Express Passes--how do they work?

[PHamrick]

So according to my reading, express passes put you in a different line? How much shorter is this line really? How much of a difference do they make in being able to get on a ride? I know some of the most popular rides/attractions don't have them (looking at you HPWorld), but many do. Are they worth it?

Also, can you use them only on rides or could you use them for character meet and greets too?

 

[Jonny_Duck]

Yes there is a separate line. It makes a big difference imo but that also depends on the time of the year whether they are worth more money or not but it also depends on how many days you'll be going. If you only have one or two days in park then imo yes it's def worth either staying onsite or paying more for FOTL. They only work for rides AFAIK.

 

[macraven]

If you go in a low period time, park hours will be shorter for some dates

Ep is still valuable but if you go early and have a plan of the rides you must do, it can be accomplished

Regular and high seasons, ep allows you to take your time in the parks with shorter line waits

No ep lines for character meets

If you have 3-4 park days, you can see and do a lot.


If you only have 1-2 days for the park, the ep is worth it's price in gold

 

[Pattyinaustin]

I feel like the Express Pass has been worth it each time we purchased. The express lines were a great deal shorter and it made touring the park much more pleasant as you could ride pretty much any ride when you wanted. I would still recommend heading the Harry Potter portions of the parks first thing, though!

 

[Minniesgal]

We wouldn't do universal without express pass it makes an enormous difference to our enjoyment of the park

 

[macraven]

I always stay on site and get the perk of unlimited ep usage

When I vacation, I take my time and don't rush
Staying on site for me is more than just doing the parks

For those that do day trips or stay offsite near UO, don't always have that extra money in their budget for ep
It can add up to a higher price than they can afford

Staying onsite for two nights could be a money saver for them
Avoid staying onsite on fri/sat for cheaper room rate
Try to book in the value/low season for cheaper room
If you add up for a family of 5 on a trip, staying onsite for ep purposes might be cheaper overall

 

[schumigirl]

Even on so called quiet days we wouldn't do without the EP.......like macraven we stay onsite so it's unlimited and definitely worth it's weight in gold!

Gringotts, Hogwarts Express and Forbidden Journey are the three rides in Potter it's not accepted at the moment. Can't be used for Olivanders either.

It can be used for shows like Horror Make Up Show........it's not just rides.

On so called quiet days in September last year we saw queues that were horrendous.........depends on the day of course. Despicable me was never less than 30-45 minutes around 9am when we usually arrived as we never did EE.......no need to. And later in the day it wasn't unusual to see it at the 100 minute time for regular queue. We usually walked straight on or had a nominal 10 minute wait at worst.......never waited any longer.

The Hulk had over an hour at times and even Spiderman was around 45 minutes by mid morning.......one time the Hulk queue was 90 minutes, we went on 3 times in just under 15 minutes using EP.

Character meets are never that big that you need such a thing as EP

So, yes for us the EP is invaluable even at so called quiet times......

 

[RMulieri]

We don't go without it and stay onsite to get the perk.. Even in slow times it makes a difference since park hours are shorter.

 

[PHamrick]

You all have me convinced! We only have one day and will definitely be staying on site now. I was wondering exactly how much time it would save us...sounds like a lot! Thanks!!

 

[macraven]

The best decision you could ever make!

You also get the same perks of EE and unlimited EP usage on your check out day

Be sure to come back here and share your day with use

 

[PHamrick]

The best decision you could ever make!

You also get the same perks of EE and unlimited EP usage on your check out day

Be sure to come back here and share your day with use

Absolutely! You will have to wait awhile...we don't go until August!!! But we are super excited already. Haven't been to US/IOA since around 2000.

 

[kohlby]

We usually stay at RPR and barely have needed our EP. Actually, we didn't really need it but it can mean less walking. (Lines were 10 minutes or less with the exception of Gringotts). However, we usually go during low crowd times so it would be different most other times. Onsite was still worth it though. (Our last trip was the week after Thanksgiving. We were off-site for part and on-site for part. Even Minions was a walk-on without EP at 9:15 in the morning! That is very unusual though, but it gives you an idea how much lower than norm our low-crowd time was). Hulk was closed then, so I don't know how that line would have been. In the past, we used single rider on Hulk which makes it short.

Since you only have one day in the parks, I'd lean towards getting it unless you are going during a super low crowd time.

 

[schumigirl]

You all have me convinced! We only have one day and will definitely be staying on site now. I was wondering exactly how much time it would save us...sounds like a lot! Thanks!!

You won't regret it.........good choice!

We hate waiting even 20 minutes so it works brilliantly for us........we always go at so called quiet times and love having Unlimited EP...........makes a huge difference!

 

[Jonny_Duck]

You all have me convinced! We only have one day and will definitely be staying on site now. I was wondering exactly how much time it would save us...sounds like a lot! Thanks!!

If you have the ability to add a second day then it would be better imo....When you stay onsite you get FOTL for check in and check out day. So one night will get you two days.

 

[PHamrick]

If you have the ability to add a second day then it would be better imo....When you stay onsite you get FOTL for check in and check out day. So one night will get you two days.

We don't...we will be headed to Port Canaveral the next day. Space Day! My husband insisted and my kids are dying to see the space center. I would love to add another day, but we will be back. My mom lives in North Florida, so we can visit often!

 

[macraven]

Absolutely! You will have to wait awhile...we don't go until August!!! But we are super excited already. Haven't been to US/IOA since around 2000.

absolutely come back in august.
i'll still be here.

would love to hear how the trip went for you