Does Universal have Fast Pass?

[jel0511]

This is going to be our first trip to Universal, and we'll be there during Spring Break, so worried about long lines. We already have our accomdations booked, so we'll be offsite. Any suggestions to reduce wait times?

 

[kirbsam]

get there early.

 

[dpayne1969]

i was told disney & universal are going to be packed.if you stay onsite you have front of the line access permitting they are actually checking your passes this time around.LOL.

if staying off site i would arrive at opening.

 

[tiggerplus5]

I would like to know this too. I have the new Fodor's 2008 WDW plus Universal Orlando and Seaworld book. It says that there is still a Universal Express Pass that works like WDW fast pass and it's free. Then there's another Universal Express PLUS pass that you have to pay for.

We haven't been to Universal in several years but the last time we were there they did have fast pass machines.

Can anyone that's been to US lately can confirm this? I know the lines at Universal can have unbelievable wait times. (120 minutes for Men in Black and The Mummy last time we went around the holidays.)

Thanks.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe there are only 2 types of Express Passes for Universal Orlando. One that you get for free when staying on-site at one of the Universal hotels and the other is one you have to purchase.

The Express Pass you pay for allows you access only once for each ride and is something like $45 for one park (or $50 for both parks) and you can only use them on certain days depending on what month you go. You actually have to pick the day you want to use your Express Pass when you purchase it.

I believe the free Express Pass for Universal hotel guests can be used unlimited times and on any day.

Bonny

 

[damo]

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe there are only 2 types of Express Passes for Universal Orlando. One that you get for free when staying on-site at one of the Universal hotels and the other is one you have to purchase.

The Express Pass you pay for allows you access only once for each ride and is something like $45 for one park (or $50 for both parks) and you can only use them on certain days depending on what month you go. You actually have to pick the day you want to use your Express Pass when you purchase it.

I believe the free Express Pass for Universal hotel guests can be used unlimited times and on any day.

Bonny

The express does vary in price though, depending on the predicted busyness. They are available every day. You can purchase the express pass inside the parks after you determine if you would like one or not. They can also be purchased in advance and you need to know what day you will need it for.

The best way to avoid long lines is definitely to get to the parks before opening. The first few hours are not very busy.

 

[the Dark Marauder]

I would like to know this too. I have the new Fodor's 2008 WDW plus Universal Orlando and Seaworld book. It says that there is still a Universal Express Pass that works like WDW fast pass and it's free. Then there's another Universal Express PLUS pass that you have to pay for.

Fodor's is a few years late. The free express has been gone for many years. There are two ways to get express, both which cost $, which I will explain below.

Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I believe there are only 2 types of Express Passes for Universal Orlando. One that you get for free when staying on-site at one of the Universal hotels and the other is one you have to purchase.

The Express Pass you pay for allows you access only once for each ride and is something like $45 for one park (or $50 for both parks) and you can only use them on certain days depending on what month you go. You actually have to pick the day you want to use your Express Pass when you purchase it.

I believe the free Express Pass for Universal hotel guests can be used unlimited times and on any day.

Bonny

Yes, by staying at an onsite hotel, your roomkey is your express pass. They can be used unlimited times during the length of your stay.

As for the Express Plus (the one you can buy online or at the park), the price varies depending on the crowds. Busier times = more expensive. Also, busier times may make it so that you can only get one-day/one-park express. Express plus can only be used 1x per attraction, so use it wisely.

 

[Dis93]

its worth it in the long run, it saves alot of time. has any1 ever tried on using it more than once like after a cm change.

 

[damo]

its worth it in the long run, it saves alot of time. has any1 ever tried on using it more than once like after a cm change.

They are supposed to mark it once it is used for a ride.

 

[bubba's mom]

its worth it in the long run, it saves alot of time. has any1 ever tried on using it more than once like after a cm change.

not personally, we always stay onsite, but there have been people spotted trying to use it again....you can only get lucky if the first time you use it, it doesn't get 'marked off' by the TM.


This is why staying onsite is such a good value for larger families. At peak times, multiply a purchased Express Pass Plus times 3, 4 or 5 people in your party. Plus the room you are staying in....Would most likely add up to over what 1 night costs onsite..... it's all about the math

 

[mareed]

I think it sounds like we'll be there at the same time - the week before Easter. This is also our first Universal trip after many Disney trips. My only Universal experience is with the one in Hollywood, CA and we experienced very long lines during the Summer, and I don't want to repeat that experience in FL. And I do think lines will easily be in excess of an hour during that very busy Spring Break time.

Here's what we're doing. We're planning on 4 days total at Universal during the week. The first and last day we'll arrive by 8:30 and will do attractions through about lunch time and then eat a nice lunch. I expect things will be quite crowded and lines will be unmanageable at that time, so we'll probably leave and take a break. We're staying in an off-site condo. We've reserved a room for one night in the middle of our trip at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal which will give us 2 days with FOTL access to the rides. These will be the 2 days where we do the rides as often as we want to. The price is high, and we won't even sleep in the room, but it was cheaper than 2 days of 2-park express passes. The cheapest room was at RPR for $324 + tax for a total of $364. 2 days of 2-park express passes for 4 people would be $436, so it's cheaper to get the hotel room. We actually have 6 people, so we'll get 5 room keys for FOTL, and then will buy Express passes for the 2 days for the 6th person. The 6th person will not be doing the big rides and we figure we'll be find with only doing the shows and attractions once that all 6 in the group would be doing. But the 5 in our group and re-ride the big rides on those 2 days. If it's warm enough, we might bring our swimsuits and take a break one of the days at the resort pool. We might even go see our room and rumple the beds or something just to say we got some use out of the room!

So, I'd recommend thinking about splurging on one night at a Universal hotel even if you don't sleep there to get 2 days of FOTL access. We figure we'll use our first day to sort of scout things out and find out way around so that when we do have FOTL access, we can use it more effectively. Our last day will be one last chance (in the morning) to repeat everyone's favorites.

I hope this helps!

 

[karenpowers]

My husband, daughter and I traveled to Universal June 2007. We purchased Passes online before trip. We saved so much time - well worth the $. The ride operators may allow you to use the pass more than once...

 

[Sleepy]

My husband, daughter and I traveled to Universal June 2007. We purchased Passes online before trip. We saved so much time - well worth the $. The ride operators may allow you to use the pass more than once...

Don't bet on that happening. WHen we were there in 06, most ride operators were good about marking off and checking. I saw alot of people turned away. Saw very few getting away with multiple riding. If you want to ride as many times as you want, stay in the hotel. Trying to cheat the system only jams up the express lines.

 

[micksterlee]

On our trip in June 2007 they were checking the passes and turning people away. You could tell people had gotten away with using the passes multiple times in the past because they were complaining about never being turned down before.I stay on site so I really don't care how they handle the passes but if they make rules they should stick with them.

 

[Coach81]

If you want to avoid the lines here are your choices:

1. Get their very early. This last week, we did all of IOA before 11 am, and did all we wanted with US by 3 pm the same day. Granted we have been to both every year so we knew what we wanted to ride, and not wanted to ride.

2. The best option is to stay at a Universal resort.. the room key is the best thing ever for getting past the lines (if you can afford it).

3. Express pass- never used it, but I believe it is more expensive for a one time use.

We will probably not do US or IOA next year, as this year we found that we were mostly bored with the same rides/shows.

 

[dpayne1969]

We will probably not do US or IOA next year, as this year we found that we were mostly bored with the same rides/shows.

wow,we love disney but my gosh i hate the line thing especially during peak times.lol.my kids are teens & they love to ride over & over & over.lol

we also get to enjoy the pool while at universal,at disney its go go go rush rush rush.lol....

 

[MrsDepp]

Well they have express passes, and I dont think they're that exspensive..
Go on a Friday because a lot of people go on
Saturdays, knowing kids would still be in school and people usually go in the morning.

 

[damo]

Well they have express passes, and I dont think they're that exspensive..
Go on a Friday because a lot of people go on
Saturdays, knowing kids would still be in school and people usually go in the morning.

An express pass will not allow you to ride a ride over and over. It is good for one ride per ride.

 

[DisneyZell]

We will be heading down to US/IOA next Friday (Feg. 22) for the week. We'll be staying at our timeshare, but have been thinking of getting a room for a night for the FOTL passes. Has anyone been there around the last week of Feb and know if it will be crowded or not? Just wondering if it is worth it to pay for the hotel night or not. Also, if we should do it, what days would you recommend? We have never been to either park, so not sure what the best bet is. We have a 5 year old and 9 year old going too. Thanks for your input!

 

[damo]

Shouldn't be busy at all. Go the following week (mon-thurs) and you should be fine. Get there at opening for the best success at no lines.