lauraw4321 Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 We're heading to Disney (5 days) and Universal (1) day. We've done Disney several times before, and this is our least planned / structured trip. For example, we've done Cinderella's castle the past 2 times, but this trip was planned so recently that there was no way for me to get reservations like that. I just learned today of the Pecos Bill "secret" nachos challenge. Very cool, and we'll be trying to do that. Any other tips like that? In other words, anything that doesn't require pre-planning or reservations that is something kind of off-the-beaten Disney path? Also, this is our first time to Universal as a family. I went 6 years ago, but we've never taken the kids. The older two are really into HP, so we're planning on spending most of our time in those sections ( yes, I have passes to both parks). Is there something else we should try to do (remembering we only have 1 day?) Any pitfalls you wish you'd known? I'm not looking for major planning advice, just quick tips that helped you or "secrets" or hidden gems or whatever you'd like to share. :-) Thank you, Hive Mind!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 We spent three days at Universal and barely left the Harry Potter sections. With one day and Harry Potter loving kids I wouldn't plan anything else. That's good to hear. I was worried that I would regret not going to other sections. I like having my suspicions confirmed. I think when they're older we'll plan a just-Universal trip. But they all still love princesses. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Get a wand so you can do the secret magical stuff in diagon alley. We didn't get one so we followed someone who did (actually I met up with someone from this board!) Also, make sure and eat at one of the HP restaurants, even twice if you can! We liked Three Broomsticks the best. And make sure and get Butter Beer. I like the mixed (with ice) the best. If you dont' specify they will just give you a drink without the crushed ice. As for Disney, have you ever gone to Beaches and Cream at the Boardwalk? They have an ice cream dish called The Kitchen Sink that we like to do. If you have extra time, go do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 Get a wand so you can do the secret magical stuff in diagon alley. We didn't get one so we followed someone who did (actually I met up with someone from this board!) Also, make sure and eat at one of the HP restaurants, even twice if you can! We liked Three Broomsticks the best. And make sure and get Butter Beer. I like the mixed (with ice) the best. If you dont' specify they will just give you a drink without the crushed ice. As for Disney, have you ever gone to Beaches and Cream at the Boardwalk? They have an ice cream dish called The Kitchen Sink that we like to do. If you have extra time, go do it. Thanks for the wand advice. :-) Never been to Beaches and Cream - we'll have to check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Run to do the big HP rides first--the waits get longer as the day goes on. If your kids are old enough utilize the single rider line if you want to re-ride (and you will). The food is better at the Leaky Cauldron than the 3 Broomsticks, imo, but look into both! HP take up an entire day! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Don't miss Belle's library experience in Fantasy Land! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 (edited) Don't miss Belle's library experience in Fantasy Land! Never heard of this! Off to google... ETA: This is Enchanted Tales with Belle? One of the few FP+ I got. Yay! I'm excited - we've never done it before. Edited May 12, 2017 by lauraw4321 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Run to do the big HP rides first--the waits get longer as the day goes on. If your kids are old enough utilize the single rider line if you want to re-ride (and you will). The food is better at the Leaky Cauldron than the 3 Broomsticks, imo, but look into both! HP take up an entire day! You know what, that may be what we liked best too. Is that on the IA side? I get confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 And, OP, I only have BOYS, so I can't address any of the Princess stuff or girly stuff, although, my kids love eating at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Never heard of this! Off to google... ETA: This is Enchanted Tales with Belle? One of the few FP+ I got. Yay! I'm excited - we've never done it before. Yes! That's it. We did it this last fall. It was probably my favorite experience with my girls at Magic Kingdom this past trip. Each child will get a chance to participate in the experience, and they will get a photo op with Belle at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Based on our experience (last week of April 2016) we would spend more time in Universal and less time in WDW. You must have tickets that allow you to go back and forth between the parks in Universal so you can ride the Harry Potter train and see everything. If someone else is paying and you are locked into only one day in Universal, in the opinion of my family, that's sad. The 4 Day Park Hopper tickets we bought in WDW were really worth it. One day I think we were in 2 parks. One day we were in 4 parks, because we had intended to spend an entire day in Epcot, which we'd enjoyed on a previous trip, but did not like Epcot this time around. I hope you have a wonderful and safe vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 There is a pirate adventure in the Magic Kingdom. It's like the Kim Possible/Phineas & Ferb thing at Epcot, but you get a pirate map and disc to go around and activate various features. When we went we were the only family doing it. Even the building where you get the map was empty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 We were just at Universal in March. Go to the park early on the early entrance day (be there half an hour before they open the gate, if possible). Go directly to either Gringots or Hogwarts (depending on which park you enter). If you love it, consider riding it again immediately, if the line hasn't built up. You may have some time to ride one of the other rides or see an attraction. But don't linger here. Instead, get on on the Hogwarts Express in time to ride the first train over to the other park. It will arrive just as the rides on that side are opening, so you can hurry to either Gringots or Hogwarts (whichever you didn't do yet), and ride it just as that park opens. The lines for those two rides get tremendously long very quickly, so if you can bang out both of the big rides right at the beginning of the day, you can spend the rest of your time enjoying the other activities. You can ride the Hogwarts Express back to the other HP area sometime during the day to see what you missed. And you will want to ride the train both ways anyway; it is different coming from each direction. Eat lunch right at 11 or even just before, if you want to eat in a HP restaurant. We did this and walked right in. 15 minutes later, there was a line. We really enjoyed the Jimmy Fallon ride. We were there the week before it opened officially, but we got to ride it anyway. We rode it multiple times every day that we were there. The lines might be crazy long, since it is a new ride. But I'd recommend doing it if you can. We also enjoyed SpiderMan particularly. Men in Black is fun. Before you enter the parks, take a moment to write your name on your ticket. Each person must use his or her own ticket to ride the Hogwarts Express (they read your fingerprint on an electronic pad), so if you accidentally mix them up, it will cause delays entering the station. Some rides require you to put all of your possessions in a locker. This was a hassle. There were multiple times that we had trouble getting lockers to open. They also use a fingerprint. After awhile, we learned that they may not read your fingerprint correctly if you push your finger hard on the reader; a lighter touch works better. It will save some time if you can put your whole family's stuff in one locker; we had six people and had to use two. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 King Kong and the Mummy rides are scary. Actually, there are scary parts of just about every ride, including the HP ones. Be prepared for your little one to be afraid; you may need to plan to ride share for the big HP rides, unless she is really fearless. (Actually, she may be too short to ride; check the requirements before you go, so you can be prepared). My 11 year old was frightened by KK and the Mummy and closed her eyes during some of the HP rides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Oh, and you will not be able to take a stroller into the HP shops. They were very tight and crowded, and we went during a low crowd week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 King Kong and the Mummy rides are scary. Actually, there are scary parts of just about every ride, including the HP ones. Be prepared for your little one to be afraid; you may need to plan to ride share for the big HP rides, unless she is really fearless. (Actually, she may be too short to ride; check the requirements before you go, so you can be prepared). My 11 year old was frightened by KK and the Mummy and closed her eyes during some of the HP rides. Thank you so much for the great advice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 The KK ride had a 3hr wait when we went. It *is* scary and isn't worth the wait for the ages of your kids. If you do ride something at Universal other than the HP stuff, the Minions ride, far and away, was our favorite. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 The KK ride had a 3hr wait when we went. It *is* scary and isn't worth the wait for the ages of your kids. If you do ride something at Universal other than the HP stuff, the Minions ride, far and away, was our favorite. We really like the Spiderman ride, but it might be scary for younger kids. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Oh, and you will not be able to take a stroller into the HP shops. They were very tight and crowded, and we went during a low crowd week. This cannot be emphasized enough. The shops are tight and crowded, with merchandise stacked high all around you. It's tough with young kids, and tough if you have the slightest hint of claustrophobia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I live in Orlando and have an annual pass to Universal and my husband works at Disney. In fact, we were at Magic Kingdom last night for the final Wishes show. Lots of good advice on here. The HP sections of both parks are great. Try to do Hogwart's Express both ways as the window scenes are different. Don't miss Knockturn Alley in the Diagon Alley area. There are so many things to do at Disney, but one of our favorites is to ride some of the rides during the day and at night. Big Thunder Mountain at MK seems like a totally different ride at night. And, if you time it right, you can see the castle fireworks during the ride. I hope you have a great trip! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 We spent three days at Universal and barely left the Harry Potter sections. With one day and Harry Potter loving kids I wouldn't plan anything else. I agree, but if anyone in your family likes roller coasters you might want to leave the HP areas to ride a few. The Transformers ride is pretty fun - I've only ever seen the first movie and can't tell you who is who, but I still enjoy the ride. You don't have to be a Transformers fan to like it. Speaking of roller coasters, be sure to ride Escape from Gringotts. I never liked the Hogwarts ride (Forbidden Journey) but Escape from Gringotts is fun. Also, be sure to ride the Hogwarts Express in both directions. What you see is different each way, and both are kind of fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 . Try to do Hogwart's Express both ways as the window scenes are different. We were posting this at the same time. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 There are so many things to do at Disney, but one of our favorites is to ride some of the rides during the day and at night. Big Thunder Mountain at MK seems like a totally different ride at night. And, if you time it right, you can see the castle fireworks during the ride. One of our favorite things to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBeth Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I have a piggyback question since some of you seem to be Universal/HP experts...I have heard it isn't good to use a FP on Hogwarts because you miss so much by not going through the line. Is Gringotts the same way, or is it ok to miss the line on that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 We really liked the lines on both of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 When we were at Universal in 2014 (HP in just one park then), you could spend the $$$ on a butterbeer and then refill it with soda anywhere in the park all day. Still true? We just bought one and shared it and then took turns getting sodas. We didn't fall in love with butterbeer, so splitting one between 4 people was fine. We got the frozen variety which was probably better than the other. The advice we took was not to wait in long lines at the butterbeer cart but to get it at Three Broomsticks and we had no line midmorning. We actually enjoyed Universal way more than MK, but we were there during spring break and the hordes of people at MK were a nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBeth Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 It's not an option -- Express passes aren't valid for Forbidden Journey or Escape from Gringotts. We don't actually have an express pass. We are going on a Make-a-Wish trip, so for rides that don't have express passes they will take us through the exit. But I'm wondering if those are lines it's more fun to wait through than to skip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBeth Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Ah. Then for Forbidden Journey go in through the exit to skip the line, and do the castle tour separately. They have a separate lane in the line for people who aren't going on the ride but want to see the castle. You see everything except the herbology greenhouse. We did that with an elderly relative. You just go to the line entrance and tell the staff person you only want the castle tour. Edit: it's better to do it that way, because when you're in the ride line you have to move at the pace of the line so sometimes you rush past things you'd like to see and sometimes you're stuck for awhile in a not very interesting spot. In the tour lane you can stop whenever you want to look at something. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 We didn't buy refillable cups, but I think you couldn't get Butterbeer in them. They've changed the system. Now you can only refill the cups from a Coke Freestyle machine. We didn't do this, so I can't remember details, but the machines are not available everywhere drinks are sold. We took our own empty cups and shared drinks. We got that information and a lot of other good suggestions from https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Universal-Orlando-2017/dp/1628090626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494639928&sr=8-1&keywords=unofficial+guide+to+universal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 TXBeth-- if you are staying at Give Kids the World, be sure to take note of the pizza delivery and ice cream shop hours! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Avatar and a new water ride open at Animal Kingdom on May 27th. Not sure if you'll be here for that or not--but if so, and you want to do those rides, FastPass and/or go there first thing. My kids just got back from Universal today for an end of year field trip. One of them got the interactive wand--and that made the trip for him. Want to say it was about $50. Total HP fan, and he easily could have stayed there the whole time. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted May 13, 2017 Author Share Posted May 13, 2017 Thank you everyone for the great advice! I'm even more excited now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 We just got back from Disney last night -- and we are exhausted! LOL! It was our first trip and my girls loved it all (except the 12 hr. journey home -- 2 hr. traffic jam on I-4 going through Orlando, blech!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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