About Theme Park Tourist
Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.
We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.
Plan Your Trip
Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.
You can even print them.
As a pass holder I would wait a week or two and go early on a Tuesday. I've seen the construction for almost two years what's two more weeks.Don't fall prey to all the hype.
Only losers would wait around all day for the remote chance to get to ride an amusement ride that is over a week away from opening. I think I would make these nerds surrender their lunch money if I saw this.
Wild horses could not drag me to the parks on opening day! I absolutely don't blame folks for looking out for a soft opening this week, since packages with entry included were sold for starting 6/29. And certainly would rather see in soft openings with say 20,000 people vs on opening day with 2 million people. Perhaps you never saw photos of the line on opening day at IOA Hogsmeade, when the lines wrapped outside the park and all the way across Citiwalk.
I realize there are hardcore fans out there, but if you know the area will be open next week (7days from today), why not wait for the official opening date? With July 8th as the only guaranteed date, why not just plan your visit for then?
Many people planned their trips before knowing the opening date, considering it just came out a couple weeks ago. They probably knew they wanted to definitely come this summer, and that kind of trip is something you usually plan well in advance, so they probably planned it and hoped that it would open before they got there. Now, they have to just wait and hope for a soft opening. Sounds like there might be some locals there too going all the time and waiting, probably just because a soft opening is going to be way less crowded and chaotic as it will be after the grand opening. So it will be more enjoyable for them during a soft opening.
This is why the fans were so frustrated that Universal took their time announcing an open date. I can't just drop everything and head south because they get around to announcing. It literally was two weeks ago we got a date. If I had not already moved my vacation later in the summer and had gone done this week, I would be skipping Universal altogether. I don't need Universal without Harry Potter. That's just me but it's something I needed to say. While 7 days from now is not a big deal to locals it is for those of us who have been planning to go for a couple of years!
Universal waited to announce the date due to the massive crowds that crippled the park capacities when Hogsmeade grand opened. The interstate was blocked up, the parking garages were backed up and the line was basically from the cars to the castle. It wasn't a pleasant situation for either side. Waiting til three weeks before versus three months before keeps the opening day crowd at more stable levels, at least that's what I've heard/been informed.
Now as I team member I have zero official info or pull with Universal. However, I do have pictures of Diagon Alley from the team member preview and you can check them out on my blog :D just take my advice and wait for the crazy to die down if you can, so u can actually take your time and enjoy Diagon, because it really is worth visiting.
Universal waited to announce the date due to the massive crowds that crippled the park capacities when Hogsmeade grand opened. The interstate was blocked up, the parking garages were backed up and the line was basically from the cars to the castle. It wasn't a pleasant situation for either side. Waiting til three weeks before versus three months before keeps the opening day crowd at more stable levels, at least that's what I've heard/been informed.
Now as I team member I have zero official info or pull with Universal. However, I do have pictures of Diagon Alley from the team member preview and you can check them out on my blog :D just take my advice and wait for the crazy to die down if you can, so u can actually take your time and enjoy Diagon, because it really is worth visiting.