To clarify the walkthrough / tour thing.
You can no longer do the dedicated Tour Only line anymore. This line has now become the EP line. This means no more walking up when there is an hour plus wait or more and walking strait in to look around the castle at your own pace in your own empty line. One of the things I liked the most about the Tour Only line was how empty and quiet some of the sections of it were, especially the portrait area. It really felt like you had the castle to your self.
Even though the Tour Only line is gone, you can still walk through the standby line and just not ride. You actually get to see more of the castle this way as the standby line includes the greenhouse which the old Tour Only line skipped. You’ll just have to step back and let people pass you by if you want to take your time. When you reach the end, simply tell the TM you don’t want to ride, and they will let you out the exit right before the boarding area where the sorting hat is. The hat is the only thing you will miss, and if there are no crowds while you are touring, they will usually let you go up and see the hat before exiting (this is rare as it is almost always crowded).
There are a few things to note about using this new standby method to do Tour Only. You’ll have to wait in the standby line which may be very long, and you will also still be forced to wait in the locker line, even though you don’t need a locker since you aren’t riding. The current practice right now is to force everyone into the same locker line. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen and creates a huge line for those without bags to wait in. I’m hoping the policy changes soon. This wasn’t the case with the old Tour Only line which let you skip the locker line, saving a ton of time. To get the most enjoyable experience, I’d try to tour in the early morning or late evening or in the off-season when crowds will be the lowest. If that’s not possible, you'll have to decide if an hour plus wait in a crowded line is worth seeing the castle or not. The other considerations are the crowds and cramped space, since you no longer have you’re own private line. The old Tour Only line provided a great open space to spread out, pose, and take great pics. In a regular line, surrounded by people, taking pics is much harder. Also, depending on crowds, it may be harder to see over or around people or even to let the constant stream of people who are riding pass you by if you want to stay in a certain area longer. However, it really depends on crowd levels if any of this is an issue or not.
On another note, if you have an EP, then you will be routed through the old Tour Only line anyway. It should be less crowded and a shorter wait, so there won’t be as huge of a difference going through the EP line and not riding, as there would be going through the standby line and not riding.
Old Tour Only Line
- Designated line for those wishing to only tour the castle and not ride.
- You had to ask to do the line. You told a TM out front you wanted to do the castle tour, and they would open the roped off line and let you through.
- The line was not used for any other purpose.
- The line was usually empty of people. You might encounter one or two more groups making their way through if you stuck around long enough.
- As you had the line basically to yourself, you had room to spread out and pose for pics without being in anyone’s way.
- You were not required to wait in the locker line before entering.
- You could carry bags through the line.
- The line skipped the greenhouse.
- You were not allowed to ride. You had to exit at the end of the tour.
New Tour Only Option
- It is not a separate line or special tour offered by Universal.
- You simply see the castle as you wait in either the regular standby or EP line.
- You do not need to ask or tell anyone up front you are touring only. You only need to tell the TM at the end you would like to exit.
- You wait in line with everyone else who is waiting to ride.
- You must go through the locker line.
- You can carry bags through the line as long as you tell the TMs you aren’t riding if they question you.
- You can change your mind about doing Tour Only and decide to ride after all (assuming you don’t have bags).
Hopefully, this helps to clear up the difference between the new Tour Only verses the old Tour Only and why some people are saying it isn’t available anymore and some are saying it is. For the record, if you ask a TM, they will tell you it is no longer available as they are referring to the old official tour only line. I’m 99% sure you can walk through all Universal queues without riding, so it’s really no different anymore than going through any other line.