(Last Minute) July Trip, No Express Pass, Scared

[olive]

We were invited to join a family trip to the general Universal-Disney area, accommodations provided, for 7 nights in July (after the 4th - getting there the 9th). We have power passes and may just upgrade so we can use those without blackout dates, but we were not planning on heading down to Florida this summer previously. We have never been to Universal without express passes - we always stay on site and have the benefit from a hotel. We have two children, one with special needs, so it has always been super helpful to have that benefit. We really don't want to pre- purchase express passes since (1) we don't know which of the days we will go to Universal (could be 3 or 4 or all), and (2) that would be crazy expensive. We don't want to just stay onsite because no one else is, and a "throwaway room" is also expensive during this period.

Anyway, I did read that blackout dates were lifted for June to drum up attendance - is there any comfort in that or am I reaching at straws? We are used to getting to the parks early, then leaving around early afternoon for swimming. We usually returned in the evening but since we can't just walk over with an offsite stay, I doubt we would return evenings on this trip (which would make express passes even less worthwhile, since we would only use them for like 5 hours). Any opinions on how much of a nightmare this is likely to be? Should we not bother?

Thanks so much in advance. I really do appreciate it.

 

[damo]

You have to get there early and do the headliners first thing. Make use of the single rider lines if possible.

Go to guest services and see if they can be of some assistance for your child.

 

[wookiebeck]

You could create a non-express-pass touring plan. Figure that most HP rides don't use it, so your wait is same as everyone else. See the shows that pack in large crowds, thus defeating any EP advantage. Watch the HP street entertainment. Chill out in the Jurassic Park visitor center. There is a lot to do that you don't NEED express for. Have fun!

 

[macraven]

black out changed for June but don't count on it happening for July.

it will be hot in july and crowded.

plan on breaks if you stay in the afternoon or just plan to be there prior to park opening and leave around noon.
figure out a plan for the parks in advance and do a certain number of rides/shows for each day

 

[FrankDIS72]

If your child has special needs, you can pick up the Attractions Assistance Pass at no charge at Guest Services. If the wait time on a ride is less than 30 minutes, then your group can use the Express line. If the line is more than 30 minutes, you will be given a return time. You can only hold 1 return time at a time. The pass is good for up to 6 guests and can be used for your length of stay.

 

[olive]

We are planning on upgrading from the power passes to preferred anyway in light of the blackout dates - I was more thinking about whether the June issue meant attendance was down some so lines might be a bit less awful. Too bad we are so close to our renewal period! (Early August!) Oh well.

Does anyone know whether the free self parking with preferred passes covers parking fees at the universal hotels? I think we may just stay at at a hotel for part of the time after all, since we have the AP discount with the upgrade. I got a pretty nice rate at PBH yesterday. We have stayed at RP a few times, and we really like it there, but it was actually quite a bit MORE to stay at RPH this time with the discount (I looked at AAA, stay more/save more, AP) and the AP rate at PBH was best. I played with the dates and am thinking of staying maybe 5 nights at PBH of the 7 we would be in the area. That would get rid of the express pass issue obviously. This wasn't planned, but perhaps we can visit family in the evenings at their place and move over for the last few nights. July just seems like a scary time to experiment with what has worked in the past.

I have read a little about Universal's accommodations for children with disabilities, and my understanding is that the one time it can be challenging is when it is super crowded and you have a return time for an attraction with a very long wait, since you cannot receive a second return time until that one has been used (or else forfeit it). But if there are generally long waits and you have seen many of the shows, you can run into an issue. I have heard of people giving up and just heading back to the hotel to swim, which is fine sometimes but not always. We just want to have a plan.

Thanks so much to all for helping us get to some loose plan for this unexpected trip. Any clarification on the parking is appreciated. I will call Universal later if folks aren't sure.

 

[schumigirl]

You'll stil have to pay for parking at the hotels. They are not owned by Universal and are a seperate entity.