Disney/Universal combo?

[Twoboos]

We're thinking of going to Disney, probably in Feb (that's for another post!). We'd also like to do the Harry Potter sections of Universal. Does it make sense to do both? Can we stay on site at Disney and go over to Uni for a day for HP stuff? Or are we better off doing Uni in and of itself?

I haven't been to Disney in probably 15 years, and never been to Universal. Any advice is welcome!

ETA: Kids would be 11 and 9 when we go.

[icunurse]

We were thinking of doing this on our last trip and felt that, if purely going for Harry Potter, it could be done in a day. Mears does transportation between DW and Universal.

Not sure of your kids ages, but make so pure that you check out the height limits for the rides. My DD is quite small for her age and wouldn't have been able to go on most of the HP rides.

[Fairy]

Oh most definitely! I, being a HP fanatic, can spend HOURS at the HP portion of Universal alone, and I haven't even been to the new section! So, I would plan an entire day at Universal. Do not plan to go to Disney for any real amount of time unless you want to do dinner or something there. Note the following:

* You need a strategy. Much like the Toy Story ride at HS, the line for the main ride in Hogsmeade (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter) can easily be a 90 minute to two hour wait. REad up on this, but my adivce after having done it is to get to the park before it opens WITH tickets. Go DIRECTLY to HP. Do not stop for anything, do not even think of looking at anything in HP, go TO THIS RIDE, which is in the back of the area, which is in the back of Universal (of course). Do that first. There is no FP here, their version of FP means paying extra on your ticket price, and it would apply to the entire park. So, that's your first thing.

* The Three Broomsticks is a fantastic place to eat, so plan to eat lunch there.

* I have not been to Daigon Alley yet, so there may be awesome food and rides there, too!

Also, I am not a fan of Universal. In fact, I can't stand it. Disney it ain't. EXCEPT for HP. That whole area is far and away the most impressive thing in Orlando, including Disney. The rest of the park, tho, aint my thing. Most of it is simulator rides, and those make me sick, so for me, not alot of love. It's laid out really FAR with not so much by way of sit and have some shade, so I always get tendonitis by the time I"m done. Make sure you know ahead of time that this park is just very different in approach. Most people love it, I'm just not one of them.

There are TWO sides to Universal, you can do both in one day, and unfort, the more fun stuff is in the other park from HP. So, if you wanna spend all day here, get tix for both parks, have dinner there on teh citywalk.

[KrisM]

There are TWO sides to Universal, you can do both in one day, and unfort, the more fun stuff is in the other park from HP. So, if you wanna spend all day here, get tix for both parks, have dinner there on teh citywalk.

There is HP in both parks now. Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade is at Islands of Adventure.

[Fairy]

There is HP in both parks now. Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade is at Islands of Adventure.

Ooooh. That kind of sucks. So ... I thought it was an extension. But it's two parks now. Is there an easy way to get from one to the other, or do you have to walk all the way to the entrance and then go all the way to the other one? I guess I should google this.

[bnme]

Ooooh. That kind of sucks. So ... I thought it was an extension. But it's two parks now. Is there an easy way to get from one to the other, or do you have to walk all the way to the entrance and then go all the way to the other one? I guess I should google this.

You take Hogwarts Express from one section to the other. It's pretty awesome, but it is just Universals way of making you have to buy a 2-park ticket.

We did Universal/IOA for our first time in August. We have gone to WDW 5 or 6 times with the kids. You really can't compare them. I love WDW and I also really liked US/IOA. Aside from HP being amazing, they have some really cool rides.

How old are your kids? How many days are you planning for WDW? What do you want to see? Will you be back in FL anytime soon? You can do and see a lot at US in 2 days, but I could see staying on-site for 3 or 4 nights, too.

[Twoboos]

Thanks Fairy! I definitely feel better with a plan. We basically did this at DisneyLand - go on Peter Pan FIRST is the rule there, and we were in fact the very first people on the ride that day!! :cheerleader1:

I had seen that they put the two HP sections in two different parts of the park, so yes you have to buy two tix. Not right, IMO, but of course I'll do it.

Based on height there would maybe be one ride DD2 couldn't do, but she might gain an inch or so before then. She's close!

I think they would want to focus on HP and maybe bypass all the other stuff there. We'd have to talk about it.

This is great info!!

[Fairy]

Well, if you can take the hogwarts express then that's a serious win there. Now if only there was a flying car from Privet Drive to King's Cross ... Anyway, yes, I'll be buying both parks, then :-).

The fact is that this is a great park. I don't care for it overall, but I can see the value in it even if it's not for me. There are rides to love there, like the Minion ride and Simpsons (that latter one is brilliant). But I'd probably spend every waking moment in HP! Also, I guess if you do intend to stay all day, you might wanna look into their FastPass option. It's not a waste of money if it's meaningful for you.

[gatorsmom]

We are leaving in 2 days for Orlando. We plan to spend 3 days at Disney parks and 1 day at the Wizardinf World of HP in the 2 universal parks. I've been researching this a lot and we plan to be at Universal way before it opens. As Fairy has said you must run immediately to the back of the park without stoping to get in line for either of the 2 major rides. The 2 rides that get the longest lines in the HP world are the Forbidden Journey in Islandss of Adventure (IOA) AND Escape from Gringotts in Universal Studios (USF). They are two different parks and the WWoHP is at the back of both of them (and they are connected by the Hogwurts Express train). I'm trying to decide which I want to run to based on the heights of our kids. I think more my kids will be tall enough to ride Escape from Gringotts so I'm leaning toward going there first. The waiting times get longer and longer the later the day gets so once you get off the first ride the waiting line for the next will probably be and hour or even 2. After Gringotts you should buy an interactive wand and have fun waiving that around in Diagon Alley. The reviews for that interactive experience are fantastic. Then hop on the train and ride to Hogsmeade. The train experience itself is state of the art. Once you get to Hogsmeaad, check the wait times for the Forbidden Journey OR take the walking tour of the castle with your kids. There is no height requirement for the walking tour and there is usually no wait to go in. At least that way you can see Hogworts castle even if you decide you can't stomach the 2 hour line.

We we plan to only spend one day at the Universal parks and nearly all of it at the WWoHP. Have a WOnderful time!!!!!

[bnme]

Wonder what the wait time are like since August. When we were there Gringotts was pretty much never under 90 minutes, unless you were onsite with early entry. I did not ride it because DS2 did not want to wait. Those that did said Forbidden Journey was better (it was an awesome ride). The castle is the que for Forbidden Journey. Hogsmeade and DA were great, but I couldn't have seen spending a whole day there. We didn't do the wand thing though. And I'm sure my kids would've liked it because they love the interactive game at MK.
We downloaded a wait time app that was very accurate.

The Simpsons and Spiderman are not to be missed if you have the time for it.

[Fairy]

Hmm. Ya know, the fact that Gringotts ride is in the other park really changes my strategy, here. You can't have it both ways. If both rides are worth it to you, then you might want to invest in their version of the fast Pass, after all. Ya know what, my strategy if you're gonna do both (and you must!) is out the window, nevermind. You can run and get in line and make good time for one ride, but not both big rides, you're gonna be stuck in the 2nd line for 90 minutes for sure. Ugh. We're trying to go the frist weekend in December. I'll have to come back to this thread, myself, when its my turn.

[Twoboos]

You're right, you're in for one line at least. Honestly we probably would spring for their FastPass... I mean I would choke on it but I'd do it to get it done! It's evil and I will play along. ;)

Definitely update or do a separate posting when you're back! I have a lot of research to do if we're really doing this. The whole going during Feb vaca thing is a big question mark, too. I'm guessing that week will be 9-10 crowd levels.

[KrisM]

I am pretty sure the fast pass is not good on the HP stuff. I think the best advantage is if you can stay on site and get into a park an hour earlier for the HP.

[Fairy]

I could have sworn there was a fast pass line at the castle. Am I mistaken? Could it have been the tour?

[gatorsmom]

I am pretty sure the fast pass is not good on the HP stuff. I think the best advantage is if you can stay on site and get into a park an hour earlier for the HP.

According to the 2015 Unofficial Guide (thanks to everyone who recommended this book- it's really good! ), the. Universal Express pass doesn't work on the HP stuff. However, it says that it recommends the single-rider line for the Forbidden Journey. It takes one tenth the time to get through the line. Depending on who in your group wants to ride, you might find it's faster to go one at a time.

Also important to know is that while Hogwarts express does go both ways, the train out from Hogsmeade doesn't let you out into Diagon Alley. It lets passengers out OUTSIDE the London storefronts. Then, depending how busy the park is, you may have to get a "Return ticket" which will allow you to enter London and then Diagon Alley at a later time. The return tickets are distributed by a kiosk located between Men in Black and Fear Factor Live. So, you may have to spend some time at USF's other rides before being allowed back into WWoHP. :(

[bnme]

When we were there in August they never closed either HP land. Gringotts was always 90 minutes and FJ was generally 40 minutes or less. The rest of the park was low to moderate crowds. We were there 3 seperate days for about 6 hrs or less each day (soo hot in Aug) and we rode almost everything multiple times, including FJ 3x and Gringotts once. If all you care about is HP, you will definetly get it all in (although not sure about peak times like Christmas or Presidents week) Check disboards for latest updates on HP stuff, waits, and strategies.

Oh, and I believe no FP for HP stuff. But they have early entry for resort guests only. In a perfect world, I would've stayed on- site for the free fast pass and early entry. It looked like a good value including tickets and their hotels look really nice. We had a free time share to use so we didn't.

[KrisM]

I could have sworn there was a fast pass line at the castle. Am I mistaken? Could it have been the tour?

Or a single rider line, maybe?

I think I'd do Gringott's first thing, since it is new and has the longest lines and then do Forbidden Journey. I've also read that later in the afternoon might give shorter wait times than first thing in the morning, since the early entry people go there first thing.