Hi, everyone. We are going to the OI meetup tonight and tomorrow. I realize that this is last minute, but would love to get people’s thoughts and input on a few things:
-
When is the best time to ride Hagrid’s? I know the wait will be long basically the whole night, but I’m wondering if there is a “best” time to get on line. Maybe right after the park closes to day guests, or at the end of the night (being mindful that it closes earlier than the event)?
-
Which park to start in? I’ve read that most people start at USF, so IOA will usually be less busy at the beginning of the event. Or does it not really matter?
Thanks!
1 Like
I’ve done OIM a couple of times. The wait for Hagrid’s will be around 30 minutes all night. I would get to OIM when you are allowed in at 3pm. Then get in queue around 5 - 6pm before the “official” start time. That way you can ride without wasting you private event time.
ALOT of people start in Diagon Alley at USF. I like to start at IOA for an hour or so before going to USF.
You have only a few hours of private event time. You can’t “do it all”. Prioritize what is important…rides or food.
Avoid Fast Food Blvd in Simpsons. The queue gets super long there at times and the food is the worst at all of UOR.
Have fun!!
1 Like
Thanks!!! We drove to Orlando today and didn’t make it to the check in line until 5:30-ish. And we are still on line. But we will definitely check in right at 3:00 tomorrow!
1 Like
OIM is so fun! It’s bit pricey though! As long as you avoid Diagon Alley for the e first hour or so you won’t see any crowds!
I go for the food! My record is 26 eateries in one night! (I was stuffed! 
)
Thinking about getting tickets for both nights of the June meetup. Any thoughts, advice or experiences to share?
@kfkennedy1
We had a blast! I highly recommend it. The only ride with a wait was Hagrid’s. Everything else was pretty much a walk-on. And having all the food included was great–instead of being the mom that always feels like I’m telling my kids no, I got to say yes every time they asked for various eats and treats. If you have specific questions, let me know, but below is a list of what we accomplished:
Night 1:
- 6:45 Storm Force
- 7:00 Dr. Doom
- 7:10 DH, DD11, and DS13 did Hulk while I did Storm Force with DS9; then DH and I switched and I did Hulk with the older two while he did SF with our youngest
- 7:40 Spiderman
- Grabbed some food
- 8:00 DH and the older two did Velocicoaster, while DS9 and I did the Raptor Encounter and carnival games (they’re free too, but no prizes); then I did VC with the older two while DH and DS9 did Kong; more snacks
- 8:40: Hagrid’s (~40 minute wait)
- Had butter beer
- 9:45: Forbidden Journey
- More food
- 10:00 Hogwarts Express
- 10:30 Gringotts
- Ice cream at Florian Fortescue
- DH, DD, and DS13 did RRR x2; DS9 and I did MiB and the Trollercoaster
- Met up and we all rode Mummy
- Left a little after midnight
Night 2 (didn’t write down the times for these; there were also lots of food stops along the way):
- Arrived around 4 (they didn’t announce it, but all OI guests were able to enter the park at 3pm instead of 5pm)
- JP River adventure
- Kids ran around Camp Jurassic while DH and I had a beer
- I did Storm Force with my youngest, while DH and the older two did Dr. Doom; then DH and I switched
- Walked over to USF
- Villian Con Blast
- Simpsons
- MiB
- Krusty Burger
- Hurl n Twirl
- Hogwarts Express
- Forbidden Journey
- Flight of the Hippogriff
- DH and the older two did Hulk, while I did the Seuss Carousel with DS9; then I did Hulk with the older two while DH and DS9 did the arcade (also free!)
- Dr. Doom
- Pizza; green eggs and ham tots
- Met the Lorax
- Butter beer
- I did VC with the older two, while DH and DS9 did Forbidden Journey and flight of the Hippogriff; DH, DS9, and I had brookies while DD11 and DS13 did VC 2 more times
- Used the backstage path to USF
- DH and the older two did RRR a few times; DS9 and I did Minion Mayhem
- We all did Mummy
- DH and DD did RRR, while the boys and I did ET and got more food
- DH and the boys headed back, and I did ET again with DD and left around 12:45am
2 Likes
Thanks for the write-up. Looks like your family achieved so much! It would be me and DS17 for a quick less than 48-hr, not much sleep kind of a trip, but still deciding. Flights are pretty expensive and he has the ACT the next weekend. What to do?!?
I wish I knew if there will be a December meetup. OI is being so vague and coy about it. Are they always that way before the next meetup is announced?
We are going in June for both nights. We’ve gone several times. It’s so MUCH fun!
2 Likes
I purchased my 2024 Winter OI tix on July 17th of last year, so I would think info would be coming out in June.
2 Likes