Express Pass - Worth it?

[MommyWolf]

Husband and I are having a disagreement over this ... We're going to Orlando June 12th-21st. We're doing both Universal parks and Disney. I say that it's worth the extra money (approx $150 for one night) to stay at Universal's Royal Pacific to have the benefit of the express lines. He says that he can't imagine that it's worth that amount of money and would make that big of a difference.

If he's right, I've wasted $150; if I'm right, we're waiting in horrible lines for two days and missing a lot of what Universal has to offer. And, we'll have two very unhappy kids who don't wait in lines very well to begin with (ADHD).

Someone with experience give me your thoughts please!

 

[Eeyore1925]

It is absolutely worth it to pay for a night at one of the onsite hotels.

Nice thing is, one night really gets you 2 days of express access. The day you check in and the day you check out.

 

[MommyWolf]

What do you guys estimate the time difference to be in waiting for a popular ride between the regular lines and the express lines. I need to give DH numbers to convince him (he is so very cheap).

 

[tlinus]

it most certainly IS worth it....like the pp said, you will get 2 days of FOTL for one night's stay.

Go for it - your DH will thank you later (mine is now hooked with staying onsite - won't do Uni/IOA any other way)

 

[Metro West]

What do you guys estimate the time difference to be in waiting for a popular ride between the regular lines and the express lines. I need to give DH numbers to convince him (he is so very cheap).

It's really hard to guestimate the wait times but I would say during midday, you can expect to wait 45 mins or more for the more popular rides. Having FOTL by staying onsite is a great perk but also consider this...if you stay onsite, you can head back to the hotel for a swim, nap or lunch and then go back in the evenings...don't forget that aspect. If you can afford to stay onsite...especially in the summer...do it!

 

[phamton]

With ADHD kids, it would be especially good to stay onsite. The wait times will most likely be from 30 minutes to 1 hour for the most popular rides. It will get very busy starting June 21 with even longer lines.

 

[Eeyore1925]

Example - we were at IOA in July 2006. Regular wait for Spiderman was about 90 minutes. We were on in 15.

DS and DD rode Dueling Dragons 4 times in about an hour. Time in regular line was about 60 minutes.

Book the room - DH will thank you later. Mine did. We are headed back in June and I already have my night booked at RPH.

 

[coastermom]

We will NEVER stay off site again . We did IOA the year it opened and waited FOREVER for rides and it was a horror show . As for USF it was also very crowded and it was hard for us to go to the hotel etc. Two summers ago they wanted to return to USF/IOA and well I didn't because of the horror of our first trip. Well this last trip in july of 2006 we stayed at the HRH and well It was one of our BEST Vacations ever. So good that this year I am taking my DD who will be Sweet 16 there for her big day . It is a girls only trip and we are really excited about going because of FOTL .

It is worth every dime and more especially that time of year. As the southern schools are already out and many want to beat the rush of the northen schools getting out for summer break.

It will also help for your kid with ADHD . Too many long lines will make them fustrated and ruin your fun. When in WDW do as many Fast Passes as you can too. We have a 6 year old DS that is not ADD/ADHD but has a hard time waiting in line for rides and the FAST PASS at WDW was great for us as was FOTL at USF/IOA.

I say tell DH to FORK UP THE CASH .

 

[Lucky'sMom]

Besides all of the reasons given, waiting in line is also SO tiring, especially on the kids (and you when they start complaining!). In the heat of the summer, that is one thing you can control, and I think $150 is a small price to pay considering the overall cost of your vacation. It will make the whole family happier.

 

[livie1205]

we will never go to universal without staying onsite EVER again....just not worth it..the lines there get very very long, you will love staying onsite and rpr is a really nice hotel.pay the extra money!

 

[ky07]

I agree with everyone and I have 2 DS's and we stayed offsite last year in June and it can get very busy and the wait times like they said can be 45 to 90 mins long and the most disapointing thing is to tell your kids no I don't want to stand in line that long and thats why we decided to spend 3 days onsite this year and tell your husband I wish we were paying $150.00 a night cause we are paying $207.40 a night at RPR in July

 

[disneyfan67]

Husband and I are having a disagreement over this ... We're going to Orlando June 12th-21st. We're doing both Universal parks and Disney. I say that it's worth the extra money (approx $150 for one night) to stay at Universal's Royal Pacific to have the benefit of the express lines. He says that he can't imagine that it's worth that amount of money and would make that big of a difference.

If he's right, I've wasted $150; if I'm right, we're waiting in horrible lines for two days and missing a lot of what Universal has to offer. And, we'll have two very unhappy kids who don't wait in lines very well to begin with (ADHD).

Someone with experience give me your thoughts please!

My one son is autistic and has problems with long waits in line. We did onsite at Universal last year and that room key which also doubles as the FOTL pass, was worth it's weight in gold. We rode several rides in a row without any waiting and it made the trip so much more enjoyable. As a father of two special needs children, I can not stress to you enough how great the FOTL feature is and you can use it again and again. I bet you I rode MIB at least 5 times in a day and half and is one of my all time favorite rides!

 

[mareed]

We're spending $364 for the cheapest room at RPR in a couple of weeks for the FOTL passes, and we're not even going to sleep in the room. So, yes, I'd say it's definitely worth it for only $150!

 

[Magalex]

I asked this question on another thread and I just want to make sure I get the info correct in my USE TO ONLY DISNEY mind. If we stay 1 or 2 nights on site at Universal and the day we check out we still have the FOTL perks. How does that work if you have to return your room key to check out?

 

[damo]

You don't return your room key. It just gets de-activated for room access. You have FOTL for the full day of check-in and check-out.

 

[bubba's mom]

it most certainly IS worth it....like the pp said, you will get 2 days of FOTL for one night's stay.

Go for it - your DH will thank you later (mine is now hooked with staying onsite - won't do Uni/IOA any other way)

Totally agree on EVERYTHING she said

 

[Metro West]

Totally agree on EVERYTHING she said

And I agree with everything Brab said!