WWOHP newbie questions

[Soupermom]

Greetings! I am a WDW veteran who had never set foot on Universal Soil. That being said, my kids and I are huge HP fans and my DD and I are thinking of planning a one-day trip to Universal just so we can visit WWOHP (Hogsmeade). She is a student at the University of Tampa and we would be driving over for the day. I've been looking at the Universal websites and searching the threads here, and it is a bit overwhelming. I will keep searching, but if someone would take a few minutes to answer my questions below, I'd be very appreciative! We usually visit WDW on a non-Easter spring break and with my planning we experience everything we want and then some. I'm not sure what to expect with Universal.

*Our choices of days to visit or Saturday 3/28 or Sunday 3/29. Thoughts on one day being better than the other?
*Where is the least expensive place to purchase one-day tickets? DD might be eligible for Florida Resident and I have AAA, if that helps.
*You can only ride the Hogwarts Express if you have admission to BOTH parks, correct?
*How are the rides at WWOHP compared to those at WDW? I can handle all of the mountains, but nothing that "Spins" or simulators (Mission Space, even the green side).
*Is there a recommended touring plan?
*How long are lines generally? Is there anything like FASTPASS, or whatever they call it now, or do you have to pay extra?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[wookiebeck]

*Our choices of days to visit or Saturday 3/28 or Sunday 3/29. Thoughts on one day being better than the other?

Toss up. Saturday might be less due to that being everyone's travel day. Sunday might better as it is 'church day'. All I know is that we go in the summer where crowds are way worse than you will see and we still make out OK.

*Where is the least expensive place to purchase one-day tickets? DD might be eligible for Florida Resident and I have AAA, if that helps.

We use undercover tourist.

*You can only ride the Hogwarts Express if you have admission to BOTH parks, correct?

Correct.

*How are the rides at WWOHP compared to those at WDW? I can handle all of the mountains, but nothing that "Spins" or simulators (Mission Space, even the green side).

The ride in Hogwarts is like The Sum of All Fears in the mechanism. It will twist and turn you, but not spin. I still take a meclizine for that one. The Gringotts ride is like a mini roller coaster, less than BTMRR.

*Is there a recommended touring plan?

Not really. But there is a way to do the WWoHP in a certain order of the movies (you can google it).

*How long are lines generally? Is there anything like FASTPASS, or whatever they call it now, or do you have to pay extra?

The WWoHP headliners do not take the uni fotl pass. The queues are very cool and we don't mind being in the

 

[ladybugx]

You need admission to both parks to ride the Hogwarts Express, although I would HIGHLY recommend swinging for two-park admission if you're a huge HP fan. If it's between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, I think most people would agree that Diagon Alley is way better.

Gringotts spins briefly. It doesn't spin continuously, but I do recall at least one instance where it spun you around rapidly. Forbidden Journey is a simulator. I haven't been to WDW in a minute, but Forbidden Journey is pretty intense motion-wise. It jerks you around basically every direction besides completely upside down. Gringotts is pretty tame.

 

[johde]

As far as crowds go, most of the places I look rate them about the same giving a slight nod to Sunday. Saturday is part of their Mardi Gras celebration at USF. There will be a free Philip Philips concert and an extra parade that day.

There aren't many big big discounts on single day tickets. Our local AAA has about the best discount on 1 day tickets. If those days weren't blacked out I'd consider getting your daughter a power pass then using the AP discount on the rest of the tickets. A FL resident Power Pass is $189 and right now they are offering a 15 month bonus. If you think your daughter would make use of it, you could upgrade her 1 day ticket at the end of the day and pay the difference (about $40).

Orlando Informer and Touring Plans both have 1 day/2 park plans but they are not specifically "Harry Potter" plans.

Like everyone else has said, both Forbidden Journey and Gringotts are great rides but Forbidden Journey in my opinion is the more intense. Simulators also get to me at times. I take Dramamine before going to the parks and on Forbidden Journey I close my eyes during the "Simulator sections". There are 3 sections where your bench "docks" into a rotating screen for the fast paced flying sections. If you remember the original Journey into Imagination at Epcot it's the same Idea the base your projection is connected to, the projector, and the screen are slowly moving in a circle at the same speed. Once the flying section is done a more traditional dark ride section begins with wild movements. Here's a "lights on" youtube video showing the simulator section. Fast Forward to :50 avoid any spoilers. When the ride is running normally, your bench will "park" in one of the half balls and it will follow you around showing the movie and your bench will be moving in sync with the movie. This is a ride reset so the benches aren't doing anything.

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks everyone!! A few new questions...
*If I were to stay at a hotel, would that save on the cost of a ticket? Any hotels you would suggest??
*Also, can someone compare the Forbidden Journey to a ride at WDW? If I want to go through the line to see the displays, can I opt out of the ride at the end (like at WDW)?

 

[macraven]

Thanks everyone!! A few new questions...
*If I were to stay at a hotel, would that save on the cost of a ticket? Any hotels you would suggest??
*Also, can someone compare the Forbidden Journey to a ride at WDW? If I want to go through the line to see the displays, can I opt out of the ride at the end (like at WDW)?

if you stay onsite at one of the 3 deluxe hotels, free unlimited usage of the express lines.
so no EP ticket needs to be purchased.

park tickets will not be free just for staying onsite.

 

[Soupermom]

park tickets will not be free just for staying onsite.

I just meant would there be a discounted price on the hotel or tickets for purchasing both. Thanks for you help!

 

[klo1335]

We are planning on doing WWoHP for a day this summer when we are down. We are going on a Sunday in August and we will have our car with us so will be able to drive over. I got a 1 day park to park pass from Undercover Tourist. My oldest is a huge HP fan and is tall enough to ride Forbidden Journey. My "plan" is to get to the park at opening and either do Ollivander's first because I read the line gets really long and you stand in the sun (blech). Then heading to Forbidden Journey. We will have to do ride swap as my youngest won't be old enough to ride (unless DH chicken's out and decides not to ride). Then we will probably take the train over and do Gringott's, which all in the family will be tall enough to ride (young dd has to grow 3 more inches by August...keeping my fingers crossed as she is my ride fanatic). After that I just plan on playing it by ear and doing lunch at 3 Broomsticks or Leaky Cauldron. The kid's also want to do Despicable Me and possibly Transformer's for the hubby. I am signed up with Touring Plans and plan on using it in the park. Good Luck

 

[macraven]

I just meant would there be a discounted price on the hotel or tickets for purchasing both. Thanks for you help!

since this will be your first time visiting the darkside, there is a lot of stuff to figure out
we all have been there before.

the hotels don't discount tickets to the parks.
they are owned by Loews and the parks by Universal.
have your daughter check to see if there are any ticket discounts for students.
i'm not familiar with that but it is something that sounds possible.
there are floridian rates for tickets but don't know the amount or if single days are valid for discounts.

rereading your question, i would go with sunday rather than saturday for your day in the park.
many are leaving on sunday to return home from vacations.


if lines are long for all the rides, you can buy the express pass for the park you are in.
it allows a one time use for the express lines.
there are some rides that do not have express.
some rides have SRL which anyone can use.

 

[johde]

Thanks everyone!! A few new questions...
*If I were to stay at a hotel, would that save on the cost of a ticket? Any hotels you would suggest??
*Also, can someone compare the Forbidden Journey to a ride at WDW? If I want to go through the line to see the displays, can I opt out of the ride at the end (like at WDW)?

Like Macraven mentioned, there is no ticket discount for staying at the hotels. There IS a hotel discount for having an Annual Pass. But, at least for those dates, the only annual pass Discount is a small Discount at Cabana Bay.

In terms of WDW rides, if you look at the video above, the ride vehicles are very similar to Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT but they don't flip quite as much. The flying sequences are similar to a fast paced Soarin' in that nearly your entire field of view is filled with the picture (Soarin is a giant picture Forbidden Journey is very close to a domed screen.)

 

[coastgirl]

Just reiterating as wookiebeck said, the "Front of the Line" pass does NOT apply to the Gringott's ride or Forbidden Journey. If you are curious about hotel benefits, the one that appeals to me as a Potterhead is the early entry--hotel guests get into one park an hour before anyone else.

You might find a package that bundles the tickets with the hotel that could save you some money. The folks at the Universal reservation line have been very nice and willing to investigate to find what suited me best.

You are going to love the WWoHP. We've been to Hogsmeade twice, and are going back to see Diagon Alley. I keep hearing people say Diagon Alley is much better than Hogsmeade, and I can't imagine how that's possible! So it must be fantastic.

 

[Soupermom]

Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT I have NEVER heard of this ride, sorry. Is it really new or really old? I have been to WDW and Epcot 6-7 times I the past 12 years and decades ago when I was a child. I'm really clueless on this one!

 

[acpalmer]

Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT I have NEVER heard of this ride, sorry. Is it really new or really old? I have been to WDW and Epcot 6-7 times I the past 12 years and decades ago when I was a child. I'm really clueless on this one!

It's a roller coaster simulator ride that is inside of Innoventions (I can't remember which side, sorry). I had been to Epcot many times before we actually saw and did this attraction, so you aren't the only one! I don't know how long it has been there.

 

[wookiebeck]

Sum of All Thrills at EPCOT I have NEVER heard of this ride, sorry. Is it really new or really old? I have been to WDW and Epcot 6-7 times I the past 12 years and decades ago when I was a child. I'm really clueless on this one!

It is a flight simulator, but not like Star Tours. There are 2-4 seats at the end of a 6-axis robotic arm. Just like those robotic arms that weld car body frames at auto factories. It has the ability to really swing and angle, roll and pitch you quickly.

 

[daannzzz]

Forbidden journey is a bit more wild than this one at Epcot but interacts with the moving screens and sets and such.

As opposed to this one which it is not as wild.

go to the 25 second mark.
I got extremely motion sick on Forbidden Journey but it was one of the best rides I have done.

 

[daannzzz]

Should say "as opposed to this one which is much more wild"!