Starting to plan, and confused

[Old Man Goofy Runner]

Starting to plan a trip to Universal in May, haven't been to Universal in over a decade and want to particularly experience Epic Universe. Historically I would have defaulted to the Hard Rock hotel to get the easy access and Express Pass. Not sure of the best option now, I'm assuming the EP included at the Hard Rock doesn't apply to Epic? Does the Helios hotel include any EP privileges? Planning one full day at Epic, another day devoted to IOA and US, with a 3rd day to cover whatever we feel we need to still get back to. It will just be my 30 yo daughter and I. Any recommendations?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Right, hotel EP is only from Hard Rock, Portofino, and Royal Pacific and only for Islands & Studios. You could do a split stay, but Helios is really just for the view and the direct access. Could also do a split stay with just a cheaper hotel for the Epic day(s).

 

[zavandor]

Depending on your budget, I'd rather spend less on the hotel and buy EP for the Epic day. If you can do both, even better

 

[glocon]

I’d do a split stay with Stella Nova for Epic day (and get ep with $$ saved) then whichever deluxe at the OG parks is least expensive for the free ep for the IoA/UO days.
My favorite is HRH as well, but RPR and PBH are nice too.
With the ep working for the HP ride and Mario, it’s totally worth it if you can swing it.

 

[Skippyboo]

They have buses going directly from the Universal hotels to Epic. I would not bother with a split stay especially because universal will not move your luggage like Disney does. So you have to do it yourself. You get 1 hour of early access as a hotel guest- Mario World & Dark Universe are open.

 

[tony67]

EE at Epic is a bit of a bust IMO - its packed.

Id do a split stay myself - that way you are near Epic for your Epic days and you save a bit - maybe.
Price it out both ways as you often get a bigger discount for staying more days.

Keep in mind one night at HR gets you two days of express and then you could do two nights at Stella.
I would not bother with Helios - everything I hear is the rooms are not much different than Stella and Terra other than the view of course. save the money and go to the Helios bar for the view.
Also I've seen a lot about the EE at Helios being a disadvantage as the main get typically gets to Nintendo first.

All that said staying at one hotel is far more convenient - you may not be able to check in until 4PM and that bus ride to Epic can be a nightmare depending on traffic.

If money is less of a concern than just staying at hard Rock is probably the best bet.
In 2026 I am pretty sure the 3 day ticket includes 3 days at Epic if that is what you want - unlike the one day now. (those tickets don't seem to be available yet - but I've heard that is how it will be)
It might be best to do some time during the day at IOA\US and then take a break and go to Epic for the afternoon\night.
It seem like after the morning\midday rush people head out of Epic as its a long and tough day for a family.