Universal First Timer

[chrystie4141]

Hi, We are planning our yearly Disney trip and this time or planning to do a 2 day trip to Universal. The days we would be there are April 30th (staying the night) and then April 31st before moving on to Disney that night. The questions is: Is it worth it to pay $284 for one night on site in order to get the express pass for the 2 days? It will be me, my husband and my 5 year old son. We can't decide since Disney at that time of year is not that crowded, however we have 6 days there only 2 here. The hotel offsite is $100 so its a $184 difference that we can pay IF you guys think it is worth it for skipping the lines. Any advice?? Thanks

 

[Akwafunk]

In a word, yes.

Hour early entry and the Express pass is wonderful and you can't beat getting two full days out of it. While you could purchase an express add on, you can only use those once per ride, hotel guest passes are limitless.

 

[zack123]

 

[RMulieri]

You can't beat staying onsite.The Express pass BEATS THE HECK out of Disney Fastpass system, that coupled with the extra hour onsite guests get at WWoHP makes it so worth it..Make no mistake, Universal can get JUST as busy as Disney.They tend to follow the same crowd patterns .If WDW is busy that time of year, Universal is busy too.

 

[Metro West]

You can't beat staying onsite.The Express pass BEATS THE HECK out of Disney Fastpass system, that coupled with the extra hour onsite guests get at WWoHP makes it so worth it..Make no mistake, Universal can get JUST as busy as Disney.They tend to follow the same crowd patterns .If WDW is busy that time of year, Universal is busy too.

I would compare Animal Kingdom with IOA on a really busy day in terms of overall comfort. AK always seem very hot to me especially in the summer and because the walkways are not wide, it's hard to get around sometimes. IOA is the same way especially back in the Jurassic Park and The Lost Continent areas.

Just an observation.

 

[themeparknut]

I visited Universal last February for 2 and 1/2 days and stayed onsite at the Royal Pacific. It was very convenient to be just a water taxi or pretty short walk to the parks. The express pass, even though not really necessary when I went, came in handy because I could do all the rides I wanted and see all the shows without having to plan too much. I know it's expensive, but IMO it really is worth it, if you want to experience everything!

Have fun...both places are great; especially IOA.