Universal questions

[awaggett]

Hi, we are looking to do one day at Universal IOA during our upcoming May trip. I haven't been to Universal in 10 years or so, so looking for advice. We are three adults, pretty easy-going.

Our main focus is Harry Potter, I don't think the new section will be open yet, correct? We'll be staying at Disney, but will plan to get there at opening, should we do Harry Potter first?

Should we buy their equivalent of fast pass--will it help?

Saw in someone's trip report about lockers for backpacks--can you keep a cross-body purse (Vera Bradley hipster) with you?

What are your other must-dos at this park?

How do you get to Universal if you stay at Disney--should we rent a car, take a taxi, or quicksilver (we've used them from the airport on other trips).

Thanks in advance!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Our main focus is Harry Potter, I don't think the new section will be open yet, correct? We'll be staying at Disney, but will plan to get there at opening, should we do Harry Potter first?

Diagon Alley will more than likely NOT be open in May... The target is June... Now, that is not saying softs or testing won't be taking place, but don't count on it...

And yes, go do Harry Potter first... The lines at FJ get long right by mid morning... First thing, you should be able to walk on, or have a minimal (less than 20 minute) wait...

Should we buy their equivalent of fast pass--will it help?

Are you doing both parks in one day? If so, I would suggest you not do that... I would suggest two days so you can take everything in... You will easily miss a lot if you only use one day to do both parks, unless you are only looking at doing a few attractions, no shows, and rushing through....

Forbidden Journey does not use Express Pass, so if Potter is the main reason you are going, then don't buy the pass... However, if you plan on riding several of the main attractions, then by all means, go for it... Popular rides like Spider-Man and Transformers and Despicable Me will see long stand by times...

Saw in someone's trip report about lockers for backpacks--can you keep a cross-body purse (Vera Bradley hipster) with you?

Someone else will have to help you with this... I know we had to get lockers for Forbidden Journey and Dragon Challenge cause we had a member of our group with a back pack... Can't say about the cross-body purse...

What are your other must-dos at this park?

IOA: Spider-man, Hulk coaster, meeting the Marvel characters!!! Ripsaw Falls, Popeye... Jurassic Park River Adventure, of course Forbidden Journey, Olivanders, BUTTERBEER!!!!!, Cat in the Hat (yes, it is a fun dark ride adults can enjoy too)...

Universal: Despicable Me, Transformers, Mummy, Disaster, Men In Black, Simpsons, Terminator 3D, Horror Make Up Show, ET...

I could do without Twister and Sherk, but others think they are not to be missed too...

If you are looking to dine, Three Broomsticks is awesome... Mythos is delicious... Both are in IOA...

How do you get to Universal if you stay at Disney--should we rent a car, take a taxi, or quicksilver (we've used them from the airport on other trips).

Rent a car, would probably be cheaper...Taxis can be expensive... You can price Quicksilver to see how much a round trip would be... But trust me, a taxi may run about $100 round trip... I know it cost me $100 this past October but I was stuck and needed the cab at that point... So I had to spend it...

[buzznwoodysmom]

It has been my experience that they do not allow purses. I have an across the body purse smaller than the hipster and when I asked at the entrance of the queue I was told I should get a locker.

[MizMissy]

They are VERY particular about carrying anything onto the rides. I had a Vera Bradley wristlet (big enough to carry my iphone, park ticket, credit cards, some cash and a bandaid) with a lanyard on it. Putting the lanyard around my neck was not acceptable, I had to show them that it fit into my pocket completely or they would not let me take it on the ride (and I would be stopped again during the queue to verify if I had it in my hand instead of in my pocket).

[NJGIRL]

Save yourself a headache and don't even try to take anything on. You will either have to exit the ride and get a locker or leave your stuff unattended to.

We avoid the lockers altogether by only bringing what will fit into our pockets when we visit Universal.

[IloveJack]

Diagon Alley will more than likely NOT be open in May... The target is June... Now, that is not saying softs or testing won't be taking place, but don't count on it...

Not to hijack the thread, but do you know when in June? We're planning to be there June 3, and would really like to see Diagon Alley as we're not planning another trip south for a year or two afterwards.

If you are looking to dine, Three Broomsticks is awesome... Mythos is delicious... Both are in IOA...

Yes, if you're a Potterhead, you must eat at Three Broomsticks. It's amazingly themed, and the food is good, too. Have more than one cup of butterbeer, you can't find it elsewhere, and you'll be wishing you could later.

Save yourself a headache and don't even try to take anything on. You will either have to exit the ride and get a locker or leave your stuff unattended to.

We avoid the lockers altogether by only bringing what will fit into our pockets when we visit Universal.

They won't let you carry any bags whatsoever on the rides, unless you are carrying a diaper bag for an infant and doing baby swap, then the infant must be with you also. The lockers are free, but only for the amount of time it takes you to ride, once. We've seen multiple people ride something and decide to get right back on, only to discover that they had to pay to retrieve their things later. Unless you HAVE to take something into the park with you, I wouldn't take a bag. Wear something with big pockets, and be done with it.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Not to hijack the thread, but do you know when in June? We're planning to be there June 3, and would really like to see Diagon Alley as we're not planning another trip south for a year or two afterwards.

No idea when in June... I think, internally, they are aiming for June 20, but we all know a delay could happen at any time...

Hopefully we find out for sure January 23, during the webcast, which I signed up to be part of!!!

[awaggett]

Thanks for all the information! We'll definitely leave our purses at "home" that day.

Do you make dining reservations for Three Broomsticks, or is first-come, first served?

Thanks again.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Thanks for all the information! We'll definitely leave our purses at "home" that day.

Do you make dining reservations for Three Broomsticks, or is first-come, first served?

Thanks again.

We have had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Three Broomsticks. No reservations needed, it is like a Disney "counter service" location. I also wanted to note that in all the times we've eaten there, 5 or 6 times now, I have never seen the place even half way full. You shouldn't have any problems.

[NJGIRL]

The lockers are free, but only for the amount of time it takes you to ride, once. We've seen multiple people ride something and decide to get right back on, only to discover that they had to pay to retrieve their things later. Unless you HAVE to take something into the park with you, I wouldn't take a bag. Wear something with big pockets, and be done with it.

This happened to us the first time around too! The locker is free for only the posted wait time of the ride plus a few minutes added on. Don't put your stuff in a locker and then go and take a few pictures, go to the rest rooms, get a bite to eat, something to drink...... before getting into line. You will be charged. You can't just get back into line to ride again or get on other rides. I know it's a pain but this is to ensure their are enough lockers for everyone going on the FJ and not for people to store their stuff in for extended periods.

[LVT]

We do cargo pants/shorts with the oversized pockets. Not even the smaller fannypacks are allowed.

[iheartdisney]

I'm interested about this topic, as well. But more specifically:

Do you find it necessary to stay on Universal property in order to qualify for the extra hour perk/fastpass?

We are going at the end of May and have talked about sneaking away for a day at Universal, purely for the Harry Potter experience. We were going to stay at one of their resorts but decided the expense wasn't worth it or manageable within our time frame. We have two boys (ages 9 and 10) who have never been to Universal but love Harry Potter.

What do you all suggest? Is it worth taking a day away from WDW?

[IloveJack]

What do you all suggest? Is it worth taking a day away from WDW?

Yes, definitely! For this reason:

We have two boys who... love Harry Potter.

When you round the corner into WWoHP, you will walk into the books. Literally. While I love Disney, Universal couldn't have made this land any more realistic. My only complaint is that it isn't big enough.
It won't take long to completely tour the area, even if you eat lunch there (and believe me, the Three Broomsticks is a great lunch and very well themed), plus their express pass doesn't work on Forbidden Journey, so I wouldn't worry about it (unless you want to use it on other rides).
I love Disney, and don't do the other parks in Orlando because we can't bring ourselves to leave Disney for that long. But we almost always take one day to go to Hogsmeade (and bum around IoA some while we're there). It's worth it.

[NJGIRL]

If you don't stay on property then you can't get into IOA an hour early. By the time everyone is being let into the park the line for FB will be pretty long. All this means is that you will probably have over an hour wait. You will also have a longer wait for the wand show.....maybe two hours. If all you will be doing is HP World (which I think is a mistake) you will still be able to get that area done in one day even with the long waits.

[tinksmom02]

It won't take long to completely tour the area, even if you eat lunch there (and believe me, the Three Broomsticks is a great lunch and very well themed), plus their express pass doesn't work on Forbidden Journey, so I wouldn't worry about it (unless you want to use it on other rides).

I just wanted to add that while the on-site express pass does not apply at FJ, as an on-site guest you are allowed into the park an hour before official opening. DD and I can usually get through FJ at least two or three times during that hour (and the Hippogriff coaster AND get a butterbeer) and then make our way out against the current of people swarming in. (I do want to try Three Broomsticks, though!)

We've only done Universal 2x and for both we stayed on-site. The benefits were well worth the cost, for me. Other families will feel differently, of course, but we loved being able to walk from our hotel to the parks, and Express Pass is amazing.

[Middle of the Map]

I did notice the lockers were kind of picky about opening. You press your finger on a screen and it records the print for your locker. Then you press again to unlock - sometimes it works and sometimes you have to stand there pressing again and again.

Also, be sure to remember your locker number. All those boxes look alike when you're rushing to get on a ride.

[MNNHFLTX]

They won't let you carry any bags whatsoever on the rides, unless you are carrying a diaper bag for an infant and doing baby swap, then the infant must be with you also. The lockers are free, but only for the amount of time it takes you to ride, once. We've seen multiple people ride something and decide to get right back on, only to discover that they had to pay to retrieve their things later. Unless you HAVE to take something into the park with you, I wouldn't take a bag. Wear something with big pockets, and be done with it.

This happened to us too on Rip Ride Rockit, with the long wait in line that you can have there. What complicates the situation is that if you put all your belongings in the locker and then go over the time limit and have to pay, your credit card/cash is in the locker and inaccessible. We had to get an attendant to open the locker to retrieve our means of payment. If you do choose to put stuff in the locker and there's a possibility that you might go over the time limit, have someone keep a few dollars in their pocket, just in case. Also, on Forbidden Journey and the other rides where lockers are used, bypass the lockers at the front and go to the back of the locker area. It is usually much less crowded.

[DizneyFreak2002]

This happened to us too on Rip Ride Rockit, with the long wait in line that you can have there. What complicates the situation is that if you put all your belongings in the locker and then go over the time limit and have to pay, your credit card/cash is in the locker and inaccessible. We had to get an attendant to open the locker to retrieve our means of payment. If you do choose to put stuff in the locker and there's a possibility that you might go over the time limit, have someone keep a few dollars in their pocket, just in case. Also, on Forbidden Journey and the other rides where lockers are used, bypass the lockers at the front and go to the back of the locker area. It is usually much less crowded.

When you went over your limit, did you discuss is issue with an attendant there? That happened to my group with Forbidden Journey in 2011... We put our things in a locker, and we wound up missing the time limit (30 minutes I believe it is???)... When we went to retrieve our things, we couldn't... The attendant told us we exceeded our time... But it wasn't our fault the line for the attraction exceeded 30 minutes... When we explained this to the attendant, he opened the locker for us and didn't have us pay...

it does look like a trick and a cheap money grab... But I am also sure, as long as you didn't take advantage (like leave things there all day), the attendants would work with you... And if not, a manager would...

[tinksmom02]

We put our things in a locker, and we wound up missing the time limit (30 minutes I believe it is???)... When we went to retrieve our things, we couldn't... The attendant told us we exceeded our time... But it wasn't our fault the line for the attraction exceeded 30 minutes... When we explained this to the attendant, he opened the locker for us and didn't have us pay...

This was our experience at Men in Black--we put our stuff in a locker and got in line, but there were problems with the ride & we went over (by just a few minutes). Attendant just opened the locker for us.

It's enough of a time-vacuum, though, that I just load up our pockets and go bag-free now. Going to try it for WDW this spring, too!

[MNNHFLTX]

When you went over your limit, did you discuss is issue with an attendant there? That happened to my group with Forbidden Journey in 2011... We put our things in a locker, and we wound up missing the time limit (30 minutes I believe it is???)... When we went to retrieve our things, we couldn't... The attendant told us we exceeded our time... But it wasn't our fault the line for the attraction exceeded 30 minutes... When we explained this to the attendant, he opened the locker for us and didn't have us pay...

I should have finished the story. Yes, we did find an attendant, but it took a while (he apparently took a bathroom break, so the ride staff had to call him on their walkie-talkie). And they actually waived the overage fee because of the situation. So it all worked out okay, but we still wasted quite a bit of time dealing with it.