Universal early entry/FOLP help for HP rides

lme30005 · 13 Jan 17, 05:52 PM

We are going to Universal at the end of March and staying at HRH. We know it's going to be very busy so trying to sort out a ride plan! I'm going to buy a 4 day base ticket (we've done the train before and don't want to pay more just for that). so we have 4 days to spread out the rides but not sure what to do as FJ and Gringotts don't have FOLP and UO Park doesn't open early when we are there, only IOA. We have been before but had a very special pass to get us on all rides without any queuing.

I was thinking: Day 1 - early entry to IOA and run to FJ, Day 2 - normal entry to UO and run to Gringotts. Are there any other rides that aren't covered by FOLP that we need to consider, or any other tips for FJ/Gringotts if we miss the rush first thing?

Animagus · 13 Jan 17, 11:32 PM

Universal often open only one of the parks for early entry. Your plan for hitting FJ and Gringotts sounds like a sensible one, but keep in mind that everybody else with early entry will be heading to the same bit of the park! Another Dibb favourite is to leave those rides until the evening when queues tend to quieten down quite a bit. Each area also looks very different at night and is worth doing if you can spare the time.

I'd say that you need to quick off the mark to queue for Despicable Me (if it appeals), as that draws huge queues all day long. Likewise, Transformers - still incredibly popular. I imagine the revamped Hulk and Kong are probably ones to get in early too: Hulk because it has had a makeover and Kong because it is still new.

If you plan on doing the water rides: Dudley Do Right and Popeye and Bluto, then head there as soon as you can. When we went in August 2015, they had impressive queues pretty much all day.

I think they are the major hot spots (include Seuss Landings if travelling with younger kids) and the ones to plan around. It is worth looking at the park maps and having a plan of action in mind. Also download the Universal app and keep an eye on the wait times. We found them to be pretty accurate when we went in 2015.

lme30005 · 14 Jan 17, 06:03 PM

Great, thanks. If a queue for a ride is normally about an hour, for example, how long would the FOLP queue be? There must be loads of people with FOLP pass, particularly at Easter.

Thought about going in the evening, but not sure how wise the Hulk would be after a big meal. The kids need to eat at tea time so we would be going after that. I think we will do 4 early mornings so anything we don't get done straightaway we can do the next day.

Animagus · 14 Jan 17, 08:38 PM

I've not been at Easter but you can check historic wait times at each park and specific ride wait times by using the tabs down the side of the home page. That will give you some idea of the busiest rides.
The FOLP gets you into the Express line but they can vary. For example, during our August visit, I managed to walk onto the Hulk and RRR but still queued around 20 mins for Despicable Me and about 25 for Dudley Do Right.