Harry Potter

[memenee]

Hi, we may be in Florida in April. Not interested in Disney but my kids want to see the Harry Potter stuff at universal.

Is this the type of thing we can do on a whim or do we need fast passes and all that planning??? If planning is needed should we go to a Disney vacation planner for help?

Can we do universal (the Harry Potter stuff) in one day???

Thanks so much!

[momin2013]

We’ve done the universal side a couple of times, and always finished the HP section in a few hours max. Even if you do HP in both parks I think you could definitely see both sides in one day.

I’ve had express passes once and I don’t think it made a huge difference. I haven’t gone during very high crowds, though.

I have never really “planned” for a universal day. I always have an idea of the key rides we want to get on, and just wing it.

[mrsslocombe]

Yes you can do all the Harry Potter stuff in one day, but you will need 1 day, 2 park tickets. Personally I wouldn't pay for the express pass if you just plan on doing the HP stuff, the one day ticket alone is so much money, to then add another $100+ on top of it.

No need for a planner, and you don't have to "reserve" a particular park like you do with Disney. You do need to buy tickets for a specific day though.

Make sure you get there before opening, and go to Diagon Alley first (at Universal). Both sides fill up quickly but Diagon Alley is more enclosed and feels more claustrophobic to me. And there's more details to look at.

Make sure you ride the Hogwarts Express both ways, each side is a little different.

And I would buy the interactive wands since your kids are really into HP.

Gringotts, Hagrids, and Forbidden Journey all have single rider lines but you miss most of the queue, which is pretty cool. I recommend waiting on the main line once and then do single rider if you want to re-ride.