when to hit harry

[nutty4wdw]

is it wise to go to harry potter first thing or is waiting until afternoon better. does the line thin out in the afternoon or is that wishful thinking

 

[sicjoy]

Just got back yesterday and hit up HP on Tuesday and Thursday last week. Tuesday in the morning it was nuts! On Thursday went in the early afternoon and was a bit better. The longest lines were for the wand show, the store where the wands are sold, and the HP castle ride (sorry not a huge HP fan and don't recall the names of the rides). The old Dueling Dragons has almost no wait each time we hit it. I am assuming within the next few weeks the crowds will even dissipate more because schools overseas start and there were many people from the UK there. It was a great atmosphere overall. I will try to get up a full report of our trip soon.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just got back yesterday and hit up HP on Tuesday and Thursday last week. Tuesday in the morning it was nuts! On Thursday went in the early afternoon and was a bit better. The longest lines were for the wand show, the store where the wands are sold, and the HP castle ride (sorry not a huge HP fan and don't recall the names of the rides). The old Dueling Dragons has almost no wait each time we hit it. I am assuming within the next few weeks the crowds will even dissipate more because schools overseas start and there were many people from the UK there. It was a great atmosphere overall. I will try to get up a full report of our trip soon.

Tuesday was nuts! FJ was down a lot on Mon. which I think had a lot to do with it. The quietest we saw it was on Saturday morning, between 8 and 9.

 

[sicjoy]

Tuesday was nuts! FJ was down a lot on Mon. which I think had a lot to do with it. The quietest we saw it was on Saturday morning, between 8 and 9.

Yeah! FJ was shut down I think for most of the day Tuesday! We didn't get on it until Thursday. We ended up waiting for about 1 hour or so, but it was worth it and I have never seen a HP movie or read a HP book.

 

[Mish]

I was there today. We were at the ride at 7:00 and there was a 30 minute wait. Michelle

 

[meryll83]

Have they been opening earlier than the advertised park opening times? (for non-resort guests)

 

[blondietink]

Have they been opening earlier than the advertised park opening times? (for non-resort guests)

Yes! We met a man in the elevator at AKL from England with lots of Universal bags in his hands and asked him about his day. He said that he got there at 8:30 am, 1/2 hour before opening and they had alrerady started letting non-resort guests in before he got there. So, he said the lines were impossible and he and his family never got to ride any rides in the HP section. He said it was nuts.

 

[joalexajeff]

Early opening was crazy!!!!! Got in line at the bridge and was told the ride was down and they didn't know when it would re-open. Lots of people left the line (including us). An hour later the line went through Jurassic Park and the ride still wasn't working (we rode other rides). We went back at 7 pm, got in a much shorter line at 8 pm and got on the ride by 8:30. We did child swap so we got to ride twice!

We were told the best time to ride with the shortest lines is an hour before park closing. It seemed to work for us.

The lines for Olivanders were long no matter what time we were there. My 7 year old niece got a wand from a street vendor and was just as happy ($30!).

Have Fun!!!!

 

[meryll83]

If you go in the single riders line, do you miss any of the queue detail?

 

[lachica]

If you go in the single riders line, do you miss any of the queue detail?

Yes you miss the entire castle tour. When you climb the stairs it leads you right infront of the test seats/chicken exit/child swap area.

 

[humphreydog]

Got there at 11am today (Tuesday)....Potterland was packed....the ride said 30 minutes and it was correct. The outside queues were long but once you got inside the castle it moved just as fast as 8 am.

 

[KellyWasHere]

$30 for a wand???!? Holy moly, I'm glad my kids are too young to understand all the HP stuff.