less,this time however the line was so much longer I just didn't even try it,even the Dragon's Challenge coaster which only said 20 minutes had the line outside the castle and knowing how long the queue line is inside the castle I pretty much knew 20 minutes couldn't be correct.We then left for Universal where the waits were not bad at all.I would suggest you do visit but avoid weekends or holidays and be there as soon as the park opens to do the Potter area,then you could go do the other rides which won't have waits as bad as you'll see at the WWOHP.

 

[Purseval]

Problem is, I'm very hesitant because I've read horror stories of long lines if you don't pay the extra money for their version of a fast pass. I'm totally confused on how their system works and don't know if it would even be worth it to go just for one day. Any info or experience with this would be great.
.

You're absolutely spot on. Universal is a house of horrors. Stay in WDW where everything is perfect, prices are reasonable and lines don't exist.

 

[kathy884]

You might want to take a look at the Universal/IOA forum. Many people love these parks, and if you have the time you may want to check them out. My 17 year old nephew likes these best out of all the world class Orlando theme parks.

My family prefers SeaWorld and the Disney parks over these with SeaWorld being our favorite. We are, however, interested in seeing WWHP at IOA. It sounds amazing, and I'd really like to see this sometime. There are many tips for doing this on the Universal forum. It's certainly something we could do, but DS 15 decided against this for our March trip. We had very relalistic line projections for getting into the area and doing the ride getting to the park early, that were long, but not absolutely horrible. DS 15, though, said he's not that big a HP fan to want to wait that long. He's really not that crazy about much else in IOA either and I think that influenced his decision (I let him plan our itinary) -- Likes the Hulk and Dueling Dragons coasters and likes the Jurassic Park Discovery center, but really wasn't interested in doing other rides or shows there again. He and I both, for some reason, don't care for US (just don't get that great a vibe form the place). But from what I read, I really think we are in the minority.

 

[Tara922c]

I went to IOA back in 2006, and really enjoyed it. Back then we payed 15 bucks for their fast pass system, and it was well worth it. You could go into any express line, at any time, and the wait was minimal. The catch was, you could only go through the express line for each ride once per day. I really want to go back to Universal, but I want to wait until dd3 is tall enough for the rides. Seeing that she will be 4 in two months, and is only 36 inches, it wont be for a few years.

 

[Purseval]

The Universal parks are great but the Potter area in IOA can still be a zoo,I was there this past Saturday but got there around 1pm

You should have gone over to DHS or MK instead where you can just stroll right into any ride you want on a saturday at 1pm

As other posters have noted there is a Universal Studios forum on this board and they have a very knowledgeable group that can answer any questions you might have and give you plenty of tips on making your stay as enjoyable as possible. You may even find, as many others have, that WDW will be your 2nd choice of places to go in Orlando for future visits or you won't even bother, especially as your children get older.

I went to IOA back in 2006, and really enjoyed it. Back then we payed 15 bucks for their fast pass system, and it was well worth it. You could go into any express line, at any time, and the wait was minimal.

Express passes won't do you any good on Forbidden Journey. Even if you stay onsite your EP gets you nothing other than early entry.

 

[Detailor]

I would suggest you do visit but avoid weekends or holidays and be there as soon as the park opens to do the Potter area,then you could go do the other rides which won't have waits as bad as you'll see at the WWOHP.

You won't find any better advise than that - go early on a weekday. It's a really good idea to be as far forward as possible in entry area at rope drop.

I'd add that it would be a good idea to take care of getting tickets before you go - maybe order through a ticket wholesaler like Undercover Tourist, Ticket Mania, etc., and have them in hand before you leave for Florida or order through the Universal website and pick them up at one of the kiosks in front of the park. Either of those choices will allow you to skip stopping at the ticket booths (more long lines) and go right to the turnstiles to enter the park.

Once you're inside Islands of Adventure be prepared to go directly to the Harry Potter area. After the shops at the front go to the right past the Suess area and on toward Hogsmeade. Don't stop to take it all in (you can do that after you've gone on the big Potter ride), just head to the queue for the Forbidden Journey attraction.

BTW, both the Islands and Studios parks are great and feature some terrific rides and attractions so there's a lot more to do than just the new stuff.

Dick Taylor

 

[KungFoomF]

Just as with Disney, there is one sure-fire way to make sure you get to do what you want. Arrive at park opening. Period. Don't pay for Universal Express because that won't help you much in the Harry Potter area. There is no express around the wait at Ollivanders. If you plan to ride the rest of the rides in the park, then it will help.

Your best bet is to be at the turnstiles 45 minutes to an hour before opening. You might feel anxious watching the resort guests enter for that hour, but that's fine. No worries. When the park opens bee-line to the Harry Potter area. You will have no more than a 15 minute wait for Forbidden Journey (probably less). Get that done first. Then I would recommend the hippogriff ride if you plan to ride it. If that is optional then go hit the shops, starting with Ollivanders. If you want to see the wand show (which you should) then get in line. This might be a long wait for a very short show. It could be 30 or 45 minutes at this point in the day. But, if you just want to see the shop and not the show, there is ANOTHER line. Pick your poison. Once that is done, check out the other shops and grab some butter beer. The dragon challenge is usually a surprisingly short wait. It is a great roller coaster. Do that a few times.

You will have a great time and will get to really see the area. Once the Harry Potter area is over-packed head over to the other parts of the park. Highly recommend Spider-Man.

 

[hammie59]

Thanks for all the helpful replies! And yes, I realized after the fact that there's a separate Universal/IOA forum . So I'll try posting there too.

 

[jeff968]

You should have gone over to DHS or MK instead where you can just stroll right into any ride you want on a saturday at 1pm

There is a reason you can stroll right into any ride as DHS or MK, "same old, same old". Most agree that Universal has really raised the bar on attraction performance with the HP park. Unfortunately, that means it will be VERY popular and VERY busy. You don't have to worry about that at MK. What, it only took them 35 YEARS to finally revamp Space Mountain!!! We are visitng Florida next week. We plan to hit Magic Kingdom for a day. We haven''t been there in 5 years but other then the SM redo and the closing of ToonTown it is exactly the same. Ho Hum. I would love to hit HP but I know it will be a zoo. We'll be spending most of our time by the pool enjoying the sun.

 

[TotoToo]

There is a reason you can stroll right into any ride as DHS or MK, "same old, same old". Most agree that Universal has really raised the bar on attraction performance with the HP park. Unfortunately, that means it will be VERY popular and VERY busy. You don't have to worry about that at MK. What, it only took them 35 YEARS to finally revamp Space Mountain!!! We are visitng Florida next week. We plan to hit Magic Kingdom for a day. We haven''t been there in 5 years but other then the SM redo and the closing of ToonTown it is exactly the same. Ho Hum. I would love to hit HP but I know it will be a zoo. We'll be spending most of our time by the pool enjoying the sun.

Exactly. "It's a Small World" vs "Spiderman"? No contest. Universal has raised the bar for attractions and the record crowds prove it. Disney has nostalgia but Universal has the excitement. Worth a short wait - really.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

If you manage your expectations in the HP area, you will be OK. I don't suggest paying extra for Express Pass because it really won't help you in HP. FJ doesn't accept it, and I thought between that and the shops, that was the best part of this area. I went the weekend after Thanksgiving and it was a zoo but still managable because we expected crowds.

So, expect there to be lines getting onto FJ - BUT! The queue is awesome so you may not mind waiting a bit in line to take in the castle, griffindor common room, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, etc. I was actually a little hurried through this because the line was moving so fast and wanted to linger to check it all out.

The worst line for us was the wait to get into Ollivanders (45-60 minutes when we were there). It is outside in the sun with very little shade. So grab a frozen butterbeer from the cart or the Hogs Head and be prepared to wait and play I-Spy with your DS.

But really, if your DS is into HP, don't miss it! Even with crowds, it is very cool. The theming is amazing and I am so glad we did it - and I'm a huge HP fan I just would NOT suggest you pay extra for the Express Pass. Enjoy!

 

[Sarah&Ryan]

My family loves Universal Studios! You are going in May so the crowds wont be as bad and it wont be too hot! I say go for it!

 

[keishashadow]

You're absolutely spot on. Universal is a house of horrors. Stay in WDW where everything is perfect, prices are reasonable and lines don't exist.

100% correct, since they own the rights to the original gang of Universal monsters (dracula, wolfman, mummy)

OP best tip is to do a split trip! The hotels are deluxe and compare favorably with WDW ones. You'd only need to stay 1 night onsite @ Universal (Royal Pacific is typically the least expensive) to garner FOTL passes for day of and day after arrival and 1 hour early entry into the parks to get a jump on the HP crowd. note: that is if it's still offered, it was last October, check on the website if interested.

 

[swilshire]

My sons like Universal but I don't and we haven't been back since HP. I think they deliberately manage their hours and capacity to keep the lines long. We bought annual passes one year and even at times that were very slow, the lines built up ridiculously fast. We would go in first thing in the morning and hit a few rides, but I'm not sure I'd bother again.

Sheila

 

[camsmomE]

You're absolutely spot on. Universal is a house of horrors. Stay in WDW where everything is perfect, prices are reasonable and lines don't exist.

You should have gone over to DHS or MK instead where you can just stroll right into any ride you want on a saturday at 1pm

Thanks. I needed that!

Also- My family and I have annual passes to both, so I can go either way on this one, but... I DO highly recommend taking the short trip over to experience US or IOA- they are both awesome! (we go once a month...)

 

[Brian Noble]

There are some people for whom Only Disney Will Do. However, the Universal parks are widely recognized in the broader enthusiast community as great places to visit. If your budget allows for it, it would not hurt to buy an Express Pass for the visit as well. I'm sending my wife and kids over President's Week. They are staying in a condo up on the north end of I-Drive, so I bought them VIP Tickets, which include unlimited Express usage. They're about 2x the price of the "normal" 7-day tickets, but it is still cheaper than paying to stay in a single onsite hotel room.

 

[MamaJessie]

We had a lot of fun at Universal in 06. We didn't go last time we went to Disney but are looking forward to going again this time! Not just for HP, they have a lot of fun things to do there, I even love the little kid area, esp in IOA (but I am a huge Seuss fan so I may be biased )

I say go for it and have fun!!

 

[Purseval]

We were at IOA today just for a quick walk around before checking into the Parc Soleil. The wait time for Forbidden Journey was 20 minutes and no wait at all in the singles line. There was a 30 minute wait for Spiderman. My wife is going to upload pictures from her phone and when she does I'll post a picture of the wait times.

For the poster who said that being there for the rope drop was the best way to get right on..... that's great advice but it doesn't work as well for WWOHP because onsite hotel guests are allowed early entry so you will actually have some of the worst lines at rope drop. Then it drops off, picks up again in the afternoon and trails off once more as it gets closer to closing. We've found that the easiest times have been in the last hour before closing. If you read books like the Unofficial Guide you know they recommend rope drop arrivals but the also recommend going to a WDW park that doesn't have early magic hours. WWOHP has EMH every morning.

 

[tybella]

We just came back from disney and universal and by far we would choose universal the rides are much better and more updated, I would also recommend the express pass its awesome it works differently from the fast pass at disney there are only 3 major rides that do not accept it but all the other rides we got to ride within a 5 minute wait or less. I would suggest doing all the roller coasters they are wicked way better than any of the roller coasters in disney