I agree about the locker thing. It is best to avoid them altogether if possible. But they are available for free on the rides that matter if you HAVE to bring a bag.
Tip: The lockers by Hulk (and presumably others) require you to scan your ticket to open the locker, as well as later to retrieve your stuff. Of course, I kept our tickets in my wallet, and proceeded to deposit my wallet in the locker along with everything else. After I got off the ride, I realized I had no ticket to open the locker with! Fortunately, they had an attendant working there who could open it for me, but it was a pain.
Anyhow, we were able to do both sides of HP in a single day and be done before 3:00ā¦but we were then when there was a CL 2. We COULD have done more, but we had done what we wanted to. We added additional sights on subsequent days as a ābonusā. If you have express passes youāll easily get through everything.
Iām telling you, itās a lifesaver! just make sure youāre not wearing one of those huge ones. Mine could easily be covered by my shirt or fit next to me in a ride car.
All great advice here. Itās so hard to know in advance when youāve never been there. Will you be fatigued from the travel (you will some, of course). And never having been to Universal, you want to āDo It Allā!. But I wouldnāt fret about it too much. After all, can you ādo it allā at Disney? No.
I think youāll be able to do most of both parks in the two days you are allotting, even with the early closures. So Iād like to give you the must doās and the attractions to skip if you run out of time.
Must do USF: Gringotts, Men in Black,The Mummy, Olivanders (here or at Hogsmeade, Hogwarts Express, thereās two and the shows are the same),Shrek, and a special shout out to The Horror Make Up show ( a hidden gem that people pass by but it is fun and you wonāt be sorry).
Must doās in IOA: Spiderman, Hulk coaster, Kong Island, Jurassic Park ride, Forbidden Journey, Hogwarts Express (the rides are different in each direction) and a walk through Seuss Landing just to enjoy the ambiance.
Good at USF but if you have to miss: Minions, Transformers, Simpsons (All simulator rides. My complaint here is the action is so fast, you donāt remember anything that happens so I feel like I never went on them!).
Good at IOA but if you have to miss: Dr, Doom, Ripsaw Falls, Sinbad, Poseidonās Fury.
Being HP fans, you should definitely linger there and make sure you donāt miss too much. The shops are incredible and so are the spell stations. Spend as much time as you want, foregoing other things to soak it all in.
For meals, I highly recommend Cowfish and Toothsome at City Walk, Mythos at IOA. I think you will enjoy the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks also, although the choices are limited for your dietary needs. I was afraid they would be lacking but I was pleasantly surprised. I think that happens if you donāt expect much.
And remember, if you donāt ādo it allā, there will be a ānext timeā right?
Iād love for there to be a next time but coming from the UK this is a very expensive trip and Iām not sure weād be able to do a second trip - so yes there is a temptation to do it all!
Thanks for your tips on must-do rides, my 11yo has already expressed an interest in the Horror Make up show so hoping to fit that in and we all want to do all the water rides in IOA as although I know they soak you to the bone weāve always really enjoyed these sort of rides elsewhere.
To a certain extent I think Iām going to have to play it by ear (which Iām hoping should be easier at UOR as no FPP timeslots to contend with and the EPs should help us be more flexible) but feels counter-intuitive to me after all the time (and fun!) Iāve spent creating touring plans!
