Worth staying on site just for express pass?

[Sora1978]

Our family doesn't care about staying in a nice hotel when we go on vacation to Orlando. We only go back to the hotel at night to sleep, so on all our trips to Disney we stay at Shades of Green and have always had a great time. I would plan to stay there for my first trip to Universal, but I noticed if you stay on site you get the free front of the line pass. It looks like the cheapest hotel on property is $270/night. We pay $90 for SOG which is actually a really nice hotel for the money. Do you think it is worth an extra $180 per night to get the FOTL pass for three people?

 

[TheWeasel]

It depends on your length and time of stay. If you're looking to do the parks in two days, then yes. If your stay is longer, then no. But it is a great perk that gives you more time to enjoy the parks.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

There are a lot of variables -- including what time of year you are going, do you have AAA so you can get another discount, etc.

For our family of 3, it is absolutely worth it. We love to bypass the long lines as many times as we want for each ride, we love the convenience and ease of going back to our hotel whenever we want to, we enjoy the onsite hotels and their amenities, and find it to be well worth our $. That said, we generally have a room charge of $150-$175 per night, with either AAA or Annual Pass rate.

SOG is also actually a special situation, most families cannot stay there, so I'm not sure how comparable it is to other facilities, and I believe your rate is based on rank, so whether it is a price you can expect elsewhere, I don't know...It seems inline with the values at WDW and other area hotels. If you want to compare the Universal hotels, they are comparable with a WDW Deluxe (actually, I would say they are superior).

You can probably structure your day (be there before opening, have a clear ride plan), so that express pass is not essential. People do it all the time, with great success. I imagine the opening of Harry Potter will have an effect, but it might make the other lines shorter.

All I can say is, having stayed onsite, I don't think I'd be happy off property. Since you haven't stayed onsite and aren't concerned about the hotel, I'm sure you can do it, but I advise you to have a plan to make sure you are able to do everything that is most important to your family.

Have a wonderful time at Universal!

Maria

 

[Gabes_mommy]

It's totally worth it if you can get a discount on the room. We usually pay about $150 for RPR and maybe $220 for Portofino Bay. Having the express pass is just such an amazing perk. It allows you to do everything so you can spend more time enjoying the hotels.

 

[macnmrs]

I am brand new but wanted to let you know that I won the Wyndham Universal for $47/night via Priceline. I have used Priceline for over 5 years with no problems. I totally understand the perks to being onsite but since I am a single mom and will have limited time there with my two teenage boys, price was a priority. We will be there April 2 (my bday) till April 7th.

Martha

 

[teacher100]

Where do you get them? I have AAA do you just call them. I am looking in going in early August for 2 nights.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Where do you get them? I have AAA do you just call them. I am looking in going in early August for 2 nights.

Just call the hotel when you book and ask for the AAA rate -- they will let you know what it is. You may have to show your AAA card when you check in. By the way, AAA is awesome at Universal -- you get a 10% discount at most shops and restaurants, even the food carts in the parks!

Maria

 

[bekkio]

It is most definitely worth staying onsite just for the Express pass. We just returned this morning from a President's Day weekend trip. We were able to ride everything we wanted to ride over about 8 hours in the parks, spread out over 2 days. The Express Pass lines seemed to be about 1/3rd - 1/2 of the regular lines.

 

[madthemouse]

Another fan of staying on sight for the FOTL perk. We start our WDW vacation of by staying our first night at the Portofino Bay Resort. This is such a beautiful resort, pricey, but very nice. Plus we get two days of the FOTL usage. That is more then enough time for us to everything that we want to do.

 

[francie57]

It is so worth staying on-site. We go the second week of Aug. and love the short walk back to the hotel for a swim in the afternoon. We do the same as pp, we start at Universal and then go to Disney. AAA does give you a good discount and the discount at all the stores/restaurants is really great. We have two rooms at the HRH for two nights and can't wait to return.

 

[LWatson]

I was coming on here to ask that same question because we too were looking at Shades of Green vs. On property there. Talk to your ITR/ITT office to see if they know of any discounts there to take advantage of. I'm probably going to ask my mom tonight (of course she cant book for me though).

 

[ksc37]

We're thinking about staying only one night this summer... we'll arrive on a Friday, spend the night in a hotel, go to Islands of Adventure on Saturday, then we'll be going to a hotel at Port Canaveral for a cruise the next morning. Is the Front of the Line pass valid on the day you check out?

Also, is AAA the only discount, or does Universal offer seasonal room-only discounts similar to Disney?

Thanks!

 

[pixeegrl]

We're thinking about staying only one night this summer... we'll arrive on a Friday, spend the night in a hotel, go to Islands of Adventure on Saturday, then we'll be going to a hotel at Port Canaveral for a cruise the next morning. Is the Front of the Line pass valid on the day you check out?

Also, is AAA the only discount, or does Universal offer seasonal room-only discounts similar to Disney?

Thanks!

It is available the day you check in (even if your room is not ready) and all day the day you check out.

 

[FINFAN]

yep, the best way to take advantage is to check in early at your resort, say 8 a.m., stow your stuff at guest services and head to the parks. Crash at your room after the parks, pack your stuff up in the morning and either leave again with guest services or in your car and head back to the parks for day 2 of FOTL on your 1 nights hotel rate. The downside? Not getting to enjoy the resort as they are beautiful, and the pools are SO nice, but you will get the most of your FOTL priveledges.

 

[ksc37]

It is available the day you check in (even if your room is not ready) and all day the day you check out.

Thanks for the info!

 

[La2kw]

Our family doesn't care about staying in a nice hotel when we go on vacation to Orlando. We only go back to the hotel at night to sleep, so on all our trips to Disney we stay at Shades of Green and have always had a great time. I would plan to stay there for my first trip to Universal, but I noticed if you stay on site you get the free front of the line pass. It looks like the cheapest hotel on property is $270/night. We pay $90 for SOG which is actually a really nice hotel for the money. Do you think it is worth an extra $180 per night to get the FOTL pass for three people?

The Royal Pacific is a wonderful hotel and with FOTL pass, you will actually have time to enjoy the resort. If you buy an AP, there are usually good discounts which may be worth the cost. Also, if you stay 3 days or longer, you automatically get a lower rate.

 

[CattailGal]

I'm looking at ONE night - 4/18, and it's $249 for 2 adults and 2 kids. That's so much $$... We'll fly out the afternoon of 4/19. I'm trying to do the most we can at Univ. on Sun and Mon, so I guess it's worth it...

KC

 

[Tizzy_Meliss]

I live 40 minutes from Universal and I continue to stay onsite. That is how much the FOTL passes are worth it to my family.

 

[ky07]

We started out our vacations to Universal staying offsite to save money but after staying onsite at RPR we can't even imagaine not staying onsite and not to mention when WWOHP opens you will be glad that you stayed onsite

 

[CattailGal]

I had the date wrong. I will be $313 for the four of us one night (Sat) at RPR. That's a lot of money. Debating if it's worth it...

KC