Touring Plans - Diagon Alley

atilley01

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Hi! I'm creating a plan on Touring Plans for our first HPW visit. When I add Diagon Alley to the plan it gives a suggested touring time of 60 minutes. That just includes the time to explore the area. I'm including additional time after that for rides and eating. Does 60 minutes sound right or should I budget more time for walking around and exploring shops in Diagon Alley?

Big Harry Potter fans btw so HPW is top priority. Anything after that is icing on the cake.:)

Thank!
 
If you're big HP fans, then 4 hours minimum - not including any interactive wand spells or catching any show or making a shutterbug dvd.
It also depends on how you"walk around". There are tons of details to take in. So you can just walk through and look at everything in an hour. If you want to experience the space, you will need a lot more. I also find that no matter how 'careful' I think I walk through the stores, everytime I go in I find something I didn't see previously.

HP is the focus of our US trips and we spend the better part of 3 days in the 2 HP areas.
 
It is difficult to answer for you. Our touring style depends on how many days we have to tour. We stayed for 10-days once and did like sherlock above, 3 days spent immersed in there. But if you have two days, there are other headliner rides to go on. HP is great. And the rest of the park has truly world-class offerings that should not be missed either.
 
one thing I suggest to not miss - if you get the photo pass - are the 2 'do it yourself' pictures. We loved these.

One is as you enter jurassic area - by the dino and car. you scan your photo pass and the camera has a countdownn clock and it takes your picture. We did many of these - just had a really fun time. we did one acting like we were running away, one eith my husband protecting me, one with me protecting him with my wand (in my raven claw robe), etc....

There is another 'do it yourself' location at the Back to the future car. that one doesn't have a countdown timer, and the 'yellow area' to stand in isn't marked any more. But it works the same. That one we only did once. I guess we found the dinosaur more fun....
 


It is difficult to answer for you. Our touring style depends on how many days we have to tour. We stayed for 10-days once and did like sherlock above, 3 days spent immersed in there. But if you have two days, there are other headliner rides to go on. HP is great. And the rest of the park has truly world-class offerings that should not be missed either.


agree - number of days is a factor for sure.
the number of times you visited also plays a factor as you develop what you like and what you can pass on.
 
1 hour is no way sufficient. I know TP works for Disney but they give pretty poor advice for Universal from what I’ve seen.
 


Another quick question...how much time would you give to touring the queue of Forbidden Journey? I get motion sickness pretty easily so I think I'll skip the ride but I've heard you can still tour the inside of the castle.

April
 
There's a ton to see in the castle - esp in the classroom and dumbledore's office. sorting hat is right before you board the ride.

If you are taking time to check out all of the details, etc, be sure to let people behind you know that they should pass you.
 
I can easily spend an entire day just on the HP stuff and I've been several times. I swear I find new details every time I go. Here is a touring plan I've made, it's by no means complete and certainly does not have to be done in this particular order.

A Perfect Day in the Wizarding World


Start by being at the gates to the park at least a half hour before opening, they frequently allow regular day guests in early.


Start on the Universal Studios side.


Proceed directly to Diagon Alley and enter through the brick wall. Pause and listen while you go through the brick wall.


Go straight to Escape from Gringott’s and ride it (BEST RIDE EVER!).


When you exit the ride, go into the Gringott’s Money Exchange. Converse with the goblin working there while you exchange some muggle money for wizard money.


Go to Olivander’s, watch the wand ceremony, then purchase an interactive wand, use your wizard money to pay for it.


Go to the Leaky Cauldron and eat breakfast (get there before they stop serving breakfast at 1030)

- Try an Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice, a Tongue Tying Lemon Squash, or pumpkin juice with breakfast


Walk around Diagon Alley casting spells, looking through the shops, and reading all the advertisements on the walls.

Special Effects list:

- Go in Madame Malkins and stand in front of the mirror

- Knock on the door of the Daily Prophet

- Stand on the corner between the restrooms and Gringott’s and listen for the wizarding wireless network

- Go in Borgin and Burkes and stand in front of the vanishing cabinet and listen

- Open your wand map while in Knockturn Alley under the black lights


Be sure to hit all the spell spots that are listed on the map, there are two that are not listed- look for the piece of parchment paper in the window of Scribbulus’s Shop and wave your wand at it and look for the potted plants in the apothecary’s shop and wave your wand at them.


Go into Shutterbutton’s and do the acting in front of the green screens, then purchase the DVD.


Stop at Eternelle’s Elixirs and pick up some potions to take home (you can skip the “gillywater”, it is just overpriced bottled water with a label, it is cheaper to take the potions home and mix them with regular water).


Stop by the Hopping Pot OR the Fountain of Faire Fortune and get a Fishy Green Ale (just get one and ask for more straws if you have more than one person, it is to everyone's taste).


Exit Diagon Alley to the London Waterfront.


In the London Waterfront:

-Stand in front of number twelve Grimmauld Place and look at the second story windows for several minutes.

-Go in the phone booth and dial the number to the Ministry visitor’s entrance (it’s written on the phone).

- Go into the back of the Knight bus and look inside. If a conductor is out front, talk and take pictures with him.


Enter the train station and ride the Hogwart’s Express to Hogesmeade.


Enter Hogwart’s and ride Forbidden Journey. If you have express passes, use the regular line at least once to see all the details.


Ride Flight of the Hippogriff.


Go in the Owl Post and mail a letter to yourself, it is a working post office with a special Hogsmeade postmark.


Go in Dervish and Banges and look for the monster book. Stand out front of the store and listen to all the different howler messages in the outside window.


Go in the bathroom and listen for a familiar voice.


Do all the spell spots in Hogsmeade.


Eat a late lunch/early dinner in the Three Broomsticks.


Go in the Hog’s Head and get Butterbeer (for real beer - the dragonscale is better than the wizard’s brew IMO), then go outside and up the street to the stage to listen to the frog choir or the Triwizard spirit rally.


Go in Honeydukes and get some sweets to take home (in the bakery case in the store the cauldron cakes are very good, they also have pumpkin pasties).


Ride the Hogwart’s Express back to Diagon Alley (the ride is different both ways).


Go to Florean Fortescue’s for an ice cream to finish off the night.


Be sure to stay in Diagon Alley until after closing, the rides and shops close but you can still walk around and look in all the lit-up windows and it is very beautiful at night.
 
Wow, @ruthies12 , that's amazing! We're going for the first time in April and we're big HP fans, and I really appreciate your detailed plans! I've been a little overwhelmed with how to tackle things but this is really helpful! :worship:
 
Thank you so much for this! I'll have to print this out and use it as a cheat sheet in the park! :)

I can easily spend an entire day just on the HP stuff and I've been several times. I swear I find new details every time I go. Here is a touring plan I've made, it's by no means complete and certainly does not have to be done in this particular order.

A Perfect Day in the Wizarding World


Start by being at the gates to the park at least a half hour before opening, they frequently allow regular day guests in early.


Start on the Universal Studios side.


Proceed directly to Diagon Alley and enter through the brick wall. Pause and listen while you go through the brick wall.


Go straight to Escape from Gringott’s and ride it (BEST RIDE EVER!).


When you exit the ride, go into the Gringott’s Money Exchange. Converse with the goblin working there while you exchange some muggle money for wizard money.


Go to Olivander’s, watch the wand ceremony, then purchase an interactive wand, use your wizard money to pay for it.


Go to the Leaky Cauldron and eat breakfast (get there before they stop serving breakfast at 1030)

- Try an Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice, a Tongue Tying Lemon Squash, or pumpkin juice with breakfast


Walk around Diagon Alley casting spells, looking through the shops, and reading all the advertisements on the walls.

Special Effects list:

- Go in Madame Malkins and stand in front of the mirror

- Knock on the door of the Daily Prophet

- Stand on the corner between the restrooms and Gringott’s and listen for the wizarding wireless network

- Go in Borgin and Burkes and stand in front of the vanishing cabinet and listen

- Open your wand map while in Knockturn Alley under the black lights


Be sure to hit all the spell spots that are listed on the map, there are two that are not listed- look for the piece of parchment paper in the window of Scribbulus’s Shop and wave your wand at it and look for the potted plants in the apothecary’s shop and wave your wand at them.


Go into Shutterbutton’s and do the acting in front of the green screens, then purchase the DVD.


Stop at Eternelle’s Elixirs and pick up some potions to take home (you can skip the “gillywater”, it is just overpriced bottled water with a label, it is cheaper to take the potions home and mix them with regular water).


Stop by the Hopping Pot OR the Fountain of Faire Fortune and get a Fishy Green Ale (just get one and ask for more straws if you have more than one person, it is to everyone's taste).


Exit Diagon Alley to the London Waterfront.


In the London Waterfront:

-Stand in front of number twelve Grimmauld Place and look at the second story windows for several minutes.

-Go in the phone booth and dial the number to the Ministry visitor’s entrance (it’s written on the phone).

- Go into the back of the Knight bus and look inside. If a conductor is out front, talk and take pictures with him.


Enter the train station and ride the Hogwart’s Express to Hogesmeade.


Enter Hogwart’s and ride Forbidden Journey. If you have express passes, use the regular line at least once to see all the details.


Ride Flight of the Hippogriff.


Go in the Owl Post and mail a letter to yourself, it is a working post office with a special Hogsmeade postmark.


Go in Dervish and Banges and look for the monster book. Stand out front of the store and listen to all the different howler messages in the outside window.


Go in the bathroom and listen for a familiar voice.


Do all the spell spots in Hogsmeade.


Eat a late lunch/early dinner in the Three Broomsticks.


Go in the Hog’s Head and get Butterbeer (for real beer - the dragonscale is better than the wizard’s brew IMO), then go outside and up the street to the stage to listen to the frog choir or the Triwizard spirit rally.


Go in Honeydukes and get some sweets to take home (in the bakery case in the store the cauldron cakes are very good, they also have pumpkin pasties).


Ride the Hogwart’s Express back to Diagon Alley (the ride is different both ways).


Go to Florean Fortescue’s for an ice cream to finish off the night.


Be sure to stay in Diagon Alley until after closing, the rides and shops close but you can still walk around and look in all the lit-up windows and it is very beautiful at night.
 
I made that list for a friend who was going and have shared it several times now with different people and twice on these boards. I'm wondering if I should ask one of the moderators if I can make it it's own post and they can turn it into a sticky and then people could add stuff to it in the thread.

Anyway I actually have a couple more things to add from my last trip that I forgot to do before posting- in the special effects section for Diagon Alley you should add- in Borgin and Burkes look for Mad-Eye Moody's chest by the side door and the Hand of Glory in the corner cabinet, they both do something special. In Knockturn Alley stand by the wrought iron gate that is blocking off the steps and listen closely to the wanted poster on the wall of Fenrir Greyback.

Also make sure you look up at the ceilings in all the stores. There are ton of detailed things in each of the different store ceilings.

And if I had one piece of advice to give it is this- if you are true HP fan and it isn't too terribly hot, wear a robe to the parks. The interactions with the team members when you are wearing a robe are a blast. My sis and I wore robes last trip and had so much fun. At one point we were in Borgin and Burkes and the TM asked my sister if she'd like to see their special hufflepuff selection (sis was wearing a hufflepuff robe), then she walked us over to a row of skulls on a shelf and said "here are all our hufflepuffs" in a creepy voice. I was wearing my slytherin robe and got told "welcome home" when I walked into borgin and burkes. There was other stuff all day long with the workers, it was just really fun and I've never had it happen when not wearing a robe.
 
It's an amazing list! Being a first timer, I haven't see these tips listed anywhere else and probably would have missed them. My daughter (7) will be highly impressed when Mom knows to look for all these cool things. :)


I made that list for a friend who was going and have shared it several times now with different people and twice on these boards. I'm wondering if I should ask one of the moderators if I can make it it's own post and they can turn it into a sticky and then people could add stuff to it in the thread.

Anyway I actually have a couple more things to add from my last trip that I forgot to do before posting- in the special effects section for Diagon Alley you should add- in Borgin and Burkes look for Mad-Eye Moody's chest by the side door and the Hand of Glory in the corner cabinet, they both do something special. In Knockturn Alley stand by the wrought iron gate that is blocking off the steps and listen closely to the wanted poster on the wall of Fenrir Greyback.

Also make sure you look up at the ceilings in all the stores. There are ton of detailed things in each of the different store ceilings.

And if I had one piece of advice to give it is this- if you are true HP fan and it isn't too terribly hot, wear a robe to the parks. The interactions with the team members when you are wearing a robe are a blast. My sis and I wore robes last trip and had so much fun. At one point we were in Borgin and Burkes and the TM asked my sister if she'd like to see their special hufflepuff selection (sis was wearing a hufflepuff robe), then she walked us over to a row of skulls on a shelf and said "here are all our hufflepuffs" in a creepy voice. I was wearing my slytherin robe and got told "welcome home" when I walked into borgin and burkes. There was other stuff all day long with the workers, it was just really fun and I've never had it happen when not wearing a robe.
 
61472_120517_000089333.JPG
one thing I suggest to not miss - if you get the photo pass - are the 2 'do it yourself' pictures. We loved these.

One is as you enter jurassic area - by the dino and car. you scan your photo pass and the camera has a countdownn clock and it takes your picture. We did many of these - just had a really fun time. we did one acting like we were running away, one eith my husband protecting me, one with me protecting him with my wand (in my raven claw robe), etc....

There is another 'do it yourself' location at the Back to the future car. that one doesn't have a countdown timer, and the 'yellow area' to stand in isn't marked any more. But it works the same. That one we only did once. I guess we found the dinosaur more fun....
Here's our first one...trying to figure out what's going on!

61472_120517_000089333.JPG
 
I always listen to what is good for the readers and posters

I know having all basic info in one place is helpful for everyone

Feel free to pm me anytime
 
Thanks for the likes on the touring plan everyone. I've updated the list and made it a separate thread which will be made a sticky by the wonderful macraven later on. Hope everyone gets a chance to add to the list!
 
I have used Touring Plans for Universal many times. I don't bother adding the Diagon Alley step. We usually hit the park at opening and head to one of the Wizarding Worlds to do the attractions. If it's during Early Entry, and we still have time left in that hour, we look around, especially do the interactive wand windows. Then we head to other parts of the park to do the rides before they build up lines. We then head back to the Wizarding World in the afternoon and/or evening to just see the area. I don't like wasting prime morning park time looking around, when I can look around when the waits are long at the other attractions. As far as how much time to spend, it really depends upon what you do. Some people could spend 15 or 30 minutes, not including attractions or a meal. Others can spend hours. If you come back to look at the area when you have finished the attractions in the park, then you have time to hang out as long as you want without feeling rushed.
 

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