Disney Vet, Universal Noob questions

[dragitoff]

I'm planning my family's vacation in May/June 2017 for 3 days at WDW and 2 days at Universal/IOA and I had a few questions. I've upgraded my Touring Plans subscription to include Universal. I've always found them to be pretty reliable for gauging crowds at various WDW parks through the years. How do they compare for Universal/IOA?

We have a large group (3 families) with small kids up to teens. We were thinking of spending the extra $ to get the skip the lines option on the tickets. I've never used it at Universal before (I've been there at least half a dozen times), but it seems like a smart move for a trip the last weekend of May into the first week of July (Memorial Day weekend +). Am I right in thinking so?

FWIW, we are hardcore WDW vacationers and typically hit the parks at rope drop, but do usually leave the parks early in the evening due to the smaller ones in our family. I own a vacation home in Champions Gate we'll be staying at so we will be staying off property. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[wookiebeck]

You might want to calculate the associated value of buying the express pass for everyone versus getting one of the deluxe on-site rooms for one night. If you rent one of the rooms you get to check in early morning that first day at USO, get the unlimited EP for up to four people listed in the room. Then you get that privilege through the next day (checkout day), that's two full days with EP. You can also choose to use that room for afternoon breaks for the younglings or not since you also have an off property place.

 

[danielocha30]

If you have little ones, I will, for the sake of the grown up, is not only lines, is HOT and even a 20 min line will takes a toll on kids, the idea of staying one night on property is the best!

 

[wilkeliza]

Definitely price out a night at one of the hotels that includes express (putting the max number of people in each room) versus buying everyone express out right. The benefit will be that you don't actually have to stay there overnight but you could have a base camp the 1st day to take the little ones back to to rest while the older people stay in the park to play. Also with the price of a 2 day ticket with express pass (if you are HP fans then 2 day 2 park with express pass) would possibly be much more then just standard none express pass tickets with a room at a deluxe with free express pass.

It is hard to say when you do or do not need express pass and it doesn't work on every ride (the HP rides are the ones for sure it doesn't work on) but express pass does significantly cut the wait. It isn't always as fast as "fastpass" but you do get priority entry. The only truly bad experience I had with express was when the chains were down at Mummy and there was confusion on who should go what way. There were a ton of people in express who did not have express so a team member had to come back through and demand everyone who wasn't express to get out of that line and go to the other. Of course there was also an issue causing cars to only be half filled (someone said short staff they could only efficiently evacuate half full cars or energy low so cars had to run lighter was unsure) so once the line issue was fixed the cars that were express only were filling much faster since there wasn't fighting at the 2nd scan. Also Kong when the ride was going up and down. Express ended up being about 40 minutes.

 

[dragitoff]

This is a great suggestion, but just for clarification, let's say the least expensive qualifying room sleeps 4 and we have 16. Wouldn't I need 4 rooms to get us all in early and take advantage of the express pass given to resort guests? Is Express Pass worth it if it's not cost effective to do the resort option. We're definitely staying at my house but I like the idea of having somewhere close by to let kids nap or rest when needed.

 

[wilkeliza]

This is a great suggestion, but just for clarification, let's say the least expensive qualifying room sleeps 4 and we have 16. Wouldn't I need 4 rooms to get us all in early and take advantage of the express pass given to resort guests? Is Express Pass worth it if it's not cost effective to do the resort option. We're definitely staying at my house but I like the idea of having somewhere close by to let kids nap or rest when needed.

4 rooms with 4 people in each room typically ends up being much much cheaper. I guess the big question is are you going to do the 2 park in 1 day tickets or the 1 park 1 day tickets?

 

[wilkeliza]

Just did a check on a random weekday around that time. If you stayed in 4 rooms (2 adults and 2 kids in each room) at the cheapest of the hotels that include unlimited express pass you would pay 1,323.00 (including tax) for all 16 people to have 2 days worth of 2 park a day unlimited express. If you went the cheapest 1 park express passes with out the resorts you would end up paying 2,079.68 (not including tax) on the absolute cheapest days of express pass. The more crowded (and thus the best days to use express) the more it costs so the price for your specific day could be even more.

 

[dragitoff]

4 rooms with 4 people in each room typically ends up being much much cheaper. I guess the big question is are you going to do the 2 park in 1 day tickets or the 1 park 1 day tickets?

We were only going to try one park per day (1 day @ US and 1 day @ IOA)

 

[wagman67]

We were only going to try one park per day (1 day @ US and 1 day @ IOA)

If you want the best experience, including riding the Hogwart's Express, do the 2 Day 2 Park Ticket, and stay 1 night at a deluxe hotel...cheaper than 1 park tickets for 2 days and EPs...

As I mention, 1 park tickets, even for a park each day, do not include Hogwart's Express

 

[wilkeliza]

We were only going to try one park per day (1 day @ US and 1 day @ IOA)

1 day @US and 1 day @ IOA for 16 will be a minimum of 2,079 and that is if the day you go is considered an off time. If everyone is paying their own way for their individual family units then it is personal. We get Express Pass each time because I'd rather not spend time standing in line but of course there are only 2 in our traveling party. With smaller ones at Universal it may not be worth it for the entire group. Check the height of the small ones and the height of most rides at that park. If the kids can really only ride 2 rides then express pass is not worth it for them. That was something I totally forgot to think about. If kids are still in the napping phase or not roller coaster junkies it is possible they may not want to do a ton of rides so the benefits of the express drastically decreases.

 

[danielocha30]

there is always single ride lines! it's free and is way better than any line, and do keep in mind that to ride HE you need a park to park ticket, very true about not buying the express pass for the little kids and express pass is sold inside the park at many locations don't need to buy now, wait until you're there and see if you really need it.

 

[nighttowll]

Based on the advice you've already been given, here's what I'd add:

1. Determine how many people in the group would actually benifit from the EP.

2. Are you guys ok doing single rider line?

3. If you have small kids and are using child swap, that is potentially two rides back to back for part of the group. Would this be enough for the ride junkies in the group to get their fix?

4. With planning, "rope drop", and use of single rider and child swap, you can get by without an EP. It's just more rushed, a little less relaxed, and usually involves more walking and backtracking.

6. The busiest times of the year an EP can cost close to $100 per person per day. It could potentially cost closer to $3,200 dollars for all 16 people to get EPs for 2 days vs $1,000 dollars for the 4 rooms. And you might be able to fit everyone who needs an EP into 3 rooms which would be even less. I think there are a few standard rooms they allow you to put 5 in if one is a child.

7. If you really don't want to go the room route, it would be less expensive to buy park to park tickets, buy only one EP for one day, and then focus on attractions in both parks with long waits on day 1 when you have the EP, then focus on shows, less popular lower wait time rides, and other non-waiting types of attractions on day 2 when you don't have it.

8. Consider also that park hopping is much much easier at Universal than at Disney. It's more like changing lands than changing parks. You can be in another park in under 15 minutes. Sometimes a ride in another park is actually closer to you than a ride in the park you are in. We almost never hop at Disney, but switch back and forth all day at Universal. It's great for if the weather turns bad because you have all the indoor options to choose from in both parks. It's also great for small children as you have all the play areas and kid's areas available to you in both parks, so you don't run out of things to do with them.

9. Look into the APH room rates and see how much that might save you. I'm not sure how many rooms you can book at that rate, but you can sometimes get some very good discounts. In addition, depending which AP you buy you can get food and merchandise discounts and free parking. It isn't a lot, but with such a large group, it could add up to saving quite a bit pretty fast. Only the person paying needs the AP to get the discounts. Many times the money saved on only one night covers the cost of the difference to get an AP plus some. I saved over $100 per night per room last summer. Honestly, it may have been closer to $200 per night as the rack rate was at the higher end during my trip. That more than covered the extra cost of the AP, and I got EP, and park discounts on top of that out of the deal.

10. Will having the rooms be something you actually use for naps / afternoon breaks? It might be worth it just to have a place to retreat to if you think you will actually use it. The kids might also want to hang at the pool and swim. I know for younger kids that can be their favorite part of a trip. If you think you would use the room, I'd look at HRH or RPR as those two are the closest walks from the park. I think I saw where someone clocked HRH as 4 minutes from hotel pool gate to the park gate. Our first trip we never intended on sleeping in the room. We were using it to store stuff and for changing wet clothes (another thing to consider, lots of water splash areas for kids in the parks and they get soaked). Then we had a medical emergency and ended up actually needing the room. It was great having it right there for us to use.

 

[wagman67]

6. The busiest times of the year an EP can cost close to $100 per person per day. It could potentially cost closer to $3,200 dollars for all 16 people to get EPs for 2 days vs $1,000 dollars for the 4 rooms. And you might be able to fit everyone who needs an EP into 3 rooms which would be even less. I think there are a few standard rooms they allow you to put 5 in if one is a child.

9. Look into the APH room rates and see how much that might save you. I'm not sure how many rooms you can book at that rate, but you can sometimes get some very good discounts. In addition, depending which AP you buy you can get food and merchandise discounts and free parking. It isn't a lot, but with such a large group, it could add up to saving quite a bit pretty fast. Only the person paying needs the AP to get the discounts. Many times the money saved on only one night covers the cost of the difference to get an AP plus some. I saved over $100 per night per room last summer. Honestly, it may have been closer to $200 per night as the rack rate was at the higher end during my trip. That more than covered the extra cost of the AP, and I got EP, and park discounts on top of that out of the deal.

You can have up to 5 people in a room (if more than 2 adults, it costs more).

APH rates haven't been listed later than the night of May 25th...but that night, APH rates are $189/night at RPR and $214/night at HRH. Not sure how many rooms are still available and not sure how many rooms you can book with an AP...do you have to have at least one AP per room? If you are going later than May 25th, and are thinking APH rates, you will need to wait for dates to open up.

 

[dragitoff]

I checked it myself (not because I didn't believe it, but really because I wanted to understand the perk completely and see our options) and I'm pretty sure we'll go the room route. It's definitely cheaper and our family dynamic is such that the adults and older kids will want to maximize their ride opportunities without forcing the entire group to wait in long lines for attractions they can't or don't want to ride. We feel the money spent on it is well worth the benefit, but also our families don't often do things together due to where we live so this will be a way to keep everyone a little more stress free and make the trip enjoyable. I'm so thankful I asked this question to the board since I would have NEVER thought of that option.

The smallest kid in our group is 2 so we'll still have one small enough that naps are a possibility and stroller naps sometimes don't work. The room option does at least give us a place for them to do a real nap, but also gives us all a place to get out of the heat, change wet clothes from the water rides, or just to take a group break without going all the way back to our house.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

Great choice - here is an option of how to spend part of that savings - keep in mind you can used the hotel amenities all day on the day of checkout. With a group that size, I am assuming not all want to spend all of day 2 back in the parks. RENT A CABANA!!!! We have done this with a group of 8 - we could still come and go from the parks, start a tab at poolside bar (food and drinks), and you have sort of a home base for the day until everyone is ready to leave as a group. We did it both at RPR and HRH and absolutely loved both!

 

[dragitoff]

Follow up questions:

We booked the "throw away" room for May 28 (check out on 29th). I confirmed we should be granted early entry on both 28th and 29th. If the Early Entry is @ 8am, what time should we "check-in" on the 28th to get into the parks at 8? I know the rooms wouldn't be ready, but I'm assuming that's the only way we can access early entry is by checking in first prior to the 1st day of early entry.

Second question is would we be better off parking at the hotel and using Universal transportation or going over to the parking garage?

Final question is how accurate is Touring Plans.com for their wait times for Universal? I've used them for WDW and found them fairly reliable, but I've never used them for Universal.

 

[gotomu212]

With a group of that size I'd personally shoot for checking in at 6:30 (at least with my family those many people seem to double times). You'll check in at the lobby, leave bags with bell hops, then go to the express pass kiosks in the lobby. Each member of the party will need to get a pass using their room key and having their pic snapped (its fast, but again with a big group could take several minutes). Then you'll make your way to the Parks/Citywalk using the hotel boats or walking (you didn't say where you got a room but the walk is typically 10-15 minutes and the boat is about 5-10 minutes depending on your timing).

I think all that should get you over to park entrance by 7:30 and you can line up and be ready to go in when they open which might be a little before 8. Make sure everyone in your group has their room key to show for early entry. This gives you a lot of wiggle room in the event things take a little longer.

 

[dragitoff]

With a group of that size I'd personally shoot for checking in at 6:30 (at least with my family those many people seem to double times). You'll check in at the lobby, leave bags with bell hops, then go to the express pass kiosks in the lobby. Each member of the party will need to get a pass using their room key and having their pic snapped (its fast, but again with a big group could take several minutes). Then you'll make your way to the Parks/Citywalk using the hotel boats or walking (you didn't say where you got a room but the walk is typically 10-15 minutes and the boat is about 5-10 minutes depending on your timing).

I think all that should get you over to park entrance by 7:30 and you can line up and be ready to go in when they open which might be a little before 8. Make sure everyone in your group has their room key to show for early entry. This gives you a lot of wiggle room in the event things take a little longer.[/QUOTE

Thank you for the detailed info! We technically won't have any bags since we're not actually staying at the hotel, but the rest of the info is perfect!

 

[Vicki Rickerd]

Question about staying onsite at Universal. Is the perk just for unlimited express or do you get in an hour early as well. Thank you

 

[nighttowll]

You get into one of the HP lands 1 hour early at all Universal resorts. The rest of the park is not open. During peak times both lands may open early, but usually it is only one or the other.

You get express pass only at the 3 deluxe resorts, so Hard Rock, Royal Pacific, and Portifino Bay.

You also have access to charging to the room key, sending packages back, and the use of free transportation to the parks (both theme and water), Citywalk, and Sea World (limited, must be prescheduled).