Which lines are worth waiting in (with Express pass) and which to avoid (using rider swap)?

[mrsincredible3]

Hi,
We will be at universal for four days over spring break staying onsite with Express pass. First trip to universal, but we are Disney pros! I have two questions:

1. Now that all the Harry Potter rides accept universal Express, I need to know which regular lines are worth waiting in (for all of the park rides). Which Express pass lines bypass part of the back story or miss amazing features of the regular line and we should choose to do the regular line instead? Since we have Express pass I am not looking to wait in long lines at all, but if there are rides where the Express line will have us missing integral parts of the backstory or awesome theming I would consider the regular line early in the morning.

2. We will also have ds5 with us who will be too little to ride some of the bigger rides (Mummy, Forbidden journey). We plan to use Express pass and /or rider swap for some rides he can’t do. Which lines are really scary/inappropriate for him to walk through with us (the Express pass lines)? He does not like talking animatronics and I am presuming he won’t like anything/anyone jumping out at him (I read king maybe has people that jump out in the line?)

Thank you!

 

[tweak89]

Neither Express lines for FJ or Gringotts miss anything (that I know of). The regular line for Kong is worth going through at least once if the lines are short (express bypasses all the unique features of that queue). To a lesser extent, the Mummy queue is interesting as well. All other Express lines don't bypass anything of interest (at least IMO).

Now, of course you may want to skip that Kong line since it does feature scare actors and a creepy animatronic. You don't have to worry about that for any other ride queues. You may try the Mummy first, since the ride DOES have some "scary" elements to it. If he can handle that, you should be fine with the Kong line.

 

[sconnell]

Agree with tweak89. FJ you don't miss much of the story; most of the line is side by side with the regular line and where is isn't, it's still cool. Gringotts, I haven't been on express, but if it's the same as the single rider, you do miss some of the line.

Kong, the express line skips a LOT of the other line and I don't think there were any scare actors in the express line and just a glimpse of the room with the animatronic, but it is very dark. Try it without him and be the judge.

The express line for mummy is dark and my have some sounds that a very timid child might not like, but it's cooler than outside in hot weather and moves really quickly.

I'd suggest starting with ET to get used the dark and strange noises, even if it is just the line.

The biggest difference that I can tell you when we transitioned to Universal from Disney, was that there is less strategery needed. Slow down and enjoy!

 

[bumbershoot]

Rider swap takes place inside the line. Everyone can go into every line. This is lovely because it doesn't split families like the system Disney has, but it can be nervewracking on nervous kids.

My son refused to go anywhere near the mummy's building until he was about 8. So I single ridered that.

 

[macraven]

For me the regular lines I do once to catch the story line are:
Mummy
ET
MIB
Spider-Man
Dr Doom
FJ and Gringotts

A person will miss some background info in those lines in the ep lines

Usually I do them early morning but only once on the trip

I stay onsite for a long stay and able to hit rides many times over, in the ep lines

 

[mrsincredible3]

Agree with tweak89. FJ you don't miss much of the story; most of the line is side by side with the regular line and where is isn't, it's still cool. Gringotts, I haven't been on express, but if it's the same as the single rider, you do miss some of the line.

Kong, the express line skips a LOT of the other line and I don't think there were any scare actors in the express line and just a glimpse of the room with the animatronic, but it is very dark. Try it without him and be the judge.

The express line for mummy is dark and my have some sounds that a very timid child might not like, but it's cooler than outside in hot weather and moves really quickly.

I'd suggest starting with ET to get used the dark and strange noises, even if it is just the line.

The biggest difference that I can tell you when we transitioned to Universal from Disney, was that there is less strategery needed. Slow down and enjoy!

I think he’s okay with dark....it’s things that shouldn’t talk but do that spook him! His fave ride at Disney is haunted mansion. And yes I am struggling with the lack of planning involved in a universal trip! I feel like I should be making spreadsheets planning out my days lol! I am really excited to be able to just pick what we’d like to ride when we feel like riding it, or grant the kids a second ride on something they enjoy without jumping through hoops. They are both excited for the potter sections, older ds will be 10 when we go and I think the potter stuff will still be magical for him (whereas he has outgrown some of the magic of Disney, though he still loves going )

 

[mrsincredible3]

For me the regular lines I do once to catch the story line are:
Mummy
ET
MIB
Spider-Man
Dr Doom
FJ and Gringotts

A person will miss some background info in those lines in the ep lines

Usually I do them early morning but only once on the trip

I stay onsite for a long stay and able to hit rides many times over, in the ep lines

Thank you that list is helpful, I will look into those. We will just see if we are up early enough to comfortably do them, I am trying to take a less commando approach than Our Disney trips, more of a let’s just wander here when we feel like it and see what the day holds.....

 

[ghtx]

FYI I posted the same question about a week ago and got some more feedback: https://www.disboards.com/threads/missing-out-on-the-queue-if-you-use-u-express.3642381/

 

[bumbershoot]

I just want to reiterate that using rider swap at Uni doesn’t allow people to skip all of the elements of the line. Everyone enters the line (whether it’s express or standby) and swap is done near the seating area. The non-riders aren't outside like at Disney.

 

[mikejuliestl]

Neither Express lines for FJ or Gringotts miss anything (that I know of). The regular line for Kong is worth going through at least once if the lines are short (express bypasses all the unique features of that queue). To a lesser extent, the Mummy queue is interesting as well. All other Express lines don't bypass anything of interest (at least IMO).

Now, of course you may want to skip that Kong line since it does feature scare actors and a creepy animatronic. You don't have to worry about that for any other ride queues. You may try the Mummy first, since the ride DOES have some "scary" elements to it. If he can handle that, you should be fine with the Kong line.

What has been your experience with the HP rides and Express Pass? We havent been since they opened up EP to the Potter rides, is it similar to the other ones with respect to how long it takes (i.e. around 20-25% of the regular line)?