Visiting IOA in January...

[Soulchild]

So we're looking to be in the Orlando area in January, and were wondering if 1 day is enough to do everything in the park? Will it be crowded in late January? We want to be able to hit up all the coasters and of course WWHP! :lol: Is the Express Pass worth it?

Thanks in advance :)

[Jack Skel Haunts You]

You mean Universal Studios, Islands of adventures! Harry potter land! Yes has anyone been there yet? How is it like? Is one day enough to do it all? I would also like to know!

[Phylers]

All good questions!

Generally speaking, any time after say Three Kings Day is far enough away from New Years to be back in the off-season period. If you're around a holiday or a school vacation, there might be a slight influx, but it shouldn't be too bad. If you luck into an empty day, IOA is a cinch.

If we're talking just able-bodied adults, you'll have no trouble at all doing IOA in a day. If there are children, particularly young children, in the mix, it's still very doable, but it might require an earlier start. Still, if you skip the two scheduled shows, you could probably do everything. Twice. :lol:

If you just want to hit up the big rides, you'll have no trouble at all. The slowest line you'd likely encounter would be for Dudley Do-Right, but it'd probably be a bit cold for that one in January. Spiderman can - deservedly - draw a line, but it's more sporadic these days.

The x-factor is of course WWoHP. I stopped in last week just to grab a butterbeer and scope the merch, and while the crowds were down from their Summer peak, it was still mobbed. It could have been a pre-Labor Day boom, but with WWoHP being so new, I'd expect to encounter lines there. The good news is that the line for the ride moves pretty quickly and is entertaining. The line for the Wand Shop is slower, but it's a perfect opportunity for a butter or regular beer. :D

Personally, I'm against the Express Pass, but if it seems like the park is crowded that day, you could always buy one in the park - they sell them in most of the gift shops. I can see why it's nice to have one, but IOA is small enough that it's not a necessity. Given how pricey the pass can be, I'd recommend saving the money for other things - IOA does have a pretty great Happy Hour program! ;-)

[Jack Skel Haunts You]

Thanks Phylers for the great input! Definitely helps to hear from someone who has already been and experienced it.

Btw, what two shows are there at Islands of Adventures?

How is the harry potter forbbiden ride at the castle? Is it a slow paced moving cart like haunted mansion from disneyland, or is it a faster pace ride? or is it not a ride at all, but more of a walkthrough? There are 2 rides that are related to world of harry potter, there's the forbidden journey and dueling dragons (which is just the reface of the old fire and ice ride), which is faster to get on?

So the express pass isn't worth the extra $20? Is it better than fast pass at disneyland? Where exactly do you get in if you had the express pass?

[ArsenicAndOldLace]

Thanks Phylers for the great input! Definitely helps to hear from someone who has already been and experienced it.

Btw, what two shows are there at Islands of Adventures?

How is the harry potter forbbiden ride at the castle? Is it a slow paced moving cart like haunted mansion from disneyland, or is it a faster pace ride? or is it not a ride at all, but more of a walkthrough? There are 2 rides that are related to world of harry potter, there's the forbidden journey and dueling dragons (which is just the reface of the old fire and ice ride), which is faster to get on?

So the express pass isn't worth the extra $20? Is it better than fast pass at disneyland? Where exactly do you get in if you had the express pass?


Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey is more a fast paced ride. You are on a thing called Kuka arms, where it kind of just throws you around. It's not really jerky, but there is a point where you are flat on your back (and apparently some feel like that qualifies as being upside down). So if you don't like motion rides that throw you around, then maybe it's not the ride for you. The queue line is amazing, but if there is always a line and you want to ride it more than once, see if the single rider's line is open. That goes for all the lines. Then again, I've been there a million times so I usually skip the regular line and go straight for the single riders because I really don't mind riding by myself.

Dueling Dragons is a faster line to get through as soon as you walk through the stupid line (if it says five minutes, it means it takes five minutes just to get to the front). I only assume its faster because it's just a remake of the old ride, and most people would rather go into the Hogwarts castle instead.

As for the express pass. If you are going in late January, say the last week. It is always the best idea to go during the week Mon-thurs, but if you can't, I still do not see the reason on why you would need a fast pass. Usually theme parks around here are only filled with the people still straggling from winter vacation. When you purchase your tickets (or if you already have them go to guest services) and ask what the projected amount of people are in the park. If it is less than 15,000, then you are good to go.

Its also good to have a plan of what you want to hit before going, so you know you can get everything in one day. Again, I've been going there for years, so on a good day, I can ride everything once before lunch time.

-----Edit: Seeing as parking costs 14 at the moment, I think it would be a good option to save that money. Depending on how much you will eat during the day, weigh the options of the dining deal.

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

Basically what the other two said :lol:

You'll definitely be able to do IOA in one day. The 2 shows...I know one is the Sinbad show, not sure what the other one is.

There's also the Flight of the Hippogriff, if you want to do the kiddie ride as well :D Which also is an old ride just re-done like "Dragon's Challenge" so there's no real line.

[ArsenicAndOldLace]

I believe the other show is Poseidon's Fury.

[reyalp12]

I'm going in November, right before Thanksgiving! I can't wait...WWoHP is definitely top of my list of things to do.

[ArsenicAndOldLace]

I'm going in November, right before Thanksgiving! I can't wait...WWoHP is definitely top of my list of things to do.

My suggestion (if possible) go on a weekday, and do that first. (: Definitely worth it if you are a HP fan.

[SirScott99]

Harry potter land is very very well done. I was there for a few days last month and was very impressed. the ride itself is pretty awesome and I am by NO MEANS a harry potter fan. Just be aware that you will be waiting a long time to get on the ride or you can completely bypass the castle and do singles (but the castle is half the fun). I can't answer the question about the express pass because I have never done it, everytime i go to IOA i always stay at hard rock and my room key serves as the express pass. I would suggest that if possbile and its a great help because there are plenty of rides that are necessary to use the express pass but there are 2 that you can't use it on- harry potter and rip ride rock it

[ArsenicAndOldLace]

Harry potter land is very very well done. I was there for a few days last month and was very impressed. the ride itself is pretty awesome and I am by NO MEANS a harry potter fan. Just be aware that you will be waiting a long time to get on the ride or you can completely bypass the castle and do singles (but the castle is half the fun). I can't answer the question about the express pass because I have never done it, everytime i go to IOA i always stay at hard rock and my room key serves as the express pass. I would suggest that if possbile and its a great help because there are plenty of rides that are necessary to use the express pass but there are 2 that you can't use it on- harry potter and rip ride rock it


The express pass is only worth it if the lines exceed a thirty minute wait. I'll also emphasize that, just like the Hard Rock passes, it cannot be used on Rip Ride and Rockit, and The Forbidden Journey (I also think the pteranodon flyers, but I'm not a hundred percent sure on that one)

[SirScott99]

The express pass is only worth it if the lines exceed a thirty minute wait. I'll also emphasize that, just like the Hard Rock passes, it cannot be used on Rip Ride and Rockit, and The Forbidden Journey (I also think the pteranodon flyers, but I'm not a hundred percent sure on that one)

There's only 2 rides that cannot be used with any kind of express pass: harry potter and rip ride rock it. Everything else is game. And also be aware that in order to get into the gift shop in the Wizarding World, theres a wait time and I think when I was there I heard it was a 50 minute wait

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

There's only 2 rides that cannot be used with any kind of express pass: harry potter and rip ride rock it. Everything else is game. And also be aware that in order to get into the gift shop in the Wizarding World, theres a wait time and I think when I was there I heard it was a 50 minute wait

The lines aren't that long anymore. At least not from what I've heard. It also depends on the time of day you do WWOHP. I went in the middle of the day in July and the line for Zonko's/Honeydukes was maybe 10 minutes at most.

I had forgotten that the express pass cant be used for FJ. Pretty much defeats the purpose of getting it for that since majority of the other rides dont have that long of a line.

Darn. I had a site that gave the wait times for IOA, but it looks like it's been taken down :(

[Soulchild]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

We're planning on going the last week of January, during the weekday, so the lines shouldn't be anywhere close to what they are druing peak summer season. But you never know!

[HitchHikingGhostFangirl]

If you have an iphone, there's an app for the wait times :) That's actually what the site was, the computer version of the phone app.

[Jack Skel Haunts You]

arsenic

Thank you for the wonderful personal experience and information you have provided for IOA. Not only have you helped us with the major planning of our trip next year to Orlando, but you really saved us money on suggesting not to spend on the express pass. You have definitely made us even more excited for the harry potter forbidden journey ride! The way you described it just made it sound absolutely amazing! Can't wait to drink nothing but butterbeer and hit all the rides. Thanks for your great input! It is much appreciated!

[Phylers]

Great tips so far.

I don't really count Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff when mentioning WWoHP only because the wait times are always negligible. We had family down in the middle of July, and the longest wait for Hippogriff was 20 minutes, Dragon Challenge 25 (posted 15, but we had to wait due to mechanical delays). You'd lose more time in the line to get into Dervish and Banges, which could get up into the 45-minute range.

Thankfully, as was mentioned, the shop lines are all pretty much nonexistent, or at least manageable, now. Well, save for Ollivander's, which will almost always have a line due to the small size.

I do disagree with one WWoHP point though - it's usually less full in the evening. If you want to see the Hogwarts Welcome or Frog Choir shows (and you do; they're both a lot of fun), you'll need to visit WWoHP before dusk, but if the area looks packed, feel free to hit up say Dragon Challenge and the Hippogriff and revisit the rest later.

Oh, and a big bright side to visiting after the Summer: the WWoHP merch has been restocked - the butterbeer mugs are back, as are the much-coveted (and much-ballyhooed) pygmy puffs. Granted, the Christmas shopping season is coming up, but Universal will hopefully have learned their lesson and stocked up.

I forgot about the big Express Pass caveat, but I'm glad others remembered - the biggest reason most folks would want it, Forbidden Journey, doesn't accept it. It's not really necessary for other rides, save Ptranodon Flyers (technically only for kids, but adults can ride), and it's not accepted there either.

Poseidon's Fury actually isn't the other show I was thinking of. I mean, yeah, it is a show, but it's also kind of a walking tour, and it's run continuously, as are Ollivander's, the WWoHP courtyard performances, and all the character meet-and-greets. The two shows I was referring to were the ones that only go off at scheduled times: The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad and Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus (totally had to check an old map to remember the name of the latter; it's apparently a BMX/skateboard stunt show). Sinbad isn't bad, but it's not really essential either. I can't comment on the Aggro Circus; I've never seen it.