What time does the Hogwarts Express start running with EE

[Rags]

We are planning on going to EE AT IOA and taking train over to ride Gringotts first thing. What time does the train start operating? TIA

 

[RMulieri]

It doesn't start running till park opening is the official answer.HOWEVER....Our trip at the end of last month we experienced 2 different things.One day the first train departed just before and got us to the studios just as the first guests from front gate were arriving at Diagon alley.The rest of the time the train either was NOT functioning due to technical issues or left at official opening and arrived over at Diagon alley only to find that the studios actually opened almost 20 mins earlier.Just something to keep in mind

 

[MelissaIsalene]

I was wondering the same thing! My sister and I will be in UO/IOA on March 13th (which is also a Mardi Gras night). We unfortunately only have one day to do both parks, so have EE, as well as park-to-park tickets w/ unlimited express. We've been before, but that was before any of the Harry Potter or Simpsons was even built! We are guessing that EE will be at IOA and were thinking it might be best to just take Hogwarts Express immediately to Diagon Alley to ride Gringotts and enjoy DA before it gets too crowded. Would you recommend fitting in a ride of FJ, assuming we get in at rope drop before heading over to DA? I don't want to waste 30m of our time waiting for Hogwarts Express to begin if we could probably catch the first train after riding FJ.

Also, I was planning on just spending most of the morning in UO because of Mardi Gras. I thought I read somewhere that they close down UO for the parade/concert, so I figured we'd just spend that time in IOA (hopefully with less crowds since they'll be at Mardi Gras!). Does anyone with more experience with the parks and Mardi Gras have any recommendations? Is there a better plan? I'd really appreciate any help the DIS experts could provide!

 

[hydrotony]

Do not expect to use the Hogwarts Express as a way to beat all those people to Gringotts at USF opening. At best, you will get to Diagon Alley at the same time as the "rope droppers". More often, the HE will get you there later than the "rope droppers". HE also has a tendency to be off-line due to some technical problem first thing in the morning.

 

[MelissaIsalene]

Do not expect to use the Hogwarts Express as a way to beat all those people to Gringotts at USF opening. At best, you will get to Diagon Alley at the same time as the "rope droppers". More often, the HE will get you there later than the "rope droppers". HE also has a tendency to be off-line due to some technical problem first thing in the morning.

I was kind of hoping to get there at about the same time, but after your info we will probably ride FJ once then head on over! If the line for Gringotts is more than like 20 mins by the time we get over, we will just go single rider, but were hoping to see the bank. Either way, we will be happy for whatever we get to do.Thank you for your help! Do you have any experience or advice about Mardi Gras part of the day?

 

[hops&dreams]

When we went earlier this month, parks opened at 9, so EE was at 8. Hogwarts Express started running between parks at 8:30.

When we got in line for Gringotts, it said 10 min wait. I think it took me longer to figure out the stupid locker system than the time we waited for the actual ride. We actually slowed down in the queue to take it all in. It's magnificent!