Harry Potter- Wizarding World FAQ

[Meech Loves Mickey]

It's my understanding that there is no real rhyme or reason to who gets picked. I've heard of people in decked out HP gear (robe and everything) getting picked and not getting picked. I've heard of random dads in their 40s getting picked. Seems like it's just kind of up to the TM.

What does “getting picked for Ollivander’s mean? What do they do?

Thanks!

 

[Kivara]

What does “getting picked for Ollivander’s mean? What do they do?

Thanks!

It's an interactive show. There will be about 10-15 people in Olliander's shop. One person is chosen to come forward and have "the wand choose the wizard." Ollivander will chat with them, go over a few things, offer different wands to swish about...and different special effects will go off...until the "right wand" chooses the wizard.
Then you are let out into the rest of the wand shop, and the "chosen person" along with everyone else has a choice to buy a wand or not.

 

[Linkura]

Trying to confirm that you can still do "tours" for both the Forbidden Journey and Gringotts queues. I'd love to do that and then single rider to save time and be able to explore the queues as much as I want. Anyone know?

 

[schumigirl]

Trying to confirm that you can still do "tours" for both the Forbidden Journey and Gringotts queues. I'd love to do that and then single rider to save time and be able to explore the queues as much as I want. Anyone know?

It’s just a walk through. You do it on your own.

 

[Linkura]

It’s just a walk through. You do it on your own.

So that's a yes, you can still do a walkthrough at both rides?

 

[Kivara]

I thought when they added the Express lines at those, they were the original tour lines. I haven't been since they added Express to all the Potter rides, so I'm not the one to ask for accuracy, just what I had heard.

 

[Linkura]

Oh well, it's not a big deal. I can just try to hit the rides first thing or last thing. Thanks.

 

[Linkura]

Follow-up: I asked elsewhere and they said you can no longer do the tour walkthrough now that they have EP lines. Oh well.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you are there early, the line can be essentially non-existent, so you can just walk through the normal queue. There are a few rooms with little shows that you should stop to watch (it is easy to stand out of the way to allow others to go past). And it doesn't have to be early entry, just first thing after park opening.

 

[xmansmom]

Does anyone know where I can locate the dates for the light show for Harry Potter while I am there in August?? I would love to see this but I am not finding my information. Thank you

What is the light show? I saw somewhere that they light up Hogwarts. Is this the same thing? Is it actually a show or do they just light it up?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Lights / music / narration by the Sorting Hat. Pretty cool to watch, just lasts a few minutes.

 

[xmansmom]

Lights / music / narration by the Sorting Hat. Pretty cool to watch, just lasts a few minutes.

Thanks.

 

[schumigirl]

For those who were asking.......

You absolutely CAN still do the walk through of the Castle......we’ve done it many times and did it again last week.

It’s not a tour, you just walk through.

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

If I have an older wand I got in 2014 before they sold interactive ones, can I exchange it and pay the difference for an interactive wand? Thanks

 

[macraven]

They did allow an exchange right after the interactive wands were released but don’t think they do that exchange now

But, it never hurts to take your old wand when you go and ask the workers there if you can pay the difference to upgrade

Maybe you will get lucky and they will allow it
Hope so!

 

[klo1335]

For those who were asking.......

You absolutely CAN still do the walk through of the Castle......we’ve done it many times and did it again last week.

It’s not a tour, you just walk through.

My friend was just there in June/July and she was really nervous and texting me because they wanted to go through the castle but not ride the ride. I told her to just get in line and then when you get to the ride just opt out. They did this and said it was no issue and they had a great time as it let them cool off from the sun and they got to see inside So don't ask for a tour just get in the line.

 

[schumigirl]

My friend was just there in June/July and she was really nervous and texting me because they wanted to go through the castle but not ride the ride. I told her to just get in line and then when you get to the ride just opt out. They did this and said it was no issue and they had a great time as it let them cool off from the sun and they got to see inside So don't ask for a tour just get in the line.

Yes...…...we did this again......told the ride attendants as we entered we were just walking through the Castle and not riding so we didn't have to deposit my bag, didn't stay with the line, just let folks past us as we stopped to look at things...……

It is ideal for folks who don't want to ride, but don't want to miss out on seeing everything.

 

[mitsukoshi samurai]

Happy birthday potter/Rowling

 

[sherlockmiles]

What's the latest news/schedule on the new HP rides?

 

[nighttowll]

To clarify the walkthrough / tour thing.

You can no longer do the dedicated Tour Only line anymore. This line has now become the EP line. This means no more walking up when there is an hour plus wait or more and walking strait in to look around the castle at your own pace in your own empty line. One of the things I liked the most about the Tour Only line was how empty and quiet some of the sections of it were, especially the portrait area. It really felt like you had the castle to your self.

Even though the Tour Only line is gone, you can still walk through the standby line and just not ride. You actually get to see more of the castle this way as the standby line includes the greenhouse which the old Tour Only line skipped. You’ll just have to step back and let people pass you by if you want to take your time. When you reach the end, simply tell the TM you don’t want to ride, and they will let you out the exit right before the boarding area where the sorting hat is. The hat is the only thing you will miss, and if there are no crowds while you are touring, they will usually let you go up and see the hat before exiting (this is rare as it is almost always crowded).

There are a few things to note about using this new standby method to do Tour Only. You’ll have to wait in the standby line which may be very long, and you will also still be forced to wait in the locker line, even though you don’t need a locker since you aren’t riding. The current practice right now is to force everyone into the same locker line. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen and creates a huge line for those without bags to wait in. I’m hoping the policy changes soon. This wasn’t the case with the old Tour Only line which let you skip the locker line, saving a ton of time. To get the most enjoyable experience, I’d try to tour in the early morning or late evening or in the off-season when crowds will be the lowest. If that’s not possible, you'll have to decide if an hour plus wait in a crowded line is worth seeing the castle or not. The other considerations are the crowds and cramped space, since you no longer have you’re own private line. The old Tour Only line provided a great open space to spread out, pose, and take great pics. In a regular line, surrounded by people, taking pics is much harder. Also, depending on crowds, it may be harder to see over or around people or even to let the constant stream of people who are riding pass you by if you want to stay in a certain area longer. However, it really depends on crowd levels if any of this is an issue or not.

On another note, if you have an EP, then you will be routed through the old Tour Only line anyway. It should be less crowded and a shorter wait, so there won’t be as huge of a difference going through the EP line and not riding, as there would be going through the standby line and not riding.


Old Tour Only Line

• Designated line for those wishing to only tour the castle and not ride.
• You had to ask to do the line. You told a TM out front you wanted to do the castle tour, and they would open the roped off line and let you through.
  
• The line was not used for any other purpose.
• The line was usually empty of people. You might encounter one or two more groups making their way through if you stuck around long enough.
• As you had the line basically to yourself, you had room to spread out and pose for pics without being in anyone’s way.
• You were not required to wait in the locker line before entering.
• You could carry bags through the line.
• The line skipped the greenhouse.
• You were not allowed to ride. You had to exit at the end of the tour.

New Tour Only Option

• It is not a separate line or special tour offered by Universal.
• You simply see the castle as you wait in either the regular standby or EP line.
• You do not need to ask or tell anyone up front you are touring only. You only need to tell the TM at the end you would like to exit.
  
• You wait in line with everyone else who is waiting to ride.
• You must go through the locker line.
• You can carry bags through the line as long as you tell the TMs you aren’t riding if they question you.
• You can change your mind about doing Tour Only and decide to ride after all (assuming you don’t have bags).

Hopefully, this helps to clear up the difference between the new Tour Only verses the old Tour Only and why some people are saying it isn’t available anymore and some are saying it is. For the record, if you ask a TM, they will tell you it is no longer available as they are referring to the old official tour only line. I’m 99% sure you can walk through all Universal queues without riding, so it’s really no different anymore than going through any other line.