Confused about express pass?

[TinkB278]

We’re planning on using our DVC points to stay at Disney but won’t be entering the parks due to the AP not being available so we decided to try universal for the day! Since we will only be there for one day (is 1 day enough time?) I want the express pass.

I went to universals site to buy tickets but I’m so confused. Do I need to add my theme park ticket to the cart AND the express pass? Or does the express pass include park admission? It seems to be SUPER EXPENSIVE to buy a one day ticket with express pass. Their website is not the most user friendly, I have no idea what I’m doing.

 

[Schilltastic4]

Express pass is an additional purchase on top of the price of admission.

 

[TinkB278]

Express pass is an additional purchase on top of the price of admission.

So I need to add both the park ticket and then the express pass to my cart?

 

[abnihon]

Yep. UT has slightly better prices but not by much. It is super expensive. After seeing EP prices and spring break wait times I was convinced to stay a night on-site at a hotel that includes EP.

 

[TinkB278]

Yep. UT has slightly better prices but not by much. It is super expensive. After seeing EP prices and spring break wait times I was convinced to stay a night on-site at a hotel that includes EP.

I got the same idea so I priced out a package for two nights and it was close to $1500 for two people! Not exactly the cheap trip I’d had in mind.

 

[bchbetha]

Don't look at packages. Buy a la carte. You need tickets and a hotel room. Hard to believe that 1 night of a hotel and 1 day of tickets is coming in at $1500. Is that what you are pricing?
You need to stay at Hard Rock, Portofino or Royal Pacific.

 

[Gizmo74]

Don't look at packages. Buy a la carte. You need tickets and a hotel room. Hard to believe that 1 night of a hotel and 1 day of tickets is coming in at $1500. Is that what you are pricing?
You need to stay at Hard Rock, Portofino or Royal Pacific.

Or just buy the primer annual pass. Come with EP after 4 pm, free parking and discounts on food. We went this week and only hit Universal after 4pm. We went to Disney springs during day.

 

[yaya74]

We’re planning on using our DVC points to stay at Disney but won’t be entering the parks due to the AP not being available so we decided to try universal for the day! Since we will only be there for one day (is 1 day enough time?) I want the express pass.

I went to universals site to buy tickets but I’m so confused. Do I need to add my theme park ticket to the cart AND the express pass? Or does the express pass include park admission? It seems to be SUPER EXPENSIVE to buy a one day ticket with express pass. Their website is not the most user friendly, I have no idea what I’m doing.

Yes, you need to pay for the theme park ticket AND the express pass. A trip to Universal Orlando is EXPENSIVE if you want the express pass but don't want to stay onsite. If say I go in July, the unlimited 2 park express pass would cost $199 per person. There are 4 in my family so it would cost me just $800 for just the unlimited express pass. HOWEVER, if I stay at one of the premier hotel, like Portofino Bay, the room only costs me $520 plus tax and I will receive complimentary unlimited express pass for my entire family. If you only stay one night, you would get 2 days of unlimited express pass.

 

[abnihon]

We’re doing 1 night at Royal Pacific and 1 park day (both parks). Room is $613 and tickets were almost $400. Definitely not a cheap 24 hours!

 

[abnihon]

We’re doing 1 night at Royal Pacific and 1 park day (both parks). Room is $613 and tickets were almost $400. Definitely not a cheap 24 hours!

But cheaper than keeping our room at Pop and buying express pass for $279 each (on top of tickets). These spring break prices are crazy!!!

 

[TinkB278]

Don't look at packages. Buy a la carte. You need tickets and a hotel room. Hard to believe that 1 night of a hotel and 1 day of tickets is coming in at $1500. Is that what you are pricing?
You need to stay at Hard Rock, Portofino or Royal Pacific.

Sorry, this was for 2 nights. I could just buy another 7 day Disney ticket for two of us for that price! I know it’s apples to oranges but it kind of defeats the purpose of us not doing Disney parks this trip lol!

 

[TinkB278]

Yes, you need to pay for the theme park ticket AND the express pass. A trip to Universal Orlando is EXPENSIVE if you want the express pass but don't want to stay onsite. If say I go in July, the unlimited 2 park express pass would cost $199 per person. There are 4 in my family so it would cost me just $800 for just the unlimited express pass. HOWEVER, if I stay at one of the premier hotel, like Portofino Bay, the room only costs me $520 plus tax and I will receive complimentary unlimited express pass for my entire family. If you only stay one night, you would get 2 days of unlimited express pass.

So do you need to buy a two day park pass still despite only staying one night? The EP lasts for two days?

 

[TommyJK]

So do you need to buy a two day park pass still despite only staying one night? The EP lasts for two days?

No. If you only want to go for one day to the parks that is fine. It's just that if you stay for one night at a deluxe resort it gives you for free two days worth of Express Pass (check-in and check-out day), but you still need park tickets which are separate. So if you have one day tickets you will only use EP for that one day with the deluxe resort stay. If you have 2 day tickets then you would be able to have EP for both days that you have tickets for.

 

[TommyJK]

Sorry, this was for 2 nights. I could just buy another 7 day Disney ticket for two of us for that price! I know it’s apples to oranges but it kind of defeats the purpose of us not doing Disney parks this trip lol!

I wouldn't necessarily say it's apples to oranges. It's actually very "apples to apples" if you just look at it in the reverse as well. Doing a 2 night stay at a Disney Deluxe resort with one day park hoppers for the same dates will probably cost you the same as what you are pricing out now for Universal and you could turn around and say you could buy 7 day passes or annual passes for Universal for the same price (or much less probably).

Both Disney and Universal operate the same way. Stay a while with long multi-day tickets and a week at the resorts and the per day cost drops dramatically. But want to come for just a day or two and the price looks outrageous for both.

 

[TinkB278]

I wouldn't necessarily say it's apples to oranges. It's actually very "apples to apples" if you just look at it in the reverse as well. Doing a 2 night stay at a Disney Deluxe resort with one day park hoppers for the same dates will probably cost you the same as what you are pricing out now for Universal and you could turn around and say you could buy 7 day passes or annual passes for Universal for the same price (or much less probably).

Both Disney and Universal operate the same way. Stay a while with long multi-day tickets and a week at the resorts and the per day cost drops dramatically. But want to come for just a day or two and the price looks outrageous for both.

I just mean comparing a week of Disney tickets to a two night universal package is not really comparing two like things.

 

[Magical2017]

That IS expensive! We did not go to Universal during our last Disney trip because one or two days really adds up.

We are going to Universal in May over Memorial Day weekend. We bought 4 day, 3 park, park-to-park tickets through a third party vendor for 3 people and one AP seasonal pass for three parks. We used the AP discount on Portofino Bay and express passes were included. I also priced out Disney for four nights with 4 day passes at a similar hotel on site and for this trip, Universal is the winner. I think a combo Disney/Universal trip is very expensive, at least the way we were trying to do it.

 

[Gentry2004]

I just mean comparing a week of Disney tickets to a two night universal package is not really comparing two like things.

Well you are comparing Universal tickets that including unlimited express pass with a deluxe hotel. Disney has nothing comparable to universal express pass. Fastpass is the closest thing, which they are not even offering right now, which is why some of us have switched our trips to Universal.

But yes, I'm guessing that a two night stay at GF/Poly/CR plus 2 day park hoppers would cost at least as much.

 

[asuburbanman]

Yea it isn’t worth doing universal while staying at a Disney hotel. They want you on site, just like Disney. We are doing 2 nights at Royal Pacific and two annual passes for $1,400. It would be $400 more to buy 2 day tickets and stay 2 nights at Royal Pacific. Maybe we will be back, maybe not.

$250 for a deluxe isn’t even anything you would see at Disney on their slowest days. Art of Animation is pushing that per night these days.

An apples to oranges situation like others said.

 

[yaya74]

Well you are comparing Universal tickets that including unlimited express pass with a deluxe hotel. Disney has nothing comparable to universal express pass. Fastpass is the closest thing, which they are not even offering right now, which is why some of us have switched our trips to Universal.

Unlimited express pass is "fastpass on drug." You just go and have fun. I really really really REALLY really wish that Disney would do something similar like Universal Studio.

 

[TinkB278]

Unlimited express pass is "fastpass on drug." You just go and have fun. I really really really REALLY really wish that Disney would do something similar like Universal Studio.

Can you explain what you mean by this? I’m not super informed on the express pass.