Wow! Totally rethinking EVERYTHING!

[Sunshineminnie]

I finally had a chance to research our Universal trip and now am thinking we may not go.

We are heading down to Orlando for a Cruise at the beginning of August and thought that this would be a great time to add Universal/IOA to our trip.

My DD -16, DS - 13 and myself are big Harry Potter fans and I thought that we would surprise them with a couple of days. My DH enjoys it, but wouldn't miss it if we didn't go.

I have booked a room at HRH for one night. We arrive in Orlando at 11:15. OUr plans were to rent a car and head over to HRH, check in and tour the parks till close. I was going to get two day park hoppers. The next morning go to early entry, see WWOHP and tour part of the day, swim in the afternoon, head back to the parks till close then cruise on over to Port Canaveral.

After researching online yesterday, and taking a look at the crowds, I'm not sure if it would be fun after all.

We have been to Disney twice during the slow time and always said that we didn't think we could handle it during the summer with the crowds.

I guess that I thought that the express pass would make it so that it wasn't so bad. But the crowds just walking through the streets look nuts! It looks literally like wall to wall people. I just don't see how that could be fun in August temperatures. Maybe I am wrong, but it looks like you may not even be able to move..... Yikes!

Our goal really would be to see WWOHP. Since you can't use the express pass for FJ, can you ride it several times during that first hour?

I want to take the kids so badly. This will probably be the last time we are in Orlando before DD graduates. I hate to miss it but also hate to spend hundreds of dollars (between hotel and tickets) to ride FJ one time and be mobbed by people. I know that I am sounding really negative right now, but I really had my heart set on doing this with my family, but am honesty afraid that it could be a negative experience (even if we went into it with a good attitude).

I really, really need advice!

1. Can you see enough of WWOHP in the early hour to feel like you have really "done" it?

2. Can you walk through the parks without feeling like a salmon swimming up stream?

3. Are there places to get in out of the heat to take a break?

4. Does the express pass make it so that you can be on the rides within 15 min or so, or does it just make the wait a little shorter than the "general admission" people.

5. Has anyone going the first week of August and really enjoyed it?

FYI - I have been to Universal and IOA during a slow time of the year without my family (Prior to HP) and really enjoyed it. Loved Spiderman and the Hulk!

Thanks so much for any advice. I am really bummed this morning that this may not be a good idea after all......

 

[DorianDonP]

1. Can you see enough of WWOHP in the early hour to feel like you have really "done" it?

I've never done the early hour so I can't speak to that, but if you are staying till close then you should try WWOHP later in the day/evening and skip it during the busy times. I went in mid August last year, and the place was PACKED in the day, but when I came back to the section when it was getting dark, I was almost able to walk on FJ using single rider. It was like a 15 minute wait in the regular line. I rode it at least 4 times that evening. Also rode Dragon Challenge, which was amazing in the dark.

2. Can you walk through the parks without feeling like a salmon swimming up stream?

Aside from WWOHP in the daytime, the crowds weren't that bad when I went.

3. Are there places to get in out of the heat to take a break?

USF has a lot of shows with AC. Heck almost all of their attractions are inside. I always do Terminator when I'm hot and want to rest my feet. There is a shaded area place where everybody seems to rest in WWOHP, but it's still outside.

4. Does the express pass make it so that you can be on the rides within 15 min or so, or does it just make the wait a little shorter than the "general admission" people.

The express pass usually means you will be able to walk on the ride within 5 minutes. Very RARELY have I ever waited longer than 10 minutes in the express line. Trust me, it's WORTH IT.

5. Has anyone going the first week of August and really enjoyed it?

Not the first week. But I did enjoy the trip in mid August last year.

I say go. I believe your family will enjoy it.

 

[mjohnson96]

We were there for the grand opening week of WWOHP so it was pretty crowded and stayed at RPH, so I will base my responses on that. We have gone usually in July too and stayed onsite. Trust me even during the peak summer season and staying onsite we have not had a bad trip, where last year we did WDW late June and that is one thing I will never do again in summer

1. We have done early entry by staying onsite and it was great. I would head over to Olivanders first if you want to do that since that line can get pretty nasty as the day goes on. Then head to FJ and tour the area, by the time you get off FJ then early entry will more than likely be over or getting close to and so you will see stuff getting packed. The crowd flow in this area will the worse in my opinion.

2. Except for WWOHP area I would say yes, it can be busy but there are lots of paths that you can take to get around traffic. Of course as the shows get out at US then you will have that increase of traffic around that area but again you can get around.

3. At US, pretty much everything is inside except for some of the que lines and a couple rides such as RRR. At IOA it is 50/50 on which ones are inside and which ones out. But most lines had the fans and such so it was not that bad Again we have gone in June and July and have been able to get out of the sun, the July trip I was 7 mo pregnant but I was not extremly miserable

4. LOVE THE EXPRESS that you get with the room, well worth the cost of the room imo For example DD wanted to ride Spiderman just one more time when we were heading out for the day. It had a 90 min wait, we walked on. I also like how they do the child swap for most rides too, you go through the line with your family and wait in a room (not all are like this). Helps having a nice room to hang out in out of the temp with the baby.

5. Never been in August but I think you will have a great time. Since you have the park hoppers I would head over to IOA in the evening and check out WWOHP at night. It is pretty amazing when it starts to get dark out, plus the area usually clears out and that is when DH and I was able to see the shops and shows.

 

[Sunshineminnie]

Okay, I am feeling a little bit better about things......

So, if we wanted to ride FJ more than once without a terrible line wait, could we? I guess, what can you do in the 1 hour of early entry?

Thanks!

 

[lorik]

I'm concerned about your plan the second day to stay until the parks close before heading over to Port Canaveral. Is this the day your ship leaves, or are you staying overnight at a hotel there? The Port is about an hour away from Orlando. You need to be checked in for your cruise at least 90 minutes before your ship sails. I don't know what ship you are sailing on, but most sahips leave at 4 or 5 pm, which means you have to be checked in at the pier by 2:30 or 3:30.

 

[bumbershoot]

Wizarding World....

If you don't care about Ollivander's, sure, go on Forbidden Journey as many times as you can! Get to the gate early, walk briskly, find out about the path through the Suess area that shaves off a little time, and get in line (you can gawk later!). Get off the ride, go again. etc.

The other two rides in that area, Flight of the Hippogrif and Dragon Challenge, DO accept Express Pass, so they can wait. Concentrate on FJ during early entry, and once it's done, then start looking around and going on the other two rides.


I think that "we" collectively can confuse people with our use of "Harry Potter", b/c when you're talking about not being under Express Pass, we mean the Forbidden Journey ride, but it's also used to describe the whole area. Since 2 out of 3 rides (not talkin' about Ollivander's here since it doesn't even feel like an "attraction" to me) in the Wizarding World DO take Express Pass, that simplification definitely confuses things.

 

[Sunshineminnie]

I'm concerned about your plan the second day to stay until the parks close before heading over to Port Canaveral. Is this the day your ship leaves, or are you staying overnight at a hotel there? The Port is about an hour away from Orlando. You need to be checked in for your cruise at least 90 minutes before your ship sails. I don't know what ship you are sailing on, but most sahips leave at 4 or 5 pm, which means you have to be checked in at the pier by 2:30 or 3:30.

Thanks for the concern.... no we will be flying in on Wed. Hopefully going to the parks on Thur.. Kennedy space center on Fri. and then the cruise! :good vibes

Thanks for looking out for us though!

 

[Sunshineminnie]

Wizarding World....

If you don't care about Ollivander's, sure, go on Forbidden Journey as many times as you can! Get to the gate early, walk briskly, find out about the path through the Suess area that shaves off a little time, and get in line (you can gawk later!). Get off the ride, go again. etc.

The other two rides in that area, Flight of the Hippogrif and Dragon Challenge, DO accept Express Pass, so they can wait. Concentrate on FJ during early entry, and once it's done, then start looking around and going on the other two rides.


I think that "we" collectively can confuse people with our use of "Harry Potter", b/c when you're talking about not being under Express Pass, we mean the Forbidden Journey ride, but it's also used to describe the whole area. Since 2 out of 3 rides (not talkin' about Ollivander's here since it doesn't even feel like an "attraction" to me) in the Wizarding World DO take Express Pass, that simplification definitely confuses things.

Hmmm... thanks....

I am not sure about Ollivanders. My kids are teens, so I don't imagine that they will want to buy a wand. (But you never know.) But, I know that they will want the whole experience. I can't decide if we should do that first or not. I understand that they probably wouldn't get picked for the ceremony. But I do think that it would be kind of neat to experience.

I am undecided though.

 

[francie57]

We go every Aug. to Universal and Disney. You won't have any trouble with crowds and doing everything you want to do at Universal. We usually check-in on a Thurs. and stay at HRH for 2 nights. We go to Universal the first day and then do the early opening for Harry Potter. You will be able to ride with no problem and if the line gets longer and you want to ride again, just hop into the singles line. The walkways will get more crowded when the park opens to the general public but you should still be able to do every thing. With having the unlimited express pass with your hotel room it really cuts down on any wait times for the rides. We usually are finished at IOA mid-afternoon and then head back to swim. Don't worry you will be able to do everything and still have time to relax.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ollivander's is the show; you go through that show into the shop. If they only wanted a wand, there's another entrance to the shop. If they want the experience, though, then it's Ollivander's.

Since the capacity of Ollivander's is so small, that's why people say to do that first and THEN hit Forbidden Journey. So if they want the experience, I'd probably follow that touring plan instead of our skipping-Ollivander's plan (we did it once, DS was lucky enough to be picked, and that's that for us).

But teens and adults can be and have been chosen! You just never know. [In retrospect we should have realized DS would be chosen (young, cute if I do say so myself, excited, RED hair and wearing a Gryffindor shirt (from Old Navy)), but at the time we had spent months making sure he understood that he almost certainly would not be chosen, so it was a surprise, LOL.]

 

[lorik]

I am not sure about Ollivanders. My kids are teens, so I don't imagine that they will want to buy a wand. (But you never know.)

My kids are 15 and 20. They bought a wand at the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Discovery Channel Museum this summer. They were bummed that Harry's wands were sold out and they had to get Dumbledore's. I have already warned them that they will not be getting another wand when we go to IOA this summer.

 

[rwdavis2]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it but WWHoP only really has 4 attractions. FJ, Dragon Challenges, Flight of the Hippogriff (I get that right?), and Olivanders. The biggest wait may be Olivanders.

 

[derekburgan]

Just went last weekend, staying at Royal Pacific. Did the hour early both times, although with a two year old so by the time everyone got ready we only took advantage of 1st 30 mins on first day. Second day me and one other adult went for one hour early while the rest slept in. We did Olivanders first, Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge front row, a second Dragon Challenge ride, and flight of hippogriff. We both got butter beers and were walking on way out at 5 min of 9am. We're considering walking over to US for a quick Rip Ride Rockit before going back.

Once you and your kids do the Forbidden Journey queue in early access hour, just go back through single rider line to get more rides in faster. Definitely worth making a part of your trip!

 

[Sunshineminnie]

Okay, I think I am done freaking out and will more than likely stick with our plans to visit IOA/US. I do have a few more questions please....

1. Right now we are at the HRH. Is this the best place to stay at for ease of walking to the parks? Or should we switch to one of the others? I do think that we will take a mid day break and swim.

2. We will be there for half a day with park hoppers on Wednesday. Should we head over to WWOHP to look around and perhaps ride FJ single rider and the others with the express pass, or should we do the other rides and wait to experience WWOHP for the first time in the morning without the crowds? Do we want to ride FJ the first time by going through the castle or is the single rider fine?

3. With early entry should we do A)Olivanders then FJ then look at the shops?
B) FJ as many times as we can 1st time through castle and the rest single rider and skip Olivanders and the shops C)something else?

4. Are there any other rides in either park that we should try to do at a certain time of the day?

Thanks so much!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

I can say that the crowds may not be as bad as the pictures. It depends on the pictures, too. If you saw pictures when WWHOP first opened, it was scary It looked like people trying to escape the Apocalypse!

But we were there last year in June and the crowds were not that bad. The hysteria of WWHOP wore off a bit. When we went, the parks were crowded, but really manageable.

But I will agree with PP, FJ gathers the most crowds. On our trip, FJ emptied the rest of the park. But you should go, later on in the afternoon. If I were you, go to Hogwarts and see how long the wait is in the castle. If it's Ok, get in line. If not, go to Hogwarts, get some butterbeers and take it all in.

Oh, and the last thing about FJ: FJ was fun, but for me; the real attraction is the castle itself. It is the best queue in the world! And I'm not a HP fan! If the waits an hour, it will probably take you that long just to take in that castle! So don't be afraid of the line!

I mean it's so cool that I saw people going through the long line, taking in the castle, and going through the exit- not because they were scared of the ride, but that they wanted to experience the castle again.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

You'll be able to do FJ more than once in that first hour. Plus, another tip is to go during the last hour the park is open. WWOHP usually empties out by then and you can enjoy another ride or two, the shops, and more without crowds. I would NOT hesitate to go.

 

[Planogirl]

Okay, I think I am done freaking out and will more than likely stick with our plans to visit IOA/US. I do have a few more questions please....

1. Right now we are at the HRH. Is this the best place to stay at for ease of walking to the parks? Or should we switch to one of the others? I do think that we will take a mid day break and swim.

HRH is a great location. You can easily walk or take the boat shuttle if you're tired.

2. We will be there for half a day with park hoppers on Wednesday. Should we head over to WWOHP to look around and perhaps ride FJ single rider and the others with the express pass, or should we do the other rides and wait to experience WWOHP for the first time in the morning without the crowds? Do we want to ride FJ the first time by going through the castle or is the single rider fine?

I would go through the castle personally. It's a nice experience.

3. With early entry should we do A)Olivanders then FJ then look at the shops?
B) FJ as many times as we can 1st time through castle and the rest single rider and skip Olivanders and the shops C)something else?

If you want to do Ollivanders do that one first and early. The lines get long and it's hot!4.

Are there any other rides in either park that we should try to do at a certain time of the day?

Rip Ride Rockit might be the only other one to plan for. I'd try to get to it early too since you can't use FOL there.

Thanks so much!

Have a great time.