Universal Studios Front of the Line Pass

[ronandannette]

We arrived late last Tuesday (our only day at this park) and due to our limited time decided to bite the bullet and pay for FOL access. It cost $50 pp extra and was definitely a splurge but I can't speak highly enough about how great it worked for us!! Between 1:00 pm and closing time at 6:00 we walked on to absolutely every ride and attraction in the park including reserved seats at Water World. The kids even had a chance to ride Transformers twice more on stand-by in the time we saved. I would definitely do this again (although we'd budget for it next time) and would recommend it to anybody. As first-timers to USH we were pleasantly surprised and very impressed with this park in large part due to the FOL feature!

 

[helenb]

We were at USH for only a day last summer and it worked well for us too. In our case we got there early and did Transformers and a few other rides when there was no standby line. Once the park filled up we used the pass to do the rides, and in the afternoon we saw all of the shows with reserved seating. It made the park doable within a comfortable amount of time, and saved us waiting forever in the hot sun. While I wouldn't want to do it every time, if you're only going for a day, it is well worth it!

 

[GenGen22]

Is the fol pass only for certain rides or all rides & did you see a lot of people using the fol pass? And what were some of the wait times/lines like that you didn't have to wait in.

Thanks!

Gen

 

[ronandannette]

Is the fol pass only for certain rides or all rides & did you see a lot of people using the fol pass? And what were some of the wait times/lines like that you didn't have to wait in.

Thanks!

Gen

Every ride had a FOL line as did the Studio Tour and the shows. I didn't take notice of a lot of them; the wait time posted for was the Mummy; it was 30 minutes at 4:00 p.m. The stand-by line for Transfomers was posted as 15 minutes basically all day long but according to the attendant it almost always says that . Also, when we walked onto the Studio Tour the attendant said the stand-by wait would be about "3 trams", or however long that might take.

 

[GenGen22]

Ok thanks for sharing your experience about fol pass. 3 trams... that's a lot of people... & that's good to know its not just good all rides & shows.

 

[KatrinfromGermany]

Is the FoL-ticket sold separately or do you have to buy it together with your admission ticket.
Idea: Buy a normal ticket online and enter the park. If it turns out to be too crowded, I would like to buy the FoL-ticket directly inside the studios.

 

[ronandannette]

Is the FoL-ticket sold separately or do you have to buy it together with your admission ticket.
Idea: Buy a normal ticket online and enter the park. If it turns out to be too crowded, I would like to buy the FoL-ticket directly inside the studios.

As I understand it you can buy the FOL on-line also, or upgrade at the gate (for example if you have a CitiPass) but it is a capacity-controlled thing. I imagine on a busy day they could possibly sell out prior to your arrival. (More passes sold would of course also mean more people in the express lines so it might result in a short wait occasionally like FP's do at Disney.)

 

[helenb]

It was good for all the rides and shows, however you could only do each attraction ONCE with the FOTL pass. They would scan your pass as you went in to prevent re-use. However doing all attractions once pretty much takes up most of the day.

Since we went in the middle of July, the lines we skipped were often an hour + in length. Totally worth it.

 

[ronandannette]

We were at USH for only a day last summer and it worked well for us too. In our case we got there early and did Transformers and a few other rides when there was no standby line. Once the park filled up we used the pass to do the rides, and in the afternoon we saw all of the shows with reserved seating. It made the park doable within a comfortable amount of time, and saved us waiting forever in the hot sun. While I wouldn't want to do it every time, if you're only going for a day, it is well worth it!

This is very good thinking! It wouldn't have worked for us given our late arrival but I'd sure swipe your idea if I ever go again . (As you correctly point out in a subsequent post, FOL is good for one-time per ride only, although my kids say that the attendants sent them through the Star line again for their second ride on Transformers without even asking to scan the pass. This is the only ride we did more than once so I'm not sure if you often "catch a break" this way or not.)

 

[helenb]

I don't think you catch a break like that too often, but I have heard of it happening before.

LOL, glad you like my idea. In general we always try to 'rope drop' at theme parks. With USH, doing Transformers at rope drop is key if you want short lines. Since it's all the way at the back of the park, most people don't make their way there until an hour after opening. You can do Transformers multiple times, as well as Mummy and Jurassic Park with virtually no line, even in the height of summer. This is what we did on our day, then once that are started to fill up we went back to the upper lot to do Simpsons, etc.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

When I went almost 2 weeks ago, FOTL would not have been worth it, but this was definitely not peak season. The only 2 substantial lines I had all day were for the tram tour and The Simpsons ride. Otherwise, everything else was under 15 minutes. I would recommend trying to get an idea of what the lines will be like on the day you're there.