Express Pass Information Needed

[bucket o' butter]

Can someone enlighten me about the different express passes that Universal offers? We have tried to read about them on Universal's page and I think we are more confused than we were to begin with. LOL! We will be going the last week of June, so I am sure it will be very busy. What is everyone's take on the express passes? Are they a necessity or just an added bonus? We are planning to get the $99.99 7 day passes as of now, but dh thinks we need to add on the express passes. I'd love to hear from someone who has been there in the summer before. Thank you so much!

 

[Lukas87]

Can someone enlighten me about the different express passes that Universal offers? We have tried to read about them on Universal's page and I think we are more confused than we were to begin with. LOL! We will be going the last week of June, so I am sure it will be very busy. What is everyone's take on the express passes? Are they a necessity or just an added bonus? We are planning to get the $99.99 7 day passes as of now, but dh thinks we need to add on the express passes. I'd love to hear from someone who has been there in the summer before. Thank you so much!

I would pick one day out of the week to add the express onto, so you can do the major attractions without waiting. The other days of your stay you can focus on the smaller rides with less waits, shows, shops, eating, etc...

The standard express pass is just the one day Universal Express Plus, which I would get for two-parks. Its probably ... $40? or so around that time of year.

 

[Metro West]

Can someone enlighten me about the different express passes that Universal offers? We have tried to read about them on Universal's page and I think we are more confused than we were to begin with. LOL! We will be going the last week of June, so I am sure it will be very busy. What is everyone's take on the express passes? Are they a necessity or just an added bonus? We are planning to get the $99.99 7 day passes as of now, but dh thinks we need to add on the express passes. I'd love to hear from someone who has been there in the summer before. Thank you so much!

You can purchase the 1 park or 2 park EP for any day you want to go. Checking your dates, the EP's are $40.99 per person for the 2 park EP except the last weekend and it's $50.99 for those. The Express Plus pass allows you to bypass the stand-by line once per attraction. If you aren't staying onsite, I would get there early (before opening) and knock out the larger attractions first. The crowds will arrive between 10-11am during that time so you would have a good hour with no lines. You might be able to get by without it or just end up purchasing the 1 park EP which is obviously cheaper.

If it's in your budget, stay one night onsite and you will get two days of unlimited Express access for everyone in your room!

The best advice I can give you is this...wait until you arrive to purchase. The EP's are date specific and are non-refundable so you have to be sure you want them. You might be able to zoom through one of the parks and just concentrate on the other.

 

[Darcy03231]

Keep in mind too that if you stay on-site you have unlimited FOTL. With the Express Pass it only allows you one time of FOTL for each ride.

Another option is to purchase the 7 day unlimited pass with FOTL. I beleive they're around $259/ticket. Depending on how many are in your party this may or may not be less expensive than staying on-site.

If you stay off-site and don't purchase any of the Express Passes make sure you get there before park opening and are in line when the park opens. You can get quite a bit done between 9-11 am with little to no waiting. We went in the summer and found the lines didn't start to form until around 11 am and didn't get too bad until about 1 pm.

 

[Bluer101]

If you are going the end of June and are going to Universal for a few days instead of the VIP 7 day pass for $259 per person (if the five of you are going) just stay onsite for 2 night at $249 per night. That would give you 3 days of unlimited FOTL and then purchace the $99 7 days passes.

5 7 day passes at $99 = $495 +tax
2 nights at RPR $249 = $498 + taxes
Thats just under $1000 plus taxes an you get to stay onsite and enjoy for 3 days of conveinece and FOTL.

Vip passes for 5 people $259 = $1295 + tax

Granted you lose the 4 extra days of FOTL but thats a savings of $300 dollars and get to stay onsite with no rushing around. Its alsoa benifit if you guys were not doing Universal for the whole seven days. Not saying this will be the best for your family but if I had the choice this would be mine. Granted 5 in a room will be tight but still a better option for me and have done it before for the savings.

 

[macraven]

You are going to the parks at a busy time.
many families will be there as it is school vacation time for many.


if you stay off site, be in the parking garage line by 7:30 at the latest.
it won't open until 8 but you should be about 5th person in line at that point.

once the garage lot opens, you should be in and parked within 5 minutes.
head to the entrance for IOA.
more than likely if the line is long for the turnstile, they could open around 8:30ish.

do the major rides prior to the crowds coming.
at 11ish, you will be facing crowds and longer waits in line.

eat at off times. when everyone one else is having lunch or dinner, that will be less in the ride lines.

decide around noon time if you need the express passes.
you can only use them one time only per each ride and attraction.

try the single line rides for the rides that offer it.
that will cut down wait times if you don't buy the express pass for that day.

the weekends will be very busy and crowded. if you buy express for a day, do it for the weekend.

as others have said, staying on night on site will be very beneficial for the family. you will get 2 days of fotl perks for the rides and attractions.
the fotl perk is unlimited the entire day.
can you say "repeat ride" ..............woo hoo.......

if you even consider the vip tickets, think twice.
you would come out ahead by staying on site one night.

 

[bubba's mom]

We always go the last week and weekend of June.

It's going to be busy.

I'd highly recommend staying at an onsite hotel.

Tell your DH that the cheap cost of the ticket offsets the hotel price.

Trust me...he will thank you for staying onsite. There is no better/relaxing feeling of walking past an hour-long line of people...twice, even 3 times to ride something before they even ride once.