Early March crowds? (3/2-3/8)

[StefWalsh]

Hey guys!

My friend and I decided to take a short trip to Universal to escape winter for a few days. The only time that really works for us is March, and with spring break crowds in mind we decided our best bet would be early March before it really ramps up, specifically the 3rd to the 8th. We go to Orlando pretty regularly but never during this time.

I've looked at a few different crowd predictors, but I've seen some conflicting information. For example, orlando informer's crowd calendar suggest crowds will be high for our dates, but others I have looked at suggest more moderate crowds, and some even suggest low (low being a relative term these days, I think). Just wondering if anyone might have some personal experience with going this time of year? Thanks!

 

[FoodieFriend]

We were there March 7-8, 2017 (Tues & Wed) and didn't feel the crowds were too bad. We had Early Entry to IoA/Hogsmeade & that allowed us a lot of time to do everything we wanted in HP. The longest wait was the train ride once USO opened. The wait was 45+ minutes going to Diagon Alley, but the return wait time was about 20 minutes. I've noticed the varied crowd calendar info as well so I don't know if my experience was unusual for that time of year or not. Since it was a bit overcast on those days, the water rides (Ripsaw Falls & Bilge Rat Barges) were no wait but also took a long time to dry off. I'm not sure what else you like to ride, so if you have any other questions, let me know. Oh, Mythos for lunch was about a 40 minute wait. We didn't check out the HP restaurants, so I don't know how long those waits were. We did have lunch at Toothsome & it was only about a 10 minute wait & the food was awesome. We returned for a milkshake at their take away counter at the end of our park day. It was packed & seating was hard to find.

 

[StefWalsh]

Thanks for the reply! My only hope is that if nothing else the crowds are manageable and I'm thinking that they will be for sure. We are staying onsite at Cabana Bay from the 4-8 and as is typical for us we will be using early park entry, which will definitely help.

I'm very fortunate in that I am usually free to travel any time of the year, so this is my first experience traveling to Universal at what some might consider a less ideal time for crowds. As a result I'm a lot unsure and a little nervous about what I'll be facing haha. Cheers!