Can you weigh in on my plan?

Universal Orlando Resort
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Hi Friends,
I have ONE day scheduled for Universal and IOA in mid-Feb.
Crows levels will be low (3 and 4) but I want to really make the best of it so I purchased the express pass (once per ride). We will not have EPE.
Priorities are ALL THINGS HARRY POTTER.

I always use the Touring Plans plans for all my Disney park trips and they never fail me. But Universal is totally new. However, I am no stranger to using the plans and understanding how they work, adapting and changing them to get the best plan possible.

Here is what I am thinking for my plan. I am using the predicted wait times that TP suggests when I create my plans.

CAN I GET SOME EXPERT UNIVERSAL TRAVELERS TO WEIGH IN ON MY PLAN?

According to Touring Plans, if we start at IOA and head right to Hagrid’s, we still have a 70 minute wait, especially since we won’t be able to get in early. But that ride doesn’t offer express so my gut says to start there.

Start at Hagrids, wait 70 mins.
Then -Touring Plans predicts that if we then go to Flight of the Hippogriff and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey the wait for those rides (using express pass) is only 4 minutes each.

If we continue to work our way around the park in a circle, all other rides in IOA are a predicted wait of 10 mins or less using our express pass (many of which are showing 1-5 minute wait).

We could potentially do most other rides and be finished by around 2pm.

If we then take the Hogwarts Express around 2pm, and arrive at Universal, the wait for Gringotts is 7 minutes.
Again, circling around the park, all other rides on our list are under a 10 minute wait time.

Obviously, I have not built in time spent enjoying the HP world, which we obviously will want to do.

So what I really want to know is
-Does starting at Hagrid’s Motorbike (and waiting) seem like the right place to start?
-Should we do IOA fully, then go to Universal to experience HP there? Or do we do IOA (focus on HP), then go to Universal and also experience HP there? And THEN get to the rest of the parks?

My biggest worry is that if we do IOA first, and then decide to do the rest of the park first, my anxiety will be super high worrying that we won’t get to Universal and will miss the HP stuff there. Unless I just give my family a FIRM cut off…and MAKE SURE, no matter what, we leave IOA by 2pm.

I’m leaning toward the idea just mentioned, vs popping back and forth between IOA and Universal because we still lose the time going back and forth.

HELP!
We do have low crowd levels on our side AND the express pass.

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Hey!

Glad you will get to experience UOR for the first time. The WWOHP is really special.

Looking at last year’s CL’s, they seemed to be higher than 3/4 even on the low days. So I would just prepare yourself for 5/6, so that your mind is prepared.

If Harry Potter is priority, I would definitely get in all of HP that you can first. Things can happen and I would hate to see you miss something special. I will share a list of all the things to experience, you’ll have to decide how much to see and do, like all the HP shows, etc.

Since you will not have EPA, I generally recommend starting at USF - Diagon Alley. That way you can be one of the first one’s in the park. Try to arrive at the gate 30/45 minutes before park open. Since you cannot get to Hagrid’s early, the wait will not be any worse if you wait til late morning/early afternoon.

Here is a great HP plan I like to share. You can look over and decide what you do not need to do or see. And then you may know better what you want to do that’s not HP. If at all possible, visit the Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks. If you don’t want to do food at both, you can just order drinks/snacks. Riding the Hogwarts Express both ways is great too, different story and seeing both train stations all around is a must.

Since this is your first time, look over these maps of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade so you are not going in blind.

Diagon Alley Map.pdf (5.9 MB)
Hogsmeade Map.pdf (6.4 MB)

I’m thinking:

  1. USF Diagon Alley
  2. Hogwarts Express to IOA
  3. IOA Hogsmeade
  4. IOA other attractions
  5. Hogwarts Express to USF
  6. USF other attractions
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I’m going to second @bebe80 advice…

USF be less crowded since so many people are going to IOA for Early Park Admission (EPA) & Hagrid’s. Plus, IMHO, Hogsmeade is “nice”, but underwhelming compared to Diagon Alley. If you want your first impression to be “WHOA!” start over there. Also, it’s “story accurate” to start there too!

With Express Pass (UXP) you’ll wait about 33% - 50% of the posted wait times at most. Many rides will feel like you walked-on.

The Hogsmeade Express is a different experience each way. It’s a lot of fun! However, if you are closer to the front of the park when you want to hop it’s a long walk back there.

The Hogsmeade Express is one of the few rides where UXp does help, but if it’s crowded you are still going to wait a long time.

If the posted wait is above 40 minutes - definitely above 60 minutes - just walk to the other park. They are SO CLOSE together. Even though both sections of the WWOHP are in the back of each park I can walk all the way around, including entry at the park gates, in 20 - 25 minutes easily.

These parks are my favorites. One of the reasons is because it’s not as massive as WDW. Getting around doesn’t take a lot of planning or logistics!

So excited for you! There are a few of us that are major UOR fans and love helping people!

PLEASE ask anything and as often as you like!!

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WOAH. This is amazing and I cannot THANK YOU enough for this resource!! I really appreciate the help.

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I didn’t think about the “wow” factor and first impression aspect. Thank you for thinking of this. Coming from Disney planning, my focus is always going to be on shortest wait times and not so much the WOW of the environment because we’ve been there so many times before.
I’m going to totally take the advice of US first. Thank you!!

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One more thing, according to Touring Plans, the day we are going, February 12th, the crowd levels state 3 and 4. Do you think this is incorrect, or do you mean that it will feel much higher, like 6 or 7?
Just trying to prepare myself. :slight_smile:

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Just remember - UXP is a million times better than WDW Lighting Lane / Multi-Pass!

This is because they price it so that it really is an expense add-on and not a product you feel like you “have” to buy to get a “normal” wait. So, it’s not used by a majority of the people in attendance!!

Plus, no having to make reservations in an App or anything. You get to board when you arrive.

So any “Crowd Level” prediction is really for people without UXP. It’s pretty common for people using UXP to do everything they want over both parks.

With only one day, you’ll have to prioritize a few things.

Some attractions that are “must-do” for me each visit, that may not be “E-tickets”, but really great are:

The Bourne Stuntacular
Revenge of the Mummy
Dr. Doom FearFall
Raptor Encounter (No UXP)

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You bet!

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Oh @yeahtoast correct. I favor the year ago actual CL’s on similar dates. And they were higher in 2024.

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Just chiming in here to say that I prefer doing Hagrid’s between 12:00 and 2:00 pm or very last thing at night. The risk at the end of the evening is that if it goes down, which is still somewhat likely (even in 2025), it won’t come back up. I’ll offer an alternative and say if you wanted to start at IOA you could, just do everything HP except Hagrid’s, then the rest of IOA, and then do Hagrid’s last before hopping over to USF (between 12:00 and 2:00 pm). You’ll be right next to the Hogwart’s Express anyway.

The wait should be around an hour during that timeframe on a 1-6ish crowd level day. It’s never worth doing first thing in the morning, and even if you had early park entry, I still would recommend doing it in the early afternoon or later at night.

Since you have Express, you don’t really need a touring plan; you can just prioritize HP in each park and do whatever else you want at your leisure.

Also unrelated, but you will get absolutely soaked on Popeye’s and Dudley Do-Right’s, so skip these if you don’t want to walk around wet for the rest of the day.

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GREAT advice! I am learning so much!

More questions- I’ll need to bring a backpack with me. I assume I can leave it in a locker or beside a ride if I need to?

Any CANNOT MISS iconic snack/food items you recommend?

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No issues with a backpack; you can’t even bring it onto the ride with you. Most of Universal’s coasters have free lockers you can use to store your backpack, just note that if it’s a large or very full backpack, you’ll have to use the paid lockers. More info here: Universal Orlando Lockers | Universal Orlando

Universal unlike Disney has better overall food for counter service, but their snack game is severely lacking (in my opinion, I’m sure other folks will disagree). You can’t go wrong with butterbeer in either of the Harry Potter lands (frozen is my fav, I like it more than the regular), and the sweets/snacks at the Today Cafe and Honeydukes are usually good (but avoid the cauldron cake). And get a Lemon Squash in Diagon Alley. The ice cream in Diagon Alley is also great but usually has a long line. I really enjoy the popsicles in Minions Land as well. Other than those, everything else is pretty much standard theme/amusement park fare like hot dogs, turkey legs, and churros.

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The lockers were the one thing I wish I had researched before my first visit years ago, so I keep this info readily available for others:

Locker Use at Attractions

  • If you have a bag, locker use is required at certain attractions. Small lockers are free but large lockers (regular size backpack) are not free.

  • These types of bags will fit into the small lockers: Mini backpack, drawstring bag, or sling bag.

  • Near an attraction entrance, find the locker bank, scan your ticket, and look for a locker to pop open.

  • These attractions you may not take any type of bag or purse on:

    • USF: Revenge of the Mummy, Escape from Gringotts, Men in Black Alien Attack
    • IOA: Forbidden Journey, Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure
    • Cargo pants pockets that can be closed and fanny packs (3-prong closure) are permitted for holding items.
    • You may see a “No Loose Items” sign. It is not enforced, you can still take your phone, etc.

  • These attractions you may not take a bag or any loose items on:

    • USF: Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
    • IOA: Incredible Hulk Coaster, Jurassic World VelociCoaster* (*lockers are inside queue)
    • No phones, coins, wallets, etc. are allowed on (metal detectors used)

  • NOTE: You must take your ticket with you on the attraction, so you can retrieve your belongings afterward.

The Beef Pasties at the Hopping Pot are great for a quick snack.

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I’m gonna throw the crepes from Central Park Crepes out there. I’ve only had the strawberry hazelnut one, but it was awesome. They’re fairly big, so can serve as either a light meal or snack depending on if you share them or not. It’s fun to watch them be made, too.

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HOT Butterbeer!!! Cold it’s “ok”, but carbonated - which I find off-putting. (even though I drink like 10 Diet Cokes a day! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:)

A nice QS breakfast / light lunch are any of the smothered tater tots at Green Eggs & Ham Tots in IOA

The Christmas store in the Port of Entry at IOA makes ALL the fudge for the entire UOR campus. You can get the freshest fudge there.

Pumpkin Juice is my “go-to” drink in the WWOHP if I don’t want Hot Butterbeer. It’s really apricot / apple juice with a bit of pumpkin puree. It’s soooo good!

Everything at Freeze Ray Pops is great. I do like the Minion Cafe as well, but it’s not “must do”

The Crepes at Central Park Crepes are always a hit!

Florean Fortescue’s ice cream is good - except the soft serve!! They add “syrup” flavors into basic vanilla that aren’t anywhere as good as the traditional “hard pack” ice cream. I do agree that it’s not worth a super long wait though!

If you want a “Crazy/Monster” milkshake from Toothsome’s you can get them “to-go” at a counter in the lobby. They are “good”, not great. However, they make for a great social media photo!

Breadbox Handcrafted sandwiches aren’t “must try”. However, they are always reliable, quick and affordable compared to other QS options are UOR and CityWalk. They same is true for Red Oven Pizza (except they are slow)

Most people love Voo-Doo doughnuts. I, personally, think they are some of the worst I’ve ever eaten. I have had them a few times as I really want to like them! However, I’m extremely lucky to live in a city where our doughnuts have been featured on many Food Network programs. Maybe you’ll enjoy them though!!

If you want an amazing breakfast buffet - try The Kitchen at Hard Rock Hotel. It’s affordable and you’ll leave stuffed. I like to go there on my departure mornings!

Avoid pretty much every QS hamburger in the parks. IMHO, the only burger that’s actually good is in Toon Lagoon - Wimpy’s

I made it my goal to eat at every QS / TS at both parks and CityWalk a couple years ago. I have eaten at most of the hotels too… If you have any questions or want to know what to avoid - just ask! :rofl:

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:raising_hand_man:

I was skeptical before trying. But they were amazing, tried a few kinds. Good size, and just as good as my local donut shop. Not to be missed!

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To me they taste like deep fried basic White Bread with stale breakfast cereal / candy on top!! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :shark: :shark: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :innocent:

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Nah. Ya getta get a classic or an apple fritter :yum:

Those with the toppings on I probably wouldn’t prefer.

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