Help please: 1 day, Park to Park, No Early Entry, Plan of Attack

[Greenkai3000]

Help please: 1 day, Park to Park, No Early Entry, Plan of Attack
Hello everyone,

We are looking at visiting Universal for just one day during our Labor Day Weekend holiday. We won't be staying on site, but will be very close by.
We were wondering what the best plan of attack would be to do both Diagon Alley and Hogsmead, since we won't be getting Early Entry privileges to either one. Sorry if these questions have been answered somewhere else.

When is Universal generally less crowded...Saturday, Sunday, or (Labor Day) Monday?

How early should we line up for park Opening? Do they open the gates right on time , or earlier? Is running (in a civilized way, of course) allowed in the park?

With Gringotts being the new attraction at Universal, would it make more sense to try to ride that first, then take the Hogwarts Express over to Forbidden Journey? Or, would it be better to go to FJ first, and ride the HE over to Gringotts instead?

 

[Monty]

I can't imagine there's much hope of any of those three days being anything but very crowded.

I'd suggest starting with the newer ride. Getting it out of the way as early as possible is likely your best bet. I wouldn't expect to accomplish much.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Help please: 1 day, Park to Park, No Early Entry, Plan of Attack
Hello everyone,

We are looking at visiting Universal for just one day during our Labor Day Weekend holiday. We won't be staying on site, but will be very close by.
We were wondering what the best plan of attack would be to do both Diagon Alley and Hogsmead, since we won't be getting Early Entry privileges to either one. Sorry if these questions have been answered somewhere else.

When is Universal generally less crowded...Saturday, Sunday, or (Labor Day) Monday?

How early should we line up for park Opening? Do they open the gates right on time , or earlier? Is running (in a civilized way, of course) allowed in the park?

With Gringotts being the new attraction at Universal, would it make more sense to try to ride that first, then take the Hogwarts Express over to Forbidden Journey? Or, would it be better to go to FJ first, and ride the HE over to Gringotts instead?

Simple. GO and DO Gringotts First. One thing since you are only here for the Harry Potter rides weather shouldn't be much of a factor since both rides are indoors. Therefore do Longdon and Diagon First. Hogsmede and FJ are so much more manageable than DA as of now.

Universal is always crowded there aren't days where it is less crowded.
Week days are less crowded because locals don't flock in a bunch . There are a few locals with annual passes who go on weekdays(Myself) but not enough to add to a wait time.

Weekends, Holidays are the most crowded days!

 

[Tom Morrow]

Buy the Express pass, if you can spare the expense. It'll be absolutely worth it and you'll be able to do most of both parks in one day with it.

 

[DisneyDaver]

Buy the Express pass, if you can spare the expense. It'll be absolutely worth it and you'll be able to do most of both parks in one day with it.

Good advice in general, but be aware that at this time, there is no Express Pass line for the Forbidden Journey or Gringott's so it won't help you avoid the long lines for those rides.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Buy express pass
Head straight to Gringott's
Do a quick walk thru the rest of DA
HE to Hogsmeade
FJ
Explore Hosmeade
Break out the express pass and hit:
JPRA
Spider-man
Hulk
CitH
HE back to USF
MiB
Simpson's
Transformers
Mummy
Despicable Me
Explore DA more until Cinematic Spectacular

Wear good shoes and a triple shot Mocha around 3pm will help. Monday will be the least crowded of the 3 day Holiday weekend. But Holiday weekends are Universal's busiest times, so there will be elevated crowd levels. You will definitely maximize your day if you can swing the Express Passes.

 

[Nick Wilde]

GO ON MONDAY! I use Orlandoinformer.com's crowd calendar and it has never been inaccurate for me. Monday is the least crowded day out of all three. You'll want express, BUT BE WARNED! They're very expensive.

 

[Tangled21]

If you're up to going to the park the minute it opens and staying until closing, then go ahead and buy the express pass so you can ride as much as possible (not including HP attractions). They ain't cheap, as prices for them inflate with the busier times of year.

I would suggest arriving early and starting off with Gringotts as others suggested. Then work your way towards Hogsmeade and ride FJ via Hogwarts express. If you've seen everything you want to see in the Harry Potter world, go ride the more popular attractions like spider man, jurassic park, despicable me, mummy, rip ride rockit, hulk and transformers. Realistically speaking that is all I would be able to manage due to Labor Day crowds.

 

[danpam1024]

good luck! Remember, there's a strong possibility you won't get to do much if you're planning to spend time waiting in DA so I would suggest make something a #1 priority-ie- if you MUST ride Gringotts, then commit to it and everything else you do is a bonus. That way you won't be disappointed. And hopefully you can come back for an extended stay one day, on property

 

[mahnamahna101]

At IOA, I'd do:

1. Cat in the Hat (Express Pass)
2. Spider-Man (Express Pass)
3. Hulk (Express Pass)
4. Popeye (Express Pass)
5. Dudley Do-Right (Express Pass)
6. JPRA (Express Pass)
7. Forbidden Journey
   
8. Dragon Challenge (Express Pass) - usually 20 minutes or less for the wait, so might not even need an Express Pass
9. Potentially eat at Mythos or Three Broomsticks
10. Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley

At USF, I'd do:

1. Gringotts
2. MIB
3. Simpsons Ride
4. Eat in Springfield at some point
5. E.T.
6. T2 3D
7. Despicable Me
8. Transformers
9. Rockit
10. Mummy
11. Disaster if you have time

If you had two days, I'd say do every attraction once (except Barney and Pteranodon Flyers - neither are that noteworthy), then reride favorites.

If you have little kids, then Storm Force, the play areas, Hippogriff, Nuthouse, and the Seuss Trolley are all relatively fun for adults. Poseidon and Sinbad are worthwhile shows to try once if you have extra time to spare.

Have fun!!