Is booking an Express Pass hotel worth it?

[NewDisneyFam]

My husband and I are planning a no kids trip to Universal for our 10th anniversary in August. I am looking at Sapphire Falls, but wondering if the $300 upgrade to Royal Pacific is worth it for Express Pass. There is also a $75 dining credit at SF, so that factors in as well.

We are doing 3 nights with 2 day park to park. We are really going for The Wizarding World and I want to take my time there (planning for a whole day?). I know EP doesn't work for the big HP rides, so is it better to do SF and pay for EP for the non HP day or do RP? Or skip EP all together? I love roller coasters, but my husband does not. He will do the HP rides, but not the big outdoor ones. EP could save me some time in lines where I am riding solo, or it could be a waste if I don't use it enough. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[damo]

Early August, yes. Late August, not as much.

 

[schumigirl]

You can also use single rider line on ones your husband won't do with you........

They can save a lot of time if you didn't go the EP route.

 

[angryduck71]

You will also be closer to the parks at Royal Pacific... and, having the Express Passes for water rides in August... that'd be awesome. I don't think I'll ever NOT stay in an Express Pass hotel.

 

[catfan98]

I too am interested in this question. We are planning a WDW/USO split stay for the first week of April 2017, 2 weeks before Easter, to hopefully miss the Easter crowds and I am pondering whether to worry about EP. We went in June last year and we had 2 days then, and only stayed until early afternoon each day as it was so hot. We stayed in an offsite condo so no going back and forth - once we left, we left. But even then, the kids still rode everything they wanted to ride, including all the main rides and the HP rides. This year we are planning to stay onsite for 3 night, but we need 2 rooms due to the amount of people, and 2 rooms at a deluxe hotel is pretty pricey. So I am thinking Sapphire Falls. With almost 3 days of park time, I feel that we could get everything done and then some without EP. The only thing I am worried about is spring break crowds. Are they comparable to June crowds, or worse?

 

[NewDisneyFam]

Early August, yes. Late August, not as much.

Good to know. We found some good flights in late August. Thanks!

You can also use single rider line on ones your husband won't do with you........

They can save a lot of time if you didn't go the EP route.

I didn't even think of this! Do you have an idea about how much shorter the single rider lines are than standby?

You will also be closer to the parks at Royal Pacific... and, having the Express Passes for water rides in August... that'd be awesome. I don't think I'll ever NOT stay in an Express Pass hotel.

Do you know what the travel time difference is from the different hotels? We love walking to get places, so a little distance isn't a big deal to us, since we won't have our littles. I don't really care for water rides in general. I really hate walking around the park wet after lol!

I too am interested in this question. We are planning a WDW/USO split stay for the first week of April 2017, 2 weeks before Easter, to hopefully miss the Easter crowds and I am pondering whether to worry about EP. We went in June last year and we had 2 days then, and only stayed until early afternoon each day as it was so hot. We stayed in an offsite condo so no going back and forth - once we left, we left. But even then, the kids still rode everything they wanted to ride, including all the main rides and the HP rides. This year we are planning to stay onsite for 3 night, but we need 2 rooms due to the amount of people, and 2 rooms at a deluxe hotel is pretty pricey. So I am thinking Sapphire Falls. With almost 3 days of park time, I feel that we could get everything done and then some without EP. The only thing I am worried about is spring break crowds. Are they comparable to June crowds, or worse?

I wish I had some advice to offer! WDW was pretty crowded when we went this past March a few weeks before Easter. I'm not sure how that translates to US. Good luck on your planning!

 

[angryduck71]

It takes less than 10 minutes I think from IOA to Royal Pacific (we had a slow kid with us). From Universal it's a little longer. I have no idea from Sapphire Falls (it'll be longer). We would attribute an afternoon for water rides, wear bathing suits or something we didn't mind getting wet in, then go back to the hotel after. So, never wet for anything else. That was the great thing about staying so close. And, we loved the water rides and rode them over and over. In your situation, express passes might not be as useful. I LOVE having them.

 

[Parker Clan]

DH and I are doing RPR for the third year in a row this Aug. It's awesome!!! Love the hotel, the pool, it's proximity to IoA, the express pass benefit!
We did notice later Aug last summer lines at both HP rides 15-20 mins every time. It was strange!

 

[babesboo99]

We stayed at CB last time we were here and loved every minute of it it's a great hotel. This time we decided to do one of the 3 hotels that offer EP to get us through the lines quicker all though last time was not to bad we always go the end of October. Can't wait to see how it works out

 

[littlejimmy]

its worth it

 

[keishashadow]

My husband and I are planning a no kids trip to Universal for our 10th anniversary in August. I am looking at Sapphire Falls, but wondering if the $300 upgrade to Royal Pacific is worth it for Express Pass. There is also a $75 dining credit at SF, so that factors in as well.

We are doing 3 nights with 2 day park to park. We are really going for The Wizarding World and I want to take my time there (planning for a whole day?). I know EP doesn't work for the big HP rides, so is it better to do SF and pay for EP for the non HP day or do RP? Or skip EP all together? I love roller coasters, but my husband does not. He will do the HP rides, but not the big outdoor ones. EP could save me some time in lines where I am riding solo, or it could be a waste if I don't use it enough. Any advice is appreciated!

Yes it is.

You may find that upgrading to a power pass from the 2 day park to park for even just one of you might produce better overall rates @ RP or PB.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[kohlby]

Look up crowd calendars to see what the crowds look like. In Late August, there's a chance you might be at moderate crowds. You can easily do the parks without express if it's moderate or low. Do take full advantage of that early extra hour. If crowds are listed as high or very high, then express is highly recommended. That being said, if you've been recently and don't care about what you miss, then you could rely on single rider lines.

As for travel distances, it took us 6 minutes walking from RPR.