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The Wizarding World Hippogriff Dragon Challenge Forbidden Journey
LINES AND WAITS GO DOWN AT THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
Now that the peak of the summer season is over, lines and waiting times at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter have dropped quite a bit.
Last week, I checked the lines multiple times.
For example, on Tuesday morning, at 9.05a guests were lined up to get in to the Wizarding World through the Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park.
This was about 250 paces shorter–or ~1000 people fewer–than the line was at similar times during my visit to the Wizarding World in late June.
On Thursday morning, at 9.50a there was no line to get in to the Wizarding World at all, and wait times for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey were listed as 50 minutes. The wait for Dragon Challenge was just 5 minutes.
THE AFTERNOONS MAY BE EVEN BETTER
On Tuesday afternoon at 4.30p, there was no line to get in to the Wizarding World, and the listed wait for Forbidden Journey was 60 minutes.
On Thursday at 3.40p there was also no line to get in, and the wait for Forbidden Journey was 30 minutes.
Both days, the Dragon Challenge wait was ten minutes, and Hogsmeade was packed.
WILL WAITS AND LINES AT THE WIZARDING WORLD STAY THIS LOW THE REST OF THE YEAR?
The less crowded period in the parks will last from now until Presidents Day weekend–with the major exceptions of Thanksgiving week and the Christmas-New Years periods, which will be very busy.
So just on this basis crowds and wait should be much better than they were over the summer.
I do expect, however, for Harry Potter crowds to creep up, especially on weekends.
This is partly because savvy travelers timed their Harry Potter visits to avoid the summer, and partly because as the word gets out that the crowds are down, locals and people within an easy drive will return to the Wizarding World.
For example, see this Orlando Sentinel advice from DeWayne Bevil that “it could be time for the locals to descend.”
WHAT’S THE ADVICE FOR VISITORS TO HARRY POTTER?
I’ve slightly modified my advice here and am now suggesting off-season visitors intending to spend just a morning seeing the Wizarding World get to Islands of Adventure 60 minutes before opening. This may be over-kill, but better safe than sorry.
The advice for multi-day visitors to Universal Orlando remains the same: try the lines at Harry Potter in the later afternoon of your first day, and if too long, come back early the next morning.
LINKS FOR THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
- Summary of Instructions for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- When to Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- How Long to Stay at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- How Old/Tall Your Kids Should be for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Where to Stay During Your Visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- How Much to Budget for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- When Your Plans for Visiting the Wizarding World Should Be Firm
- How to Spend Your Time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- What to Do When to Get Ready for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
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2 Comments on "Major Drops in Wizarding World Lines, Wait Times"
Have a great trip Michelle. WDW will be great (low crowds) during this period. Wizarding World likely will be as well!