Doing both HP Worlds in One Day. Advice?

[Disneyhead'71]

Yes! Thank you for that awesome plan! This is our first time at Universal. Only other thing we may want to check out is Jurassic Park?

Since this is your first Universal experience I feel you would be short changing yourself if you didn't hit a couple of other highlights. Like, I would do lunch at Mythos instead of 3 Broomsticks. I would hit The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man and Jurassic Park in IOA and in USF I would hit Mummy and Men in Black. All of that should be doable in one day easily if you don't spend forever shopping in Diagon Alley.

Spider-man really is one of the best dark rides on the planet.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

We just went to Uni a few days ago. It was our third time at Hogdmeade, first time at Diagon Alley.

First and foremost, try your best to go on a Monday, Tues, Wed, or Thurs. You will encounter less crowds and be able to experience more.

We went straight to Diagon Alley and rode Gringotts first. About 30 minute wait. Really enjoyed it. We explored the Alley for a bit and then took the (AWESOME!) train to Hogsmeade. We waited for about 30 minutes for Forbidden Journey. Enjoy the queue-it's truly amazing. And the ride is equally amazing, to us. We really love it. Then we explored Hogsmeade and ate at Three Broomsticks. Have a Butterbeer!!!

Enjoy!!

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

We always enjoy eating at Finigans and Hard Rock Café. You do have to leave the parks to go to Hard Rock, but it's right outside the entrances between the two parks. At Uni, it's really easy to walk between the two parks and to Citywalk.
You would really be doing yourself a disservice to not do the queues at Gringotts and FJ. That's one thing, I believe, Uni has over Disney. Their queues are amazing.
A few of my must do's are Men In Black, Spiderman, and ET. My daughter also loves Transformers. You should have time to do lots of rides if you are there at opening.
All parking is in a covered garage. It's a long way to the entrance, but they have moving sidewalks that get you there pretty quickly.
Be aware, if you do Jurrassic Park, you will get wet. I recommend you go to youtube and watch videos of the rides. This will help you decide which ones you want to have as priorities.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Leave room for treats! The the butter-beer ice cream is great. Chocolate Cauldrons so good!

 

[EngineJoe]

Do the single rider line for Gringotts or whereever possible. This will speed things up really quickly.

 

[BrianV]

Go to olivanders on the diagon alley side because the line is much shorter.

 

[fosse76]

Doing both lands in one day is easy, particularly if you do not have any real plans to visit the rest of the parks. It also doesn't really matter which land you start with. Sequentially, you would start at Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. If you get there at park opening, you should have a short wait for Gringotts. I have seen the wait time on the most crowded of days get up to 90 minutes, but I haven't seen anything in excess of that since it first opened. Mid-May will have moderate crowds, so I'd expect an hour wait at most for anything. After your initial ride (and having gone standby; the queue is NOT to be missed), I would do any re-rides through the single-rider line.

I can't stress enough that you should do Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. It has three "show" rooms and the line (if any) moves quick. The stage shows are on a schedule, so make sure you have the Universal Orlando App and/or a guide map to catch them (which will list the times). Note that the Tales of Beadle the Bard is currently presenting two stories (each presentation is only one of the two). I don't know if the maps differentiate between them, but the app does. Don't forget about Knockturn Alley. It seems a lot of people miss it because it is a dark alley and they don't know they can go in there.

Once you are finished with Diagon Alley, take the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. The wait times for this can vary, but it always seems to have a longer wait at the Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure) station. I would do Dragon's Challenge first, since it's the first ride you will encounter (it accepts Express Pass). I always ride each track at least once (they finally have used common sense and re-opened the stairway leading back into the standby queue from the exit). Be warned, though, that you will have to put everything in a locker, which although located next to entrance, is nowhere near the exit, so you'll have to backtrack to get your things. Flight of the Hippogriff almost always has a lengthy line, so unless you have the Express Pass or the line is less than 15 minutes, you may want to skip it. Forbidden Journey, like Diagon Alley, has a queue that is NOT to be missed. If the wait is unbearably long (which I doubt it will be), I'd use the single-rider line. When you are finished, you can take the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios and then maybe explore that park outside of the Harry Potter section, or maybe spend some more time exploring Islands of Adventure. However, you should definitely take the return trip on the Hogwarts express, since it is a different experience on the return trip.

No matter which section you start at, you should easily experience everything the Wizarding World has to offer.

 

[andysol]

My first experience I followed in Harry's footsteps. Yes, you wait a longer in lines. No, you don't get to ride a ride immediately. But it's extremely enjoyable.

-Start at USF and go to London and meet the Conductor/Shrunken head at the Knight Bus
-Eat Breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron (Like Harry and Hagrid did before shopping at Diagon Alley)
-Visit Gringotts Money Exchange and trade in those muggle bucks
-Do your shopping for school supplies (Olivanders for wand- we bought our robes on Etsy and Owl for kiddos on Amazon)
-Visit Knockturn Alley
-Board Hogwarts Express
-Ride Harry Potter & Forbidden Journey (going to school) as well as Flight of Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge
-Have lunch at 3 broomsticks
-see frog choir and triwizard rally
-Grab some sweets
-Head bak on hogwarts express
-Ride Escape from Gringotts and face Voldemort
-Eat some celebratory Ice cream at Florean's while watching tales of bardlebee or celestina warback


Not the "smartest" touring strategy in terms of maximizing rides- but you could easily finish that by 3pm or so. And its unique and fun- and way more about the experience than "ride count".

 

[Jaison]

My first experience I followed in Harry's footsteps. Yes, you wait a longer in lines. No, you don't get to ride a ride immediately. But it's extremely enjoyable.

-Start at USF and go to London and meet the Conductor/Shrunken head at the Knight Bus
-Eat Breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron (Like Harry and Hagrid did before shopping at Diagon Alley)
-Visit Gringotts Money Exchange and trade in those muggle bucks
-Do your shopping for school supplies (Olivanders for wand- we bought our robes on Etsy and Owl for kiddos on Amazon)
-Visit Knockturn Alley
-Board Hogwarts Express
-Ride Harry Potter & Forbidden Journey (going to school) as well as Flight of Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge
-Have lunch at 3 broomsticks
-see frog choir and triwizard rally
-Grab some sweets
-Head bak on hogwarts express
-Ride Escape from Gringotts and face Voldemort
-Eat some celebratory Ice cream at Florean's while watching tales of bardlebee or celestina warback


Not the "smartest" touring strategy in terms of maximizing rides- but you could easily finish that by 3pm or so. And its unique and fun- and way more about the experience than "ride count".

This seems like an amazing way to experience these attractions! Great suggestion.

 

[danpam1024]

I'll throw in my 2 cents:
go to the bathroom in Hogsmead- next to 3 Broomsticks. "Public Conveniences". Moaning Myrtle is there
The seating outside 3 Broomsticks (in the back) is one of the best places to relax (if it's not too hot or raining).
The windows in the stores are incredibly detailed.
Don't be afraid of a 60 minute wait for FJ or Gringots- the queues are stunning and you'll wish you had more time.
Ride flight of the Hippogriff at night if possible- it's super silly.
I'm a beer girl and REALLY enjoy the stout in DA, but the Hog's Head brew in Hogsmead makes me feel like I'm home- it's yummy too.
Although you can buy wands pretty much anywhere, it is only acceptable to buy them in WWoHP.
Don't miss knockturn alley- best theming of the entire place, Jaws easter eggs are back there.
Florian Fortescue's ice cream is amazing- and worth the wait.
My favorite show is Beedle the Bard- The Tale of the Three Brothers. Stunning puppets and of course, a beautiful story.
We go all the time- we're lucky enough to live close-ish, and I STILL discover new things every time. Sorry you only have one day, the parks are far more then WWoHP, they are spectacular! Sounds like you're going before school lets out and after spring break, so fingers crossed it won't be busy

edit- like others have said- the locker situation by dragon challenge and FJ is horrible, be patient

 

[danpam1024]

I also HIGHLY recommend E.T.- for a couple of reasons:
1. It is the last "original" to the studios. I remember waiting 3 hours to ride it way back when, now 10 minutes max.
2. With the rapid growth of UOR, and the onslaught of new stuff, especially Nintendo land being near E.T., I fear it may not have very much time.
3. It is a true classic and has great theming and character, and that smell- like PotC has a smell, E.T. has it too

 

[JoeCamel]

I also HIGHLY recommend E.T.- for a couple of reasons:
1. It is the last "original" to the studios. I remember waiting 3 hours to ride it way back when, now 10 minutes max.
2. With the rapid growth of UOR, and the onslaught of new stuff, especially Nintendo land being near E.T., I fear it may not have very much time.
3. It is a true classic and has great theming and character, and that smell- like PotC has a smell, E.T. has it too

One of those things you tell your grandkids about, "once upon a time we had a ride that took us on a journey" then you let them know an ailien asked you to pull his finger

 

[EngineJoe]

The seating outside 3 Broomsticks (in the back) is one of the best places to relax (if it's not too hot or raining).
The windows in the stores are incredibly detailed.

Yup the best place. Has a view of the river and the Castle and is very peaceful.

 

[StageFrenzy]

Yup the best place. Has a view of the river and the Castle and is very peaceful.

shhhhh! blowing up my spot.

 

[PinnySmart]

Please don't skip Spider-Man or The Mummy!!!

 

[PinnySmart]

I'll throw in my 2 cents:
go to the bathroom in Hogsmead- next to 3 Broomsticks. "Public Conveniences". Moaning Myrtle is there
The seating outside 3 Broomsticks (in the back) is one of the best places to relax (if it's not too hot or raining).
The windows in the stores are incredibly detailed.
Don't be afraid of a 60 minute wait for FJ or Gringots- the queues are stunning and you'll wish you had more time.
Ride flight of the Hippogriff at night if possible- it's super silly.
I'm a beer girl and REALLY enjoy the stout in DA, but the Hog's Head brew in Hogsmead makes me feel like I'm home- it's yummy too.
Although you can buy wands pretty much anywhere, it is only acceptable to buy them in WWoHP.
Don't miss knockturn alley- best theming of the entire place, Jaws easter eggs are back there.
Florian Fortescue's ice cream is amazing- and worth the wait.
My favorite show is Beedle the Bard- The Tale of the Three Brothers. Stunning puppets and of course, a beautiful story.
We go all the time- we're lucky enough to live close-ish, and I STILL discover new things every time. Sorry you only have one day, the parks are far more then WWoHP, they are spectacular! Sounds like you're going before school lets out and after spring break, so fingers crossed it won't be busy

edit- like others have said- the locker situation by dragon challenge and FJ is horrible, be patient

I think this is some of the best advice I've ever read!

 

[kennyy_d]

I'll throw in my 2 cents:
go to the bathroom in Hogsmead- next to 3 Broomsticks. "Public Conveniences". Moaning Myrtle is there
The seating outside 3 Broomsticks (in the back) is one of the best places to relax (if it's not too hot or raining).
The windows in the stores are incredibly detailed.
Don't be afraid of a 60 minute wait for FJ or Gringots- the queues are stunning and you'll wish you had more time.
Ride flight of the Hippogriff at night if possible- it's super silly.
I'm a beer girl and REALLY enjoy the stout in DA, but the Hog's Head brew in Hogsmead makes me feel like I'm home- it's yummy too.
Although you can buy wands pretty much anywhere, it is only acceptable to buy them in WWoHP.
Don't miss knockturn alley- best theming of the entire place, Jaws easter eggs are back there.
Florian Fortescue's ice cream is amazing- and worth the wait.
My favorite show is Beedle the Bard- The Tale of the Three Brothers. Stunning puppets and of course, a beautiful story.
We go all the time- we're lucky enough to live close-ish, and I STILL discover new things every time. Sorry you only have one day, the parks are far more then WWoHP, they are spectacular! Sounds like you're going before school lets out and after spring break, so fingers crossed it won't be busy

edit- like others have said- the locker situation by dragon challenge and FJ is horrible, be patient

Thank you so much. This is awesome and is some great ~insider~ advice
From what I'm hearing we really shouldn't be afraid to wait, the queues are amazing! I'm hoping we can do more than JUST Potter, I'm wanting to work with Disney or Universal, so I'd love to take a peek around the parks, I just wish we had more time (and money) to stay longer than a day!

 

[kennyy_d]

My first experience I followed in Harry's footsteps. Yes, you wait a longer in lines. No, you don't get to ride a ride immediately. But it's extremely enjoyable.

-Start at USF and go to London and meet the Conductor/Shrunken head at the Knight Bus
-Eat Breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron (Like Harry and Hagrid did before shopping at Diagon Alley)
-Visit Gringotts Money Exchange and trade in those muggle bucks
-Do your shopping for school supplies (Olivanders for wand- we bought our robes on Etsy and Owl for kiddos on Amazon)
-Visit Knockturn Alley
-Board Hogwarts Express
-Ride Harry Potter & Forbidden Journey (going to school) as well as Flight of Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge
-Have lunch at 3 broomsticks
-see frog choir and triwizard rally
-Grab some sweets
-Head bak on hogwarts express
-Ride Escape from Gringotts and face Voldemort
-Eat some celebratory Ice cream at Florean's while watching tales of bardlebee or celestina warback


Not the "smartest" touring strategy in terms of maximizing rides- but you could easily finish that by 3pm or so. And its unique and fun- and way more about the experience than "ride count".

This is so unique! Don't think I've heard of doing it like this before but I'd bet the experience would be ~magical~

Doing both lands in one day is easy, particularly if you do not have any real plans to visit the rest of the parks. It also doesn't really matter which land you start with. Sequentially, you would start at Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. If you get there at park opening, you should have a short wait for Gringotts. I have seen the wait time on the most crowded of days get up to 90 minutes, but I haven't seen anything in excess of that since it first opened. Mid-May will have moderate crowds, so I'd expect an hour wait at most for anything. After your initial ride (and having gone standby; the queue is NOT to be missed), I would do any re-rides through the single-rider line.

I can't stress enough that you should do Ollivander's in Diagon Alley. It has three "show" rooms and the line (if any) moves quick. The stage shows are on a schedule, so make sure you have the Universal Orlando App and/or a guide map to catch them (which will list the times). Note that the Tales of Beadle the Bard is currently presenting two stories (each presentation is only one of the two). I don't know if the maps differentiate between them, but the app does. Don't forget about Knockturn Alley. It seems a lot of people miss it because it is a dark alley and they don't know they can go in there.

Once you are finished with Diagon Alley, take the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. The wait times for this can vary, but it always seems to have a longer wait at the Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure) station. I would do Dragon's Challenge first, since it's the first ride you will encounter (it accepts Express Pass). I always ride each track at least once (they finally have used common sense and re-opened the stairway leading back into the standby queue from the exit). Be warned, though, that you will have to put everything in a locker, which although located next to entrance, is nowhere near the exit, so you'll have to backtrack to get your things. Flight of the Hippogriff almost always has a lengthy line, so unless you have the Express Pass or the line is less than 15 minutes, you may want to skip it. Forbidden Journey, like Diagon Alley, has a queue that is NOT to be missed. If the wait is unbearably long (which I doubt it will be), I'd use the single-rider line. When you are finished, you can take the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios and then maybe explore that park outside of the Harry Potter section, or maybe spend some more time exploring Islands of Adventure. However, you should definitely take the return trip on the Hogwarts express, since it is a different experience on the return trip.

No matter which section you start at, you should easily experience everything the Wizarding World has to offer.

Thank you so much! This will be VERY helpful!!

Go to olivanders on the diagon alley side because the line is much shorter.

Thank you, definitely will do!

 

[kennyy_d]

Thank you to everyone who has joined in on the conversation! You all have given me and my family a lot to talk about! We'd love to hear any other tips you all may have!
I will say I feel kind of strange talking about Universal when we are usually such a Disney oriented family It's a good change!

I'd love to hear your opinions on other rides we CAN'T MISS. None of you have mentioned Jurassic Park... Is it worth our time? My little sister (13y/o) wants to do Despicable Me, however I wasn't sure if it came down to it which one would be more worth our time.

Also I believe a few of you have mentioned that some HP things have Express Pass available, is it worth it to buy Express Pass if we may do a few other rides outside Potter?

Thanks again!

 

[EngineJoe]

Thank you to everyone who has joined in on the conversation! You all have given me and my family a lot to talk about! We'd love to hear any other tips you all may have!
I will say I feel kind of strange talking about Universal when we are usually such a Disney oriented family It's a good change!

I'd love to hear your opinions on other rides we CAN'T MISS. None of you have mentioned Jurassic Park... Is it worth our time? My little sister (13y/o) wants to do Despicable Me, however I wasn't sure if it came down to it which one would be more worth our time.

Also I believe a few of you have mentioned that some HP things have Express Pass available, is it worth it to buy Express Pass if we may do a few other rides outside Potter?

Thanks again!

Jurrasic Park is okay. It's kind of an old raft ride with animatronic dinosaurs. I would rate it pretty low personally.

I love Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges but you will get really wet. Do not wear shoes if you are gonna ride it.

Even though I don't care for the MIB movie, I really liked the MIB ride. It's a much bigger and better version of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. I really like this ride and should have done this more than once.

Simpson is okay. Alot of people like it but the line is always long and they use old screen technology so the image is not very clear compared to the Harry Potter screen dark rides.

Despicable me is alright. Kind of a 4D theatre type thing. But I would never go on it when there is a long wait.

****

Express Pass: Really depends how busy the park is I think. You can always upgrade inside the park the day of with Universal tickets.
Honestly if you don't have little kids then there aren't that many rides outside of the Harry Potter stuff.

They tore down Twister and Earthquake and are replacing it with Fast n Furious and Jimmy Fallon but that's minus two rides till they are built. Hulk Coaster was in refurbishment in October and Kong doesn't open till the summer I think. So that's four less rides right now.

The main thing with Universal and Islands of Adventure is that they are kind of hard to traverse compared to Disney because there is a lake in the center of each park and there is no train around the perimeter like the Disney land train. So you have to go around the lake to get anywhere which makes the orders of the rides linear if you want to be efficient.