US/IOA in one day if skipping HP?

[MrsHull]

We are not Harry Potter fans but the kids (15 and 7) want to visit Universal anyway. I'm thinking about surprising them by adding a day or two onto next year's WDW trip. If we skipped Harry Potter altogether, and most of the kiddie area rides, do you think one day open to close would allow sufficient time in both parks? I'm looking at arriving the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

 

[bchbetha]

Not really. There are a ton of great rides and attractions in each parks. That day will be crazy busy too.

Don't discount the HP areas either. You don't have to be a super fan to appreciate how cool the HP theming is. Just like you don't have to be a big fan of all the Disney themes to enjoy the different sections there.

 

[MrsHull]

Not really. There are a ton of great rides and attractions in each parks. That day will be crazy busy too.

Don't discount the HP areas either. You don't have to be a super fan to appreciate how cool the HP theming is. Just like you don't have to be a big fan of all the Disney themes to enjoy the different sections there.

So plan on two days? Do you know if I can add on a day if we find that one is not enough? I'd hate to pay upfront for more days than we will use. (Of course, we also spent three days in Busch Gardens early this year, so I think we know how to linger. Lol)

 

[Seeker615]

I would not skip the Harry Potter sections. They are amazing and there are some great rides in those areas as well.
Even if you are not a fan I think you will love those areas. You don't have to love HP in order to really enjoy those sections.

 

[bchbetha]

If you could spend 3 days at BG, you can easily do 3 at US. I'm sure you can add the 2nd before you leave the park on day 1 (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but 2 day park to park tickets would be a great idea.

 

[tony67]

I am not a Harry Potter fan at all. I've sort of seen some of a few of the movies..but not really interested.

That being said - they did an amazing job on the HP areas and it is well worth seeing.
The rides are also very cool.
The themeing is extremely detailed.
I did 6 days at Universal and I spent a few hours each day in those areas just checking things out and looking at the small details.

Anyone who tries to do these parks in one day is really pushing it IMO.
I would highly recommend two days at a minimum - and one night at one of their hotels.
If you stay at their "deluxe" hotels (PB, RPR and HR) you get the free express pass - the price of that is well worth the extra cost.
Basically it is a fast pass for most of the rides in the park.
There are some rides that don't take it - like some of the Harry Potter ones - but other than that it is a big time saver.
For example Men in black was like 30-40 minutes and I could do it in 5-10 minutes multiple times.

Also staying on site will get you in an hour early to one of the parks most of the time - and it is a very short ride back to the resort (or walk in some cases if you prefer) if you want to take a break during the day. Much more convenient than Disney overall - was great to be able to go back to the hotel take a shower and be back at the parks in about an hour.

There are also some great restaurants/bars to check out in Citywalk and the hotels.

 

[MrsHull]

I am not a Harry Potter fan at all. I've sort of seen some of a few of the movies..but not really interested.

That being said - they did an amazing job on the HP areas and it is well worth seeing.
The rides are also very cool.
The themeing is extremely detailed.
I did 6 days at Universal and I spent a few hours each day in those areas just checking things out and looking at the small details.

Anyone who tries to do these parks in one day is really pushing it IMO.
I would highly recommend two days at a minimum - and one night at one of their hotels.
If you stay at their "deluxe" hotels (PB, RPR and HR) you get the free express pass - the price of that is well worth the extra cost.
Basically it is a fast pass for most of the rides in the park.
There are some rides that don't take it - like some of the Harry Potter ones - but other than that it is a big time saver.
For example Men in black was like 30-40 minutes and I could do it in 5-10 minutes multiple times.

Also staying on site will get you in an hour early to one of the parks most of the time - and it is a very short ride back to the resort (or walk in some cases if you prefer) if you want to take a break during the day. Much more convenient than Disney overall - was great to be able to go back to the hotel take a shower and be back at the parks in about an hour.

There are also some great restaurants/bars to check out in Citywalk and the hotels.

That's a good tip about staying on property. It doesn't seem to be much more expensive than some places we would. Ormallys tay anyway. My teen son definitely wants to go to city walk, too.

I think we will do the two days-- one in each park. We really have no interest in even going into the Harry Potter areas. I know-- we are nuts.

 

[damo]

That's a good tip about staying on property. It doesn't seem to be much more expensive than some places we would. Ormallys tay anyway. My teen son definitely wants to go to city walk, too.

I think we will do the two days-- one in each park. We really have no interest in even going into the Harry Potter areas. I know-- we are nuts.

That's like saying you have no interest in Song of the South but won't do Splash Mountain....or not a fan of Johnny Depp so won't do Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Harry Potter sections are basically just fantasyland type lands. They are about wizards and dragons and you will be missing two of the best rides in Orlando by not going there.

 

[MrsHull]

That's like saying you have no interest in Song of the South but won't do Splash Mountain....or not a fan of Johnny Depp so won't do Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Harry Potter sections are basically just fantasyland type lands. They are about wizards and dragons and you will be missing two of the best rides in Orlando by not going there.

I understand your point of view. However, we have absolutely no interest in Harry Potter or wizards and we will not be visiting those sections. I guess we will just have to miss out on two of Orlando's "best" rides. Please don't judge the way I choose to spend my time on vacation

 

[georgina]

Your post got me thinking - I am not a fan of superhero movies, Jurassic park movies, Terminator, the Mummy, King Kong, Transformers, why am I going on all these rides?

 

[MrsHull]

Your post got me thinking - I am not a fan of superhero movies, Jurassic park movies, Terminator, the Mummy, King Kong, Transformers, why am I going on all these rides?

Glad I could be of service.

 

[damo]

I understand your point of view. However, we have absolutely no interest in Harry Potter or wizards and we will not be visiting those sections. I guess we will just have to miss out on two of Orlando's "best" rides. Please don't judge the way I choose to spend my time on vacation

My goodness. You've obviously never been to Universal before and I was just trying to help you to make sure you didn't miss the best things at the parks. That's what we do on these boards. You certainly don't need to get nasty about it.

There are so many people who say they have no interest yet come back and say how much they enjoyed these sections. We're just trying to help.

 

[wookiebeck]

Your post got me thinking - I am not a fan of superhero movies, Jurassic park movies, Terminator, the Mummy, King Kong, Transformers, why am I going on all these rides?

I don't go on any rides in Fantasyland because, you know, its all fake.

 

[MrsHull]

Alright guys, look. I was asking about the amount of time needed to see everything BUT Harry Potter. Why does it matter if we are skipping it entirely or devoting a whole separate day to a series that we never have and never will have any interest in exploring any further than we already have? Surely you all don't ride every single ride in any theme park, so why should it matter?

I think I understand that the rest of US/IOA is big enough to take up more than one day, so let's leave it at that.

 

[MrsHull]

My goodness. You've obviously never been to Universal before and I was just trying to help you to make sure you didn't miss the best things at the parks. That's what we do on these boards. You certainly don't need to get nasty about it.

There are so many people who say they have no interest yet come back and say how much they enjoyed these sections. We're just trying to help.

I have been to Universal before. But this would be my first trip since they have expanded so much. I came seeking information on the time required to see the parks, without the HP sections.

 

[damo]

I have been to Universal before. But this would be my first trip since they have expanded so much. I came seeking information on the time required to see the parks, without the HP sections.

Everyone was just trying to be helpful. Couldn't you just accept the help without getting snarky?