# Universal Front of Line Passes-Worth it to Purchase?



## Garnet (Jun 3, 2015)

Hi-

We are going to Orlando in a week or so.  Staying Marriott first week, then HGVC Seaworld the following week.  

We are looking into Universal parks.  I was looking at buying tickets from Undercover Tourist, but then saw on eBay some Fast Passes for Universal.  Are they worth it?  Recommendations on which type-there seem to be a few.

Also, any tips on Seaworld?  We live in CA, so we are considering passing on Orlando Seaworld-is there something I am missing?  Are they different?

Thank you!


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## Garnet (Jun 4, 2015)

*FL and CA out there...*

Okay, looking through ebay more carefully, it looks like most are Universal CA!  Yikes! Good thing I didn't buy any yet...  

I only saw one listing for 5 one time fast passes that are just too soon for our needs for FL.  Are there normally FL passes to be purchased?


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## Tank (Jun 4, 2015)

If you can afford fast passes it saves hours of just waiting in line. 
You get to cut the common folk. 
Don't think its right personally to allow cutting just because one has more money than the other but if it can be done you will see a lot more of the park this way.


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## brigechols (Jun 4, 2015)

It's pricey. Some of the more popular attractions, e.g., Gringott's Bank, do not accept Express Pass. I generally use Touring Plans to minimize the wait time. I considered reserving a room at a Universql resort to take advantage of early admission but passed on that idea.


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## sjsharkie (Jun 4, 2015)

Worth it on days when the park is crowded. Type depends on what you want to do. If I remember correctly, one type allows you unlimited line cutting, and the other one allows once per ride. As pointed out above, some rides do not have an express line. 

I've also used during haunted halloween days - definitely worth it for that in my opinion. 

Some days they sell out of passes so be advised. 

Ryan


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## MichaelColey (Jun 4, 2015)

How many people are travelling?  If it's 4 or 5, your best value is to book a night at one of Universal's three onsite deluxe hotels.  For staying on site, you'll get two days (check-in and check-out) of Unlimited Express Passes, plus early entry.  (We booked them and checked in, but never stayed there because we were in larger timeshares.)

We found that the express passes made Universal VERY enjoyable.  Each morning, we got the 3-4 attractions that didn't take them out of the way early, then spent the rest of the day going whatever we wanted, with virtually no waits.

Also, consider Annual Passes (with at least one person buying the middle-tier AP, which gets free parking).  They're not much more than a 2 day ticket.  If you're going more than 2 days, or can plan another trip less than 365 days later, you'll come out ahead.  Plus, you can get AP discounts on hotels.


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## Garnet (Jun 5, 2015)

*Thanks!*

Thank you for the input.  I looked into the hotels on site and they are running about $400/night.  There are 5 of us.  I think I may keep looking and see if we can get a discounted room.  Any other tips?


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## MichaelColey (Jun 5, 2015)

That works out to about $40 per Express Pass, which is less than they sell them for (and the ones they sell are limited to one entrance per attraction, while the hotel one is unlimited).

Check hotel rates for Annual Passholders.  Depending on the time of year, those are often in the $200-$300 range.  They're typically only available a few months out, and probably not in busier times, so it might depend on when you're going.


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## Seaport104 (Jun 6, 2015)

We are planning to go to Universal July 1 and 2 (possibly 3rd as well). How busy is the park around this time? 

Are there special accommodations made for disabled riders such as decreased wait times ? My mom is in a wheelchair and am wondering if it's worth it for me to get the express pass at Universal.


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## hhoope01 (Jun 6, 2015)

July 4th and the days before and after it will be very, very crowded.  According to Undercover Tourist's website, they predict crowd levels of 9 out of 10 rating (with 10 being they close the park entrance due to crowd levels.)  So expect lines to be long and the weather to be hot and humid.  

And yes, Universal does have a process for dealing with families with special needs.  My understanding is that it will normally have a reduced wait time, but it will probably not be instant ride access and possibly not all that less than the normal rides (but there are options.)  For more info, check out Universal Orlando: Complete guide to Attraction Assistance for special needs families

Yes, Express passes will be very, very helpful and nice to have.  As mentioned, if there are more than 1 or 2 of you wanting Express Passes, getting an On-Site hotel room (at one of the 3 higher end hotels) would normally be a less expensive option.  I checked USF's website and right now they do have rooms available with the Royal Pacific being the least expensive (of the 3 hotels offering Unlimited Express Passes) at $329/night plus taxes.  Purchasing an Unlimited Express pass for two of you   at $129/person/day will cost you about $500 for 2 days.  (Note that in both situations you still have to purchase park admission tickets.)

So it will still be cheaper to get an on-site hotel room for 1-night to receive 2 days worth of Unlimited Express Pass access.  And doing so will get you one more nice advantage:  early park admission to Universal Studios Harry Potter area.  If you really want to actually ride the Gringott's ride or be able to just walk around the HP area, then the early hour access is a must.  That area will get crowded on days the park isn't very crowded.  On July 2nd or 3rd, I bet it will be a total mad-house with wall to wall people everywhere.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2015)

I would DEFINITELY do it for such a busy time.  The regular lines will be crazy.  Even the Express Pass lines will be longer than normal, but should be way better than the main lines.


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## Seaport104 (Jun 6, 2015)

Thanks for the helpful info! There are 6 of us going and didn't realize until I checked the price how much the pass would be- $90 per person per day

I checked and the rate is $371 for the cheapest room at Lowes Royal. In thinking about it further, the room access would come in handy so that my mom and 1 year old niece can take break and refresh rather than leaving the park earlier.

Thanks!!!


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## MichaelColey (Jun 7, 2015)

I think you can only have 5 listed in the room (and thus get express passes for 5).  Are you including the 1 year old in the "6"?  If so, I would put the other 5 on the room.  I don't think the 1 year old will need park tickets or an Express Pass.


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## puppymommo (Jun 7, 2015)

Would Thanksgiving week also be an exceptionally busy time? DD and I might be going and would probably visit Universal on Monday and Tuesday of that week. I would imagine Thursday and Friday being very busy but not sure about earlier in the week. 

Would we need the express passes on Monday and Tuesday?


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## hhoope01 (Jun 7, 2015)

You can check the Undercover Crowd calendar yourself at Undercover November Crowd Calendar

There are quite a few different Amusement Park crowd calendars to view (just do an Internet search using "Disney Crowd Calendar".  I tend to like the Undercover list better as they put it into a 10 pt scale where others don't differentiate quite a much.

But to answer your question, the Monday/Tuesday before Thanksgiving is an 8 out of 10 on the crowd levels (i.e. still very crowded.)  Now if you could be there the week before on the Tuesday/Wednesday (November 17th and 18th), that is low crowd time to visit.


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## Seaport104 (Jun 7, 2015)

MichaelColey said:


> I think you can only have 5 listed in the room (and thus get express passes for 5).  Are you including the 1 year old in the "6"?  If so, I would put the other 5 on the room.  I don't think the 1 year old will need park tickets or an Express Pass.



There are 6 adults + 1 year old. I will need to purchase a pass separately for the 6th person. Still a great deal!


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## MichaelColey (Jun 8, 2015)

puppymommo said:


> Would Thanksgiving week also be an exceptionally busy time? DD and I might be going and would probably visit Universal on Monday and Tuesday of that week. I would imagine Thursday and Friday being very busy but not sure about earlier in the week.
> 
> Would we need the express passes on Monday and Tuesday?


Thanksgiving week is definitely busy.  If it's just two people, the on site hotel room is probably not the best deal, though.  That works better with 4-5 people to spread the cost between.


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## hhoope01 (Jun 9, 2015)

MichaelColey said:


> ... If it's just two people, the on site hotel room is probably not the best deal, though.  That works better with 4-5 people to spread the cost between.


I don't disagree that on-site works better with more people, but don't forget that not only does on-site get you the Unlimited Express Pass but also early access to the HP section of Universal Studios.  You would also want to put that on the scale as well as that will make the HP section much more accessible and doable especially during a busy time of the year.

You might be able to find another way to get early access (the much less expensive Cabana Bay or even some Universal vacation packages with off-site hotels), but check the costs of those with the purchasing of one or two Unlimited Express pass.  It may still be cheaper to go with one of the Luxury On-Site hotels even for only 2 persons.

But I will agree that Michael's general point, that with fewer folks, one of the other "options" may be less expensive.  So don't forget to check those as well.


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## mdurette (Jun 10, 2015)

You also asked a question about SeaWorld....are you missing anything since you have the one in CA.

You have two weeks....so, I would assume you have plenty of time.

I would do it (but, we are SW fans)    We have been to SW Orlando more times that I can count and went to San Diego this past February.    We hit your SW and had a great time.   For us, it was really cool to check out and the notice the differences between the parks.


If you are pricing out tickets and do end up with SeaWorld in mind, check out.
1.  Going to discovery cove:   $249 for Day resort package and includes SW and Aquatica.
2.   SW also sells combo tickets that include Universal.  Pricing on their site.
3.   If you do SW or Aquatica at home.   By far the best deal is to purchase a super grover annual pass via Sesame place.  $231 for annual pass that gets you into ALL parks for a year.


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## Garnet (Jun 10, 2015)

*Thanks for all the great info!*

Thanks for sharing all the tips.  I ended up booking 1 night at the Loew's Pacific Royal for $371 (ouch).  There are 5 of us so I'm looking forward to the passes and extra hour.  I haven't purchased tickets yet, but may aim for adding Seaworld into the mix.


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## joewillie12 (Jun 10, 2015)

Garnet said:


> Thanks for sharing all the tips.  I ended up booking 1 night at the Loew's Pacific Royal for $371 (ouch).  There are 5 of us so I'm looking forward to the passes and extra hour.  I haven't purchased tickets yet, but may aim for adding Seaworld into the mix.


 So worth it! The water taxis are a great convenience as well. Enjoy


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## Seaport104 (Jun 11, 2015)

FYI- Living Social has the best prices for the Loews Royal Pacific. 

For July 1st for one night it was $371 with taxes included plus there almost always a coupon. 

Right now there is a 10% off coupon available so it brought my cost down to $333.49


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## MichaelColey (Jun 11, 2015)

Awesome tip!


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## frank808 (Jun 14, 2015)

Also look at buying at least one annual pass. The annual pass holders rate is only $247.33 plus tax for a nite.  If you are buying 4 day park to park tickets the price might be close to an annual pass.  So you would save $125 a nite, might make ap worthwhile.


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## Ty1on (Jun 14, 2015)

Seaport104 said:


> Thanks for the helpful info! There are 6 of us going and didn't realize until I checked the price how much the pass would be- $90 per person per day
> 
> I checked and the rate is $371 for the cheapest room at Lowes Royal. In thinking about it further, the room access would come in handy so that my mom and 1 year old niece can take break and refresh rather than leaving the park earlier.
> 
> Thanks!!!



Advice like this is why I love these forums.  Brilliant, meaning of course that I would never have thought of it.


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## STEVIE (Jun 15, 2015)

Does anyone know how early someone could get the passes on the day of arrival? In other words, if a room wouldn't be ready for occupancy until 4pm, if you arrived at 9:00 am, could you get the passes that early? That way there could be 2 days to use the passes for the park with a 1 night reservation.
Sue


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## MichaelColey (Jun 15, 2015)

As early as you want. We usually get ours about 7 or 8am, so we can utilize early entry, too. Your room doesn't have to be ready.


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