Really disappointed in Universal's "Express"

[oceanscape]

We stayed on-site at RPR and had the resort guest "Express" access.

I just want to say that I found it very disappointing. We visited last week and every "Express" line was long (we rarely waited less than 20 minutes and waited 60 minutes for the Harry Potter train) and, in some situations, the "Express" line took longer than the regular line - e.g. our friends, who did not have "Express", entered the Transformer standby line at exactly the same time as us yet came out 10 minutes before us.

By contrast, Disney's FP+ was brilliant - we never had long waits in any FP+ lanes (but, of course, sadly were restricted to three initial selections per day). Avatar FoP was 180 minutes standby and we waited 10 minutes in FP+ lane; I bet you that would have been nearer an hour in the "Express" equivalent.

Surely UO has years of analytics and experience with Express now and should do a much better job of speeding it up / pushing more people through express and fewer people through standby?

 

[fely1st]

Sorry you had a bad time with the Express Pass. We use it every year and never had to wait, maybe 20 minutes or so at Gringotts longest or when a ride broken down during we were in line. But most time most rides were walk on for us. Maybe it was supercrowded when you visited.

 

[mamapenguin]

I'm sorry you had that experience. The max I've waited for an express ride was 30 min. and that was for Gringott's. I've never waited that long for the train. I do not understand why wait times get super long going from Universal to Islands, but not going back the other way. If the train line were long, I would just walk, like we did in the years prior to the train being built. It still beats the heck out of Disney.

 

[mjhtvchick]

Wow! That is disappointing - I have never had that experience...the closest we came to that was in May when my brother almost ended up in the same car as us on Gringotts when he used the single rider line.

Otherwise we have been able to ride multiple times in a short period - sometimes passing the same people in the standby line!

I did see reports on Twitter that last weekend was crazy busy at Universal - was there a holiday in the US?

 

[tony67]

Never had that experience myself - personally I'll take unlimited express pass over FP+ book 3 rides months in advance any day

 

[MikeNamez]

Never had that experience myself - personally I'll take unlimited express pass over FP+ book 3 rides months in advance any day

This

 

[schumigirl]

We stayed on-site at RPR and had the resort guest "Express" access.

I just want to say that I found it very disappointing. We visited last week and every "Express" line was long (we rarely waited less than 20 minutes and waited 60 minutes for the Harry Potter train) and, in some situations, the "Express" line took longer than the regular line - e.g. our friends, who did not have "Express", entered the Transformer standby line at exactly the same time as us yet came out 10 minutes before us.

By contrast, Disney's FP+ was brilliant - we never had long waits in any FP+ lanes (but, of course, sadly were restricted to three initial selections per day). Avatar FoP was 180 minutes standby and we waited 10 minutes in FP+ lane; I bet you that would have been nearer an hour in the "Express" equivalent.

Surely UO has years of analytics and experience with Express now and should do a much better job of speeding it up / pushing more people through express and fewer people through standby?

Sounds like you experienced a very unlucky glitch.

Nothing can be analyzed there...…...

In all our visits, and we are at 75 nights in the past year alone soon, we visit most days and have never experienced regular waits with EP. Longest was Despicable Me which was just under 20 minutes as the regular line was well over 100 minutes.

The Hulk one day was 90 minutes regular, we did it 3 times in around 15 minutes with EP. The norm is you will usually have waits of under 20 minutes.

They absolutely will expedite you through the EP line if it`s longer than usual, much to the annoyance of the regular line at times, so you don't have these waits. We very rarely if ever wait longer than 10 minutes for anything.

I`m still happier using the EP as and when it suits me, rather than using a system I have to book ahead of time......a long time ahead!! For us in all our visits, it works just fine.

 

[damo]

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps a lot of the rides were down at some point causing a backlog in the express lines. We've never experienced express lines like you did and we've been going for a very long time.

We're headed to WDW next week and I couldn't even get fastpasses for FoP or Slinky Dog and I had a 60 day advanced window. Can't say I am very impressed with that system at all.

 

[Captainkidd76]

In over a dozen on site stays, never had a bad experience with Express that was the fault of the system. There's always a wait for Dudley Do Right because it loads so slow. We had to wait twice for Kong, but that's because it breaks down so much. I would take Express any day over Fastpass.

 

[michelepa]

Wow I feel the exact opposite about our FP experiences. Hate every thing about Disney FP the anxiety of waking up and trying to get in MDE then anxiety hoping I can get rides we want, trying my best at picking the right times once i can actually get on mde, rushing to make it in time for those precious three fast pass then going on and refreshing and attempting to ride another 4 th most popular ride. Ugh can’t stand it.

Whereas Universal you buy the express pass and make your way onto the most popular rides once twice maybe three times in at least half the time of regular lines (we visit during spring break) no checking what tine and where you have to be when. Just like the old pass.

 

[skylock]

I have never had more than a 20 min wait I can remember unless there was a ride breakdown, I will take express pass everyday of the week over fastpass for the same reasons others have stated.

With fastpass, any ride you can't get a FP for, you wait forever because there are so many fp people riding. With express pass, there are simply less people with it.

I would pay for a disney express pass, but I think they have already shot themselves in the foot with their current system. At disney, I think it would be better for everyone if they did not have a fastpass system at all for anyone vs the flawed system they have now.

It was a good idea, but it has not panned out as to what was expected. Disney's whole system just makes me mad. That is why I have not returned for the past 4 years. I miss it, but I don't put myself in situations that makes me mad and I certainly would not pay that amount of money to do it.

 

[Lynne G]

A lot depends on when you went to ride the train. I bet it was close to closing or whatever, that made it busy. Also, they do count how many in standby before letting a number of express riders go, so your friends might have been lucky and just got past the express pass entry before the express pass line was allowed to go.

I find the TMs good at saying which line is faster. I go solo many times, and they always tell me if single rider or express better, and I always look at the Universal app for ride times, as sometimes nice to go in standby line as most of the express lines cut out some of the standby lines fun stuff to see.

At first 2 weeks of October, think most I waited in express was about 30 minutes, as I was riding the train 1/2 hour before the Studios closed for HHN. Everyone wanted to ride then.

If you really want to see express waits, go between Christmas and New Years. We did, and we were very happy to have the hotel express pass. By 9 am Mummy was 60 minute express, with 2 hour standby, and Kong was 50 minutes express, with 240 minute wait for standby, and which we just got in express line before it closed, do to so many people. What we did was use the early entry for hotel guests and hit mummy and minions and Kong and Hulk, on diffferent days,then used the express pass for the not as popular and more rider eating rides. Worked well, and for the price of our hotel, and not having to be in the masses that enter from the City Walk garages, it was a good deal. One time express for the three of us was more than the cost of our holiday rate hotel, RPR.

The week before Christmas was when we went to Disney, stayed onsite, and most of the parks we only got to ride the 3 fast pass rides. Very rarely was there a fourth or fifth that was convenient, given the crowds. Wish Disney had unlimited fast passes for almost every ride if you stayed on site. Oh, and not a upcharge for 3 more for certain guests.

 

[macraven]

Only wait I had this month in the express line was Kong.
Probably close to a 18 minute wait.
Regular lines had a 60 minute wait.

Some afternoons were crowded at the studios due to many coming in early (3:00) to be in the park prior to it closing for hhn.
With crowds larger at the studios, many switched to IOA which caused a few ep lines to have some waits.

Waits up to 30 minutes is not a bad deal compared to the regular line waits.

 

[macraven]

We have been able to ride multiple times in a short period - sometimes passing the same people in the standby line!

I did see reports on Twitter that last weekend was crazy busy at Universal - was there a holiday in the US?

HHN was open Wed-Sun last week.
Many came to the parks prior to park closing at 5:00 to catch rides at the studios.
Lots of reports on FB and Twitter about long line waits as park was packed.

But, weekends always are packed during the time period hhn is open.
(I never thought of that event as a holiday but might consider it is as crowds are huge during those time periods...)

 

[maverik85]

I'm sorry you had that experience. The max I've waited for an express ride was 30 min. and that was for Gringott's. I've never waited that long for the train. I do not understand why wait times get super long going from Universal to Islands, but not going back the other way. If the train line were long, I would just walk, like we did in the years prior to the train being built. It still beats the heck out of Disney.

I think the big reason for that is that people want to see Kings Cross and Platform 9 3/4. Islands to UO doesn't really have any landmarks to it. There was nothing special from the HP world about the Hogsmeade station. It is a different experience on ride going back but a lot of people don't seem to realize that so probably figure that they already rode it and don't need to do it again unless the are just wanting to go back over to that area of the park.

 

[EveDallas]

Never had an experience like that in multiple visits. I'd still take Express over FP any day of the week.

 

[RachaelA]

We are using it for the first time in 2 weeks (sat/sun 11/3-11/4). I’m way less stressed about the Universal portion of our trip then the Disney portion. Just because unlimited > 3 prebooked and then having to constantly refresh MDE

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

OP, sorry you had a bag experience with it. We went the week leading up to Thanksgiving which isn't the the busiest week but it's not dead either. The longest we waited was 20 mins.

I can't say the we've waited any longer than that with FP other than a time at KS when the animals were in the road. I can work the FP system and do quite well for us, but I definitely prefer the no-scheduling-required and unlimited EP.

 

[bumbershoot]

I’ve never had that experience. Fp is heinous and ridiculous compared to EP in all my trips.

But wow you’re definitely having an oppositeland sort of trip, with this and your Tusker House experience!!



ETA..."heinous" might be an exaggeration, LOL. I was still drinking my coffee at the time.

 

[Squirlz]

That would be a very unusual situation. I've never heard anything like that. Disney's FP is why I don't really want to go there again.