Hogwarts Express is the only ride in the Universal Orlando Resort parks that lets Guests go back and forth between the two theme parks. Food and beverages are welcome on the Hogwarts Express.
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Unlike most attractions, Hogwarts Express encourages guests to carry food and drink onto the ride. In fact, the King's Cross station even includes a snack stand in the queue featuring crisps, candies, fruit, drinks, and even beer!
Can you ride the Hogwarts Express multiple times? Yes! As long as you carry a park-to-park ticket, you can go back and forth as many times as you wish between the parks.
Important note: From here we headed to the Hogsmeade Station for the Hogwarts Express train. You can bring drinks onto the train and enjoy them on the ride! Merlins beard, how cool is that?! The line is usually not as long when you go from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley, compared to the other way around.
The main reason is this is the only way to make sure you see absolutely everything that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer. The other main reason we think the Hogwarts Express is worth it is that it's a convenient way to travel between the two parks and you can enjoy a different experience both ways.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct Viewpoint Trail: You can take a hike up to the Glenfinnan Viaduct viewpoint from the carpark to get up close to the bridge and get those iconic Hogwarts Express Shots!
We learned from a Universal employee that it takes 35 minutes to leave Diagon Alley, exit the park, enter Islands of Adventure and walk to Hogwarts. So if the wait is 40 minutes for the Hogwarts Express (and your kids can handle the hike) don't take the train. You'll save time just walking around.
Definitely beats walking if there is little to no wait for the train, but the lines can get long, so it's actually faster to walk from park to park than to wait in this line if it's long. I'm not a die hard Harry Potter fan.
How scary is the Hogwarts Express? We rate the Hogwarts Express one out of five Dementors in terms of fear factor. With a smooth ride and a mostly passive experience, the attraction really is designed for the whole family.
You can only access this attraction if you have a park-to-park ticket, though! In my opinion, you can absolutely fit everything you want to do in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in one day, even without Express Passes. You just need to be strategic about your itinerary!