Thoughts on 1.5 Epic Days Versus one Epic Day Only with Express Pass (EP)

[PetePanMan]

Hey Folks…we will be going to Epic in early December and staying at Helios (glad we booked ages ago and got a great rate). We will arrive Saturday night and plan to go to Epic all day on Sunday. We fly out at 6:30 pm on Monday.

We are thinking about either a) going the Sunday only and adding the expensive EP or b) going Sunday without EP and buying a second day at Epic to spend about 5-6 hours at park before we need to leave for the airport.

Obviously we want to get a lot done but we are also conscious of the high costs of express passes for whole family. Any thoughts and perspectives appreciated!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Take it with a grain of salt because while I was an AP for years, I'm on a break and have not been to Epic.

That said, I'd always choose the longer time in the park, if available. It's what we've done when we go for HHN. Often the cost of express is more than the cost of another night. By going the second night, I focus on getting the houses done during the low crowd times (start and end of night) and during the hours when every wait is over an hour, I take a break, get a snack, soak up the atmosphere, etc. It's so much more chill.

I think my Epic plan would be the same. Rope drop on both days to get a few rides done with low waits. Maybe spend some time waiting in a long line or two (hey, I've got all day here). But when lines are crazy, go get some food, see a show, wander the shops, take some fun photos, enjoy the theming. Or bug out and take a swim/nap at the hotel. In the evening, crowds typically drop again, and you can do some rides with shorter waits. The second day wouldn't give you that closing time advantage, but between rope-drop and the extra park time in general, I think you can get more done AND have time to soak in details, while saving money that you can pocket or you can plow back in to the trip in the form of food/drink in the park or merch from the stores.

 

[PetePanMan]

Great points. I’m definitely leaning this way as I agree it is likely to be more leisurely. The cost of the EP is also close to $50 more than the cost of one day ticket for that day.