First Timer and Thrown Off by COVID

stardust190

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 30, 2015
We will be going to Universal for 1 day the 2nd week of December. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday. The kids are super into Harry Potter so that will be our main focus, but I'd like to see other places in the parks as well - I haven't been since my parents planned a trip almost 20 years ago. So I consider myself a first timer as so much has changed!

Is there any benefit buying a 1 day park to park prior to leaving? If I understand correctly we do not have to pre-reserve park days like at Disney right now. Do we run the risk of not getting in to the park if we wait to buy tickets? We are staying at Old Key West at Disney if that makes a difference.

With the parks I keep hearing about wait times increasing. Is this even a good time to take the kids to Hogwarts for the first time? I asked a while back and was told that it was, but now with increased wait times I'm starting to wonder. Would express pass be needed? Can we still just add those the day of if it's busy? Not sure if things are "selling out" or not.

What about dining? I'm sure the kids want to eat at the Harry Potter places. Do we need reservations? Do we need tickets to get the reservations? Are they mobile order? I'm so confused by all the changes and can't seem to follow. I don't even know how far in advance I need to make reservations for anything.

Thanks for any help!
 
Regarding tickets: my understanding is that a ticket is not a guarantee for entry. Even if you have a ticket, if Universal hits capacity and you are not staying onsite, they will not let you in. (Hotel guests are still allowed to enter.)

Regarding Express Passes: Personally, I am staunchly against paid skip-the-line passes. That said, the passes may be necessary to get through the lines. They are accepted at all Harry Potter rides except Hagrid’s Motorbike, which has been running virtual queues fairly regularly. Hypothetically you can buy passes the day of, but once they are sold out they’re gone. Week days are less busy than weekends, though I will say that didn’t seem to be a big difference this past week (possibly due to fall breaks).

Ugh, the dining. Unless they change it from this past week, the HP places do not take reservations. The two main food locations are the Three Broomsticks (IOA) and Leaky Cauldron (US). They say mobile ordering is quicker. It is not. You will wait in the same line with everyone else. It may take a while to get seated. Once you get seated, it could take a while to get food (even with the mobile order). For example, for the Three Broomsticks, we placed our mobile order and immediately got in line. We were seated in half an hour. Finally got our food an hour later. So a total of 1.5 hours to get our food from placing the mobile order. I would recommend to look at the menus and pick only one to visit. (I prefer the Leaky Cauldron, personally.)

To circle back to the question on if it’s worth it: maybe. It was fine for us this week, because we bought AP and spent five days at the parks, so we could bail and go back if we wanted. (The package was $1400 for seven nights plus two AP for adults.) One day Park-to-park tickets are expensive, comparatively- $191.70 for adults on Tuesday Dec 8. Compare that to the current buy two days, get three free at $323.75 for an adult.

The first half of December is historically slow. Who knows how it will be this year. This year, Florida residents were able to buy passes that could be used until Dec 24 for the cost of one day tickets, so the parks started getting really crowded. Since you are already going to Orlando for something else and considering this as an add-on, I would wait and monitor the situation. Look at how the first few weeks of November go, specifically, after the Halloween stuff goes away.
 
If you buy date of use tickets (ticket for a specific day) then you are let in to the parks if at capacity as those are the only tickets that are figured in to the capacity for the day. Staying on site does NOT guarantee entrance to the parks, it gives you priority entrance which means you will be in a line to get in as people leave that park ahead of off site guests. However if on site stay and utilize the early entry benefit you will probably get in ahead of off site guests who aren't let in until regular opening time.
If want to go park to park on a capacity day, you need to use the Hogwarts Express train which may have a very long wait. If you walk out the front entrance you will not be guarantied entrance back in to either park.

However, this is for days when they reach capacity which have typically been weekends lately. Weekdays have been more reasonable. But the typical schedule has been thrown off, so no one knows what the future will be...but since will be before Christmas breaks would think be ok.

Yes, they have been getting busier, especially when they gave Florida residents the rest of the year free when bought a one day ticket...so probably main reason weekends are packed. But also a lot of people rescheduling missed trips from the summer. Sure the previous low crowds caused a lot to spend that saved up vacation money.
 
I was at the parks this Monday-Friday.
Thursday started getting busier and Friday was next level.
HP Gringotts ride was up to 200 minutes for standby on Friday at one point.

HP areas are almost always the busiest section in both parks...have been that way since day one. So fabulous, but so popular too!
 


If you buy date of use tickets (ticket for a specific day) then you are let in to the parks if at capacity as those are the only tickets that are figured in to the capacity for the day. Staying on site does NOT guarantee entrance to the parks, it gives you priority entrance which means you will be in a line to get in as people leave that park ahead of off site guests.
This is not how it was explained to us last week. Technically they didn’t say we were guaranteed entry, but they did say we would be allowed in even if the park was at capacity. This happened to us twice- parks were listed as at capacity, and they were turning away people who weren’t hotel guests. There was no line. We showed our room key and they let us right in.
 
If you buy date of use tickets (ticket for a specific day) then you are let in to the parks if at capacity as those are the only tickets that are figured in to the capacity for the day. Staying on site does NOT guarantee entrance to the parks, it gives you priority entrance which means you will be in a line to get in as people leave that park ahead of off site guests. However if on site stay and utilize the early entry benefit you will probably get in ahead of off site guests who aren't let in until regular opening time.
If want to go park to park on a capacity day, you need to use the Hogwarts Express train which may have a very long wait. If you walk out the front entrance you will not be guarantied entrance back in to either park.

However, this is for days when they reach capacity which have typically been weekends lately. Weekdays have been more reasonable. But the typical schedule has been thrown off, so no one knows what the future will be...but since will be before Christmas breaks would think be ok.

Yes, they have been getting busier, especially when they gave Florida residents the rest of the year free when bought a one day ticket...so probably main reason weekends are packed. But also a lot of people rescheduling missed trips from the summer. Sure the previous low crowds caused a lot to spend that saved up vacation money.
This is not how it was explained to us last week. Technically they didn’t say we were guaranteed entry, but they did say we would be allowed in even if the park was at capacity. This happened to us twice- parks were listed as at capacity, and they were turning away people who weren’t hotel guests. There was no line. We showed our room key and they let us right in.

We were told the same thing at our hotel - didn't specifically use the word "guarantee" but said to show our room key.
 
Would express pass be needed? Can we still just add those the day of if it's busy? Not sure if things are "selling out" or not.
Based on what PPs have said about the hotel guest entry when parks are at capacity, I would suggest pricing out how much one night at a premier resort would be. Even if you don't physically spend the night there. Depending on how many are in your family, its often cheaper to book a "throwaway room" at a premier resort to obtain the benefits of unlimited express pass rather than purchasing express pass for each person in your party. You also get two days of express pass with a hotel booking as its valid on both check in and check out days. You'd also get the benefits of early entry and apparently entry when the parks are at capacity in some cases. Some people book the room and never set foot in it, others use it as a place to take a break, and some will just bring their overnight items from their other hotel/condo where they are staying and utilize the room for the night since its so close and convenient. It really doesn't matter, the point is just to pay less for EPs while also getting these other valuable benefits.

What about dining? I'm sure the kids want to eat at the Harry Potter places. Do we need reservations?
They are quick service dining. We haven't been recently, but we have been when its been busy, and they often will have employees seating people after they get their food. This keeps the tables turning over and prevents you from walking around aimlessly with a tray of food looking for a seat. It also prevents people from sitting at tables without their food. If you find the Potter restaurants are too crazy, don't feel too bad if you decide to skip them. We enjoy them, but they're not our favorites. You can always peak your head in for a look, and at Three Broomsticks, there's a "bar" side where you can enter to get Butterbeer (I'm not sure if its open now, but I'd assume so). T
 


They are quick service dining. We haven't been recently, but we have been when its been busy, and they often will have employees seating people after they get their food. This keeps the tables turning over and prevents you from walking around aimlessly with a tray of food looking for a seat. It also prevents people from sitting at tables without their food. If you find the Potter restaurants are too crazy, don't feel too bad if you decide to skip them. We enjoy them, but they're not our favorites. You can always peak your head in for a look, and at Three Broomsticks, there's a "bar" side where you can enter to get Butterbeer (I'm not sure if its open now, but I'd assume so). T
Just as a quick follow-up, they are currently seating you and then bringing over the food. It is a slow process- it took us an hour to get our food after getting seated. They seem not to know how to handle it and turnover is slow.

The Hog’s Head bar side is currently open, so that does offer a quick peek. In fact, if you want a butterbeer and the cart line is astronomical, try the Hog’s Head- we only had to wait a few minutes.
 
Thanks for all the information everyone! I priced out a throw away room and it wasn't any cheaper for my family of 4 - at least not as far as I can tell. If we get express pass we'd probably not get unlimited - just the once per ride.

How do you know if Universal is at capacity? What if you have a park to park? Can you not take the Hogwarts Express if one is at capacity? We would get to the parks at open if that makes a difference.
 
we were first timers in August We visited the Universal park for Extra morning hour 8am. (the other park opened at 10am so we were able to take our time in Harry Potter playing with the wands etc. We left about 9:30 went out to visit the bus and ride Men in Black we then got in line for the Train to get to the other park. We got to the other side and Hagrids was a walk on. maybe 15 - 20 min
 
we were first timers in August We visited the Universal park for Extra morning hour 8am. (the other park opened at 10am so we were able to take our time in Harry Potter playing with the wands etc. We left about 9:30 went out to visit the bus and ride Men in Black we then got in line for the Train to get to the other park. We got to the other side and Hagrids was a walk on. maybe 15 - 20 min


The Thursday before Columbus Day everything changed a bit. The parks have been very busy since then. Saturday’s have been reaching capacity.

I think few things are impacting the increased attendance.

1. As noted above the Florida resident deal.

2. People who had to reschedule trips canceled in Spring and summer.

3. The word is getting out on the wonderful job Universal and the Resorts are doing with the fantastic Covid precautions they have put in place.
 
I priced out a throw away room and it wasn't any cheaper for my family of 4 - at least not as far as I can tell. If we get express pass we'd probably not get unlimited - just the once per ride.
I cringe when I see somebody mention ‘throw away room’

Love my DVC resorts but, the onsite properties offering the FOTL perk are truly deluxe properties. Don’t forget you get the pass for both the day you check in & out

if at all possible, my recommendation would be a split trip. (One with U at the end or you will find yourself in line at Disney muttering to yourself). Shave a night off the end of OKW stay & relax, no hoops to jump thru re reservations etc
 
Watch social media to know when they hit capacity. Hogwarts Express still runs as that’s roughly an even exchange of guests between parks.
 
In my experience over the last month or so, there is a HUGE difference between weekends and weekdays. Since you're going on a Tuesday or Wednesday, I don't think you have anything to worry about! Yesterday I was in the parks for only about 4 hours, during which I went on 5 rides, including Hagrid's, ate at The Leaky Cauldron, and went in one of the haunted houses. The longest wait I had was for the Hogwarts Express which was listed at an hour but was probably in the 30-40 minutes range. MiB and the Hippogriff coaster were both literal walk-ons with no line at all. Every time I've been on a Wednesday, the parks have been nice and calm and the lines have been very manageable. I've only ever seen the VQ activated for Hagrid's on the weekends when it's jam packed - during the week, they just use the regular line (and often the listed time is still longer than the actual wait).

I did eat around 3pm, so not at the lunchtime rush, but I only waited about 10 minutes in line and then another 10-15 once seated (they suggested that it was still fastest/easiest for me to mobile order even once I was already inside).

Another note on the food - I almost didn't go to The Leaky Cauldron because the app said it was closed, along with several other restaurants, but I decided to take a peek just in case because I really wanted the fish and chips and thankfully it was just a glitch on the app and it was open, so just take the hours listed on the app for the restaurants with a grain of salt.
 
I cringe when I see somebody mention ‘throw away room’

Love my DVC resorts but, the onsite properties offering the FOTL perk are truly deluxe properties. Don’t forget you get the pass for both the day you check in & out

if at all possible, my recommendation would be a split trip. (One with U at the end or you will find yourself in line at Disney muttering to yourself). Shave a night off the end of OKW stay & relax, no hoops to jump thru re reservations etc
Those fast passes that are good for the day of check in and checkout still require you to have park passes thought right? We have 3 day passes. We arrive Monday early afternoon and leave on Christmas afternoon. We can only use our fastpasses tue-thurs right?
 
Hi OP: I can only give you our experiences. My husband and I hadn't been to Universal in several years, so we werelike newbies too. We decided to just do one day in the middle of our WDW vacation of 10 days. We picked UO, as we like their rides, entertainment better, and we were only doing one park. We bought 2 adult tickets, one park, and EP for one ride on an attraction only. It came to alot of money, but I don't remember just how much.
We found that we really missed going to IOA, and missed being able to ride the Hogwarts express.

Next trip we planned 2 days and one night stay at RPR, with free EP's. With the overnight, we could arrive at the hotel at 7am, get our tickets, and go to the park til closing. Then we could use the tickets for the next day until park closing.
I can tell you that staying overnight was the best decision we ever made. The resort is beautiful and the TM's were super friendly and helpful. WE felt like they really were glad we were there. The boat ride to the parks was very nice. Being able to ride MIB several times back to back was great. In fact, we could ride anything back to back if we wanted. The rides and attractions were alot of fun both parks. Now for the cost: It was cheaper for the two of us to stay onsite and get the EP's. I ran the numbers for 2 adult tickets, unlimited EP, etc. and we came out way head staying at RPR. It was more fun and relaxing (like a real vacation, lol), doing it this way.

We are going to buy AP's next because we found that we love Universal. Disney is losing us more and more at this time.
Whatever you decide to do, it will be fantastic.
Where we ate probably doesn't count because it was pre-covid. We did eat at all the HP site - very good food.
 
Those fast passes that are good for the day of check in and checkout still require you to have park passes thought right? We have 3 day passes. We arrive Monday early afternoon and leave on Christmas afternoon. We can only use our fastpasses tue-thurs right?
FOTL perk good from AM day of check in thru close of park hours day of checkout

yes, you do need normal admission tix to enter the parks & your room key will Serve as your FOTL pass
 
Thanks for all the information everyone! I priced out a throw away room and it wasn't any cheaper for my family of 4 - at least not as far as I can tell. If we get express pass we'd probably not get unlimited - just the once per ride.
For the sake of those reading, to truly compare prices, you have to compare the unlimited express pass because that's what is included with the Universal resorts. Doing my own quick comparison, I picked a random night during the first week of December at RPR and got a rate of $426 including tax. This would include unlimited EP for two days for four people. For one day of four unlimited EPs on a park to park ticket, the price is approx $360. Times two would be $720. So, the savings can be significant if you have two park days. Since OP does not, I can see where its not worth it.

I agree with PP that "throwaway" is a misnomer because the Universal resorts are great and worth staying at. But its really just about obtaining EPs at the cheapest price, even if it means you have to book a hotel room and not stay in it. I can understand why people staying in a condo or at Disney wouldn't want to lug their stuff to Universal for one or two nights, but would still suggest they use the room for a break or book it mid-trip so only overnight essentials need to be brought with them.
 

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