Disability

[lan3]

I have gone to Disney several times but this will be my first time going to Universal. My son is almost 9 and is intellectually disabled and non-verbal autistic. He loves Disney and he has always enjoyed our trips. From what I am reading, it seems that the Universal system is similar to the Das. We used the DAs and found it very fair and met our needs. Should I buy the express pass? I am going the end of presidents week.

 

[mamattorney]

Someone more familiar with the crowd levels could probably share expected wait times during President's Week. As far as needing Express Pass - if your child takes things slow and is OK with waiting in some minor lines, then I don't think you will need it. If he likes all the "big" rides and wants to ride over and over, I think Express Pass is a must. At Universal, you do not get the DAS/Fast Pass + combo. You can only wait outside the line for one ride at a time. That can limit how much you can accomplish as compared to Disney's system. I know in some situations, families can only spend a few hours in the park before they must leave with their child with special needs and they want to do as much as they can within the window they have.

 

[lan3]

Thank you for your response. We bought a 3 day pass because we never can spend full days with my son. He is used to rides and has learned through experience that he can not ride rides over and over again. If we are waiting for one ride, are their rides with smaller lines nearby. That is how I did disneyland with the DAS. We would wait for Splash Mountain by riding Pooh. Maybe we can try and upgrade while we are there if we need to.

 

[2girlsmom]

To some degree you can use the smaller ride strategy, for example, you can get a return time for Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade and then stand the line for the Hippogriff (family/kids coaster) right next to it. However, in a lot of places, especially with the larger rides, like Gringott's, there aren't other rides nearby. Gringott's is the ONLY ride in Diagon Alley (though we distract our autistic daughter with the shops, etc while waiting there). I doubt you'll have VERY long wait times over President's weekend, so would likely not really need the express, though it is great, especially if you want to do the same ride several times.