fotl

[kirbsam]

worth its weight in gold. i love this perk. if i stroll on over to ioa and want to ride spiderman five or six times in a row, i can. any time of day. try that on soarin or ee. (aside: i am not bashing disney, i love that place.)

 

[kirbsam]

i have to admit that as much as i love the layout, and perks at being onsite at universal, i would make one change. i would allow your room key to let you go right to the front seat on hulk and dueling dragons. i hope that doesn't make me look too greedy.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Heck yeah, ya look greedy...but what a GREAT idea!!! Lotsa greedy people would benefit from that!!!

 

[inkkognito]

I've managed Soarin' 8 times in a row through the following method: Get there at park opening on an off season day, be at the rope, get the first ride of the day, get a FP, get another standby or two, get another FP when available, and milk that until the crowd gets obnoxious.

But it's soooo much nicer at USF/IOA with my Premier Pass where I can just run over in the evening with no plan whatsoever and ride to my heart's content. We visit Universal 4-1 over Disney now...the Mouse lost a big chunk of change off me, since we usually eat at whatever park we visit too.

 

[Metro West]

But it's soooo much nicer at USF/IOA with my Premier Pass where I can just run over in the evening with no plan whatsoever and ride to my heart's content. We visit Universal 4-1 over Disney now...the Mouse lost a big chunk of change off me, since we usually eat at whatever park we visit too.

I feel the same way and the fact that Disney doesn't offer the in park discounts to AP holders that Universal does really irks me. But I guess Disney needs the money more than Universal.

 

[mtmbyck]

here is a question for my FOTL experts. We are going to UO/IOA March 2 - 16 We have a rental home and 3 families. If one family stays one night at a Universal resort - they will get the 4 room keys for FOTL for the 2 days. Can we share these amogst the other 2 families since DM and DD aren't thrill seekers and there will be no Dragons or Hulking for us!! Are there photos or singatures on the room keys??

 

[the Dark Marauder]

There aren't photos, plus many people don't sign them. The only thing on them is names. On children's keys, there is often a "C" and the child's age.

 

[stargrazer]

With the FOTL and some of the other things Universal has done...layout of the parks, perks for APs and Onsite Guests, etc...I am almost a permanant convert. I love Disney for the nostalgia, history and culture, but US and IOA have got a great theme park experience covered.

 

[CPanther95]

Disney has the nostalgia factor for my wife and I, but we haven't been back since a combination Disney/Universal trip in 2000 (Disney only before that). Kids preferred Universal hands down, and now, so do we.

They'll thank us when they have kids and never have to suffer the headaches of a Disney vacation because it will be Universal that has the nostalgia factor for them. FOTL makes all the difference in the world in the quality of the vacation you enjoy.

 

[MouseGirl]

Totally agree! Our family did both US/IOA and WDW on our past two trips (2005 and 2007) and our kids really enjoyed US/IOA much more because of the FOTL experience. In fact, even though we're not planning our next trip for 2 or 3 years, I actually bought the 2 park-7 days non-expiring passes this week so that we have them for our next trip. We're planning to stay on-site for a week next time and not even venture over to WDW...

MouseGirl

 

[inkkognito]

Here is a little trick for getting the front seat of Hulk without the obnoxious wait. I've had about a 50/50 or more success rate. Get in row 2, and you might just end up with a party of 3 for the front row. Then you simply pop over and grab the remaining seat. Otherwise it would just be wasted anyway! I have this down to a science...once some chick in row 3 heard me discussing it with my hubby and thought she was gonna slip past me and beat me at my own game, but I blocked the wanna-be and claimed my reward.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Disney has too many resorts to offer FOTL as a perk.. there would be very long waits if they offered that...

 

[CPanther95]

Disney has too many resorts to offer FOTL as a perk.. there would be very long waits if they offered that...

Yep, that's the problem - although they could regulate the volume by restricting the priviledge to only the premium properties. It would certainly get me back to Disney after 8 years if they had it.

That was also a concern I had when they started building RPR. Luckily it didn't change the FOTL.

 

[bubba's mom]

Yep, that's the problem - although they could regulate the volume by restricting the priviledge to only the premium properties. It would certainly get me back to Disney after 8 years if they had it.

That was also a concern I had when they started building RPR. Luckily it didn't change the FOTL.

Oh I remember reading about THAT heated debate on that side People were ALL sorts of offended because they stay at value because they couldn't afford the 'premium' rooms....so, basically, discrimination because if you stay onsite, it should be available to everyone.... I think that is where Disney went wrong....great idea (onsite hotels) but too big too fast (Not to worry....I'm sure they'll come up with something....)

Even when they build the new hotel at UO, I think the line could handle fotl if they offered it to that hotel....I don't think the EP lines are quite that bad yet.... but, we'll see......

 

[CPanther95]

Uh oh.... new hotel?

Guess I need to stop in here more during the "off-season".

Have a link?

As far as Disney goes, I don't see the problem with it. The Grand Floridian offers substantially more amentities than the budget hotels. FOTL would just be another amenity. I see no difference in paying more for a larger room, or paying more for FOTL - offer the option and those that think it isn't worth it don't have to pay.

But to complain that they can't get something for nothing and use that to justify why nobody should even have the option is ridiculous.

 

[guelde96]

We are looking at going to Universal Studios for the first time in March. Could you explain what ftol is? Not sure if that is right but you know what I mean. Thanks.

 

[bubba's mom]

We are looking at going to Universal Studios for the first time in March. Could you explain what ftol is? Not sure if that is right but you know what I mean. Thanks.

Front Of The Line, or otherwise known as Express Pass.

This will let you bypass the line..like Disney's FastPass system.

2 ways to have an EP:

1-Stay at an onsite hotel...your room key gives you unlimited EP for length of stay

2-Purchase EPPlus at the park or online in advance. However, this 'purchased' EP is more expensive in peak times AND only gives you ONE EP access per ride....it is not unlimited like the hotel room key.

 

[inkkognito]

Three ways, actually...

If you are staying offsite but will be in town for a while, you can opt for a Premier Pass which gives you unlimited FOTL after 4 p.m.

And "FOTL" is somewhat of a misnomer...the line can be anywhere from non-existent to 15 mins. and even beyond, although the wait is usually negligible. Still, at peak times when a ride has broken down, I've see EP lines at 45 mins.

 

[guelde96]

Thanks for clearing that up. Still have to decide whether to try Universal Studios. We really love Disney.

 

[ky07]

Thanks for clearing that up. Still have to decide whether to try Universal Studios. We really love Disney.

We love Disney too but we gave Universal a chance and now we are hooked and if you give Universal a chance I think you will be surpised.