Universal Newbie....a couple of questions!

[smooreo]

We're planning a December trip to WDW and Universal. We'll be at Disney from Dec 3-8 and will be enjoying park days every day. Universal will be after. There are 6 of us...2 parents, 2 kids, and 2 grandparents.

I'm wondering if we should reserve for the night of the 8th (a Friday night) and use Saturday to relax, sleep in, and enjoy the pools and restaurants, figuring the parks will be busy. Is a Sunday and Monday enough time to really enjoy the parks? I have one huge HP fan and two kids who love rides.

Is the express pass really worth it? Just wondering if we'll get a lot of use out of it for the added expense of upgrading a hotel.

 

[Parker Clan]

This question is asked a million times in the Dis board
Many people will say yes it's worth it. I am one of them. Time is money when you're on vacation in my opinion and I'm not going to waste time waiting in lines! Two days is good to see a lot of it, we get the park to park two day.
The HP areas are amazing and so magical

Enjoy

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

If you are staying on site, there is no reason that you can't relax, sleep in, and enjoy the pools everyday that you are there! Pay the few dollars more for three day tickets, head over after you sleep in and have breakfast, hang out for a few hours, head back for a swim, then close the parks. It is that easy!

Also, I don't think the park will be that busy for the days that you are there, but utilize Express Pass anyways and enjoy the HP areas. Also, you are going during holiday time, enjoy the decoration and try to head over to Seussland for Grinch festivities. It is delightful! Early December is an incredible time to enjoy Universal!

 

[Chuckers]

Keep in mind, Universal is not as sprawling as WDW. The two parks are right next door to each other. Not separated by miles and half hours. The hotels are all with in walking distance, so going back and forth to either the hotel or park hopping is not a big deal. Relax early Saturday and then enjoy a park at night.

During a not busy time, I was able to command raid IOA in about half a day, but I was able to use the single rider lines and skipped some things. With a family, you will want the express pass. It will make things much easier for you all.

 

[gotomu212]

With the ages you have I definitely think the express pass is worth it. My son will ride a few of the rides over and over and over (with express pass he could ride The Flight of the Hippogriff 5x in the time it took someone to go through the regular line). It's perfect for us to ride it with him once or twice and then stand at the exit while he goes through another 3x.

 

[janicept]

I will be in Orlando that week also and have been there many years in the past the week after Thanksgiving. The crowds are lighter since school is in session. There are a lot of foreigners. As far as the extra day I would say more days the better. I would guess at Disney and Universal you could always add a day to your ticket if desired. Also you could consider only adding days to a couple tickets if you find that some people wanted to go back to a certain park.

I agree with the above post that it depends how many times you would want to ride again on rides. The express with a room key at Universal is unlimited but the one you buy is only one ride per day. If you buy one night room at Universal you can go early and "check in" they'll give you your room key that can be used for unlimited express. I believe you can get 4 cards per room but you can check with the hotel to be sure. Different people can use the keys since they don't check names.

During this time of the year if you would only want to ride something once or twice you should be fine w/o express. Buying express would be a wait for one ride only. Definitely download the Universal app and check it out before you go so you can get use to using it. It's very accurate. You'd be surprised about how short a line can get during mid day or evening even for a popular ride.

If you decide to buy express passes don't get them until you are inside the park and have been inside at least two hours. By then you will have an idea if you will need them. Many places sell them and you may find you don't need them. The line outside the park is super long always. During your first hour or two you should ride the rides not covered by express anyway since they will be busiest. Last year Universal early entry was for Studios which is good to keep in mind since the early entry people will be at Gringotts. That calendar won't be available until closer to your trip.

 

[smooreo]

Thanks so much! My son will be 13 and daughter 10 and I think if they like a ride, they'd want to do it over and over again (based on Thunder Mountain experience). I think the express pass would be a welcome addition the more I think about it.

What are the odds that the water park will be open in December? I'm guessing pretty good since it will be new. That's something else the kids could do on Saturday.

It's hard to not plan to do the same thing as WDW, so I really appreciate all the tips.

 

[macraven]

You would need two rooms as 5 is the max unless you get the high end suites

Figure the total room cost compared to buying ep for the family

Go with what is more affordable

Your dates usually are a good time to go as in past years the parks are not crowded

 

[schumigirl]

If you buy one night room at Universal you can go early and "check in" they'll give you your room key that can be used for unlimited express. I believe you can get 4 cards per room but you can check with the hotel to be sure. Different people can use the keys since they don't check names.
.

Not so.

You get a room key for everyone that is registered with that room. Usually a limit of 5 per room unless you have a suite that takes more.

You are not supposed to share the EP. It's why they started putting pictures on your EP to stop that kind of cheating the system.

Some people have pictures that aren't great, mine last year you could clearly see it was me. And it is checked.

 

[perditax]

Thanks so much! My son will be 13 and daughter 10 and I think if they like a ride, they'd want to do it over and over again (based on Thunder Mountain experience). I think the express pass would be a welcome addition the more I think about it.

What are the odds that the water park will be open in December? I'm guessing pretty good since it will be new. That's something else the kids could do on Saturday.

It's hard to not plan to do the same thing as WDW, so I really appreciate all the tips.

Unless I'm misunderstanding your question, the water park, volcano bay, will be opened in December unless there is some major setback. It's scheduled to open in may.

Edit: oh, I did misunderstand. You mean weather wise. I have no idea how they handle this with the parks any more. I was at uo a few weeks ago (so early Feb) and it was warm enough to swim several of those days. Florida weather, etc.

 

[macraven]

The express with a room key at Universal is unlimited but the one you buy is only one ride per day. If you buy one night room at Universal you can go early and "check in" they'll give you your room key that can be used for unlimited express. I believe you can get 4 cards per room but you can check with the hotel to be sure. Different people can use the keys since they don't check names.

Registered guests use their hotel room key and create a photo ID card for the unlimited ep at the hotel

If you are a solo guest, you only get one ep with your photo on it
The hotel key cards are only issued to those Registered in your party

EP's are checked by staff at the ep lines

Let's not get into any discussion of how to circumvent the rules

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

We will be there 12/16 - 12/22 with a suitcase full of swimsuits...and sweat shirts! You just never know.

 

[smooreo]

We will have connected rooms...one for 4 and one for 2, so we should be ok with the key cards. My mother will never use her EP...hates rides but will love the HP experience.

 

[macraven]

She can use the ep for the shows in the parks