Express Pass

[nanceliz]

anyone gotten the express pass at Universal?
How does it work?
Was it worth the extra money?

Thanks!

 

[Metro West]

anyone gotten the express pass at Universal?
How does it work?
Was it worth the extra money?

Thanks!

Express Plus passes are separate tickets and are available for purchase but price varies and depends on the anticipated crowd level that day. It's worth it if you're going during a busy season but not worth the extra money if you're going during a slow period. With Express access, you would get one trip through each participating attraction's Express line so the wait would be minimal...kinda like FastPass but there is no certain time to return.

Does that answer your question?

 

[nanceliz]

Great! thank you!
We are planning on going thanksgiving day. the price is $19.99 so I'm guessing they are thinking the crowds will be low.....although I would think it would be crowded which is why I'm thinking about this.

Is it a card they stamp or scan or something as you go through the express line?

 

[Metro West]

Is it a card they stamp or scan or something as you go through the express line?

They will scan it at each attraction you enter to validate the EP.

 

[macraven]

go to the park on the day you have picked.
if it is crowded and long wait lines, buy the epp at that point.

no sense buying it in advance and not needing it as they are nonrefundable tickets.
even if you don't use them in the parks, still can't be refunded on the $$ you spent on buying them.

 

[nanceliz]

Thanks for your input.
I didn't know they could be purchased at the parks.
That way we could change our mind on which day to go.

Thanks again

 

[macraven]

i always tell newbies to go to the park early prior to opening.

there are many days guests are let into the park prior to the 9:00 official opening.

crowds tend to build around 11ish each day.

since you want to go on thanksgiving day, be at the park at 8:30.
ioa has more rides open for the guests if they open early/8:30.

you can do some of the rides without long line waits then.

when the lines become long for the rides and attractions, then buy the epp.
you can purchase them in the parks at the major merch store (in each park).

you can only utilize those epp's once only per ride/attraction/show.

if the regular line waits are over 20-25 minutes, the epp will be worth it.

 

[Thumper_Man]

We went a couple of years ago and bought the Express Pass. Not really worth the money in my opinion. As macraven said, depends on when you go. We went to IOA in July, during the middle of the week, and the lines weren't that bad. In fact, there was one time my sister and I got off DD, decided to go on again, and were on it again right away. Didn't even wait 2 minutes. Same with Bluto's Barge. Only time we found the EP beneficial was when we went on Hulk. We went on Hulk first thing when we got into the park. Later on in the afternoon, we wanted to go again and it was an hour wait; that's when we used our EP and only waited like 20 minutes. We went to US the following day and it was pouring on our way there. As we were walking in, there was a lot of people walking out. Rain stopped about an hour later and it seemed like we almost had the park to ourselves. Our wait time in lines averaged about 10 minutes.

If you're planning on staying at any of the US/IOA resorts, your room key works as an EP. Only difference is, your room key gives you unlimited EP privileges, as to where the actual EP itself only lets you once on each ride. We're planning on going again in a couple of years, and this time I'll skip buying the EP. Of course I won't be going in July either. I'll be headed there in the off season.