Anyone have any suggestions on what time to arrive in order to be close to the gate? Will be using Uber rather than the shuttle.
The event starts at 7:30, and I think the first shuttles to the celebration start running at 6:30. If you get to the gate at 6:30 you'll probably be one of the first people in. It's up to you if you want to stand around for an hour or not. This year I'm thinking I might grab an early dinner at the CityWalk and get there early. Depends if my co-workers want to ride Hagrid or not. They're not used to my WDW level of planning though.
They did. Can someone who attended this in the past comment on some of the details? Do you have to pay for parking? What food/drink is provided? How bad are the lines/crowds? Or any other info would be appreciated!
Last year I didn't have to pay for parking. The year before we took the bus. There's a basic selection of Soda (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite I think), and then free beer and wine available everywhere. All the food carts are open, and free, and the restaurants serve a limited menu as well until maybe 10. There's also little buffet stations setup all over the place. Last year they had a Nacho bar, Sliders, and some other stuff setup. I always hunt down a turkey leg, and wash it down with a cold beer.
The A list stuff gets super crowded. The line for Hulk 2 years ago went to 90 minutes really fast. Last year it rained a fair bit, so that tamped down the crowds and shut a few rides down as well. I avoid the Harry Potter stuff completely, the crowds are heaviest back there, and I'm not really into it so I don't really care. You can spend 3 hours waiting to ride the train between parks though at peak time.
It doesn't *seem* like the Ignite attendees would fill both parks. Is it just congested in certain areas or are there just more people attending than I realize? I thought it was about 35,000 but maybe it's more..
The parks get pretty full to be honest. The A+ rides get packed. Expect long lines for Hulk, Harry Potter, Rip Ride Rocket, etc. The crowds do thin out as the night goes on though, I got a lot of stuff done in the last hour of the party last year. It was stuff like the Jimmy Fallon and Minion ride though. Mummy usually isn't too bad. The problem is folks are going to crowd the big adult rides. No one is really hanging out in the Dr. Seuss or Simspons parts of the park.
Most people go in and immediately head left toward Hulk, so all those rides queue up pretty quick. Many head straight back for the Harry Potter stuff, I expect that to be nuts with the new Hagrid ride this year. If you're at the front of the pack you have a good chance at maybe getting on the thing during the party I think this year I'm gonna go right and hit Mummy and the 4D rides first thing, and work my way counter clockwise. I'd like to ride Hulk this year as it's one of the few things I haven't done. I don't try to do everything though, my favorite thing is grabbing a drink and watching the Blues Brothers show. I love those guys.
One thing is there is a hard stop at midnight. No ducking in the queue 5 minutes before close like at Disney and you'll get to ride. They'll cut off Hulk and some other rides when they estimate the people in queue will be riding close to park shutdown.
Pro-Tip - pack light as possible. When it rained they gave us free ponchos... I can't imagine how much that cost Microsoft. Bring a fully charged phone, ID, and your conference badge. Many of the rides you can't bring anything on with you like you can at Disney, so you'll be looking for lockers for your stuff. Backpacks are not allowed.
Also eat early, a lot of the food stations start closing up shop between 9 - 10. If your plan is to ride first thing and eat later, just be prepared for slim pickings.
Also don't bother with the Fast and Furious ride, it is hilariously, and I do mean hilariously terrible and bad.