express pass

[mbtileguy]

can someone explain how this works is just like the one at Disney?
and you have to stay onsite to get it?

 

[Metro West]

can someone explain how this works is just like the one at Disney?
and you have to stay onsite to get it?

Anyone can purchase Express Plus passes but if you stay onsite, you get unlimited Express access throughout your stay. The regular Express is just once through the line but you can go whenever you want...unlike FP where you return at a certain time. Express Plus prices depend on the anticipated crowd level that day. The busier it's supposed to be...the more the EP is. It's best to wait until you arrive to see what the lines are like rather than purchasing ahead of time. EPs are non-refundable and date specific.

 

[msmith07101]

We stayed at RPR last December and used the FOTL pass. Honeslty...we didn't really even need it...most things had no wait. The longest lines were for things you can't use the pass for...like HRRR. I just returned Yesterday from a trip to Orlando...only had 1 day to spend at US and IoA and did not stay onsite this time...so no pass. Again...didn't need it...it may have been that it rained that morning and a little bit in the afternoon, but it just wasn't all that crowded. If not staying onsite, I would not think about getting the pass until you're there and know how busy it is. That said...I recommend staying onsite...it's nice to be so close to the parks to get there quickly or for taking a break mid day.

 

[heidijanesmith]

We stayed on site, PBH and used the express pass all day long at both parks. Our trip was in mid-July, so the parks were extremely crowded. Long lines for all rides! With out the express pass, our touring at Universal would have been two days of waiting in long lines, instead of little to no wait using the unlimited express pass.

I highly recommend staying on site for the express pass benefit during crowded periods of year.

 

[gatorfreud]

We just returned from 12/20-22 - big crowds of course. Even worse than I thought it would be. I cannot even imagine having not had the FOTL pass. All waits were 35-75 minutes for EVERYTHING (expect the carousel!). It would have been completely miserable without the pass.

Kim

 

[GinaBean]

We were at US on 12/19 & IOA on 12/20, and I am glad we had the pass. We stayed at the RPR to get our passes, and I was surprised that we were not allowed to use our pass for the Forbidden Journey. I thought that I had read here that you could, but that was not our experience.

 

[Metro West]

We were at US on 12/19 & IOA on 12/20, and I am glad we had the pass. We stayed at the RPR to get our passes, and I was surprised that we were not allowed to use our pass for the Forbidden Journey. I thought that I had read here that you could, but that was not our experience.

Express has not been offered on Forbidden Journey since it's been open. It probably won't be added for a long time.

 

[GinaBean]

Express has been offered on Forbidden Journey since it's been open. It probably won't be added for a long time.

I am confused. Is has been offered? Or it has not? I thought that guests staying at one of the hotels could fast pass it once per day. We were not allowed to.

 

[bumbershoot]

Has NOT been offered on FJ.

Resort guests are allowed early entry into that part of IOA, which will get you on FJ faster, but there's been no express pass for FJ.



I fell madly in love with Express Pass Plus from staying at RPR, even though it was a slower part of the year (dec 10-13). Even on rides with little wait, we found a benefit to it. On the 13th, when DS wanted to ride Hippogriff 14 times in a row (literally, 14 times), we kept switching which line depending on how many people were trying to get their keycards out to show the TM. But found that even with a 5 minute wait in standby, it was 3 minutes in the express lane, just b/c there were fewer people in our line to be seated once we got through the actual queue maze.

When we went back to WDW after Universal, FastPass seemed SAD!

 

[Metro West]

I am confused. Is has been offered? Or it has not? I thought that guests staying at one of the hotels could fast pass it once per day. We were not allowed to.

Sorry...I should have checked before hitting submit. It has NOT been offered...I'll edit my response.

 

[Albytaps]

Of course it makes perfect sense that rides that don't have wait times you can use Express passes for, and the one that have long wait don't have EP's.

The only 2 rides that really need the FOTL access are Forbidden Journey and HRRR.

Yes, I'm being bitter. I did use FOTL on all rides that had it, but many of them really were walk-ons anyway.

 

[aburns84]

The fast pass is much better than Disney's. You can just hop ahead of the line. None of that return an hour later or running out of passes by lunch time. Disney kind of goes 50/50 between line and fast pace so both lines are moving. They would fill a ride with fast pass and then the next ride would be regular. At universal you just cut in front, they don't really make you wait. We did not opt for it when we went in december. I thought it would be like Disney and the fast pass was $40 a person. After seeing what it was like I will buy it. I will get on Forbidden Journey and ride than like 6 times in a row. I loved the ride and I am a huge HP fan.

 

[bumbershoot]

I will get on Forbidden Journey and ride than like 6 times in a row. I loved the ride and I am a huge HP fan.

It cannot be used on FJ.

 

[mesaboy2]

After seeing what it was like I will buy it. I will get on Forbidden Journey and ride than like 6 times in a row.

Yeah, good luck with that. On the plus side, SR is usually very fast and free.

 

[aubriee]

The fast pass is much better than Disney's. You can just hop ahead of the line. None of that return an hour later or running out of passes by lunch time. Disney kind of goes 50/50 between line and fast pace so both lines are moving. They would fill a ride with fast pass and then the next ride would be regular. At universal you just cut in front, they don't really make you wait. We did not opt for it when we went in december. I thought it would be like Disney and the fast pass was $40 a person. After seeing what it was like I will buy it. I will get on Forbidden Journey and ride than like 6 times in a row. I loved the ride and I am a huge HP fan.

OT: As others have said, fast pass is not allowed for FJ. The single rider line is great though and is never more than five minutes. I used it early Sept. mid Oct, and early Dec and rode FJ repeatedly. Also when I was there in late August/early Sept I had FOTL pass due to staying onsite. However, over at Mummy and also at Men in Black the single rider line was faster than the FOTL pass, so I didn't even bother with FOTL pass. I used single rider and rode both of those repeatedly.

 

[LUVIOA]

Of course it makes perfect sense that rides that don't have wait times you can use Express passes for, and the one that have long wait don't have EP's.

The only 2 rides that really need the FOTL access are Forbidden Journey and HRRR.

Yes, I'm being bitter. I did use FOTL on all rides that had it, but many of them really were walk-ons anyway.

If you've ever been during a busy summer or peak times you would feel completely different. We go in the summer and it is priceless. There is no such thing as a "walk-on" for anything. It's all relative to the season.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you've ever been during a busy summer or peak times you would feel completely different. We go in the summer and it is priceless. There is no such thing as a "walk-on" for anything. It's all relative to the season.

And even at a slower season, where things might be basically "walk ons", the Express line might still be faster, because there are fewer people to be seated from that line.