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View Full Version : Early entry for Wizarding World of Harry Potter



Aurora
05-21-2011, 04:00 PM
We will be driving down to Florida in a couple of weeks and are staying one night at a Universal hotel so we can use the early entry privilege.

Has anyone else done this? How does it work? Do we just go to the main entrance one hour before the park opens? We have separate tickets that won't go on our hotel keys. Does each person show a ticket and hotel key to gain entrance? Just trying to find out what to expect.

Pirate Granny
05-21-2011, 05:51 PM
Went last September....get there 1:15 before park opening. You must show your room key to get in...no eXcuses

NJGIRL
05-22-2011, 08:20 AM
Yes, you must have a park ticket and your room key. Make sure you are at the gate one hour prior, that means leaving your hotel in enough time to walk to the gate. Try not to take anything into the park that you can't hold in your pockets because not only will you avoid the search going in, but you won't have to get a locker at FJ. Getting a locker takes time. If you can't fit everything into you pockets make sure you get a locker before getting into line. They DO NOT allow you to carry anything onto the ride. There is a staff member at the begining of the line who will make women with hand bags or anyone else for that matter that is holding something go back and get a locker. That means walking back to the lockers and waiting to get one.

Another good tip I wish I had thought of before the trip. If you have them, bring a lanyard for each person in your party for their room keys. They have to be shown at each attraction for express pass entry. Each person, even children must show the key. It became a pain to get the keys out at each attraction so I had to buy them at the park and it was expensive to buy four of them at once. If you have to get out you keys at each attraction the people who are behind you but are already showing them will continue through the line while you are stopped to get out your keys.

pianobabe
05-22-2011, 04:33 PM
We just got back from Universal this past Tuesday. We used Monday as our early entry day. The only thing we had to show/use at the gate were our regular passes. We did not stay onsite, but at one of the Universal Partner hotels. Since we had booked a package through Universal I don't know if it was encoded in our park tickets or what, but we didn't have any trouble with getting in early.

MizMissy
05-24-2011, 02:34 PM
Yes, you must have a park ticket and your room key. Make sure you are at the gate one hour prior, that means leaving your hotel in enough time to walk to the gate. Try not to take anything into the park that you can't hold in your pockets because not only will you avoid the search going in, but you won't have to get a locker at FJ. Getting a locker takes time. If you can't fit everything into you pockets make sure you get a locker before getting into line. They DO NOT allow you to carry anything onto the ride. There is a staff member at the begining of the line who will make women with hand bags or anyone else for that matter that is holding something go back and get a locker. That means walking back to the lockers and waiting to get one.

Another good tip I wish I had thought of before the trip. If you have them, bring a lanyard for each person in your party for their room keys. They have to be shown at each attraction for express pass entry. Each person, even children must show the key. It became a pain to get the keys out at each attraction so I had to buy them at the park and it was expensive to buy four of them at once. If you have to get out you keys at each attraction the people who are behind you but are already showing them will continue through the line while you are stopped to get out your keys.

Thank you so much for the lanyard tip! I bought lanyards and plastic covers for the kids and nicer Vera Bradley lanyards and small wristlets (with a clear plastic pocket on one side) for my friend and I. I didn't bother to buy lanyards for our husbands.:D I like the idea of the kids having their passes on their bodies, but not have to worry about them falling out of their pockets (and me not having to worry about carrying everything).

I am normally the pack mule at the parks, so I was really concerned with the Universal rules of no bags on rides (or some or most of the rides, not sure) and the idea of having to deal with lockers. So, I bought the wristlet w/ lanyard - big enough to carry my iphone, room key, credit card/cash and maybe a band aid or two for emergencies. It is small enough that I can slip into my pocket or DH's pocket on rides if necessary. I know I use a lot of the things I normally carry in the backpack, but the kids are older and with the hotel room being closer, maybe we will not miss the backpack so much.

Thanks again for the great advice! We leave in 2 days.

NJGIRL
05-26-2011, 07:45 AM
I know I use a lot of the things I normally carry in the backpack, but the kids are older and with the hotel room being closer, maybe we will not miss the backpack so much.

We used to take stuff into the parks when my son was younger too. Stuff I always had to have "just in case". Stuff that never saw the light of day. For years now we only take my camera and advil! It is so nice not to carry anything. You may find while you did use the stuff that you brought in, you really can do without it.
Have a great trip!