Universal Express

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How to Get to the Front of the Line at Universal Orlando

“I spent $48 to get in the park and I have to wait two hours in line for a ride?”

If you don’t like waiting in line, Universal Orlando has several options so that you can go to the front of the line.

1.) Be a Guest at an Onsite Resort

Guests at the Portifino Bay Resort and the Hard Rock Hotel (opening January 2001) receive front of the line benefits. If you show your room key to the ride attendant, you will be escorted to a special queue that takes you to the front of the line. Best of all, this feature is good all day, every day! Yes, you read that right. You can go to the front of the line during the entire day! Front of the line access is not good for One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish and Pterandon Flyers at Islands of Adventure, and on the slide in Fifel’s Playland at Universal Studios.

Onsite hotel guests can also enter the park one hour early at 8:00 am. On Sundays and Thursdays, you can enter Universal Studios early. On Mondays and Wednesdays, you can enter Islands of Adventure early.

2.) Use Universal Express

Universal Express is for multiday ticketholders, annual passholders, and Orlando Flexiticket holders. From 9:00 am to 11:00 am, you can bypass the main queue and enter the special Universal Express line. The wait time is no more than 15 minutes. You receive a special Universal Express access card for this.

At Universal Studios, you can use Universal Express on Back to the Future: The Ride, Twister: Ride It Out, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, Men in Black: Alien Attack, E.T. Adventure, Kongfrontation, Earthquake: The Big One, Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, and Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time. If you show your Universal Express card at the first showing of Animal Actors and the Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show, you get priority seating (arrive 15 minutes before showtime).

At Islands of Adventure, the following rides are available for Universal Express: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, Storm Force Acceleratron, Caro-Seuss-sel, The Cat in the Hat, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, Jurassic Park River Adventure, Dueling Dragons, Posideon’s Fury: Escape from the Lost City, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Arrive 15 minutes early and present your card at the first showing of The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad for priority seating.

Please note that Universal Express is not open to one-day ticketholders. One-day ticketholders use the regular queue. Also note that the Universal Express queue line may be closed if it reaches capacity. Technically, the Universal Express access card is good only once for each ride.

3.) Become a Single Rider

Depending on the queue times, certain rides will open up single rider lines. If you want to use this line, you have to break up your party into groups of one. The ride attendants will load you into the ride vehicle as single open seats become available. At Islands of Adventure, the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, and the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman have a single rider line. The E.T. Adventure and Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Studios are equipped with a single rider line. Single rider lines may be closed if they become too full or if the regular queue has a minimal wait. The exception is usually Men in Black. Generally, Men in Black always has a single riders line that opens at 11:00 am and closes when the park closes.

4.) Use Fast Track

Fast Track is similar to Disney’s Fast Pass system, but without the machines. Two Universal employees sit at a table and hand out Fast Track tickets. The tickets have a time window. If you return within this time window, you follow a special Fast Track line and go to the front of the line. The return window is 15 minutes long. Poseidon’s Fury and the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure have Fast Track. Back to the Future: The Ride and Twister at Universal Studios use Fast Track.

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Barry Hom
The moderator formerly known as Barry aka usagi
Moderator, Universal and Sea World Boards
 

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