Hi again! Thank you to everyone for being so helpful!! I was originally thinking of starting the day at Diagon Alley and staying there until we got our fill and then taking the HE to Hogsmede. Then the next day, reversing the plan and starting at Hogsmede and then going to Diagon Alley. The touring plans suggest heading to Hogsmede in the middle of the day and then going back to Diagon Alley in the late afternooon. Is this only if you have one day to spend at WWoHP? Any thoughts/suggestions? Would you rather go back and forth like the plans suggest or stay at one and then go to the other? Oh, and the park is open 9-7 with crowd level 3 and only IOA has early entry.
I am a huge, neurotic Harry Potter buff. I would say that you definitely want to see both parks in the evening at some point and you definitely want to be able to ride the Hogwarts Express both ways. As long as you accomplish that, whether it’s in one day or two, how you do it is entirely up to you. I believe telling people to go to Hogsmeade in the middle of the day is intended if you only have one day to dedicate to The Wizarding World. Personally, given the opportunity, I would avoid Hogsmeade in the middle of the day because it is extremely crowded. However, if your crowd levels stays at 3, everything should be manageable and “crowded” is a relative term, anyway.
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Thank you rebeecky that is very helpful! I have a feeling neither my daughter nor I are going to want to leave DA feeling like we are leaving things behind that we want to see. We will probably stick to the original plan and “finish” DA before heading over to Hogsmede.
Good plan! Just be sure to be there after dark at some point, as everything looks a little more magical at night! And, though I realize this may be obvious, if you’re anything like me, you’re always thinking ahead to the next thing that needs to be done. Do your best to allow yourself to just get lost in the details. I took a trip with my sister and we literally spent 6 hours in Diagon Alley, between riding Escape from Gringotts, watching the shows, eating in the restaurants, casting spells and just taking everything in. It is truly an incredible experience. You two will love it!
Thank you so much for your help! My soon to be 10 year old daughter and I have read the books together - reading those later books aloud is quite the task! - and she is as obsessed as I am with HP. I’m taking her for her birthday so she will be there on the day she turns 10! I don’t know who is more excited but we are planning to spend as much time as we want at WWoHP!
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Oh my goodness, how exciting to be there when she turns 10! I got chills just reading that. You earn high points for being a great mom!
My daughter and I started reading the books aloud when she was 10… And now she’s in her late twenties. It was a great time together that we we both remember fondly. And now we go to HP together and get a kick out of saying things like, “I’ll meet you in Knockturn alley!”
When you get there for early entry, only HP land is open anyway, but get right in line for the ride. It is amazing! My daughter and I both had tears in our eyes by the time the ride was over.
The first time I went to Universal, it was my 40th birthday and I literally teared up my first time on Forbidden Journey and got off the ride with tears in my eyes. I also teared up the first time I walked into Diagon Alley. I have been two more times since and every trip, the first time I enter Diagon Alley, I get so overwhelmed I tear up all over again. Apparently, I am sappy, but it makes me so happy!
Nothing wrong with that!
(Love the rhyme, too.) 
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bcchica13, if you get a chance, go by the Menagerie. When leaving the store, go to the alley. If you’re facing the front door, the alley is on the left.
You’ll see the big snake, speaking Parseltongue! Very cool.
we loved it at night with DD 10 and DS 8 but also early with early admission til around 11. We could cast spells without anyone around and could notice all the intricate details. We were there over Christmas so was extremely crowded for Universal (or so we heard) as this was the only time we have been.
Absolutely! I did EE at USF by myself on my last trip and it was incredible to enter an almost-empty Diagon Alley and do all the spells I wanted without having to wait for anyone or have anyone waiting on me. Equally enjoyable was being able to wander through Borgin & Burkes with hardly anyone in it. That’s my favorite store and it gets crowded easily!
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