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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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okay okay okay... so we will be going to IOA on july 6th.
mainly to focus on WWoHP, not so much on the other things...
but my question is, what time should we arrive before the park opens?
i know it just opened, but does anyone know how long the wait is to get in?
and i don't really understand the concept of it being a park, within a park..
can someone fill me in on if about if i have to wait to get into IOA, and then wait again for WWoHP. any info about anything would be great.
even if you haven't been there your opinions would also help.
thanks!
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Don't let the "theme park within a theme park" confuse you - I think that's just a catch phrase. Islands of Adventure was originally designed to have separate and distinctly themed "islands" or sections of the park. The WWoHP is just one of those sections. It's similar to walking from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland to Liberty Square, etc. There aren't separate "gates" so to speak, but you can definitely tell when you've exited one section and entered another.
Once you've entered IOA, walk straight ahead - the pathway will dead end at the lake and you can either turn left to go to Marvel Superhero Island or turn right to enter Suess Landing. Turn right, going through Suess Island, then the Lost Continent (does anyone know if this area is still referred to as The Lost Continent?) and you'll find the WWoHP. The whole park circles around the main lake, so you can go left from the entrance and enter the back way, but I think it's longer that way.
I found a photo of the entrance to WWoHP if this helps - just scroll down past the review and there are several photos:
I read a couple of recent reviews that said IOA was open by 8:45 for a 9 am opening time. I'd plan to be at the ticket gates of IOA by 30 minutes prior to park opening.
Hopefully some of our members who have been there since WWoHP has opened can come by and offer advice!
I guess what I meant to say was "at least 30 minutes prior"! But I do want to emphasize be "at the gate", not "arrive at Universal". It will take you anywhere from 15-30 minutes to park and walk to the IOA gate. So in all that could mean arriving at Universal 1 hr. before park opening.
I guess I didn't notice that you were going so soon! I really don't know how long the lines have been to enter the park since HP opened, so it probably wouldn't hurt to be there earlier. And definitely have your tickets in hand. I would not attempt to buy tickets that morning. You can buy tickets or pick up tickets purchased online at the ticket kiosks in front of IOA. If you go that route the day before, you could maybe ask someone at Universal how long the lines have been to enter the park since HP opened.
In July, I've seen IOA open at 8:30 on a Saturday. It's a good bet that the park will open early during the busy summer. A walk from the parking space Jaws 118 (the furthest spot from the IOA entrance) to the IOA entrance is about 15-20 minutes. So it is a good idea to arrive an hour early to the park.
Also, when you are at the front gates, try to find the shortest turnstile line. The ones near a pole are behind a tree are usually the shortest. Also, guests will tend to line up in a big blob from (3-4 people astride), so they may be blocking a turnstile line. Walk around the big blob to the turnstile with a few guests in front of you!
In July, I've seen IOA open at 8:30 on a Saturday. It's a good bet that the park will open early during the busy summer. A walk from the parking space Jaws 118 (the furthest spot from the IOA entrance) to the IOA entrance is about 15-20 minutes. So it is a good idea to arrive an hour early to the park.
Also, when you are at the front gates, try to find the shortest turnstile line. The ones near a pole are behind a tree are usually the shortest. Also, guests will tend to line up in a big blob from (3-4 people astride), so they may be blocking a turnstile line. Walk around the big blob to the turnstile with a few guests in front of you!
okay this may be a REALLY stupid question, so i'm sorry if it's obvious...
we are going to order our tickets online, and do will call.
do you pick them up outside of the turnstiles?
okay this may be a REALLY stupid question, so i'm sorry if it's obvious...
we are going to order our tickets online, and do will call.
do you pick them up outside of the turnstiles?
We've ordered tickets online before. Be sure you bring the credit card you used to purchase the tickets. There are several self-serve kiosks located outside the entrance of IOA before you get to the turnstiles. You can swipe your card and retrieve your tickets. But - if at all possible I'd do this ahead of time - the day before would be great. Or plan to arrive even earlier to get it done.
We've ordered tickets online before. Be sure you bring the credit card you used to purchase the tickets. There are several self-serve kiosks located outside the entrance of IOA before you get to the turnstiles. You can swipe your card and retrieve your tickets. But - if at all possible I'd do this ahead of time - the day before would be great. Or plan to arrive even earlier to get it done.
thank you,
i know for sure, we won't be able to arrive there in days before we go..so that's out,
but i'm planning on leaving our hotel [taking a taxi] about 2 and a half hours before..
I was at IoA last week. We arrived at about 10 am, but it didn't matter. You're best bet is to wait until after 3:00 pm to go to WWoHP. I had planned on making that my first destination, taking the path to the right (which should have been the path of least resistance). Upon reaching The Lost Continent, I was stopped by an employee. They told me that I had to go all the way around to the left to get to WWoHP. All other entrances and exits were closed off.
So after making the trip all the way around the park, I noticed a line about half way through the Toon Lagoon. This was the line just to get into WWoHP (not any rides). At this point, the wait time was an hour and a half. I asked an employee there what was the best time to return, and they said after 3 pm.
After hitting up most of the park, I returned just after 4 pm, and the line was gone. Also, you could now enter/exit from The Lost Continent, too.
BTW, you will wait in line for the Forbidden Journey ride for at least an hour. There are no VIP, Fast passes for this ride. There is a single rider line though. Make sure you are properly hydrated, and have gone to the bathroom before getting in line. At one point, you will be waiting under the sun, with little to no shade, and no fans. There was a vendor selling drinks right before reaching this area, and there are water fountains right after this area. You will start the line in the tunnel (Potions class area, IIRC), and then head outside for the majority of the wait. Right when you head outside, there's the drink cart. As soon as you make your way up and out of here (the greenhouse area), you will get to go inside, where all the talking portraits, and other cool stuff is.
Also, they will make you put your loose items in a locker before entering the line. Its very dark inside, so you'll need a flash if you want good pictures. I wouldn't recommend taking a camera that wont fit snug inside your pocket though. Also, before you enter the line, there is a mock-up of the seating, since people who might be too big (as in fat, sorry) can test to see if they can ride it or not, before wasting over an hour in line.
Please PM me if you have anymore questions, and I will answer them as soon as I can.
No problem. I also wanted to add that (supposedly) there were signs posted somewhere at the beginning of the park stating that if you wanted to get to WWoHP, you had to go left. I didn't see any, but staff members told me they were there. I'm sure they were, but using common sense, I immediately turned to the right.
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But I do want to emphasize be "at the gate", not "arrive at Universal". It will take you anywhere from 15-30 minutes to park and walk to the IOA gate. So in all that could mean arriving at Universal 1 hr. before park opening.
*Melissa
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