Do we NEED to stay onsite in October?

[maci]

Ok, so we are going to IOA in Oct. for one day only before our disney stay. As we have 2 young children (2 and 5), we opted not to spend anymore time here. Basically we are going for the spiderman ride, my son is BIG into superheros right now.

Here is the question.... How crowded do we think it will be in Oct? We were just going to stay offsite to save some money, but after reading about the FOTL priveleges, I am wondering if we should stay onsite. We will be going on a saturday and the prak closes at 5!!! That doesnt allow much time, espeically if the line for spidey is really long!!!
Thoughts anyone? I can get an offsite hotel for around 60 bucks, whereas onsite is like 180-190 something.

Thanks for you help!!!

 

[DisnutDave@work]

First off, your son (and the whole family) will LOVE Spiderman, it's the best theme park ride ANYWHERE!

Our past October experiences have been very nice- not crowded, pleasant weather. This assumes that you won't be going on a day when they will be having HHN. That said, it is a shorter day, and the FOTL will really help you make the most of it.

So I guess I'd say it's up to you. You can probably get by staying offsite and still fit in just about everything in a day, but you will find it a lot more enjoyable if you stay onsite with FOTL. And the Universal Hotels are great.

Have a great trip!

 

[Robinrs]

Maci:

If you stay offsite and NEED FOTL, you can purchase the express passes separately for $10 apiece. They are only for one day and one park, though, AND for one person. IMHO, I don't think you will need them. As Disnut Dave said, Octobers are not crowded (days during HHN) and it's pretty easy to navigate the parks. The best part of staying onsite is the convenience, the proximity to the parks is spectacular!

 

[SpideyHulk24]

There is nothing like staying on property. Also, you have the added convenience of yes having FOTL, but also you can take breaks enjoy the resort and walk back to the parks.

Something to think about...

Enjoy your trip.

 

[maci]

So the days that the halloween party are on, the DAYS are slower, or more crowded. B/c it is a day that the halloween party is that night.
But you are saying for an extra 30 (10 each)bucks I could purhcase basically the same thing? It is good on all the big rides, all day? Where would I do this? I have read everyone talk about these, but I thought they were basically like fast pass at disney.
Thanks again!

 

[gschmerl]

Originally posted by maci

But you are saying for an extra 30 (10 each)bucks I could purhcase basically the same thing? It is good on all the big rides, all day? Where would I do this? I have read everyone talk about these, but I thought they were basically like fast pass at disney.
Thanks again!

It's not really "the same" as staying onsite. The express passes you buy are good for ONE TIME on each of the major atractions, not all day like staying on site. There are free expres passes that work like fast pass a WDW.

 

[Prince Eric1]

If you have an entertainment book or know someone with one, you can get an onsite hotel for $110 as long as you show the card and reserve with the card. That is the price at the RPR. The Portofino is about $155 with the card. By the time you buy the FOTL passes and stay off site, you will have paid about the same as staying on site with the discount. With the time constraints and paying $50 apiece to get in, you'd hate to walk away missing things so you might want the FOTL which is free with the onsite hotel.

 

[maci]

Ok, I may be a bit dense. But are there 2 different kinds of express passes? One that is free and like fast pass at disney and one you can buy that is good all day?
I would love to stay onsite, but just dont know if I can justify the money, being we are staying 7 nights at disney too!!

Thanks again for everyones input!

 

[gschmerl]

Originally posted by maci
Ok, I may be a bit dense. But are there 2 different kinds of express passes? One that is free and like fast pass at disney and one you can buy that is good all day?
I would love to stay onsite, but just dont know if I can justify the money, being we are staying 7 nights at disney too!!

Thanks again for everyones input!

Yes, there are express pass machines much like Disney's fast pass. The problem is, they can run out on busy days. That's why people are ordering the express pass that is $10 off peak time and $25 during peak time. The pass you buy gives you ONE express entrance on each major ride, and is only good for ONE DAY. You have to buy a separate pass for US and IOA. It does add up. As the previous poster stated, by the time you buy express passes, you could have an onsite room at the Royal Pacific with the entertainment rate.

 

[leslieh]

we were at UV IOA this week and went to hulk at noonish, the return time earliest was 4:15 p.m. Its such a big time difference. We just went in the single riders line, which took about 20 minutes.

 

[maci]

Ok!! Now I get it!! Thanks so much for clarifiying!!!!

 

[MrsMud]

So the days that the halloween party are on, the DAYS are slower, or more crowded. B/c it is a day that the halloween party is that night.

I would also like to know the answer to this question. We will have to got to either US or IOA on a Friday (Oct 10). Should I expect this day to be very crowded?

 

[h20jag]

Any time you have the opportunity to stay on-site with any kind of discount, do it. Your feet will thank you.

The closer it gets to Halloween, the daytime week-end crowds will be there too. A lot of people fly in for HHN week-ends and I swear they don't sleep at all!

 

[the Dark Marauder]

The DAYS are not that busy at all. School is still in session, so that makes for a heavy impact on the crowd reduction. At night, that's when the people come out and play.

 

[robvia]

Originally posted by the Dark Marauder
The DAYS are not that busy at all. School is still in session, so that makes for a heavy impact on the crowd reduction. At night, that's when the people come out and play.

Agree.
Crowds are light during the day. If Maci wants to save some money, she'll be ok staying off site. Recently got back and found some newer hotels at the north end of I-drive. Go on the web and check out Super 8, Motel 6 and Red Horse Inn on American Way (1 block north of Universal Blvd on I-drive).
With two kids, one being 2, they'll tire out by the afternoon, and that's when the HHN crowd arrives. I assume the park will open at 9am in October. The trick is to be standing at the gate at 08:15am, so you can go into the park first. The parking garage opens at 8am. The majority of the crowd doesn't arrive until 11am. You can get on the rides with no wait for 2 hours, if you're there early.

 

[maci]

Thanks robvia! Good to know!
We went ahead and booked our room at the radisson for 67 through expedia. Thought it being the closest and all. I went ahead and paid the extra 10 bucks for the express passes. After reading this, I dont know if we will need them, but we will have them anyway.
My main concern is my son getting to ride spiderman several times, and since the park closes at 5 we wont have TOO much time to waist in line.

 

[Pugsley]

maci, the express pass that you paid for will only get you on Spiderman once. If you want to ride several times my advice would be to get there at opening time. You should be able to ride a few times then with little or no wait. Then later you can pick up a free express pass and use that. I wouldn’t use the paid-for express pass until you really need it later in the day.

 

[robvia]

If you get there when the park opens, you'll get many rides on Spiderman. Then you can get an express pass from the machines, which are located across from the entrance. You can get one express pass per park ticket. You can also use the single rider line, by going up exit. Use your express pass and the one you bought in the afternoon.