New to Universal with family, need advice

[Ckelly14]

Heading to Florida next week to see my parents. Just added a last minute trip to Universal for Friday Feb 13th and Saturday Feb 14th. Staying at Royal Pacific one night only (Friday).

Questions:
1. I know I can check in early and get my tickets/Express pass at the hotel, but any advantage to purchasing passes ahead of time? How early can you check in?
2. Harry Potter is a top priority. I have heard that it will be only early admission to IOA at this time. Any suggestion on which park which day? Anyone get there early, ride Forbidden Journey then take the express to Diagon Alley as soon as it opens? Any advantage in this?

Thanks!

 

[danpam1024]

there are MANY threads on this if you do a search. Also, I have checked in as early as 6 am- they will hold your bags until the room is ready.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

Heading to Florida next week to see my parents. Just added a last minute trip to Universal for Friday Feb 13th and Saturday Feb 14th. Staying at Royal Pacific one night only (Friday).

Questions:
1. I know I can check in early and get my tickets/Express pass at the hotel, but any advantage to purchasing passes ahead of time? How early can you check in?
2. Harry Potter is a top priority. I have heard that it will be only early admission to IOA at this time. Any suggestion on which park which day? Anyone get there early, ride Forbidden Journey then take the express to Diagon Alley as soon as it opens? Any advantage in this?

Thanks!

That's exactly what we did on the day IOA opened first. We only had a five minute wait at FJ. We then got on the Express over to US. Go straight to Gringgotts, if you plan to ride it. If not, then I advise you to get right back in line to ride the Express back to IOA as the story is different each way and if you want to do the King's Crossing to Hogmeade way, the line gets very long, very fast. We then took our time touring in Hogsmeade, and then took the Express back to King's Crossing and took our time touring Diagon Alley. The Hogsmeade to DA way almost never has a line. We actually had to wait an hour in the King's Crossing line. They were having trouble with the Express both days we got in that line, so maybe it's not always that bad.
We ordered our annual passes online and put we'd pick them up at the kiosk. It was quick and easy. You just have to imput the pass number and put in the charge card you used to buy the passes. Didn't take more than a minute.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

That's exactly what we did on the day IOA opened first. We only had a five minute wait at FJ. We then got on the Express over to US. Go straight to Gringgotts, if you plan to ride it. If not, then I advise you to get right back in line to ride the Express back to IOA as the story is different each way and if you want to do the King's Crossing to Hogmeade way, the line gets very long, very fast. We then took our time touring in Hogsmeade, and then took the Express back to King's Crossing and took our time touring Diagon Alley. The Hogsmeade to DA way almost never has a line. We actually had to wait an hour in the King's Crossing line. They were having trouble with the Express both days we got in that line, so maybe it's not always that bad.
We ordered our annual passes online and put we'd pick them up at the kiosk. It was quick and easy. You just have to imput the pass number and put in the charge card you used to buy the passes. Didn't take more than a minute.

I found the story going from Hogsmead to Diagon not nearly as good. So here is my advice. We were there MLK weekend so you probably won't be dealing with crowds of the level we did. By the time we got to UNI the line for early admission was several blocks long. So we decided to wait for UIA to open and were amoung first in there. Even with that, people taking the train from UNI beat us to Hogsemede. But then again we were moving with a 5 and 2 year old. How old are your kids btw?