Universal Studios - Harry Potter crowds

[Kiwigirls]

Hi all, we are heading to Disneyland at the beginning of May 2016, and planning on one day at Universal in the middle of our trip. We are hoping that Harry Potter will be open by then!!
Assuming that it is open, I am also assuming that it will be really busy. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for dealing with the crowds? Does it help if you stay at the 'onsite' hotels? Would the front of line pass be helpful at that sort of time?

I know we won't know until it opens exactly how it will go, but wondered if people had ideas or recommendations from previous openings. If it makes a difference we will most likely be there on a Wednesday.

 

[StageTek]

A FOL pass would be helpful at that sort of time.

The only idea or recommendation I have is the usual: arrive very early and get to Potter first.

 

[hskaggs11]

At Universal Studios in Orlando, the FOL pass was not good for either of the main 2 Harry Potter rides in Hogsmede or Diagon Alley, so if you were hoping to use the FOL pass to bypass the line for HPFJ, then it might not work.

 

[Betty Remain Anonymous]

@Kiwigirls Since you are going during school, it will not be as bad as when school is out. I would not get hung up on crowd indexes. I have traveled both during and off peak seasons. I highly recommend staying on site if money is no object. Early magic hour is golden at the various parks. But if you are doing both parks maybe stay off site since you don't have to move hotels, save money, sleep in a bit and close the parks down each night with less people in them? Not sure if that is a strategy for your group but it is ours on occasion. Disneyland is easy stay stay across the street from Main Gates. I personally don't like to lose time moving hotels so would choose that location and drive to Universal. Get the front of the line pass if you can afford it to see the whole park in one day.

 

[StageTek]

Since you are going during school, it will not be as bad as when school is out. I would not get hung up on crowd indexes. I have traveled both during and off peak seasons. I highly recommend staying on site if money is no object. Early magic hour is golden at the various parks. But if you are doing both parks maybe stay off site since you don't have to move hotels, save money, sleep in a bit and close the parks down each night with less people in them? Not sure if that is a strategy for your group but it is ours on occasion. Disneyland is easy stay stay across the street from Main Gates. I personally don't like to lose time moving hotels so would choose that location and drive to Universal. Get the front of the line pass if you can afford it to see the whole park in one day.

Good advice for DLR. However, Harry Potter is over at Universal Studios and that's what Kiwigirls
is asking about. The on site hotels don't offer anything similar to early magic hour. And even though
they will going to Universal off-peak the new Wizarding World will be just opened. That means there
will be unusually large crowds.

hskaggs11, your comment makes me wonder if Universal will suspend FOL passes for Hollywood,
too. They have drastically changed their Annual Passes starting in 2016.

 

[Betty Remain Anonymous]

Good advice for DLR. However, Harry Potter is over at Universal Studios and that's what Kiwigirls
is asking about. The on site hotels don't offer anything similar to early magic hour. And even though
they will going to Universal off-peak the new Wizarding World will be just opened. That means there
will be unusually large crowds.

hskaggs11, your comment makes me wonder if Universal will suspend FOL passes for Hollywood,
too. They have drastically changed their Annual Passes starting in 2016.

Oh my... I will need to go back and find where I saw that. We needed that early access pass. Maybe it is just FL? I will check.

 

[StageTek]

I know USF offers early access. But perhaps USH does too. I look forward to your check. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[SMD]

I don't know how the hotels are operated in FL, but USH doesn't own or operate the hotels on site there. In fact, it seems like very little of their business is derived from park visitors, and up until now it really hasn't been a 2 day park. Based on the changes to the annual pass structure and the massive hiring push they've been doing, I think that Universal expects it to be crowded. I wouldn't be surprised to see changes or restrictions to the front of the line option as well. The plus side is that even with the recent editions it is still a small park.