HELP - express pass for Feb?

[mlggator]

We are coming out to Orlando for my daughters gymnastics meet over Pres. Day weekend. We will be at WDW for that weekend since she is competing at Wide World of Sports.

We also want to do a few days at Universal as our kids have never been (ages 13 and 10). We are planning to stay at Universal from Tuesday, Feb 17th through Thursday Feb 19th. Those are weekdays after Presidents Day Weekend.

So my question is, do we need to stay in a deluxe resort during that time to get the front of the line passes? Or would we be okay to stay in their more moderate resort?

We have never been to Universal Orlando (we live in California) and this is probably our one shot to do it. We are cash tight, so I don't want to spend the money unnecessarily, but I also want to make the most of the trip. I also hate standing in line. So if its going to be busy, then the upgrade to me is money well spent.

What do you think? Could we get away with the cheaper hotel? Or is that likely to be a busy week (I know a lot of schools out here have the whole week off)?

 

[macraven]

the darkside value hotel, Cbay, does not include unlimited free usage of the express lines.

you only receive the one hour of early entry.

the 3 deluxe onsite hotels have the free unlimited express line usage.


express pass can be bought online in advance or can be bought in the parks on the day of.

sometimes the EP can be cheaper when purchased in advance as the price can increase to reflect predicted crowd levels in the parks.

that's the pros and cons of buying in advance or wait until you are there to buy them.


i have not had to make that decision as i stay onsite in the deluxe and get the free perks with it.

don't know what to advise you, others might have a definite opinion to share with you.

 

[C&B Young]

I believe if you stay 1 night at a deluxe Universal resort you get the unlimited express pass for both your check-in and check-out days. So you could always do a deluxe resort for your first night then hop to Cabana Bay for the 2nd/3rd nights.

 

[tstidm1]

At that week of the year, it's a little busier than normal. I would stay at Cabana Bay if money is an issue because Express Pass is not as needed that time of year. I would still do an EA morning or two. If you want to take a break midday, be back by about 3 PM because they will be open until 7 PM or 8 PM at that time.

 

[jpfromct]

We're planning 3 days in early March and I had similar concerns about hotel cost and express passes. What I'm leaning towards at the moment is getting an annual pass for myself (not that much more than a 3-day ticket) which qualifies us for discounts on the Royal Pacific hotel (hopefully - discounts for March have not bee announced yet). I plan to spend two days at the Royal Pacific (giving us 3 days with express passes) and spend our last night at a budget hotel near the airport. I really wanted the express passes and this seems to be the most economical way to do it. Here are the current annual pass prices for Royal Pacific so you can get an idea of the pricing. I'd link to the page but I'm a newbie and can't post links. You can find the link on the "orlando informer" website.

November 10 – November 25, 2014: Rates from $159
November 26 – November 29, 2014: Rates from $224
November 30 – December 18, 2014: Rates from $144
December 19 – December 25, 2014: Rates from $174
January 4 – January 15, 2015: Rates from $154
January 16 – January 18, 2015: Rates from $204
January 19 – February 12, 2015: Rates from $154

 

[soniam]

We're planning 3 days in early March and I had similar concerns about hotel cost and express passes. What I'm leaning towards at the moment is getting an annual pass for myself (not that much more than a 3-day ticket) which qualifies us for discounts on the Royal Pacific hotel (hopefully - discounts for March have not bee announced yet). I plan to spend two days at the Royal Pacific (giving us 3 days with express passes) and spend our last night at a budget hotel near the airport. I really wanted the express passes and this seems to be the most economical way to do it. Here are the current annual pass prices for Royal Pacific so you can get an idea of the pricing. I'd link to the page but I'm a newbie and can't post links. You can find the link on the "orlando informer" website.

I had planned to get an AP for a discount at RPR for mid-March. However, people on the board said that there probably wouldn't be an AP discount during that time, since it's Spring Break. I don't know when your actual stay in March is. I ended up getting a really good deal from Cheap Tickets for RPR instead. I don't know if it's still being offered.

 

[jpfromct]

I had planned to get an AP for a discount at RPR for mid-March. However, people on the board said that there probably wouldn't be an AP discount during that time, since it's Spring Break. I don't know when your actual stay in March is. I ended up getting a really good deal from Cheap Tickets for RPR instead. I don't know if it's still being offered.

Thanks Soniam. We are planning on being there March 2-4, which is supposed to be fairly slow? So I am hoping for discounts. But I will keep an eye on Cheap Tickets as well!