Hi - I’m going with my family to Universal on Memorial Day Weekend (arriving at 9:30 am on Thurs). Are the Express passes needed? I might stay at a non-premier resort, so I might need to buy Express pass for 1-2 days, is this worth it?
thank you
Worth it is subjective. We have never gotten nor needed Express Pass. Would it make the day easier? Sure. But for us, totally not worth the cost.
If you want it, and your party size is 4 people, it is sometimes cheaper to buy a night at a premiere resort, which includes express Pass for two days (check-in and checkout day).
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Everything Ryan said even though I’ve had it almost every time I’m visited because to me it’s worth it. But it’s subjective to time versus money value for you. How much do you want to get done? Would you rather spend that money somewhere else and get some more exercise criss-crossing the park a bit to beat the crowds to certain rides and wake up early so you can rope drop, etc. I have noticed in the past even on crowd level 10 days, it’s not usually packed till 11am so if you rope drop you can get a bit done before lunch. To me I’d rather sleep in a bit or not feel the need to be at the gates 60 min before open to be at the front of the line and I’d rather tour in a circular fashion (minus shows in Universal you’ll still have to move a bit for those to do them by the schedule). So I always stay premier because the 2nd part of what Ryan said is always true. It’s cheaper to pay for the room when you have 4 people and get two days of unlimited express than it is to buy the express passes themselves. So the nicer resort/room is just like icing on the cake and a freebie.
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I should point out, we always tour in a circular fashion even without EP. Since most people do this, you don’t really have to “jump around” very much, as long as you start ahead of the crowds. But yes, rope-dropping is key.
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Good to know. There was one time I went that there were no rooms in any of the premiers and with the prices of express I just bought it one day. So that could happen to me again.
I’ve been to UOR many times in the last few years. I’m going to say that since this is a major holiday weekend for the “start” of summer that if you can afford it you should 100% get the Express Pass (UXP)
I, typically, do not buy UXP or even recommend it due to the high price per person. However, because it’s so expensive it’s not oversold / overused. If you are only going to Universal Orlando (UOR) for one or two days during this extremely busy time I would buy it for one day of the trip.
If this were any other time / dates I’d tell you everything that has been said about it being subjective and how to tour without it. A premier hotel is a great way to “bundle” a UXP. However, my family is only 2 - 3 people at most. We don’t “save” anything that way as it takes at least 4 people in one room to make a premier hotel “bundle” with UXP a value
You are going to NEED it for at least one day. Go on YouTube and look up “Universal Memorial Day” to see vlogs from popular people. They’ll show you how busy it’s gong to be!
I tend to buy express pass for at least one day of my trip, with park to park tickets. Then that day I can hit both parks and the rides I want quickly. Afterwards, I use the rest of my vacation days wandering the parks, watching shows, enjoying the food and atmosphere.
So it is really dependent on how important rides are to you. If rides are top priority, then I think express is 100% worth it, especially on Memorial Day weekend (where they will likely open the Shrek/Trolls land) where it will be extra busy.
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I agree 100% with booking a qualifying resort if at all inside your budget. Each time we have gone, we have been super happy to have express passes. I just book whichever resort is cheapest, as they are all convenient and nice.
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