Universal advice needed

[cvjw]

We are planning a visit to Universal IOA and Studios the first week of June. I am trying to decide whether or not to stay onsite or buy express passes. When I look at Universal's express pass calendar, my days are green or $25.99 per person, per day. A night at one of the onsite hotels is around $300. We are DVC, and are staying in Orlando for 2 weeks, one week at BLT, and one week at AKV. We have stayed at all of the Universal resorts, but since joining DVC, staying in a regular hotel room just doesn't appeal to us anymore. Will we be OK staying in our DVC villa and buying express passes, or do we even need them when the color is green on the calendar? Thanks in advance!

 

[Metro West]

We are planning a visit to Universal IOA and Studios the first week of June. I am trying to decide whether or not to stay onsite or buy express passes. When I look at Universal's express pass calendar, my days are green or $25.99 per person, per day. A night at one of the onsite hotels is around $300. We are DVC, and are staying in Orlando for 2 weeks, one week at BLT, and one week at AKV. We have stayed at all of the Universal resorts, but since joining DVC, staying in a regular hotel room just doesn't appeal to us anymore. Will we be OK staying in our DVC villa and buying express passes, or do we even need them when the color is green on the calendar? Thanks in advance!

The price of the Express Plus pass is determined by the anticipated crowd level that day. The lower the cost, the lower the crowd level. EP prices can change of course based on the actual crowd levels but I wouldn't purchase the EP until you've arrived and determined if the lines are too long for you. If you think the lines are too long, you can purchase the EP at either park. Also...if you arrive early you should be able to do some of the major attractions w/o too much of a wait. I wouldn't spend the money for onsite even though early entry for WWoHP is a nice perk. I think you would be OK w/o staying onsite that week.