Hi, my husband and I will be taking our 10 yr old daughter to WDW and US/IOA this coming October. My daughter is saving up all sorts of allowance and doing odd jobs to earn enough money for all her souvenirs- since we are doing US/IOA last I'm worried about her having enough left to get her big wishes from there. She wants a wand from WWHP more than anything so I want to make sure we have enough- about how much money are these coveted wands from the theme park? What else have your kids been dying to have and how much are folks spending on souvenirs. We've paid for dining plan at Disney and have the funds for our meals at Universal so now its a matter of how much we take for fun spending. (Especially for that wand.)
Also if anyone went in October last year- any advice via crowds, restaurants, reservations, days of the week to avoid? Does US/IOA close their parks early on nights where they have the Halloween Horror Nights- our 10 yr old is too young for that- so we're wondering if we need to set up something else for evenings- movies? Blue Man Group? just something else we're guessing.
We're staying at Royal Pacific- have stayed before in 2002 and are glad to be returning- we had a good stay there before.
Love any input anyone can give us on wand cost or October advice at these two parks.
Some advice based on your questions...
Wands (as everyone else has pointed out) will run you just over $30 for most varieties. I'd encourage your daughter to go for one of the unique "birthday" wands instead of a more generic character wand. The birthday wands actually have some basis in the extended Potterverse as dictated by JK Rowling - different styles correspond to different sets of birth dates. They're also unique to the Wizarding World (+ the online Uni store), as the character wands can usually be purchased at Barnes & Noble and some other retailers.
Other popular souvenirs include the Chocolate Frogs - they include the special packaging as seen in the films, a humongous chunk of sculpted chocolate, and the nifty holographic wizard collectible cards (I believe there's now a special edition Dumbledore card, too). These run you $10. There are other exclusive candies that come in exclusive packaging including the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and Cauldron Cakes - they all run approximately $10, though I think the Chocolate Frog is the most unique item with the little card that lasts far longer than the candy. There are also great little glass containers of assorted candies that bear the Honeydukes logo that can be had for $10-15ish.
Pygmy Puffs are these adorable little stuffed critters that are a huge seller - they appeared as a cameo in the 5th film and were mentioned a few times in the book. They can be found at Zonkos and come in pink and purple varieties. If you purchase one, they'll do a little "adoption" ceremony where you get to name your Pygmy. I believe they run you about $12-13? They're absolutely adorable, you'll want to buy one if you see it. (I may have fallen under its, ahem, magic spell, if you will.)
Those are kind of the "big 3" items from what I've seen. There's plenty of film/novelty/Quidditch merchandise, along with Harry Potter-themed attire (including robes and brooms that cost hundreds of dollars), so I'd recommend keeping to the 3 above. If you're really into the attire, most t-shirts cost just around $20-25. Polos come in around $30-40 I believe, with the aforementioned robes at ridiculous $100+ prices.
Make sure to try some frozen Butter Beer, it's absolutely delicious!
Moving on to your non-merchandise questions. As far as days to go, ideally you'd be able to attend a day where Halloween Horror Nights is NOT occurring - so Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun are out, so you can catch the great Universal Cinematic Spectacular. This show does not perform on HHN nights. That said, we don't have confirmed dates on when the SuperStar parade will perform - a Uni representative I spoke to on the phone said it's possible they'll move to a weekend only schedule (Thurs-Sun, potentially) once the September to November season hits. That is by no means confirmed though. It may end up being a Catch 22 - attend on a weekend and get a guaranteed SuperStar parade showing, or attend on a weekday and catch Cinematic Spectacular with the possibility of not getting SuperStar. What sounds better to your 10 year old? The parade includes Spongebob, Dora, Hop, and Despicable Me. (It's worth noting that Spongebob & Despicable Me can always be found around the park, while Dora & Hop seem to be exclusive to when the parade is running).
Reservations shouldn't be that hard to come by during that time of year, though I'd recommend having one meal at Mythos in the Lost Continent. It's a beautiful dining space with some great food at surprisingly decent prices. Just call ahead the morning of to see what times they have available that day; walk-ins are risky. The rest of the restaurants shouldn't be too much of a problem... though be prepared to wait a few minutes for The Three Broomsticks.
Hours wise, Universal Studios will close at 5 (a HARD close, they will push you out immediately) on HHN days, 6 on non-HHN days. Islands usually stays open until at least 7 regardless. The parks should open at 9 regardless of HHN - Islands will have an early entry for Annual Passholders and resort guests for the Wizarding World starting at 8.
Okay, crowd wise - for at least one day of your stay take advantage of the early entry for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. A lot of people will go, but don't be put off - the Forbidden Journey can ride can swallow an enormous amount of people. If you have any interest in the Ollivander's wand experience (not necessary to purchase the coveted wands), now's the time to do it - the "show" has a tiny capacity and usually boasts hour+ waits. You may have to wait 20 minutes or so even if you rush to it first thing at 8 - but it's the shortest it'll ever be. Make that a priority. Forbidden Journey should never exceed 20-30 minutes in the morning... and in October? It should be even less. Enjoy the light crowds. Keep in mind that The Forbidden Journey is one of the only rides your unlimited resort express will not work on.
The alternative is to go to the Studios first at 9, and hit up the Hollywood Rip-Ride-Rockit coaster, the other major attraction that does not offer resort express. The ride is temperamental, and even a short downtime can cause its line to grow exponentially. Hit this up several times to your heart's content while the lines are short. Once the time hits 5 or 6 PM, head over to the Wizarding World at Islands - the lines will have dropped considerably and you shouldn't have to wait very long to get on Forbidden Journey.
Everything else you'll have your trusty resort express on, including the new Despicable Me ride. That's the nice thing about staying at an on-site resort -- you get to relax and enjoy short lines at all the rides/shows once you get Rockit & Forbidden Journey out of the way!
Finally - evening plans for after the parks close. The way I see it you have three options... one, movies (as you suggested), since Universal has a great theater. Two, the new Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf complex. I've toured and played both courses and they are excellent if you're into themed golf - there's lots of cool animated elements, and both courses (themed to retro sci-fi and horror) have their own unique story. I believe it costs around $12 each to play a round. Third, you have Blue Man Group - the most expensive outing, as I believe the cheapest tickets come in around $60 bucks. If you can afford the investment, I do recommend the show - I recently saw it a few weeks ago for the first time and loved it.
Sorry for the long, long post - I hope some of this helps you! Let us know if you have any more questions!
