Express passes needs in early May?

[mlneryder]

My family will be visiting Universal Orlando for 2.5 days. We plan to visit both parks. It will be wife and I, plus my two sons who are 14 and 8. Debating on whether we should stay on site, Just not sure of the added expense. Also considering Express pass for the trip. Are they needed in early May.

The dates of the visit would be Thursday May 8th to Saturday May 10th. We check in at Disney on the 11th,

 

[macraven]

in the past, early May has been a good time to go to the darkside.

on some fridays in May, you might see school groups on field trips at the park during the daytime.

Saturdays will bring the locals to the parks if the weather is great.


the MG concerts on the weekends will be continue in May.
you can check the MG schedule to see who is playing that saturday night.
this is held after the night parade.

if you stay offsite and find the park to have long line waits, you can buy the express pass that day.

i would hold off in purchasing them to see if there are crowds in the parks on the days you go.
the EPs are non refundable and listed for specific date/park.

if you are in the park and it rains, it thins out the guests quickly.
you would not need the ep in that case.

 

[rowan555]

I was glad to read this! We just had a schedule conflict for February and changed our travel plans to May 11th! I ended up booking one night on site just in case (my OCD mind wouldn't let me do otherwise). And for anyone traveling between now and May, there's a Groupon for Sunsol hotel, $59 a night, includes parking, breakfast, and park transportation. It was cheaper to book 3 nights there than our one night on site, but ah well, at least we KNOW we'll have two full days of absolutely no lines! And nice enough weather to enjoy the pools.

 

[mlneryder]

Thanks macraven. Most of the websites I have seen list early may as a low crowd days. More on the weekends of course. Staying onsite would be nice just a little pricy for my budget.

 

[rowan555]

Thanks macraven. Most of the websites I have seen list early may as a low crowd days. More on the weekends of course. Staying onsite would be nice just a little pricy for my budget.

When my daughter and I went in August, I got an AP even though we planned to only visit the parks one trip. I saved about $250 off the cost of 3 onsite hotel nights, plus 10% off food and some of our souvenirs. It was about $130 more for the AP than for regular one-visit tickets. I highly recommend looking into that option! We'd never even consider a repeat visit had I not gotten the AP, but now we're returning for a short visit in May, and my AP rate for the Royal Pacific is only $169 a night. One night stay = two days of express passes for everyone. I'm hoping the crowds are light, but we decided to "splurge" for that one night to make sure we have two days of NO lines. We'll still do a third day when we're staying off site, and I get free parking that day due to the AP. It's a win/win, and it would have still been a good deal for us even if we weren't going a second time.

 

[mlneryder]

When my daughter and I went in August, I got an AP even though we planned to only visit the parks one trip. I saved about $250 off the cost of 3 onsite hotel nights, plus 10% off food and some of our souvenirs. It was about $130 more for the AP than for regular one-visit tickets. I highly recommend looking into that option! We'd never even consider a repeat visit had I not gotten the AP, but now we're returning for a short visit in May, and my AP rate for the Royal Pacific is only $169 a night. One night stay = two days of express passes for everyone. I'm hoping the crowds are light, but we decided to "splurge" for that one night to make sure we have two days of NO lines. We'll still do a third day when we're staying off site, and I get free parking that day due to the AP. It's a win/win, and it would have still been a good deal for us even if we weren't going a second time.

Thanks for the tip. Is there a code to use to check AP rates?

 

[macraven]

use APH on the website for checking rates.

or call and talk to a TM to see if your dates have been released that include that discount.

the ap is valid for room discounts not express passes.

 

[mlneryder]

use APH on the website for checking rates.

or call and talk to a TM to see if your dates have been released that include that discount.

the ap is valid for room discounts not express passes.

Thanks. Yes I am aware it is only for the room. But you get express passes for check in AND check out day. May decide to book one night onsite just for that reason.

 

[Metro West]

Thanks. Yes I am aware it is only for the room. But you get express passes for check in AND check out day. May decide to book one night onsite just for that reason.