is it worth it?

[back4more]

we are going to US/IOA August 23rd to the 26th. we are trying to decide if it is worth staying on property to get to the head of the lines
any advice?

 

[WDW Princess]

I personally think it is. I know there are resorts out there that are just as nice but cost less; however, staying onsite kind of gets you into the "mood"... I love the theming, proximity to parks, restaurants, convenient transportation.... And nothing beats FOTL! We haven't been to US/IA in a few years, as for some reason we got "stuck" exclusively on Disney, but prior to that, we always stayed onsite and enjoyed FOTL. My mom always says, loosely translated, that there are as many opinions as there are people, so some will say it's not worth it, some will say it is. I think you should experience it for yourself at least once and make a decision whether it is worth the money for YOU.

 

[Illuminations06]

i think it is more beneficial to stay onsite at Universal. there are perks, like you can walk right from your hotel to the park. also, FOTL is a real time-saver. when we stayed onsite, we were able to ride the Mummy 20 times in 2 1/2 days because of FOTL (and that was in the busy season, July).
in my opinion staying onsite is the way to go!!

 

[tlinus]

I loved staying onsite. You get immersed in the whole experience!!! You can walk to the parks and back and that makes for a good mid day break with pool time!

 

[Spidey7]

There is NO doubt about it. None. If you don't have the fast pass/room keys that come with staying on site, the vast majority of your day will be spent in lines for an hour to 2 hours at a time, only being able to ride a handful of rides by the end of the day.

Fast pass makes your time so much more enjoyable. My DW did not really like theme parks at all until this last trip. She was only familiar with Disney and hated it, all because she hated the fact that the last time she went, she only got to ride 4 rides and spent all day waiting in lines.

When we stayed on site at Universal she got hooked and really got into it. I know for a fact that she would not have had this opinion if we had to go the regular lines the whole trip ESPECIALLY with a baby in a stroller, that would make it almost impossible.

But we had the fast passes and got to ride rides all day, spent almost no time waiting in line and she ended up being converted on this trip. It makes all the difference in the world with that one perk alone. The extra $100 a night is well worth it IMO.

Plus the hotels are just soooo nice and its so cool being there the whole time with a view of the parks in your room windows.

 

[DVCLiz]

I totally agree that onsite is the way to go at Universal. We just had our first visit this summer - stayed for the weekend at Royal Pacific and had FOTL access to both parks for 3 days. Every time I walked past the 60+ minute waits for the major rides I kept expecting to be stopped as I entered the Universal Express line, rode the ride, and left within minutes, but no - that's just the most amazing benefit!!! I can't stress enough how wonderful it was, especially on the hottest, most humid days. Absolutely worth every penny!!!

 

[Spidey7]

Yep, I would add it also depends on what time of year you go. If you go during any peak period and especially during the peak summer months, it is absolutely necessary.

However, if you are going on a really down time like mid september, Jan. after the holidays and into February before spring break, its not nearly as critical because the lines are not nearly as bad, not to mention the heat. But absolutely during any peak period, it is not only worth it but almost necessary.

 

[hayanyujah847]

I debated the same question before booking onsite at Universal for this trip. The front of the line access is such an amazing benefit! In my opinion, it is definitely worth it~!

 

[back4more]

Thank u all for your help I just cant convince my hubby that 2 days at uso/ioa are worth $1000.00(hotel,tix,food)especially because of the deal we are getting at Disney. I will keep tring Thanks!

 

[tinaluis]

I will be the lone dissenter on this one. We've visited US/IOA near the end of August and found the regular lines (without express pass) to be doable. (Average waits of 15-45 mins. but they went faster than that). Of course, they would be better with FOTL, but they're certainly doable without it. Don't skip US/IOA entirely just because you won't be staying onsite. Just get there early (before opening even) so you can get the major rides out of the way before the park gets too crowded. Also, don't forget the single rider lines.

 

[Metro West]

Just get there early (before opening even) so you can get the major rides out of the way before the park gets too crowded. Also, don't forget the single rider lines.

Right and the single lines are more plentiful than at Disney.

 

[WDW Princess]

I will be the lone dissenter on this one. We've visited US/IOA near the end of August and found the regular lines (without express pass) to be doable. (Average waits of 15-45 mins. but they went faster than that). Of course, they would be better with FOTL, but they're certainly doable without it. Don't skip US/IOA entirely just because you won't be staying onsite. Just get there early (before opening even) so you can get the major rides out of the way before the park gets too crowded. Also, don't forget the single rider lines.

I don’t think you are a lone dissenter - I believe most would agree that it’s great to stay onsite because of the atmosphere, convenience and FOTL. However, if the only choice was between staying offsite and going to Universal vs. not going at all, most would choose to stay offsite. We’ve never stayed offsite and my only hesitation would be having to get up early to avoid long lines: to me, it’s not a vacation when I have to wake up early and rush somewhere. Staying onsite affords us the luxury of not being rushed for anything. Again, if I had to, I would stay offsite; however, my preference would always be one of the Universal resorts.