🪄
Two-Park Day with Kids 6 & 9
Islands of Adventure + Universal Studios Florida · 2 adults + 2 kids (6 & 9)
The full Harry Potter day for a family with kids 6 and 9, built from average crowd levels and ride popularity: Hippogriff and Hogsmeade early, IOA's kid-friendly headliners, the Hogwarts Express crossing, and Gringotts — which takes riders from 42″ — in the afternoon.
How this plan was built: it's a ready-made day for a typical crowd level, using average wait times and ride popularity — not your dates. Parkoo Plus customizes it to your party and re-optimizes it for your exact days.
Islands of Adventure — Morning
8:30 AM
🎢Rope drop → Flight of the Hippogriff~20 min incl. wait
Averages ~10 min at opening vs 30+ by late morning. Park-to-park tickets required today; 36″ minimum — both kids ride.
8:55 AM
🎭Hogsmeade & Ollivanders~30 min
Buy interactive wands here — they work in Diagon Alley this afternoon too.
9:30 AM
🎢The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man~30 min incl. wait
40″ minimum — still cheap this early; its line builds past 40 min by midday.
10:05 AM
🎢Skull Island: Reign of Kong~30 min incl. wait
36″ minimum — dark and loud; brief scary moments.
10:40 AM
🎢The Cat in the Hat~15 min incl. wait
Seuss waits rarely top 15 minutes.
11:30 AM
🍽️Lunch — Three Broomsticks~45 min
Early lunch beats both parks' noon rush.
12:20 PM
🚂Walk to Hogsmeade Station~10 min
12:35 PM
🚂Hogwarts Express → King's Cross~30 min incl. wait
No height requirement — give the kids the window seats.
Why these picks
✓ What made the cut
- The full Potter story in one day — Hogsmeade → Hogwarts Express → Diagon Alley is the best single-day arc for kids this age.
- Hippogriff at rope drop — The one Hogsmeade ride both kids can do — it averages ~10 min at opening and triples by late morning.
- Gringotts in the afternoon — Its 42″ bar makes it the only Potter headliner the 6-year-old can ride — worth building the afternoon around.
- A show + kiddie-coaster block at 2:50 — Seated AC and easy wins through the hottest hour.
✕ What we skipped & why
- Hagrid's, Forbidden Journey & the Mummy — All 48″ — the 6-year-old misses them; child-swap if the adults want a lap.
- VelociCoaster & Hulk — 51–54″ minimums — a future-trip goal for the 9-year-old.
- River Adventure, Rip Ride Rockit & Horror Make-Up — All closed in 2026 (refurb / permanent / until late 2026).
- Seuss Landing beyond Cat in the Hat — With five hours per park, one Seuss stop is the budget.
🍽️ Where to eat
Three Broomsticks at 11:30 on the Hogsmeade side, Leaky Cauldron for dinner in Diagon Alley — one day, both Wizarding pubs.
Make it yours
Get Parkoo Plus to swap rides, pick your exact dates, and re-optimize around your crew.