Going to UOR over 4th of July. Will be the 3rd trip for my family of 4, including DD - 11 and DS - 9. Last time we were there was over July 4th of 2019. We missed Hagrid’s because it had just opened and waits were still too long for my then 7 and 9-year-olds so that’s a priority this trip. We were supposed to go last summer but had to cancel due to COVID. Now I am worried that I don’t know what it’s like anymore. Any suggested posts I should read to learn about new procedures/protocols/changes due to COVID? If it it matters, we are staying at Portofino but our previous 2 stays were at RPR. Thanks for any suggestions/links you can offer!
Welcome back! How exciting to have another trip coming up! I think the best thing you can do is wait another week or so and get some feedback from people who are going right now. The change from standard COVID protocols to no masks outside to no masks at all and resuming fairly normal capacity is, I think, going to create some huge changes from what we even saw a week ago.
The good news is that you are still at a resort with EP, and if one thing has remained consistent through all of this, it’s that EP still seems to be a huge benefit. People are still seeing much smaller waits with EP versus standby, even if those waits from time to time are longer than they once were.
Have you been seen feedback about using the virtual queue for Hagrid’s? That’s something that has changed since you were there, and is still going on. This article may help…
2 Likes
I have not seen that so I’ll check out that article. Thank you! Honestly, after I had to cancel my 40th birthday trip last year, I was so disappointed that I cut myself off from all things related to UOR and WDW (was going to be a split trip) to reduce some of my frustration. I’m excited to get back, but I don’t feel as prepared as normal. I didn’t even know that there were changes to the mask policies because I just booked my trip yesterday and hopped back onto TP today! 
Also good to know that Express Pass is still worth it. It’s always been a must for our family so we only looked at the hotels that offer it. The price for Portofino was much better than the other 2 when I booked yesterday so that’s what we went with. Thanks again for your suggestions. I’ll keep an eye on how things go over the next week here and in the Lines chat!
2 Likes
The mobile ordering is a big thing now. Order and pay from the App before you arrive to eat.
I used this new payment method a few times, worked great for me:
There is no more distancing markers and here are the new guidelines:
Great info. I’ll check it all out. Thank you so much!
Your welcome, feel free to come back as often as needed with more questions! 
I’m sure I will. Thank you!! 
1 Like
Big tip: A lot of the sit-down MO places now require you to show up before you can actually proceed with your order. So having a MO early doesn’t really offer you any advantage. Instead, it is important to get in line for such places (looking at you, Three Broomsticks) as early as possible. Lines to wait for a table grow very quickly. We got in line for Three Broomsticks about about 10:45, and still had about a 15 minute wait. We had our MO ready, but couldn’t actually do anything with it until we had a table to scan, so it didn’t really matter.
I highly recommend eating lunch at 11:00 sharp, and not any later because the lines grow long quickly. By the time we were done at Three Broomsticks, for example, the line to get a table was more than an hour long.
2 Likes
Thanks for clarifying. When we went, there was no wait for a table at TB so it was good to order ahead of time so we were not holding anybody up.
Yeah. I guess I should clarify further that you can still put together an order ahead of time so that as soon as you sit down, you can proceed with the order and scan the table. I just mean that placing a MO early doesn’t get you into the restaurant any sooner. You still have to wait in line.
(This applies, again, to the sit-down places, not ALL MO places.)
Oh…and as a side note to this…I placed a MO for Voodoo Doughnuts. I waited and waited and waited outside, while the people who just showed up and got in line were in and out. I finally went to the TM and asked what was up. They said I should try killing the app and restarting it. Once I did, it shows my MO was ready! And it had been ready for a while. I just was never notified. Appears to be an issue in the app itself.
1 Like
These are good tips. Thank you! In the past we have often eaten a late lunch. Do you think places like TB become more open after about 1:30ish or are they pretty much consistently busy after 11:00?
When we were there a couple weeks ago, TB had waits of 1 to 1 1/2 hours from about noon onwards, and we never saw the wait go down. They still have tables spaced, so fewer people can eat there. A late lunch will result in a very long wait. I am not sure what happens after ,3:00.
We will at Universal in just a week and a half. Are Three Broomsticks and Leaky Cauldron open for breakfast?
I honestly don’t know…we arrived at 10:45, and they were already seating people though, so maybe?!?
Good to know. Thank you so much!!
I assume you had the lunch menu by then? We previously have enjoyed doing early park entry and then eating a late breakfast around 10:15-10:30- never was a wait then. Hoping to do something similar this time around.
Yes. I didn’t even pay attention to if there was a breakfast menu or not!
Generally, lunch is cheaper, better, and a bigger portion than breakfast at TB and LC. Just a thought.
1 Like