I translated the email info (rides, shows, food) into my planning spreadsheet and it’s finally starting to feel real!
We decided to tell the kids 2 days before we leave (telling them Wednesday night, fly out Friday morning), so they have a little bit of time to get excited and help prioritize the rides and food we want to get 
I’m at the point where I’m so excited that I’m making “back-up” plans. I have a plan if I get Flyers and another where I don’t.
Love your countdown!!
We leave on Sunday! Please wave Hello if you see me any day at the parks!! This goes for everyone!
If our plans coordinate we can have a Butterbeer or something! I’ll have a TR going so feel free to use that to track me!! 
I watched another vlog and it looked like wristbands!
The friend I’m planning on bringing was not feeling well and tested positive for covid yayerday 
My plans may have to pivot a little bit…but I’m still going. My local friend was coming to the OI event with us anyway. Once I know next week if she’s going to be able to travel or not I’ll see if I can get refunded for her ticket.
That sucks! Hope they get better. The ticket is refundable - up to 95%. They charge a 5% “restock” fee
Ok, I’m now apparently Team Lighthouse. I ordered a tshirt and that’s where their merchandise distribution will be so they switched me…which works because that is where I wanted to start anyways!
It’s wristbands… my friend’s wrists are not small and it barely fit him, so we took a picture just in case it fell off
When you check in they give you the wristbands, your food cards, and a park to park ticket that you use to enter. We found that the line to check in was long at 3pm, dipped down after 30 minutes or so, then stared to build again by 4pm. The lighthouse line was back to Bigfire by 4:30 or so, and took about 35-40 minutes.
Also, lighthouse is the better entry, imo… the line to get into the park is much better situated, as you’re off to the side where the exit is. You check in, pick up your stuff, and get in line to enter all in one easy flow.
The US entry has you check in at one spot and then you have to go get in line for a specific lane at the regular entrances, and the line was not shaded or off to the side or anything… it’s just a line right through the middle of the main entry area.
If you have lighthouse entry you can totally check in where you’re assigned and then go enter at US (which is what we did the second night) because of the way the line there is set up, but I’m not sure how it would work going the other way. Also, if you have a daytime ticket or AP then once you check in you can skip the line to get in and just use that at a regular entry line.
I read that only the person who purchased needs to pick up the tickets? I was going to send DS and DH into the park ahead of me with their day tickets while I wait in line.
That’s my understanding too.
Thanks for the info! Perhaps 3:30 is the best time to get wristbands. I’ll aim for that!
Yes, only the person whose name is on the registration needs to be there. If everyone already has useable admission media then you can just meet them in the park whenever (but before 6pm) to give them their wristbands.
That’s a good idea. I think the second day we got there between 3:30 and 4:00 and didn’t really wait.
Did anyone in your party only have event admission? I’m trying to gauge whether we’ll need to queue up right after getting our wristbands at 3:30 or if we can go get a drink in CityWalk and come back around 4:30-4:45.
2 of our people only had OI admission. We checked in early at IoA on Saturday then went over to US and they just got in the OI admission line. I’m sure there’s a way to get to the admission line without going through the check-in line at IoA, you’d just have to ask because that’s all blocked off on that side.
Today, I got in line on IoA side at 2:30. They started processing maybe 15 minutes early, and I had tickets in hand and on my way by 2:52.
Dying to hear how it went!
We had a great time! Do you want the short version or the long version? Short version is that during exclusive hours, literally everything except Hagrid’s was a walk-on, but still ran out of time to do everything in one night. Some of that was just accommodating everyone’s preferences. Rode Hagrid’s with a 30-minute wait (posted 45) at 11:00pm. (Shortest posted time I saw was 35 minutes around 10:30.) We did not pace ourselves well on snacks and food—kids were suckers for the food carts. But ate at Thunder Falls, Louie’s, and Finnegans, and snacked our hearts (or stomachs) out, including lots of Florean Fortescue’s ice cream, butterbeer, and other HP drinks. Restaurants I stepped in were set up cafeteria or buffet (Finnegan’s) style and lines were manageable for the most part—we avoided HP restaurants and I wanted to try Fire Eaters and Circus McGurkus, but the lines were too long for our plans when passed by, so didn’t get to (and didn’t get a chance to backtrack to Wimpy’s either).
Here’s the long version:
After checking in we immediately went to Cowfish and used the food cards. One thing I didn’t account for was a long line to get into the parks prior to the 5:00 entry time. I assumed we’d be using the regular gates with our ticket media, but they were holding the OI people in separate line. So when showed up around 4:50, IoA line was backed up over bridge to Margaritaville. They eventually split line to take some over to main gates instead of separate line on far left, and we made it in maybe 5:10ish.
We were staying at HRH, so had EP for the overlapping public time. Rode Hulk and Spider-Man, and then my DD8 couldn’t stand it anymore and insisted we go do VC—she was finally tall enough to ride and couldn’t wait for another couple hours. I wanted to do Grinchmas show at 600 but was overruled by the fam (no one else really wanted to see shows) so VC it was. Line was about 30 minutes long (posted 45). Big hit with DD8–she was so pleased with herself. Her three older brothers had already ridden it before. Motion-sensitive DW had done it before and I was surprised she did it again. She says it doesn’t make her feel sick, just like she’s going to die. 
Then did Forbidden Journey with EP—didn’t really need since posted time was 10 minutes and was basically walk on (DW doesn’t do that one anymore. Last time, she came off looking green) and Hippogriff.
At this point I convinced everyone to give the last Grinchmas show a shot, so hustled over for final 7:00 show. Showed up around 645, but show had already reached capacity. D’oh! Did Seussland stuff until 7:00 rolled around, and park closing to regular day folk. My boys (10 and twin 13s) were excited to do free play arcade for a little and I wanted to eat at Thunder Falls when food started so we started another lap of IoA. After arcade, saw that some nearby carts had started doing treats, so we got rolling on snacks—ice cream, churros, skull pizza, hot dogs (one of few things picky daughter will eat), etc. It was hard to convince the kids to pace themselves!
Made it to Thunder Falls and sat and ate through sampling of all options. Then VC (2x), butterbeer, HExp, Gringotts, Florean Fortescue’s (at 930, took 10 minutes), butterbeer and other drinks. Then MiB, Mummy, Louie’s, Finnegan’s, RRR (2x-no line so asked to stay on), walking path back to IoA for Hagrid’s (30 minute wait), VC, Seuss train, Doom, and arcade.
We all left happy, full, exhausted, and thinking this was a magical (if pricey) way to do the parks. and that we wish we had two nights instead of just the one!
We’ve done 2 nights both times, mostly because we knew we didn’t want to worry about missing out. Having the second night to catch all the things that fell through the first night is very nice.
Turns out the 95% refund is for day tickets only, not meet up tickets. They offered me credit towards a future event, so I took that. Fingers crossed I can bring my friend to the November event! Otherwise I’ll take my husband. I’ve got the alerts set up so I should be able to buy those tickets and book a room as soon as they start selling!
In any case me and my local friend are going to have a great time Saturday! I think I’ve got a pretty solid plan. We are team lighthouse which works well with my plan to queue for Hagrid at 7pm. Hoping we can do Hippogriff and Forbidden Journey after that and grab some fish n chips and hot butterbeer.
