Express Pass/On Site Stay Worth it in August?

[rowan555]

We will be spending 2 days at Universal in late August - it will be me and my 12 year old daughter. I've read so many opinions around the internet that it's not worth the added cost for express passes at this time of year. We definitely want to make the most of our time at the parks, but we don't want to get ripped off either. Will there be significant savings of time standing in line by having the express pass? We're looking at about a $175 added cost of staying on site versus staying at the hotel we'll be at for the remainder of our time in Orlando.

 

[Minniesgal]

I would say they are pretty much essential. We waited a whole morni g in line for Spider-Man last July and then decided we would never ever do the parks again without express passes.

 

[macraven]

going in August?


it will be hot.
hot, hot, hot, hot


if you stay onsite, you can do the parks with early entry, return to the hotel to swim/lounge around the pool, and take an afternoon break from the sun and heat.
return to the parks later.


throw in the unlimited usage of the express lines and it's a "stay onsite" deal breaker to me.


dive in movies are done at each onsite hotel on select evenings.

 

[snoopboop]

Yes, yes, yes! It's TOTALLY worth it to stay onsite. The Unlimited Express alone makes it worth it.... and then add on the fact that you can take the water taxis to/from the parks, and that consequently you don't need to worry about finding/catching a shuttle, or parking... Plus, the onsite properties are beautiful properties....

(Can you tell I'm a fan of staying onsite!? LOL!!)

 

[kneedeep]

IMO, between the time saved standing in lines (which will be the case even in late August) and the amenities gained by staying at an onsite hotel (which are Disney deluxe resort caliber), you will definitely not be getting ripped off. If you are staying one night, try to get there as early as possible the first day to maximize your time. You could conceivably do almost everything you'd like in both parks with little wait on that first day, enjoy a swim/dive-in movie that evening, hit WWoHP early entry the next morning, and then still have time to revisit favorites or have some more pool time the next day.

 

[Bluer101]

Staying onsite anytime is worth it. It depends on how valuable your time is. Plus the extra convenience of being right there.

 

[rowan555]

Thanks so much, guys, for putting my mind at ease. This is my first vacation with just me and my daughter (leaving husband and son home), so I definitely want to make the most of it.

One other thing -- I see it's only a few dollars more for a 3 day pass...we plan to do Disney Quest/Downtown Disney one day and then use one of our park hopper days to hit all the highlights at Disney (paid in 2007 for our 10 day passes to not expire so we have some days left), which leaves one day unaccounted for. I kind of think the 2 days with Express Passes will give us more than enough time to do everything we want, and then some, at Universal, so would there be any reason to purchase the 3 day pass just in case? I'm not up for doing a water park day, so I'm at a loss for how to fill day 5 of our trip!

 

[macraven]

go with the 2 day ticket for the darkside.

if you find you want to spend more time there, up grade that 2 day ticket to a 3 day ticket before you leave the park on the second day.


you will pay the difference of cost from a 2 day to 3 day ticket.

 

[MelissathePooh]

I'll add that not only is the convenience of the On-Site express pass worth it - the resorts are fantastic as well. I'm a loyal WDW fan and DVC owner, but I think the resorts at UO trump just about any WDW has. The convenience is great too. We are headed to PBR over the 4th of July and can't wait to get back!

 

[RMulieri]

Absolutely!! WE are going for a week and staying onsite at Portofino Bay.Doing 4 days at Universal, one at Disney, One at Seaworld.The perks are not the only thing, the resorts are GORGEOUS and personally, I think they are more deluxe than what Disney considers deluxe.

 

[dwfanatic]

We are going to IOA for 1 day in August and are splurging on staying onsite just to be able to have express pass. We will be spending 7 days at the Disney parks, but with only having 1 day at IOA to get everything done (and not wanting to tour commando in the heat), paying $300 for a room to be able to have express pass seems like a good idea to me- and the room is a surprise for DH and DS's!!

 

[mjohnson96]

We walked past 2 families today one buying the express and one buying that reserve system. Both paid about twice what we paid for 1 night in a room. And we got 2 days vs just the one.

 

[damo]

We often go the last week of August. It is still quite busy and is is extremely hot.