Ha! I’m doing Legoland with the kiddos in May! I don’t know if you already booked a trip but I got 50% off on a Black Friday sale (day after our thanksgiving). Might be worth it to wait for that if it fits with your time line
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Oooh - thank you for the magical vacations travel heads up. I would love to not have to change hotels, but i need a steep discount to make that work financially.
And looking forward to reading the article! It is strange to go to a new park and have no sense of the space and timing.
It sounds like jumping in line for Hagrid’s at the end of the night is the way to go. I personally think we would love to use early entry to explore the Harry Potter spaces before the crowds arrive. So not having to use that time everyday for Hagrid’s will be nice.
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Agree with every last thing you said
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You are totally right. Using early park admission to explore diagon alley and hogsmeade is definitely the way to go
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Also, even if like me you don’t normally use travel agents, use a travel agent from here to book the Universal hotels.
They’ll know when the AP rates come out and can try to switch to them. Of course, you only want to book a hotel if you think you could stomach the booked price. But a Liner TA will give you your best chance of getting an AP rate.
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Agree, I had shared this earlier:
There is a pretty high risk of Hagrid’s being delayed in the morning, after rushing to the gate 45 minutes before opening!
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That’s a great use of EE and means you can arrive at the taps later too! 
Hopefully I could work with them and fiscuss the split stay vs. Discounted price. I was just thinking a TA would probably be the way to go. I typically know when a Disney deal drops, but we don’t cover universal as thoroughly here.
It’s such a great feeling when it’s running though 
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My family is already happy about this 
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I don’t think I can go back to WDW/DLR with all this in place. Not after being able to side-by-side compare the two experiences. I have a Disney Visa w/ a bunch of points. I’m cashing that out net year and walking away for a long time!
I’m so glad to have more people are breaking out of the bubble with me though!! I know that means UOR will be busier when more people have finally had enough of WDW’s operational games & hoops to jump through! (Of course, my AP is done, for now, so won’t bother me!! 
)
And thanks for making me feel special today! I do take a bit of pride in how much I’ve learned about UOR and being able to share it!!
Welcome to my last two weeks of depression! j/k…mostly!!
The earlier you look the better. If anyone with an AP can check your dates for you (or even ask a TA for a no obligation AP rate to see if it offered.)
Is there anyone on here that you can ask? I’d do it, but my can’t anymore… I’m mean I guess I could renew and find out! I’m sure my wife wouldn’t roll her eyes and not talk to me for a few days!!
I’m playing catch-up and scrolling through the posts. It seems like @AccioVacation has covered everything!
I’ll second a vote that if doing spells are important to your family that RD is the absolute best time! 99% of people are rushing to a ride - no joke or hyperbole. As a “Visiting Professor” from Ilvermorny I often “test” each spell during RD before new students show up! There’s no one around. Because of my practice I can lap DA/Hogs doing spells before most people are through with doing their first ride.
For a new groups of students / families… this is the best time to do this. You won’t have people huddle behind you impatiently staring at your child to finish. Also, “magic” hates sunlight bouncing off glass windows! The later in the day it can be harder to do spells as the sun hits certain locations!
I like to tell people that since my Ilvermorny house isn’t represented at Hogwarts that the Sorting Hat placed me in the most relevant house over here!
(TMs are students, wizards and witches depending on where they are located in WWOHP. I’ve had more than one TM say, “OH! You are a student you can’t give detention or house points!” That’s when I spit out my Ilvermorny spiel and they usually laugh and “behave” like a good student!)
If you ever want to have fun with the TMs… All the TM’s in the gift shop of FJ - which is Mr. Filch’s detention room - are all there as a punishment for breaking a Hogwarts classroom rule. When checking out ask your TM at the counter, “What did you do to get detention?”
They always have a fun answer!!
(Alright, “Mr. Self-Appointed Knows-It-All About UOR” has to actually do a bit of his paid job now!! )
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Great tip!
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I’ve done it frequently! I’ve only ever had one TM not get into it. (She looked tired that day already. I thought a bit of “play” might help, but she wasn’t into right then. Not rude at all…just “meh”.)
Most often the TMs are thrilled that someone knows to ask and really will play with you!
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Curious! Do you remember any of the answers they have given?
I wish I could!! Typically “basic” classroom antics like setting off a spell / prank or sneaking around…
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I wear a T shirt that says “Muggle Dad” which could be taken two ways. I am a dad who is a muggle, or I am a dad OF a muggle. I generally go with the former.
Surprisingly, this has gotten me some TM attention at times.
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Well the mudbloods need to come from somewhere 
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I, too, have a very similar plan in the works for this August (short WDW stay first, then a split stay at Universal to maximize EP days but minimize hotel costs). I was able to snag 2 nights at Portofino at an AP discounted rate, though I don’t (yet) have an AP.
So my very niche question is, should I get buy-3-get-5 day tickets from UT and then upgrade to an AP at the parks? Or should I just buy the AP online? We would have time to make the upgrade at the park (or hotel) before checking in to Portofino. I’ve made lots of calculations and it seems like a wash, financially, depending on the exact cost to upgrade.
Adding in my thanks to @darkmite2 and others for sharing such detailed knowledge so I even know all of these options exist!
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If you are realistically considering getting the AP go ahead and buy them now. The price is going up soon. You can pick up your passes right in the lobby of your hotel at the Vacation Planning desk…
The Buy 3 - Get - 2 Free deal is a few bucks cheaper. If you don’t think you’ll come back you will save cash now.
It’s really about do you want to return within the next 12 months… 
and OMG!!! All of you are gonna make me blush!! 
(Please don’t stop though!!! 
)
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