FOTL Access....just great......

[vellamint]

I have been on these boards a long time and truly enjoyed our trips to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

I am very unhappy with their taking away Express Passes and do not intend to pay another $40 per person (x6) in order to get onto a ride without a terrible wait.

I guess if I go I will be encountering terrible waits :(

Universal does not offer a family of my size an affordable room. At Disney I have a choice of connecting rooms or a cabin.

I have looked and looked for discounts but NOTHING comes close for us...and no we are not poor.

Now to add insult to injury this is what I find posted elsewhere...

"the best part of staying at a Universal resort is the FOTL access. I remember late one night we did MiB about four times back-to-back-to-back-to-back (you get the idea) and each time we passed the same group of people waiting in the regular peon line. To quote a Mastercard ad, the looks on their faces were priceless. And bypassing a 90-minute wait to get into Shrek by just walking up - it's worth it..."

And

"I agree with everyone else. It's worth it for the FOTL pass as well. The look on peoples face is "priceless" when you pass them again."

I hope that most people would not have this attitude and hate that I have read this here.

I guess I am just venting because if this is what we encounter when we go this summer it will be our last trip there and that is a shame. :( :(

Thanks for listening.

[Sleepy]

I guess i just view vacations a bit differently than some people. I prefer to go on vacation and not worry about being upset because I can't afford this or that. If it means waiting 5 years for the next vacation, then that is what we do to afford what it will take for the vacation we will be happy with. I am thankful for these boards so there are no surprises and we can wait longer for the vacation and save accordingly. I could not even begin to afford to go on vacation as often as you do and we only have 1 child. :)

[vellamint]

I guess i just view vacations a bit differently than some people. I prefer to go on vacation and not worry about being upset because I can't afford this or that. If it means waiting 5 years for the next vacation, then that is what we do to afford what it will take for the vacation we will be happy with. I am thankful for these boards so there are no surprises and we can wait longer for the vacation and save accordingly. I could not even begin to afford to go on vacation as often as you do and we only have 1 child. :)

Thank you...I do overanalyze sometimes and will really try to not pay attention to anyone but my own family when we go.

[Laurabearz]

Ah yes... familys with more than two kids do get the short end of the hotel deal most of the time. ((((Hugs)))) Our third just hit 3, so that leaves us out of a lot of options as we travel around the country.... most hotels can not garrentee us connecting rooms..... sucks.

Anyway for us we have decided that when we go to US/IOA we cough up the money to stay onsite (thankfully the HRH kids suite works for us, but at 450-500 a night, it hurts) We find that even though it hurts, walking to both US/IOA and FOTL is worth it, since our kids are young. When they are able to do open to close, we will stay at our beloved DVC and just make side trips to US/IOA and wait in the lines...

Anyway ((((Hugs)))))

[AlexandNessa]

FOTL access **is** the best part of staying on-site at a Universal property. I won't apologize at all for thinking or expressing that here on the boards. If they took away FOTL, we wouldn't go to Universal any more. It really makes for a happy, relaxing, noncommando vacation for us. And we drive Subarus that are several years old and paid for, and we live in a house below our means in order to be able to stay onsite.

We, however, don't abuse FOTL. We sometimes re-ride MIB if we aren't happy with our scores, but we have never ridden any ride 3 or 4 times in a row. But ... is FOTL unlimited (during most times) and are people ALLOWED to ride 3 or 4 times in a row? Yes.

You have to decide what is important to you.

Universal can still be done without express ... simply show up early a few minutes before park opening, and you shouldn't have much trouble getting lots of rides in without paid express or FOTL. Leave between 11 and about 3 to relax somewhere else or take in some shows and have a leisurely lunch. After 3 things start to settle down, and the waits shouldn't be as bad as between 11 - 3.

If it's more important to you to arrive at the parks at 11 or noon during peak season, then expect a wait for many rides if you don't pay for express or stay onsite. Or, utilize the single rider lines that are available. Or, try to to go during off-peak times of the year.

There is life after the death of free express. :)

[babieemelly]

I know what you mean, but it happens at Disney, too. I've read trip reports where someone goes through either the single-rider line, or uses their families fastpasses for themself, and they pick a family on line and see how many times they can pass them by riding again. If that's what people wat to do, then who cares?

[soloflyer]

Doing away with free express pass which worked fine when I was there two years ago is just another nail in the coffin of a dying USO. They seriously need to rethink thier strategy on this. It's just another way for them to attempt to fill $300 a night rooms. Well, I can assure you they won't be filling them with our family. It is a shame, because these parks were very enjoyable in thier day.

[vellamint]

Ah yes... familys with more than two kids do get the short end of the hotel deal most of the time. ((((Hugs)))) Our third just hit 3, so that leaves us out of a lot of options as we travel around the country.... most hotels can not garrentee us connecting rooms..... sucks.

Anyway for us we have decided that when we go to US/IOA we cough up the money to stay onsite (thankfully the HRH kids suite works for us, but at 450-500 a night, it hurts) We find that even though it hurts, walking to both US/IOA and FOTL is worth it, since our kids are young. When they are able to do open to close, we will stay at our beloved DVC and just make side trips to US/IOA and wait in the lines...

Anyway ((((Hugs)))))


Thank you for the above posts...I was expecting some not so nice responses to tell you the truth. Do the suites fit 6 people? I dont think they can be seen in the online booking site. AND WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF A DISCOUNT???? AAA, Entertainment, anything...lol.

And just to let you know - my family always is at park opening at USA/IOA so hopefully it wont be too crazy....we really do enjoy these parks but just wont handle hour long waits for everything....if that is what is going to happen we will probably just see the shows and just not return until something has changed. :(

[Laurabearz]

I dont think the kids suites fit 6... I mean they could fit that many (king bed, two twins and a queen pull out) but I think they cap it off at 5.

I tell people when they are considering adding a 3rd (or more kids) to think about travel in the future... and add that into their considerations of having a bigger family.

Your kids are old enough, I suppose, for you to book two rooms, but that would be $200 a pop, still a pricey alternative. (price with out discounts)


We use the AAA discount for our trips (so we get credit on our Loew membership) but I hear that US/IOA Annual passholder discounts beat AAA (although no credit towards frequent Loews credits) And the good news on that is....... there is a deal right now for a 2 year AP for the price of one (179 and tax for a 2 year premium AP, compared to WDW's 350 for 1 year) also only ONE of you needs to have the AP to get the discount...

We are thankful every single DVC vacation we bought into the timeshare. The two bedrooms are Marvy for our family of five and the washer/dryer/kitchen is the best. We do US/IOA on weekends when the DVC points are higher, and even though the crowds are bigger on the weekend, with FOTL it is doable.... SO US/IOA only makes up a tiny portion of our orlando trip... I keep hoping they will open up a timeshare themselves... with all the current onsite perks... lol

One thing I have noticed at US/IOA more so than at WDW. If you do get there early, you can ride SO MUCH MORE than arriving early at WDW. Crowds at US/IOA start building later in the day (my theroy is more teens go to US/IOA and they are late sleepers.... lol) SO hit the big rides first, then double back and do the shows and such as the masses arrive.

[wilma-bride]

We use the AAA discount for our trips (so we get credit on our Loew membership) but I hear that US/IOA Annual passholder discounts beat AAA (although no credit towards frequent Loews credits) And the good news on that is....... there is a deal right now for a 2 year AP for the price of one (179 and tax for a 2 year premium AP, compared to WDW's 350 for 1 year) also only ONE of you needs to have the AP to get the discount...



Just wanted to add that, certainly when checking rates for October, the AAA discount is much better than that offered to PAP holders.

[damo]

We've gotten some excellent prices on rooms with AAA and APH. We've gotten a deluxe room at HRH (two queen beds and a full pullout couch) for $129. Of course, this was in off season.

I still find that even with fastpass at Disney, if you go during peak times you will wait. We spent a day at AKL in mid March this year and left after 3 hours because we could not stand the crowds and the huge lines. We managed to get one fast pass and still waited at least half an hour in the fast pass line. We rode Everest Twice, Kali River once and Dinosaur once. That was it for our three hours and that was using fastpass and arriving before the park opened. By the time we were able to get another fastpass, it wouldn't have been able to have been used until much later and all of the regular lines were well over an hour wait. So really, fastpass was useless. The line to get a fastpass at Everest was about 10 minutes!!! So for one day's admission, we rode 4 rides. Everest was fun though and I don't it. Oh and my son rode Primevil Whirl.


We tend to hit the amusement parks like Six Flags and Cedar Fair and Paramount during peak times (because they are closed otherwise) and know that we will be waiting in line forever.

However, last year at Disneyland they had unlimited fastpasses if you booked your rooms through AAA. This meant that you didn't have to wait until one fastpass was used before you could get another. The only problem with this was that you still had to go first thing in the morning because fastpasses were all handed out by noon.

[lindalinda]

If I were you I think I would consider the buy 1 AP, price and book 2 rooms.(prob. book AAA, then switch to AP rate) Several ppl have gotten them in the 129-149 range. (not in the middle of the summer tho) You make a gamble when you do that, that the price will drop before you go. My rate for a double queen club room never dropped, however if I had been in a double queen (without club) it would have been available at 149 duting my dates (mid June) Of course if you can book a non-peak time it would be best.


I have never ridden anything over and over, that does seem a little over the top. But I'm sure the adolescents do it and I'm sure they do it in a kind of "in your face " way. I will talk to my boys and tell them not to do this.


IN reference to the fast-pass system at disney that everyone thinks is perfect. I read a post from the trip reports board that said the space mountain stand-by line kind of went into some sort of "mob mentality" revolt and a huge section of the line tried to break thru and force themselves into the fastpass line. The CM apparently had to scream and get really ugly in order to try to control the line. ( :confused3 I'm guessing this must have been a displaced Universal crowd that got lost or something right?)

Anyway, I understand the bigger family woes, even with 5 its difficult. None of the packages ever price out to a bargain unless you fit into the 2 adults 2 kids between 3-9 catagory. I wish the companies would realize there are lots of families that would appreciate a break that have more than 2 kids!

Good Luck, I hope you can come up with a solution that works for you. Possibly even just staying at an inexpensive hotel off-site, and then taking the full 5 days that the discount tickets allow now, and just going early and leaving when the lines get long so you dont get stressed. You can see everything several times by doing that and just staying maybe 3 hours each day.

:hippie:

[flatline]

and we live in a house below our means in order to be able to stay onsite.


those are interesting priorities.

[vellamint]

those are interesting priorities.


:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :lmao:

Sorry but I just spit my drink out on the monitor....did not catch this in that post......I guess my problems will work themselves out.

[Laurabearz]

those are interesting priorities.
On the surface maybe... but I suppose we also live in a house below our means, we dress below our means (HUGE Super target fan here), and there fore have more spendable income for other things. We choose Vacationis. Some of our friends have The house, the clothes, the cars, all above there means, are they are the one's that are always complaining about never having money....


Anyway, I thought I would share the Woodfin suite hotels with the OP. None near WDW or US/IOA but they have one in Tampa and other -odd- areas across the country. They have 2 bedroom suites that will accomidate your family nicely. Nothing fancy, not well known, chain of suite hotels. Boring, but roomy. But they are one chaint that can put all of us in ONE ROOM! (and the price is right!)

[flatline]

On the surface maybe... but I suppose we also live in a house below our means, we dress below our means (HUGE Super target fan here), and there fore have more spendable income for other things. We choose Vacationis. Some of our friends have The house, the clothes, the cars, all above there means, are they are the one's that are always complaining about never having money....


there's nothing wrong with savings and discretionary income. we were spending way too much each year to vacation in Florida. it made more sense to just move here.

the OP raises a very valid point, and she's looking for a little more help rather than 'save up for staying onsite' the removal of the free EP's reaches a little deeper when you have a family on vacation.

we have friends that visit us that usually buy the 5 park flextickets. they have no desire to visit Universal this year because of this factor. they'd rather do Seaworld, Busch Gardens, a day or two at WDW, and the beach.

[Sleepy]

the OP raises a very valid point, and she's looking for a little more help rather than 'save up for staying onsite' the removal of the free EP's reaches a little deeper when you have a family on vacation.

It's a matter of budget. If you absolutely have to have the Express pass option and can't afford to spend anymore than what you have in your budget, then the only option is to decrease your spending in other areas. Maybe no souvies, no sodas, no sit down meals, get a cheaper hotel, eat sandwiches in your room to decrease food money, go the parks fewer days. It has to come from somewhere. :confused3 The bottom line is the removal of Express pass doesn't increase the cost of your daily admission. Standing in a long line has always been free. It still is. With the deal you can get online for park tickets, you pay for 2 days and get 3 free. That would motivate people to come to the parks those extra days they might not have if they only got 2 days for that price. After 2 days, the extra days in the park cost nothing, so in essence, if you buy the Express pass booklet just one day, it is like paying regular admission for a day in the park. Bonus is you don't wait in that long line. JUst another way to look at it in a better light.

[lindalinda]

On the surface maybe... but I suppose we also live in a house below our means, we dress below our means (HUGE Super target fan here), and there fore have more spendable income for other things. We choose Vacationis. Some of our friends have The house, the clothes, the cars, all above there means, are they are the one's that are always complaining about never having money....


This is pretty much exactly what I was thinking...I dont spend money on clothes. I dont drive an expensive car. I dont go out to dinner during the year much. I love vacations. I love to plan them. I love to research the best possible way to do them. I like to find new experiences for me and the kids. Thats how I decide to spend my money. But no one else has to if they dont want to. I always try to get friends to join us on vacation, but its usually very difficult because of the expense. So I take along their kids instead. Dont get me wrong, I do budget vacations too. I have found some very nice little mom-n-pop motels on the beach and have done those trips for almost nothing (comparatively speaking). Its just a matter of finding what fits for your personal circumstances. Kids are usually just glad to be going, and if you are good with it , they will be.

:hippie:

[goofy!]

Doing away with free express pass which worked fine when I was there two years ago is just another nail in the coffin of a dying USO. They seriously need to rethink thier strategy on this. It's just another way for them to attempt to fill $300 a night rooms. Well, I can assure you they won't be filling them with our family. It is a shame, because these parks were very enjoyable in thier day.

Family of 5 here - 2 teens over the 3-9 range and one 9 year old.

We have NEVER paid $300.00 for a room. And we usually go during relatively peak times.

Most we have ever paid was last July - PBH Villa suite - (platinum upgrade) - $249.00/night - booked through the stay 4 days, get 20% off internet special.

Other rates we have received...
Week before Christmas -APH rate for RPR $129.00/night and $149 for the weekend nights. Free parking and a bunch of free coupons for free drinks, etc.

1st week of August -RPR - APH rate- we always stay at least 1 week the first week of August and it has never been more than $179.00 per night.

We are booked for Thankgiving right now at PBH Portofino suite (Platinum) for $299.99 night - kids eat/stay/play free. We are bringing my young neices so we will be able to use the kids passes for them.

The discounts are out there, you just need to be vigilant in checking for them.

[AlexandNessa]

Originally Posted by AlexandNessa
and we live in a house below our means in order to be able to stay onsite.

those are interesting priorities.


:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :lmao:

Sorry but I just spit my drink out on the monitor....did not catch this in that post......I guess my problems will work themselves out.

Wow. Interesting priorities to you? Funny to you? :confused3

Sorry, to each their own...us included. I suppose I don't see what is so ROTL funny or interesting about not being house poor and having a mortgage that is much less than our annual salaries and will be paid off by the time we are 42. "Below our means" does not equal "poor house that is ready to be condemned." Could we easily afford a bigger or more expensive home? Sure, but we choose not to as we have other priorities, one of which is taking a lot of vacations.


Glad you find our living situation so amusing....

[AlexandNessa]

Just wanted to add that, certainly when checking rates for October, the AAA discount is much better than that offered to PAP holders.


It is now, but do another check as your dates get closer (August time frame, give or take a week or two). You might find AP specials released at a later date. Back in January, the AAA rates for our May stay were cheaper than the AP rate, but I think some time in February or March (sorry can't remember), we saved about $150 over 5 days by switching to AP. We would have saved more had we not stayed club level. :)

[love the sun]

FOTL - first timers

We will be first time visitors to USO and IOA in three weeks. I specifically stayed on the property for FOTL access, but the hotel room rates we got (through AAA) were very reasonable compared to area hotels. We are doing 3 nights at the HRH ($229 each night) and 3 nights at the RPH ($130 each night).

[vellamint]

Originally Posted by AlexandNessa
and we live in a house below our means in order to be able to stay onsite.






Wow. Interesting priorities to you? Funny to you? :confused3

Sorry, to each their own...us included. I suppose I don't see what is so ROTL funny or interesting about not being house poor and having a mortgage that is much less than our annual salaries and will be paid off by the time we are 42. "Below our means" does not equal "poor house that is ready to be condemned." Could we easily afford a bigger or more expensive home? Sure, but we choose not to as we have other priorities, one of which is taking a lot of vacations.


Glad you find our living situation so amusing....


You are right...I was rude...please accept my apology as it is not my right to decide on how anyone but me spends their life or their money....

[kimberh]

We have 3 children and then had to raise a nephew through the age of 13-18 so I had 3 teenages at one time. There was no way that I was going to put them in a separate room that I didn't have access to. We ended up buying a reasonable timeshare in Tennessee and I have traded it all over the world. That was in 1990 and we have really got our money out of that. But it's like the op said, we had money for the rooms but there are other things to consider. We are leaving Sunday for Universal and I bought an AP to get the discount of $129.00 for RPH so that I will have fotl passes. I just can't stand in all those lines anymore. I checked into buying the passes and staying in a timeshare but I did not feel it was worth the difference, once I received the AP discount on the RPH. In Apr, we were originally coming and I had a beautiful timeshare resort booked but the fotl passes were at peak prices and it made for a expensive day and the pass doesn't work the same as the hotel guest pass does. It was for one fotl per attraction so there would not be any over and over. Maybe change the time of the year that you are coming so that the crowd is not so heavy, the passes are cheaper at offpeak times.

:tinker: :tinker: :tinker:

[tarheelmjfan]

those are interesting priorities.


It depends on how you see things. Vacations are a high priority for our family. We too have both our vehicles paid for, & have no plans to buy a new one. We have a good size home. I suppose we could go bigger, but have no interest in doing so. It drives me crazy, when people comment on how often we travel. They have 2 or 3 new vehicles that they're paying for & insuring. A larger home that they can't realistically afford. Plus, they eat out & go to movies, etc. all the time. Then they want to know how we travel so often, & want me to feel sorry for them because they can't. :confused3 Sometimes, I'd like to tell them why they have no extra money for vacation, but they still wouldn't get it. If people choose to have that many bills, that's their business. Thankfully, I'm not paying them. :teeth: I do wish they would quit with the woe is me gripe.

[EBONYPRINCESS]

Well, I can't see myself paying 200 or 300 a night to stay anywhere unless I am going to see some real celebs, and I don't mean Shrek, Mickie Mouse, or Scooby Doo. I better see Usher or Mariah Carey! :rotfl:
I teach school and after nine months of working with children :teacher: which I enjoy by the way, I want and need me some personal space. Everyone here must decide where they can cut back or bump up to get their vacation on... :cool1:
I am just not willing to drive an old car, stop eating out, and not dress fabulous to do it... :car:

No judgement on those who are willing to make this sacrifice. :thumbsup2

I personally think that US is punishing people who don't deserve to be punished because they can't afford to or choose not to stay at their costly hotels. For their kind of money, I expect a condo rental not a suite. :sad2:

[damo]

Well, I can't see myself paying 200 or 300 a night to stay anywhere unless I am going to see some real celebs, and I don't mean Shrek, Mickie Mouse, or Scooby Doo. I better see Usher or Mariah Carey! :rotfl:
I teach school and after nine months of working with children :teacher: which I enjoy by the way, I want and need me some personal space. Everyone here must decide where they can cut back or bump up to get their vacation on... :cool1:
I am just not willing to drive an old car, stop eating out, and not dress fabulous to do it... :car:

No judgement on those who are willing to make this sacrifice. :thumbsup2

I personally think that US is punishing people who don't deserve to be punished because they can't afford to or choose not to stay at their costly hotels. For their kind of money, I expect a condo rental not a suite. :sad2:

:confused3 The moderate and deluxe hotels (not suites) at Disney are just as and more expensive than the Universal hotels and you really get nothing for your money other than early entry on select days. Staying off-site at some of the neighbouring Universal hotels is not much different than staying on-site at the budget Disney hotels. There are many close off-site hotels available to fit the need. If Universal was to offer $79/night hotels, there is no way that they would offer unlimited Express Passes with them. So really, what is the point?

[Jimemo]

At Universal, people complain that they should be like Disney and only give free ones, at Disney, people complain that they should be like Universal and only sell them. What's that saying? You can't make 100% of the people happy 50% of the time...? I've never been good at witty phrases... aaaanyway.

IMO, Disney has made the right decision so far by only giving out free fastpasses. Universal Express system is unorganized and crazy. With no set times, there are random times in the day when the Express line will shoot up to crazy times. much worse than anything at Disney. (ie: at MiB, 90 minutes standby, 45 minute Express) They say there are a limited number of express passes sold a day, but 90%, the people in charge will give the thumbs up to sell more.

I don't remember where I was going with is, lol.

I think it had something to do with that IMO, Fastpass and Express should be deleted. forever. It seems more of a pain than actually helping people most of the time.

[tarheelmjfan]

I am just not willing to drive an old car, stop eating out, and not dress fabulous to do it... :car:

No judgement on those who are willing to make this sacrifice. :thumbsup2

I personally think that US is punishing people who don't deserve to be punished because they can't afford to or choose not to stay at their costly hotels. For their kind of money, I expect a condo rental not a suite. :sad2:

See, that just doesn't add up. Some people are willing to make sacrifices for what is important to them & some people are supposed to have it all? :confused3 If you're not willing to sacrifice in other areas, you shouldn't expect the same experience as those who choose to spend more of their money on vacations. I too will not judge those who make different choices than I, but I do think it's a little too much to say they should be able to spend their money on a daily basis & still get a similar experience as I've saved for. If a person chooses to save their money to stay at one of UO's resorts, they deserve an experience that is equal to what they're paying. Everyone makes choices in their life. They should be willing to accept whatever consequences those choices bring.

[tarheelmjfan]

IMO, Disney has made the right decision so far by only giving out free fastpasses.


I depends on how you look at it, but IMO WDW doesn't really give out free fastpasses. Have you priced a 5 day park hopper at WDW vs. the same at UO? The fastpasses definitely aren't free. :sad2: WDW also has a perk that is only available to their hotel guests & noone seems to have a problem with that. :confused3 You can't even buy the extra hours, if you wanted to. Personally, I think they're both making sound business decisions to fill their resorts.

[limabeanmom2003]

Here's my 2 cents: We are going to Universal this year instead of Disney because of the great ticket prices. We got the 5 day pass for adults for $100 each and the kids are free. The same 5 day passes at Disney would cost $199 for an adult and $162 for a child (base ticket prices, and yes I realize that there are more parks at disney, but I am just looking at the number of days you get). Now, Disney has fast pass. Since i am not staying on site at Universal and refuse to pay to get one, I do not get to use FOTL and therefore have to wait in line longer than I would if I was at Disney and could use fastpass. So, we'll get there early and relax back at the hotel in the afternoon and then return to the parks in the evening. Plus, normally we would only do 2 days at universal (one day at each park). This way, I have 5 days to see the parks, so I don't have to try and see everything at each park in one day. In other words, since i have to wait in line longer without the FOTL, it will take me longer to see all the attractions. I think we can get to everything in 5 days. So, at the end of the vacation, I have more $ in my pocket than if I did Disney, and I got to see everything at universal over 5 days. Not bad for me!

[blackjackdelta]

Never been to WDW, the kids will never fly. We are also a family of 6. Two in college and two in high school. Trying to find a reasonable room(s) is sometimes impossible and because we have ethics, we will not lie and say there are less.
We go to USH and we do buy the FOTL. We ride the rides to our enjoyment and who really gives a rats who is in the other line. We save every nickle we can for a once a year vacation. I work out of the country most of every year, so when we go it is the best time we can afford. We drive 2600 miles to take that vacation. 40 bucks x 6 to me is not eating out x 6...I understand!!!!

Have fun with the family,

Jack pirate:

[macraven]

what a nice thread here even if people differ on their opinions.

some of the debate type of threads in the community board would have had this thread closed if it had opened over there.


the nice thing about the universal threads, we all get along when we post.
and if there is an oops , and some toes stepped on, the posters rectify it.

[jchop]

I wish I would have found this thread a month ago!

I'm new here and on our last full day of our 10 day vacation (2 travel, 8 park days).

I'm not here to bash Universal but I can honestly say that after our horrible experience yesterday - we won't be returning.

Unfortunately, I did not do my homework. The last I read, US had something similar to WDW Fastpass. We decided that with 8 days we should check out US. Spent roughly $200 on 4 tickets (2 adults 2 kids free) and now have to consider that an expensive lesson to learn. We were at the park at opening and there were still horrendous lines. We have been utterly spoiled with WDW Fastpass. At DW we have never stood in line more than 15 minutes using FP. Without FP - 25 minutes has been our longest wait.
When we realized that US did not have the Express Pass (the free one) anymore - we considered upgrading to the Universal Express - then we read the fine print that said we can only use it once per ride. That's simply ridiculous.
We spent 5 hours in the heat at Universal and we were not impressed with the rides we were able to get on. To add insult, the few employees we did come in contact with were very rude.
We left Universal with a very bad feeling - our kids asking when we were going to get to ride this and that - with the lines all over an hours wait. Never again. I'm so sorry we spent any money there.
The best experience I had at Universal was when I gave my double-stroller to a young family as we were exiting the park - the look on her face was priceless.

While we enjoy staying on-site at WDW, it was prohibitive for us to do so this time considering the alternate choices. For this trip we booked a LOVELY new condo very close to Animal Kingdom - 7 minutes from parking lot to parking lot (I timed it twice). With 1400 sq. ft, full W/D, full kitchen, flat-screen tv and high-speed internet - all for $99/night. This condo is decorated completely Disney. We have truly enjoyed all the space - with kids it has been heaven.

Thanks to all for all the info on this board!

[macraven]

you joined the dis june 4.
today is june 5



of all the threads and forums, you chose to make your first post here.

i see that a lot where the first post someone makes is to compare disney to universal.

:rolleyes1

[damo]

I wish I would have found this thread a month ago!

I'm new here and on our last full day of our 10 day vacation (2 travel, 8 park days).

I'm not here to bash Universal but I can honestly say that after our horrible experience yesterday - we won't be returning.

Unfortunately, I did not do my homework. The last I read, US had something similar to WDW Fastpass. We decided that with 8 days we should check out US. Spent roughly $200 on 4 tickets (2 adults 2 kids free) and now have to consider that an expensive lesson to learn. We were at the park at opening and there were still horrendous lines. We have been utterly spoiled with WDW Fastpass. At DW we have never stood in line more than 15 minutes using FP. Without FP - 25 minutes has been our longest wait.
When we realized that US did not have the Express Pass (the free one) anymore - we considered upgrading to the Universal Express - then we read the fine print that said we can only use it once per ride. That's simply ridiculous.
We spent 5 hours in the heat at Universal and we were not impressed with the rides we were able to get on. To add insult, the few employees we did come in contact with were very rude.
We left Universal with a very bad feeling - our kids asking when we were going to get to ride this and that - with the lines all over an hours wait. Never again. I'm so sorry we spent any money there.
The best experience I had at Universal was when I gave my double-stroller to a young family as we were exiting the park - the look on her face was priceless.

While we enjoy staying on-site at WDW, it was prohibitive for us to do so this time considering the alternate choices. For this trip we booked a LOVELY new condo very close to Animal Kingdom - 7 minutes from parking lot to parking lot (I timed it twice). With 1400 sq. ft, full W/D, full kitchen, flat-screen tv and high-speed internet - all for $99/night. This condo is decorated completely Disney. We have truly enjoyed all the space - with kids it has been heaven.

Thanks to all for all the info on this board!

My suggestion would be with the five days of use that your tickets gave you, you should have tried Universal on a day other than the weekend. Another option would be to just do early mornings for several days. That's the great part about getting 5 days of park entrance for 4 people for $200, you aren't limited to just the weekend when lines are bound to be long and you also don't need to do the park commando style since you can return several times. Also, do the most popular rides immediately upon entrance and then leave the shows and less popular rides until later.

Your condo sounds lovely!!!

[blackjackdelta]

It would be nice if they did something like that out here on the west coast. The kids are working hard to save the $$$ for the VIP tour. The lines are long and the days very hot in August. Since you get FOTL passes, back stage tours of a number of shows along with pics with the players, and the treats and drinks in the VIP lounge, they made that their priority for this next trip to Cali.

Have a great day,

Jack pirate:

[flatline]

We were at the park at opening and there were still horrendous lines.
We spent 5 hours in the heat at Universal and we were not impressed with the rides we were able to get on. To add insult, the few employees we did come in contact with were very rude.
We left Universal with a very bad feeling - our kids asking when we were going to get to ride this and that - with the lines all over an hours wait.

we were at IOA at about 9:15 yesterday. 5 minutes for Doom and Spidey, the hulk was 20. we backtracked through Seuss Landing to DD which was 5 minutes, as was JPRA. Ripsaw was 30. we circled the park one more time at had lunch, then went to US at about 1:00. walked into T2 and Twister. ROTM was 30, as was Jaws. MIB was 75, but even the EP line was a 30 minue wait. BTTF was 20, and when we left for dinner at Marg'ville about 5:30, Jimmy and Shrek were both 20 minutes.

we never came into contact with any rude TM's. same day, same parks, two vastly different experiences.

[G&J's Mom]

we never came into contact with any rude TM's. same day, same parks, two vastly different experiences.


I agree, different experience here as well. We were in IOA yesterday, the last day of our 6 day trip. Not once did we run into rude TM's our whole trip. Once again, our trip was awesome! However, we did run into teen tour groups, not sure who they were, but they had matching tee shirts that were a little rough. While standing in a line, DD 6 was literally run over and knocked down by a group cutting in front of us in a food line. When I pushed them and yelled at them trying to get her up, before she was stomped on, they just glared at me and laughed. Any clue who these groups were??? We had a couple of unpleasant run ins with them, but only yesterday.

Denise

[momof3disneyholics]

Family of 5 here - 2 teens over the 3-9 range and one 9 year old.

We have NEVER paid $300.00 for a room. And we usually go during relatively peak times.


The only time I have ever paid $300.00 a night for a room was when I stayed onsite at Disney.

[Laurabearz]

you joined the dis june 4.
today is june 5



of all the threads and forums, you chose to make your first post here.

i see that a lot where the first post someone makes is to compare disney to universal.

:rolleyes1


:lmao:

We were at both WDW and US/IOA during Christmas break and there was never really any lines for anything at US/IOA until almost noon, and we were there on the weekEND during Chirstmas break....(and we joked about not needing the FOTL access we had, since we stay at HRH, since early in the mornings we rode all we wanted to for the most part) Mid week WDW every park was packed before 9 am.

But getting back to the OP issue... it seems it is more of an issue of US/IOA 3 hotels not being as 'big family' freindly as WDW, which is true to some extent. They do not offer as many standard/cheap connection rooms as WDW and they dont offer Value resorts at all. All three of US/IOA hotels are on the deluxe level... I suppose if they aquire more land, like WDW has, then they could offer more choices in hotels like WDW, but I dont see that happening anytime soon.

But, again, deals can be found, via AAA or AP discounts and I am happy that the OP now knows more options for booking onsite at US/IOA.

[momof3disneyholics]

Unfortunately, I did not do my homework. The last I read, US had something similar to WDW Fastpass. We decided that with 8 days we should check out US. Spent roughly $200 on 4 tickets (2 adults 2 kids free) and now have to consider that an expensive lesson to learn.


Unfortunately, you didn't do your homework. Do you realize how cheap those 5 day tickets to Universal were in comparison to Disney tickets. If you had bought 5 day tickets to Disney World, according to their website, it would have cost you $866.00 for 2 adults and 2 kids. You could have bought Express Plus passes for all 5 days and not equaled to that much.
If you had just bought one day park hoppers to Disney it would have still cost you $390.00 for 2 adults and 2 kids.
I'm sorry, but I just can't see how you can be calling Universal an "expensive lesson" considering how cheap it is to get in there in comparison to Disney.

[momof3disneyholics]

At DW we have never stood in line more than 15 minutes using FP. Without FP - 25 minutes has been our longest wait.



Obviously, you have never tried to stand in line for Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear. :rotfl2:

[flatline]

Obviously, you have never tried to stand in line for Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear. :rotfl2:

I saw 90 for Splash Mountain a couple of weeks ago. ;)

[Sleepy]

Anyone remember how long the lines were when there was just a Magic Kingdom and then again when they added Epcot? They did not have Fastpass back then. Those lines were terrible. Even standby today at Universal/IOA is nothing compared to back then at MK/Epcot.

[jchop]

Obviously, you have never tried to stand in line for Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear. :rotfl2:

Actually, we did stand in line for Space Mountain - it was our first ride of the day on our first of 3 visits to MK this trip. We stood in line for 14 minutes before being directed to the staging area to board (row 3!).

We had FP's for Buzz and were on the loader in less than 10 minutes. Did this twice - once mid-morning and once early evening.

[jchop]

you joined the dis june 4.
today is june 5



of all the threads and forums, you chose to make your first post here.

i see that a lot where the first post someone makes is to compare disney to universal.

:rolleyes1

Nice observation.

I chose thread as my first post because it pertained specifically to what I was looking up - information about US and other experiences. Clearly there are people that enjoy US. The park wouldn't exist without customers.

[jchop]

My suggestion would be with the five days of use that your tickets gave you, you should have tried Universal on a day other than the weekend. Another option would be to just do early mornings for several days. That's the great part about getting 5 days of park entrance for 4 people for $200, you aren't limited to just the weekend when lines are bound to be long and you also don't need to do the park commando style since you can return several times. Also, do the most popular rides immediately upon entrance and then leave the shows and less popular rides until later.

Your condo sounds lovely!!!

Thanks for your constructive and polite suggestion - it sounds right on.

In retrospect - we should not have even attempted to pack so much into 8 days. So many factors contribute to experiences - fatigue, heat, crowds, lack of preparation, etc.. All these came into play on our Universal day.

Our condo is lovely and we will return!

THanks again.

[jchop]

Unfortunately, you didn't do your homework. Do you realize how cheap those 5 day tickets to Universal were in comparison to Disney tickets. If you had bought 5 day tickets to Disney World, according to their website, it would have cost you $866.00 for 2 adults and 2 kids. You could have bought Express Plus passes for all 5 days and not equaled to that much.
If you had just bought one day park hoppers to Disney it would have still cost you $390.00 for 2 adults and 2 kids.
I'm sorry, but I just can't see how you can be calling Universal an "expensive lesson" considering how cheap it is to get in there in comparison to Disney.


Hmmmm............looking for receipts.........

My husband purchased our tickets on the day we arrived from Maple Leaf Travel. He paid roughly $1300 for 10 day Park Hopper and More Passes for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Let me clarify - when I said I didn't do my homework I was referring to the line management at US.

[jchop]

Referring to the response from momo'3dh comparing the cost of WDW v US........

Yes, $200 for 4 people for 5 days would have been a great deal if we intended on visiting for 5 day. We alloted 2 days to check-out the US/IOA parks..........and went only once. An expensive lesson. No biggie - live and learn.

[damo]

Thanks for your constructive and polite suggestion - it sounds right on.

In retrospect - we should not have even attempted to pack so much into 8 days. So many factors contribute to experiences - fatigue, heat, crowds, lack of preparation, etc.. All these came into play on our Universal day.

Our condo is lovely and we will return!

THanks again.

Universal is a wonderful place. It sounds like you just hit it at on a bad day. We did AK in mid March and had a very similar experience to your Universal experience and we left in 3 hours saying we would never return. I know we will change our minds and that AK really isn't as bad as we experienced and that we just hit it at a really bad time.

We get so many people come on this board just to post how much they hate Universal and how much better Disney is. Sorry if you felt jumped on but we are starting to get defensive on this board because we get so many trolls just trying to annoy us. I don't think that was your intent but unfortunately you just got lumped in with those rabble rousers.

Please hang around and learn the tricks and try the parks again. You may be very pleasantly surprised. I think you still have a day left on your tickets, hang on to them!!!

[macraven]

Nice observation.

I chose thread as my first post because it pertained specifically to what I was looking up - information about US and other experiences. Clearly there are people that enjoy US. The park wouldn't exist without customers.




just to fill you in.
back in the winter from late january to early march, we had quite a few come to the universal boards to rag on it. some threads became vicious.
it ended up with banning forever for some of the posters.

they would try to come back with a different screen name, make a statement and get removed again. one poster had all of his posts removed from the boards.

when i see someone come to the universal forums, i remember how bad it was in the winter time here. especially if it is one of their first posts.

we love universal and we love disney. its just that we don't feel we have to compete and try to convince the disneyites that universal is better on these threads.

these forums are very unlike the community board threads. no one here does name calling, harassing or private pm's to others that are negative and profane.

many of us do have different opinions but it is done without any issues or incidents.

that is the reasoning behind what i posted in reply to your first comment.

you are more than welcome to join us and if we can help you, we would be thrilled and honored to do so.

next trip you take, post a question in the forums and ask for advice on planning the trip to avoid crowds. or whatever you would like to know from the ones here that are repeat customers of universal.

[jchop]

just to fill you in.
back in the winter from late january to early march, we had quite a few come to the universal boards to rag on it. some threads became vicious.
it ended up with banning forever for some of the posters.

they would try to come back with a different screen name, make a statement and get removed again. one poster had all of his posts removed from the boards.

when i see someone come to the universal forums, i remember how bad it was in the winter time here. especially if it is one of their first posts.

we love universal and we love disney. its just that we don't feel we have to compete and try to convince the disneyites that universal is better on these threads.

these forums are very unlike the community board threads. no one here does name calling, harassing or private pm's to others that are negative and profane.

many of us do have different opinions but it is done without any issues or incidents.

that is the reasoning behind what i posted in reply to your first comment.

you are more than welcome to join us and if we can help you, we would be thrilled and honored to do so.

next trip you take, post a question in the forums and ask for advice on planning the trip to avoid crowds. or whatever you would like to know from the ones here that are repeat customers of universal.

I appreciate your suggestions. I will seek the advice of the experts here the next time we plan a trip in the Orlando area.

I truly did not mean to offend anyone - I am not a troll.

I should have waited until I cooled off (literally) before posting something that might be considered offensive by others. Yes, I'm a fan of Disney. I'm a fan of theme parks, rides, sensory experiences (just not the blistering-hot kind) - that's exactly why I thought my family might enjoy checking-out US. The problem was that I did not do the appropriate research before I bought the tickets. My bad. I know that people can have a great time at US if they plan correctly - we just didn't do that. We obviously had an off day.

Now it's back to real life.

[goNDmay9]

I have been on these boards a long time and truly enjoyed our trips to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

I am very unhappy with their taking away Express Passes and do not intend to pay another $40 per person (x6) in order to get onto a ride without a terrible wait.

I guess if I go I will be encountering terrible waits :(

Universal does not offer a family of my size an affordable room. At Disney I have a choice of connecting rooms or a cabin.

I have looked and looked for discounts but NOTHING comes close for us...and no we are not poor.

Now to add insult to injury this is what I find posted elsewhere...

"the best part of staying at a Universal resort is the FOTL access. I remember late one night we did MiB about four times back-to-back-to-back-to-back (you get the idea) and each time we passed the same group of people waiting in the regular peon line. To quote a Mastercard ad, the looks on their faces were priceless. And bypassing a 90-minute wait to get into Shrek by just walking up - it's worth it..."

And

"I agree with everyone else. It's worth it for the FOTL pass as well. The look on peoples face is "priceless" when you pass them again."

I hope that most people would not have this attitude and hate that I have read this here.

I guess I am just venting because if this is what we encounter when we go this summer it will be our last trip there and that is a shame. :( :(

Thanks for listening.


Hey vellamint - we share your pain! My family is also a family of six. The florida law limiting the number of people in a room to 5 always hurts us too. Not to mention - multiplying anything by six results in a big expense! I am the daughter and i have three brothers. We have been going to disney for years! I think the first was when i was two. :lovestruc . We just started going to universal consistently when IOA opened in 99 (i think that is when it was).

If you are looking to stay onsite - i have found that some times it is cheaper to get two rooms then it is to get a suite. For instance, we are going in June and for the times that we are staying, it was cheaper to get two adjoining rooms. We also get the Annual pass and try and make sure to come back a week or so earlier the next year so we get two years out of it. On top of that, our renewals cost a little more than a 2 day 2 park pass! This saves a little on the admission (spread out over two years) and some on the hotel.

Also - because the rooms are expensive, you could always stay in an offsite hotel for the last night and only pay for one night onsite. Remember that you can use your FOTL on the day that you check out as well! That accounts for two days of FOTL for one night of hotel costs.

For my family, we love FOTL. That is precisely why we keep coming back to Universal. For the cost, we personally feel it is worth it b/c we can ride what we want -and use the remaining time for relaxing at the resort - which we are paying for anyway. Since most of us are adults now - baby brother turning 19 this june - we are no longer the get up early and race to the parks crowd! By the time we hit disney, the fastpasses are almost if not already gone. By the time we hit universal, their express passes were gone as well. So the benefit to us may be greater than it is to other families.

Remember that we are all getting spoiled! We forget that there were MANY years where we spent hours upon hours in line. Money is what keeps the parks in business and if they find people who will pay for FOTL - they are going to take it. I would not take those comments about the "priceless looks" personal. I think that there were times when my family was shocked at the number of times you could "wrap" the people in the main line. I think that was just their way of justifying the cost and was in no way meant to slam or "nanny nanny boo boo" the people that either could not afford or did not find the cost benefit worthwhile.

Good luck! I am here for you too! Oh - and get a lowes card. After a certain number of stays I think you can updgrade to a suite for 35 dollars. Of course they say that if you stay with a Annual Pass Rate you do not get the benefits - but sometimes they give it to you anyway! :)

[vellamint]

Hey vellamint - we share your pain! My family is also a family of six. The florida law limiting the number of people in a room to 5 always hurts us too. Not to mention - multiplying anything by six results in a big expense! I am the daughter and i have three brothers. We have been going to disney for years! I think the first was when i was two. :lovestruc . We just started going to universal consistently when IOA opened in 99 (i think that is when it was).

If you are looking to stay onsite - i have found that some times it is cheaper to get two rooms then it is to get a suite. For instance, we are going in June and for the times that we are staying, it was cheaper to get two adjoining rooms. We also get the Annual pass and try and make sure to come back a week or so earlier the next year so we get two years out of it. On top of that, our renewals cost a little more than a 2 day 2 park pass! This saves a little on the admission (spread out over two years) and some on the hotel.

Also - because the rooms are expensive, you could always stay in an offsite hotel for the last night and only pay for one night onsite. Remember that you can use your FOTL on the day that you check out as well! That accounts for two days of FOTL for one night of hotel costs.

For my family, we love FOTL. That is precisely why we keep coming back to Universal. For the cost, we personally feel it is worth it b/c we can ride what we want -and use the remaining time for relaxing at the resort - which we are paying for anyway. Since most of us are adults now - baby brother turning 19 this june - we are no longer the get up early and race to the parks crowd! By the time we hit disney, the fastpasses are almost if not already gone. By the time we hit universal, their express passes were gone as well. So the benefit to us may be greater than it is to other families.

Remember that we are all getting spoiled! We forget that there were MANY years where we spent hours upon hours in line. Money is what keeps the parks in business and if they find people who will pay for FOTL - they are going to take it. I would not take those comments about the "priceless looks" personal. I think that there were times when my family was shocked at the number of times you could "wrap" the people in the main line. I think that was just their way of justifying the cost and was in no way meant to slam or "nanny nanny boo boo" the people that either could not afford or did not find the cost benefit worthwhile.

Good luck! I am here for you too! Oh - and get a lowes card. After a certain number of stays I think you can updgrade to a suite for 35 dollars. Of course they say that if you stay with a Annual Pass Rate you do not get the benefits - but sometimes they give it to you anyway! :)


What a nice answer for me......thank you for your input :goodvibes :goodvibes

Any chance you would be able to give me a "guestimate" on how much a room would be with an AP? Does an AP give the best discount out there? Maybe that would be the way to go?.......

[goNDmay9]

What a nice answer for me......thank you for your input :goodvibes :goodvibes

Any chance you would be able to give me a "guestimate" on how much a room would be with an AP? Does an AP give the best discount out there? Maybe that would be the way to go?.......

It is a toss up. I think it differs on availability. Always try both AAA and annual pass. If it is the same - pick the AAA so you can be guaranteed of your benefits.

Ok - i checked for you for the times that we are going to be there. I check the most affordable onsite hotel - royal pacific. 229 is the normal room, 206 is the annual pass and drum roll please.....183.20 for AAA. I know that is still a lot but it gets it a little closer. well 45 dollars a night difference.


http://www.loews-first.com/Loewsfirst.asp - sign up for loews if you have not.

you can always check the website to see the differences in price. Put APH for annual pass in the promotional code box and AAA for the AAA discount.

I will log on from home. gotta run to beat traffic. we will get you in FOTL if i have anything to do with it. !! :bounce:

[macraven]

i just received a pm from a fellow diser.

you know how many are not pleased with express costing now.

i read the pm that stated disney will be making changes on their free fast pass system.



won't that be some thread ............... :teeth:


don't know what truth is in that but it was interesting to me. if disney changes their policies to fast pass for resort guests only, i bet there will more of a discussion on that then the fotl threads.

[goNDmay9]

i just received a pm from a fellow diser.

you know how many are not pleased with express costing now.

i read the pm that stated disney will be making changes on their free fast pass system.



won't that be some thread ............... :teeth:


don't know what truth is in that but it was interesting to me. if disney changes their policies to fast pass for resort guests only, i bet there will more of a discussion on that then the fotl threads.

That would be interesting!!!! YIKES.

[tarheelmjfan]

i just received a pm from a fellow diser.

you know how many are not pleased with express costing now.

i read the pm that stated disney will be making changes on their free fast pass system.



won't that be some thread ............... :teeth:


don't know what truth is in that but it was interesting to me. if disney changes their policies to fast pass for resort guests only, i bet there will more of a discussion on that then the fotl threads.

Wow, that would get some serious backlash. :rolleyes1 If this comes to fruition, I wonder if they'll sell a FP booklet like UO does. It would be a little harder to justify paying for FP, when you've already had to pay so much for the tickets. :sad2:

[Suzan]

[QUOTE=Laurabearz]On the surface maybe... but I suppose we also live in a house below our means, we dress below our means (HUGE Super target fan here), and there fore have more spendable income for other things. We choose Vacationis. Some of our friends have The house, the clothes, the cars, all above there means, are they are the one's that are always complaining about never having money....




Laura,
We are the same way. My husband and I both drive 1996 model vehicles, live in an average home and I never buy any clothes at "rack" price, always on sale. We have been on many costly vacations every year since our son turned 4, he is now 13. We pay for all of them before we go or in the 6 month period that our Disney Visa gives us. We would not trade a fancy home, new car or "namebrand" clothes for any of the wonderful memories and times we have shared. After all, cars and clothes wear out, a home is what you make it no matter how fancy but our memories will last forever.
That is our "priority".