for those who went earlier this year, how many people do you think got the celebration packages? i guess they were the ones really only allowed in certain events with the cast, right?
The only thing that is exclusive to package holders is the "Exclusive evening event in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Hogsmeade™ & Diagon Alley™, including light desserts and one complimentary Butterbeer™." Everything else, panels with the talent (cast/crew) and the expo, is open to all theme park guests :thumbs: As long as you have admission to the parks, you can attend the panels at Islands' Toon Lagoon Amphitheatre and visit the Expo at Universal Studios' Sound Stage 33.
Keep in mind that non-package guests will have a bit of a longer wait to enter the expo, since package holders have a separate "express" line and get priority access to the expo space. Likewise, package holders have a separate line and get priority seating at the panels. Neither of these should discourage anyone from going, though. For the past two Harry Potter Celebration events, I have attended as a general theme-park guest without an event package, and rarely did I see a panel fill up to capacity where I couldn't get in, and last year I was also able to see the expo quite a few times throughout the weekend.
The panels' seating is done on a first-come, first-served basis, so you definitely want to arrive earlier for better seating. Wait times for the expo fluctuate throughout the day, but I would certainly recommend going earlier rather than later in the day. The line for the expo did not stay open until park closing. Actually, if I remember correctly, it closed an hour or so before park closing time to accommodate the people already in line, so you really don't want to wait until last minute to check out the expo, which everyone should do, as it was a really cool experience with lots of freebies.
I'm thinking of going, is there a choice buy the package events without having to buy the park tickets?
You
will need theme park admission (of any kind) to attend the Harry Potter Celebration, as it all takes place within the theme parks and during theme park operating hours. But again, you can have any form of admission, so that includes regular tickets, Annual Passes, or buying the package (which includes tickets for those that do not have an Annual Pass). If you have an Annual Pass, this year they have added an option just for us, which includes everything except for the theme park tickets, since we already have admission with our Annual Passes!
