New to Universal...summer questions

[nvrenoughdisney]

Sorry this is another "we're new to Universal and have lots of questions" thread! I've been searching through the forums but I still have some questions. For background, we are DVC members and have been to Disney too many times to count, but are thinking of trying Universal this summer (late July). We have been to Disney numerous times in July so we know what to expect there in terms of crowds/heat. We will be staying at HRH or PB for 4 nights, with a 4 day 3 park ticket. My kids are 11, 16, and 18 so we'd be looking to do most rides with the exception of those geared toward younger kids. My questions are basically all related to crowds/waits:

1. I know summer is a very busy time, especially with pent up demand, I'm wondering how summer crowds are relative to what you see at Disney? As in wall to wall people can't move?
2. Related to #1, what would the average waits be with Express pass (and I know it will vary depending on the ride, just looking for an estimate)?
3. What are late night crowds like at the parks? Is it possible to do the headliners later at night or do you need to arrive before park open? We are NOT people who like to spend the entire day at the parks, especially in July! We usually like to spend a couple hours at the park in the morning and/or later at night, and do the pool, water park, etc. in between.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the help!

 

[reddog21]

1. I know summer is a very busy time, especially with pent up demand, I'm wondering how summer crowds are relative to what you see at Disney? As in wall to wall people can't move?
In either Harry Potter land there was wall to wall people and you could barely walk thru. Everywhere else was fine

2. Related to #1, what would the average waits be with Express pass (and I know it will vary depending on the ride, just looking for an estimate)?
Every ride we rode was basically a walk on except we waited 5-10 for either Harry Potter ride and 10-15 for the minion ride. We also waited probably 40 minutes for Flight of the Hippogriff because they only have one coaster on the tracks at one time so even express took forever. I would never wait more then 5 minuets for the ride but my son really wanted to ride soooo there I waited.

3. What are late night crowds like at the parks? Is it possible to do the headliners later at night or do you need to arrive before park open? We are NOT people who like to spend the entire day at the parks, especially in July! We usually like to spend a couple hours at the park in the morning and/or later at night, and do the pool, water park, etc. in between.
A couple of hours before park closing the park it was definitely less crowed it was noticeable but not like you had the park to yourself

 

[Darrah]

To add onto what reddog21 said above about EP wait times, I think the general rule of thumb is half of the posted wait time and I've found that to be mostly true OR an over-estimate of what we've actually waited. Some express lines merge with the regular line farther back in the queue (e.g. Gringott's) so those wait times will be longer. The ones where you have a dedicated EP line all the way to the loading area (e.g. Hulk) tend to be much faster or nearly walk-on.

Taking all rides into consideration, I feel like 15-20 mins is a good average based on our experiences. YMMV of course, since we've never been in July.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Let me ease your concerns. You have express passes and 4 days. You will be able to do everything you could possibly want to do multiple times, and still have plenty of pool/down time.

 

[Edeyore]

Good news, I am sure you are already aware of, at HRH your Express Pass is included in the price of your stay.
Express pass for guests not staying at some specific Universal resorts is subject to price changes based on demand.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Wonderful! Thank you everyone!

 

[georgina]

Definitely go in the morning, head back to your resort for pool or rest time in the heat of the afternoon, and go back to enjoy the parks in the evening. Hogsmeade is always crowded in the evening but is a nice atmosphere.

we were there in a very hot and humid September and I needed 2 sets of clothes per day! If you can go for early entry for Hagrids and velocicoaster it’s worth it.

 

[keishashadow]

We are NOT people who like to spend the entire day at the parks, especially in July! We usually like to spend a couple hours at the park in the morning and/or later at night, and do the pool, water park, etc. in between.

If you wind up booking HRH you can quickly walk to the parks (closest to studios), no need to wait for the water taxis.

The HP areas‘ designs tend to bottlenecks at times. can’t avoid that with the FOTL pass, is what it is. It does seem to often clear out in the early evening & has a different vibe once the sun goes down, make sure to check it out.

also, P2P tix are a must do. If you find you enjoy the parks, make sure to consider upgrading to even the seasonal passes. Generally, in the same ballpark $$$

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

If you wind up booking HRH you can quickly walk to the parks (closest to studios), no need to wait for the water taxis.

The HP areas‘ designs tend to bottlenecks at times. can’t avoid that with the FOTL pass, is what it is. It does seem to often clear out in the early evening & has a different vibe once the sun goes down, make sure to check it out.

also, P2P tix are a must do. If you find you enjoy the parks, make sure to consider upgrading to even the seasonal passes. Generally, in the same ballpark $$$

The ability to walk is key for us! We're so used to the sprawling nature of Disney that I'm anxious to try something much more condensed!

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Definitely go in the morning, head back to your resort for pool or rest time in the heat of the afternoon, and go back to enjoy the parks in the evening. Hogsmeade is always crowded in the evening but is a nice atmosphere.

we were there in a very hot and humid September and I needed 2 sets of clothes per day! If you can go for early entry for Hagrids and velocicoaster it’s worth it.

I think out of our 4 days, we would probably do two early days. Since we've never been, we'd like to do as much as we can.

 

[martikus]

The express passes are game changers. We went mid July and felt we rarely waited. Minions you get a feel of when line is too long to join. Gringotts was probably 20-30 min. Everything else basically walk on. Don’t miss the kids rides, sky high trolley for example is great! It never felt as crowded as Disney. And we loved how close hotels were for mid day breaks which at Disney we never took due to the long bus rides etc.

 

[keishashadow]

The ability to walk is key for us! We're so used to the sprawling nature of Disney that I'm anxious to try something much more condensed!

If you do select HRH, a nice section to request is the 1st or 2nd floor, garden view rooms facing the water. they are located closest to the furthermost exit to the parks & also to the pool area. Not a long haul to the boat dock either. The pool facing rooms tend to hear the pool’s music quite loudly, often an issue for some who want to catch a nap etc.

 

[Skywalker3]

If you're used to the heat, etc from Disney, you'll know how to approach. Morning, back to hotel/pool, back in the evenings. We usually go in May/June, and usually do that. Went one time at the end of July, HOT for sure!. Staying at HRH will be such a wonderful experience. SO very close to walk back midday, enjoy the great pool. It'll be very much like staying at Boardwalk, going to HS/Epcot. With the express passes, you'll really enjoy it, and will have the options of going back at night. I've really enjoyed our HRH stays.
The few express pass lines that seem to back up, at least for us, were the Hogwarts express, especially from Diagon to Hogsmeade. The merge is way back, we had express, and still waited like 40 or more mins one day. Also had a long wait at Rip Ride rocket one morning, like 30 mins, but I think ride had been down. Also waited a bit at Seuss Trolley, and Hippogriff can back up.
Express at a few places will have you missing some of the cool queues, so maybe think about doing the regular queues too.
Happy planning!!!!

 

[Pooh's World]

Sorry this is another "we're new to Universal and have lots of questions" thread! I've been searching through the forums but I still have some questions. For background, we are DVC members and have been to Disney too many times to count, but are thinking of trying Universal this summer (late July). We have been to Disney numerous times in July so we know what to expect there in terms of crowds/heat. We will be staying at HRH or PB for 4 nights, with a 4 day 3 park ticket. My kids are 11, 16, and 18 so we'd be looking to do most rides with the exception of those geared toward younger kids. My questions are basically all related to crowds/waits:

1. I know summer is a very busy time, especially with pent up demand, I'm wondering how summer crowds are relative to what you see at Disney? As in wall to wall people can't move?
2. Related to #1, what would the average waits be with Express pass (and I know it will vary depending on the ride, just looking for an estimate)?
3. What are late night crowds like at the parks? Is it possible to do the headliners later at night or do you need to arrive before park open? We are NOT people who like to spend the entire day at the parks, especially in July! We usually like to spend a couple hours at the park in the morning and/or later at night, and do the pool, water park, etc. in between.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the help!

Get at least one Annual Pass. It will pay for itself.

Lines get shorter before park close. Like Hagrid's.

Do not do Fast and the Furious

Bourne Stuntacular is a must attend.

Take boat to Portofino Bay and eat a late night pizza at Sal's Deli. (Order ahead on the app)

 

[Pooh's World]

Only do Log Flume and Bluto's white water barge in shorts and flip flops.
Jeans and shoes will be wet for the rest of the day.

 

[marcais]

Have they changed the opening hours at Universal? When we last went in 2018 the park closed much earlier than Disney. It was like 6:00 or 7:00 pm. But when I look now, there are nights in June where it's open until 10:00pm.

We'll be going in August, so I can't look that far ahead on their website yet.

 

[georgina]

I think out of our 4 days, we would probably do two early days. Since we've never been, we'd like to do as much as we can.

I went this morning for 8 AM early entry at IOA. I arrived at 7:30. They opened the entry at 7:48, I was off Hagrids by 8:25, velocicoaster was posted 40 minutes but was only 30.

Have they changed the opening hours at Universal? When we last went in 2018 the park closed much earlier than Disney. It was like 6:00 or 7:00 pm. But when I look now, there are nights in June where it's open until 10:00pm.

We'll be going in August, so I can't look that far ahead on their website yet.

The last half of August I expect it to be closing by 7 again.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

This is all sooooo helpful! I admit I know next to nothing about the rides at Universal so having a framework to begin with is great!

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Get at least one Annual Pass. It will pay for itself.

Lines get shorter before park close. Like Hagrid's.

Do not do Fast and the Furious

Bourne Stuntacular is a must attend.

Take boat to Portofino Bay and eat a late night pizza at Sal's Deli. (Order ahead on the app)

I have seen that about the annual pass. Since we'll be doing the water park I know that limits our pass options but I'm definitely going to check it out. Since we have DVC we haven't paid directly for a hotel in many years, so there was a bit of sticker shock Of course in July, the express pass is priceless!