We just started planning a Universal Studios trip after going to Disney twice. I’m so glad you are making these videos for Universal now too. Your videos are how I planned our Disney trips and made them a lot smoother knowing what to expect.
I find that Crocs do just the trick in terms of traversing the two parks and especially come in handy for the wet rides. They also stay in place for the various coasters at Universal.
For the water rides, we picked a day that we were going to ride them all. I took a dry bag and everyone had water shoes or tevas to wear on the rides. Packed the reg shoes in the dry bag, rode each ride 2 or 3 times, dried off a little, put the comfortable shoes back on and I took the dry bag full of wet shoes back to the Royal Pacific while the wife and kids rode some other rides. 20-30 mins later I was back in the park, with dry feet for the rest of the day with the family.
There are more first aid locations in each park. In UsF there is one next the fast and furious entrance and in IOA there is one in the lost continent near the kebab stand
Hi AJ if you book an onsight hotel like Portofino the room key acts as an Express pass so its a decent value thats the equivalent of the Grand Floridian in price but to get an Express pass included is an amazing perk
Correct! Booking the original three hotels gets you Xpress pass. We haven’t even rented a room For one night and didn’t even sleep there so we could get the Xpress pass the day before, and the day after. It was worth every penny.
@@kelleyfisher6932 why didn't you sleep there it would have been even more worth it those resorts are 5 diamonds you would have loved it and would have stayed right on property
It’s great that Universal sometimes starts letting everyone in early, but if you paid a premium to stay at a Universal hotel for that early entry perk, it can be annoying to lose some of the head start you paid for
We've found that when they let "everyone" in early that they have a stop point that you can only go past if you have that room key that allows early entry.
You should always be wearing closed toe shoes because ride operators might need to evacuate you in like the worst case scenario and the terrain can be really dangerous depending on how much metal and stuff is around the evac site. So you just want to always make sure that you wear closed toe shoes!! (You don’t need steel toe boots or anything like that just make sure you’d be able to safely walk on the ground around you)
Great video! We love to go on the water rides first. We usually wear a bathing suit under some clothes we don't mind getting wet- like workout shorts and a tank. We wear our sneakers to walk to the park then change into our water shoes/or flip flops. We then tackle the 3 water rides back to back and then change in one of the bathrooms. I always pack a medium sized towel in my backpack and a change of clothes to enjoy the rest of the day. We also have those water proof phone bags that you can wear around your neck (available on amazon).
Thank you, DFB! Planning our first trip to Universal this March the information was so helpful, takes away any nervousness or stress! Keep up the awesome content!
I’m heading to Universal Orlando for my first time Labor Day weekend at the end of summer. I know that’ll probably be an insanely crowded weekend, so I’m going with Express Pass Unlimited. I’m glad I found this video!! So many amazing tips! Thank you! And I do fully plan to ride BOTH Seuss Trolley sides!! Haha
This was a fantastic video; super informative while wasting zero time. Thank you so much for making this- it’s really clear that the whole DFB team makes these videos because of your passion for great theme parks.
31:50 At least bring your flip flops or waterproof shoes in your bag if you're planning riding the water rides. You're not allowed to ride without footwear, so you can at least change into your sandles before your wanna ride. That way, your shoes will not be sopping wet the rest of the day. Trust me, getting blisters from walking all day in wet socks is NOT something you wanna risk. Also, your shoes might stink at the end of the day 😖 Hope that helps 🙂
This was amazing!! We leave in a week and I’m definitely going to listen to this again and write down the best ones for our family to utilize! Thank you for a great video!!
You forgot to mention to never use the single rider queues for rides like, Velocicoaster, Hagrid's, and Rip Ride Rockit!! Those lines will take even longer than the standby since the attendants have to group everyonebg party size and ride capacity.
Get a cooling towel that’s activated by water to keep around your neck, upf clothing is a life saver, get a small battery fan, free water is available everywhere so bring your own bottle or just keep refilling one, opt for a Fanny pack bc they can go on all rides that don’t require you to go through the metal detectors.
Last time I went to islands. We rode the hagrids ride and the person I was riding with she was kind enough to let me go on the motorcycle side because I told her it was my first time on it.
Wow, these Universal Orlando ride hacks are game-changers! 🎢 Thanks for sharing these insider tips to help us make the most out of our theme park experience. From avoiding long waits to finding the best seats, these hacks are definitely going to up our Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure game. Can't wait to try them out on my next trip!
We went during Christmas week a couple of years ago. We paid to stay in the deluxe hotel. It cost us $300 a night. But they threw in the unlimited express passes for free which for 4 of us was a savings of about $3000 and my kids got to go on as many rides as they wanted as much as they wanted.
We do the Hard Rock Hotel so we can walk to the parks and get the express pass free. In all the years we have stayed at the Hard Rock, the nightly rate was cheaper than buying the express pass for each of us on those same days.
We just went spring break a week ago and had no problems getting on rides are average wait time was 25 minutes and we not fall into the trap of the express pass
Regarding the no loose items policy. I wear glasses. Are they allowed on the coasters (with a strap is neccesary)? And i have pockets with zippers. Can you keep your wallet and phone with you in that case?
Yes glasses are allowed. My son was still worried and asked me to hold them on Velocicoaster (he did wear them on Hulk no problem, skipped rip ride rocket). We havent asked about phone/wallet when I walk thru the line as a non-rider if I’m going all the way to the loading dock. It’s a much quicker process to put everything in the lockers
Some rides, such as Hulk and Velocicoaster (possibly Rip Ride Rockit as well), have metal detectors in line. You can keep glasses but anything that won't go through the detector will not go on the ride! I had an annual pass last year and I used glasses grippers to make sure mine never flew off :)
Friendly reminder. For the DELUXE hotels where you get an express pass. You get it for the FULL day of check in until the full day of check out. So, if you check in Saturday, check out Sunday, you get a full express pass all day. A good hack is to bookend your stay with one of these (so you can express it) and the rest of your stay, stay at one of the value hotels if you want to save some money
Yeah, the log flume sucks! Clearly this was made for children because I was absolutely struggling to get in but even more to get out. Worst part is that it stalled before the actual drop for us and had to walk down. At least I got a one time express pass ticket out of it.
Do we tell the members before entering the ques that we are just wanting to experience the Que? I definitely don’t wanna miss Harry Potter Que. I didn’t know we could do that😅
I tell them I’m just waking thru with the kids so they don’t yell at me to get a locker 😂 the queues are amazing. If you’re carrying stuff team members thru the line might stop at ask you if you’re riding. A lot of people just want to walk thru
35:45 - Is it just me, or did anyone else out there really hope that the gal in the left foreground with her back to the ride was about to get unexpectedly drenched?
PSA: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one of the most motion sickness-inducing rides I’ve ever been on! It was awful 🤢 …second only to maybe Mission Space at Epcot
I cannot IMAGINE spending over $300 per person per day for the Express pass! That is WILD! It’s probably good ole-fashioned supply and demand, but that’s like 10x the price of Genie+! I just *know* that if Disney raised to even half the price of Universal Express, people would be in an uproar! When I was there I was also surprised at how expensive the merch was, given that I’ve always heard that Universal was cheaper than Disney. Most of their merch was the same price or more expensive than Disney! Overall it was still really fun though, and I enjoyed the higher density of roller coasters
yeah but instead of getting maybe 3 lightning lanes ( 4 if ur lucky ) with somewhat shorter lines, u get to basically walk on all the rides u want & no booking lines. my friend did express & she rode every single ride in the park in a day + some rides twice
If you stay at certain Universal hotels, you get them for free for your entire stay for each person staying in the room, including checkout days. Disney doesn't even offer anything like that!
Anytime we had express passes, it was thru the premier resorts which is a much better value for the money. Everyone in the room get the passes for the full day of check in thru check out. A lot of people book a room for 1 night to get 2 days of passes and don’t even stay in the room. The rooms are gorgeous so definitely stay if you’re booking IMO.
I last rode it in October and it was still in 3D, but I was told that they were doing crew testing with the ride in 2D instead. I saw online that public testing in 2D will be happening this month.
I went last summer and asked an employee from a store about it and she suggested for me to by the medicine at the store, totally inconsiderate people work at universal studios 😢
No need to purchase the express pass. Just stay at one of Universal’s premier resorts which includes the express pass. You also stay at an amazing hotel and you can take the river boat. Never move your car.
I think SeaWorld is a much easier park to manage. It's such a chill park with much shorter wait times, and a very strong roller coaster collection, which is why I think it's significantly better than Disney or Universal. I do Disney rarely, Universal sometimes, and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens always.
This was the only video I watched for my trip that directly referenced several very specific things from another RUclipsrs content. Made me want to stop watching because it felt like stealing but I’m not a RUclipsr or know that other RUclipsr so it’s not like I want to report it but maybe a shout out to them would have been classier.
So let me get this straight universals express pass is more expensive than genie + ?? But yet you get people complaining about Genie + and I’m very sure people are on their phones all day while at universal as well, I’m not hating on universal I’m just saying people shouldn’t be hating and complaining about one theme park when the other has very similar things going on 🤣🤣
I think people only complain as it is not as intuitive to use. It has to be at a set time and you have to wait around for an opening to appear. Not every ride is available and you have to use lighting lanes. Universal Express is more expensive but it is as simple as getting in an express lane that's it. I've done trips without even using my phone at Universal, it is a bit harder to do at Disney as you kinda have to plan in the park.
If Genie+ was as much money as Universal fast pass you would have people throwing the biggest tantrums and picketing outside Disney. lol. Though not gonna lie, I end up buying it every year at Halloween Horror Nights 😁
Ironically, making Universal Express more expensive gives everyone involved a better time than Genius+. It means 1/50 of people in Universal have it instead of 1/2 like Disney, so the express lane is actually short. People in the normal line don't have to wait long for the express people to get through, and don't have to buy the pass just to get on the ride before the park closes. And since lines are physical at Universal you don't have people in multiple virtual lines at the same time, making all of the lines longer.
The expensive express pass actually makes for a better experience for everyone. With a lot fewer people having it, the express pass lines are short. And that has the extra benefit of allowing the regular line to move much faster. At Disney, about 70% of riders are Genie+ riders, which is what makes the regular lines get so long. At Universal, about 10% of riders are Express Pass riders, so the regular lines move so much quicker. In other words, Express Pass is a luxury item that also doesn't take away from the experience of the people without it. But with Disney, Genie+ is a requirement to not have insane waits, and it greatly takes away from the experience of those without it.
The cost for the hotel with "free" express passes and staying cheaper and buying separate passes was the same. It's not "free", you're just paying the difference.
This was our experience as well. But we were only staying for two days. I think it depends on the length of stay and number of people in your group. You just have to run the numbers and see what’s best for your family 🤷🏼♀️
Completely depends on family size and when you’re going. When I take my dad and nephew (4 of us total) it’s almost always cheaper to book a premier hotel if we want express. We’ve been so many times now that we don’t care for express anymore 😅
We just started planning a Universal Studios trip after going to Disney twice. I’m so glad you are making these videos for Universal now too. Your videos are how I planned our Disney trips and made them a lot smoother knowing what to expect.
29:18 The big lockers are $3 per ride now. So you may want to pre-plan for that.
Thanks!!! I didn’t know that
@@K4lebjk No problem!
I am happy you spearding out your focus.
yeah cause there's nothing new at disney . disney is dead
@@tbgtabiasreal
There’s not much to talk about with US Disney .. 😂 that’s why
@@NicEeEe843 Well you talk about break downs in the parks.
Yess Universal content! Love it!
Can`t wait for the EPIC Universe edition of this video !!!
Express pass is free when you stay in the deluxe hotel!
Well it isn’t “ free”. It’s included in your very expensive hotel price haha .
@@AverageJoe483 exactly... even for a florida resident, paying $600+/night is not "free" for an express pass...
yes! can be a great option and veryyyy worth it with a larger group to split costs!!!
@AverageJoe483 If you have four people in your room, the room cost itself is most often cheaper than just the fast passes.
I find that Crocs do just the trick in terms of traversing the two parks and especially come in handy for the wet rides. They also stay in place for the various coasters at Universal.
For the water rides, we picked a day that we were going to ride them all. I took a dry bag and everyone had water shoes or tevas to wear on the rides. Packed the reg shoes in the dry bag, rode each ride 2 or 3 times, dried off a little, put the comfortable shoes back on and I took the dry bag full of wet shoes back to the Royal Pacific while the wife and kids rode some other rides. 20-30 mins later I was back in the park, with dry feet for the rest of the day with the family.
There are more first aid locations in each park. In UsF there is one next the fast and furious entrance and in IOA there is one in the lost continent near the kebab stand
Hi AJ if you book an onsight hotel like Portofino the room key acts as an Express pass so its a decent value thats the equivalent of the Grand Floridian in price but to get an Express pass included is an amazing perk
Correct! Booking the original three hotels gets you Xpress pass. We haven’t even rented a room For one night and didn’t even sleep there so we could get the Xpress pass the day before, and the day after. It was worth every penny.
@@kelleyfisher6932 why didn't you sleep there it would have been even more worth it those resorts are 5 diamonds you would have loved it and would have stayed right on property
My kids (7 and 12) adored Dudley Do-Right's Rip Saw Falls. It was one of their top rides of all Universal and Disney.
It’s great that Universal sometimes starts letting everyone in early, but if you paid a premium to stay at a Universal hotel for that early entry perk, it can be annoying to lose some of the head start you paid for
We've found that when they let "everyone" in early that they have a stop point that you can only go past if you have that room key that allows early entry.
You should always be wearing closed toe shoes because ride operators might need to evacuate you in like the worst case scenario and the terrain can be really dangerous depending on how much metal and stuff is around the evac site. So you just want to always make sure that you wear closed toe shoes!! (You don’t need steel toe boots or anything like that just make sure you’d be able to safely walk on the ground around you)
Please, more Universal! I don't think I'll ever set foot on a Disney property again.
i know right.
Exactly!
What happened at Disney?
@@latoyataylor9368overpriced and sucks lol
Wait why
Great video! We love to go on the water rides first. We usually wear a bathing suit under some clothes we don't mind getting wet- like workout shorts and a tank. We wear our sneakers to walk to the park then change into our water shoes/or flip flops. We then tackle the 3 water rides back to back and then change in one of the bathrooms. I always pack a medium sized towel in my backpack and a change of clothes to enjoy the rest of the day. We also have those water proof phone bags that you can wear around your neck (available on amazon).
Thank you, DFB! Planning our first trip to Universal this March the information was so helpful, takes away any nervousness or stress! Keep up the awesome content!
Thank you for the universal content! Keep it coming🎉❤
I’m heading to Universal Orlando for my first time Labor Day weekend at the end of summer. I know that’ll probably be an insanely crowded weekend, so I’m going with Express Pass Unlimited.
I’m glad I found this video!! So many amazing tips! Thank you! And I do fully plan to ride BOTH Seuss Trolley sides!! Haha
This was a fantastic video; super informative while wasting zero time. Thank you so much for making this- it’s really clear that the whole DFB team makes these videos because of your passion for great theme parks.
31:50 At least bring your flip flops or waterproof shoes in your bag if you're planning riding the water rides. You're not allowed to ride without footwear, so you can at least change into your sandles before your wanna ride. That way, your shoes will not be sopping wet the rest of the day. Trust me, getting blisters from walking all day in wet socks is NOT something you wanna risk. Also, your shoes might stink at the end of the day 😖 Hope that helps 🙂
Yesssss!!! More universal please!!
This was amazing!! We leave in a week and I’m definitely going to listen to this again and write down the best ones for our family to utilize! Thank you for a great video!!
Hey on the next video can you include that you get them from primer hotel because it helps
You forgot to mention to never use the single rider queues for rides like, Velocicoaster, Hagrid's, and Rip Ride Rockit!! Those lines will take even longer than the standby since the attendants have to group everyonebg party size and ride capacity.
Im going in august for my 21st birthday and we booked a vip tour!!!
my question is could you do a video about to survive the Florida heat ?
Get a cooling towel that’s activated by water to keep around your neck, upf clothing is a life saver, get a small battery fan, free water is available everywhere so bring your own bottle or just keep refilling one, opt for a Fanny pack bc they can go on all rides that don’t require you to go through the metal detectors.
Last time I went to islands. We rode the hagrids ride and the person I was riding with she was kind enough to let me go on the motorcycle side because I told her it was my first time on it.
Very helpful - going to universal tomorrow and this came out just in time
Wow, these Universal Orlando ride hacks are game-changers! 🎢 Thanks for sharing these insider tips to help us make the most out of our theme park experience. From avoiding long waits to finding the best seats, these hacks are definitely going to up our Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure game. Can't wait to try them out on my next trip!
If i don’t have valuables in my bag pack can i leave my backpack by the stroller parking without storing it in a locker?
We went during Christmas week a couple of years ago. We paid to stay in the deluxe hotel. It cost us $300 a night. But they threw in the unlimited express passes for free which for 4 of us was a savings of about $3000 and my kids got to go on as many rides as they wanted as much as they wanted.
Mels drive in just reopened so hoping you'll cover that
AJ! I know you touched on it but do you think single rider lines are a good solution against a fast pass, I travel on my own
The back row on Gringots is larger. The employees are evaluating you and will send you there if you need it.
I'd love to see some busch gardens/seaworld content. They are pretty underrated parks
Very underrated! Best 2 parks in Florida, and both in my overall top 5 parks in the country.
We do the Hard Rock Hotel so we can walk to the parks and get the express pass free. In all the years we have stayed at the Hard Rock, the nightly rate was cheaper than buying the express pass for each of us on those same days.
More universal content!
going to Florida August 9th and leaving the 16th. going to universal the 11th 12th and 13th!
High in the Sky Trolley Ride is one of my favorites!
Any recommendations for the beginning of May ? Is it too busy ? Heat ?
Hello! Do the wait time alerts o only show up once in park ? We are going Thursday and I can’t see any of these options
We just went spring break a week ago and had no problems getting on rides are average wait time was 25 minutes and we not fall into the trap of the express pass
The best piece of information I can share for universal rides is: space out all of the virtual reality rides if you don’t want to puke!
I learned this the hard way last week during my first Universal visit lol. Forbidden Journey left me feeling wobbly until sundown.
You always have the best tips!
Love the new universal content!
You're the best AJ!! I've learned so much from you over the last 4 years!
Regarding the no loose items policy. I wear glasses. Are they allowed on the coasters (with a strap is neccesary)? And i have pockets with zippers. Can you keep your wallet and phone with you in that case?
Yes glasses are allowed. My son was still worried and asked me to hold them on Velocicoaster (he did wear them on Hulk no problem, skipped rip ride rocket). We havent asked about phone/wallet when I walk thru the line as a non-rider if I’m going all the way to the loading dock. It’s a much quicker process to put everything in the lockers
Some rides, such as Hulk and Velocicoaster (possibly Rip Ride Rockit as well), have metal detectors in line. You can keep glasses but anything that won't go through the detector will not go on the ride! I had an annual pass last year and I used glasses grippers to make sure mine never flew off :)
Friendly reminder. For the DELUXE hotels where you get an express pass. You get it for the FULL day of check in until the full day of check out. So, if you check in Saturday, check out Sunday, you get a full express pass all day. A good hack is to bookend your stay with one of these (so you can express it) and the rest of your stay, stay at one of the value hotels if you want to save some money
I like that you can go through the ques without actually going on the rides
Yeah, the log flume sucks! Clearly this was made for children because I was absolutely struggling to get in but even more to get out. Worst part is that it stalled before the actual drop for us and had to walk down. At least I got a one time express pass ticket out of it.
Cant wait for Epic Universe to open! Gonna take baby girl to Super Nintendo for her birthday to meet Princess Peach. :D
Great content and helpful.
Do we tell the members before entering the ques that we are just wanting to experience the Que? I definitely don’t wanna miss Harry Potter Que. I didn’t know we could do that😅
I tell them I’m just waking thru with the kids so they don’t yell at me to get a locker 😂 the queues are amazing. If you’re carrying stuff team members thru the line might stop at ask you if you’re riding. A lot of people just want to walk thru
35:45 - Is it just me, or did anyone else out there really hope that the gal in the left foreground with her back to the ride was about to get unexpectedly drenched?
PSA: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one of the most motion sickness-inducing rides I’ve ever been on! It was awful 🤢 …second only to maybe Mission Space at Epcot
That’s the only ride that makes me sick and it’s my daughter’s favorite ride 😂
I don’t have motion sickness so it is very enjoyable
Mission space is intense
I just hope this doesnt make Universal Parks increasingly more crowded. We dont need another crazy crowded Disney!
Love that you are doing other Parks. Let’s do Sea World and Busch Gardens
Lol not even close to comparable that's like asking her to do six flags videos
I cannot IMAGINE spending over $300 per person per day for the Express pass! That is WILD! It’s probably good ole-fashioned supply and demand, but that’s like 10x the price of Genie+! I just *know* that if Disney raised to even half the price of Universal Express, people would be in an uproar! When I was there I was also surprised at how expensive the merch was, given that I’ve always heard that Universal was cheaper than Disney. Most of their merch was the same price or more expensive than Disney! Overall it was still really fun though, and I enjoyed the higher density of roller coasters
yeah but instead of getting maybe 3 lightning lanes ( 4 if ur lucky ) with somewhat shorter lines, u get to basically walk on all the rides u want & no booking lines. my friend did express & she rode every single ride in the park in a day + some rides twice
Those super high EXPRESS prices are holidays and springs and winter breaks usually. A bad time of year to go anyway.
If you stay at certain Universal hotels, you get them for free for your entire stay for each person staying in the room, including checkout days. Disney doesn't even offer anything like that!
Anytime we had express passes, it was thru the premier resorts which is a much better value for the money. Everyone in the room get the passes for the full day of check in thru check out. A lot of people book a room for 1 night to get 2 days of passes and don’t even stay in the room. The rooms are gorgeous so definitely stay if you’re booking IMO.
I heard that Skull Island has done away with 3D. Is that correct?
I last rode it in October and it was still in 3D, but I was told that they were doing crew testing with the ride in 2D instead. I saw online that public testing in 2D will be happening this month.
Which ride is at 0.33?
0:33
Can you do an all things SeaWorld 2024 you guys are awesome love your channel 🎉
Sorry I was wrong you included it
no mention of the best ride in the park by far is Velocicoaster...
Buying EPs ahead of time is usually less expensive than waiting.
In September I sat in my car in traffic JUST outside of the parking lot payment booth for an hour 😭
Love universal coverage. Frankly disney deserves to be forgotten for a while. Not that it'll happen
I went last summer and asked an employee from a store about it and she suggested for me to by the medicine at the store, totally inconsiderate people work at universal studios 😢
Nice
No need to purchase the express pass. Just stay at one of Universal’s premier resorts which includes the express pass. You also stay at an amazing hotel and you can take the river boat. Never move your car.
Are you gonna do seaworld content too
Not even close to comparable park
@@weatheredseeker ok
@@Corajade1869 sorry I didn't mean to be rude it can be lovable for people I'm sure
@@weatheredseeker it’s okay
I think SeaWorld is a much easier park to manage. It's such a chill park with much shorter wait times, and a very strong roller coaster collection, which is why I think it's significantly better than Disney or Universal. I do Disney rarely, Universal sometimes, and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens always.
Better parks
Why would you want to "buy when it's high" when the park is going to be the most crowded? So you WANT to spend more and ride less?
Wow only a month ago? How'd you know i was going?
I have experienced riding the water rides and then eating at mythos. Yeah…
❤❤❤
Don't skip the trolley ride.
This was the only video I watched for my trip that directly referenced several very specific things from another RUclipsrs content. Made me want to stop watching because it felt like stealing but I’m not a RUclipsr or know that other RUclipsr so it’s not like I want to report it but maybe a shout out to them would have been classier.
I must be one of the only people not to get soaked on popeye
So let me get this straight universals express pass is more expensive than genie + ?? But yet you get people complaining about Genie + and I’m very sure people are on their phones all day while at universal as well, I’m not hating on universal I’m just saying people shouldn’t be hating and complaining about one theme park when the other has very similar things going on 🤣🤣
I think people only complain as it is not as intuitive to use. It has to be at a set time and you have to wait around for an opening to appear. Not every ride is available and you have to use lighting lanes. Universal Express is more expensive but it is as simple as getting in an express lane that's it. I've done trips without even using my phone at Universal, it is a bit harder to do at Disney as you kinda have to plan in the park.
If Genie+ was as much money as Universal fast pass you would have people throwing the biggest tantrums and picketing outside Disney. lol. Though not gonna lie, I end up buying it every year at Halloween Horror Nights 😁
Ironically, making Universal Express more expensive gives everyone involved a better time than Genius+. It means 1/50 of people in Universal have it instead of 1/2 like Disney, so the express lane is actually short. People in the normal line don't have to wait long for the express people to get through, and don't have to buy the pass just to get on the ride before the park closes. And since lines are physical at Universal you don't have people in multiple virtual lines at the same time, making all of the lines longer.
The expensive express pass actually makes for a better experience for everyone. With a lot fewer people having it, the express pass lines are short. And that has the extra benefit of allowing the regular line to move much faster. At Disney, about 70% of riders are Genie+ riders, which is what makes the regular lines get so long. At Universal, about 10% of riders are Express Pass riders, so the regular lines move so much quicker.
In other words, Express Pass is a luxury item that also doesn't take away from the experience of the people without it. But with Disney, Genie+ is a requirement to not have insane waits, and it greatly takes away from the experience of those without it.
Given that the Disney advice is now for the ever shrinking audience that can afford it… good to see universal recs.
The cost for the hotel with "free" express passes and staying cheaper and buying separate passes was the same.
It's not "free", you're just paying the difference.
Absolutely was cheaper for our trip well over 1k for express for 2 people for 3 days vs under $800 for hard rock
It depends on your vacation plans. I have a family of 6 for 3 days, $1800/ day for express. Far cheaper to stay at resort.
Nah for you it was cheaper for me to buy the deluxe hotel. This is verging on misinformation maybe delete your comment.
This was our experience as well. But we were only staying for two days. I think it depends on the length of stay and number of people in your group. You just have to run the numbers and see what’s best for your family 🤷🏼♀️
Completely depends on family size and when you’re going. When I take my dad and nephew (4 of us total) it’s almost always cheaper to book a premier hotel if we want express. We’ve been so many times now that we don’t care for express anymore 😅