Planning on VB for Sunday 5/26 as a VB all day…day. A few questions:
The questions about price are really up to you. I personally chose the more expensive one for peace of mind and we did the park in a clockwise fashion starting with OhNo. This did end up being the right thing to do as DH immediately lost his band on the OhNo and they refused to let us ride anything without it. He had to go back to Guest Services and stand in a very long line to get another so it ate up about an hour or so of our morning.
I don’t know if the passes are refundable or reschedulable though if the weather is bad. I know I had a cabana booked one time and the park was literally closed due to low temps and they did reimburse me for the cabana but if it’s your choice I’m not sure what that policy is. However, with EP in the main theme parks you can 100% get a refund on unused EP as I did that recently. So I just can’t imagine why that same policy wouldn’t apply to VB.
However, if the EP is sold out for the day you want to change to, I would foresee this being more of the potential issue with changing.
Really good thoughts. Thanks! The piece of mind, especially if there are hiccups makes sense.
Hey! I saw your question! I’m a little busy today…here’s my short answer…
Buy the express passes and get the more expensive one.
I have been to VB during peak times and bought it once for DD’s first VB trip. It was a lifesaver! Every slide was crazy busy!
I’ll elaborate more in a bit
I found my TR where I took my DD for the first time during August. It was a CL8 that day and really busy… I’m going to copy & paste my thoughts here…
"I paid $99 / person for the one that included ALL the attractions once. If you are getting the pass, just upgrade!! You will regret not getting the aqua coaster with the cheaper pass. It’s usually about $30 more / person
TIP - Do not link your Express Pass to your Tapu Tapu when you enter!! The reason is you start using your one ride per attraction Express Pass on the first ride. If you go to Early Park Admission you will be able to ride Krakatau Aqua Coaster at least once along with The “trap door” body slides in the volcano plus Oh Yea! / Oh No! slides.
Do all your Early Park Admission with low / no wait slides and then go to the any of the Concierge Desks to activate your Tapu Tapu to begin using your Express Pass (UXP)
Doing this allowed DD & I to ride Krakatu 3 times that day. (1 at start of EPA, 45 min. wait immediately afterwards then UXP) The attraction posted “Ride Full” around 2pm for a park closing at 7pm.
It was her favorite! We both agree though that it’s not worth a 100+ minute wait to sacrifice riding anything else other than lazy/fearless river and wave pool
Express Pass Set-Up
I’ve had issues so far this year buying add passes / add-ons for other people. The tickets link fine. However, it always requires each member of your party be present and have their app / ID ready. I had my phone, but she had left hers back at our lockbox. (Still using it w/ no issues!)
So, she didn’t have either ID or App…
I’m glad they are being careful about issuing the pass, but I’m the guy who paid. I have my ID, the credit card, my app showing it all linked. 
We got it done, but it took getting a more experienced person and removing her “purchasing privileges” from Tapu Tapu. (We were together all day and I was buying everything anyway it didn’t matter. It could be an issue for someone else)"
Yes. You are stuck and it’s not transferrable to another day. I stressed about this too. However, the price will go up dramatically the longer you wait. I paid $99 each for ours, but only two days earlier it would have been $79. I checked the day of our visit and they were almost $200 each!
I really hate this policy. Most things at Universal are non-refundable…
That’s terrible cuz they let me get a refund on the Universal Studios EP!!! but I do agree with buy now as the prices goes up dramatically and quickly. For the regular parks that I got refunded I bought DH and mine early on but then DD and a friend decided to come with last minute and their’s was three times the price I paid for DH and me. Three times! I know they’ll let you move the dates of regular park EP so it’s so strange to me the difference in policy. They should at least allow you to apply the funds toward something else or give you a gift card for Universal so they are still getting their money.
If you want to ride all the slides, the express pass is helpful, but not essential. It’s especially good for Krakatau Aqua Coaster (which the cheaper pass covers). However, showing up early is the cheaper option. If you want to ride the drop slides, the more expensive pass is more valuable.
I’ve never really needed EP for the family coasters – most of them are “Ride Now,” and when they aren’t, the wait is usually short and you can just hang out in the Fearless River (which is my favorite attraction) or wave pool until your time comes up.
I find that having a relaxed attitude and not trying to do everything is the best approach to enjoying a day at VB. Just knock Krakatau out ASAP.
Oh, and do you have little kids? That complicates things.
Not officially, but it wouldn’t hurt to call and ask. It’s a big risk. My impression is that they would tell you “no refunds.” Maybe someone else has intel.
I think in that thread we discussed this and at some point they changed what is included and Krakatau is included with both passes.
All great thoughts! Thank you, all. Some more context:
Family of 5 (me, wifey, 17 son, 16 daughter, 11.5 son…so pretty big kids.
Some may not be that into the drop slides.
The cheaper EP right now is $100…plus EP is $150.
I’m leaning towards the $100 pass to save $150 (for five people).
We plan to go early (staying at CB with access to that entrance) and do Krak at RD and the drop slides.
Good intel on the family rafts not having much wait…are the other slides eligible for the cheaper EP fun for adventurous teens…just don’t want to pay for a pass that doesn’t get used.
One thing you could consider is getting the more expensive pass for yourself or those who will for sure want to do the drop slides.
This is what the cheaper pass does NOT cover:
Kala & Tai Nui are “toilet flush” slides that are moderately terrifying, and Ko’okiri Body Plunge is the free fall flush slide. Ohyah and Ohno are more typical body slides but the “drop” refers to the end when you emerge about 5-7 feet above the pool level and you drop the remainder of the way.
All the rest of the slides are mild to moderate intensity. Some are in inner tubes, others are body slides. They are all fun, IMO and not boring. But that said, if you’re a thrill junkie, they won’t do much for you.
That context is helpful. Gonna talk to the kiddos and get a sense of what they really want to do. Good description on the slides. I haven’t understood it without that context…but I won’t get into whether to close the lid on those toilet lid slides 
Good call. Don’t want to open yourself up to a public flogging. 
My teens and I enjoyed all the rides (DH and DS did not opt for riding all three drop slides. They just did one of them. DD and I are more adventurous and tried out the options. The green and blue are very very intense. The red straight drop is not as bad weirdly. I’d have to look up names but my least favorite was the slower of the two family raft rides on the back left corner if you’re facing the volcano from the entrance. What’s that one called? I think it’s yellow? That was the lamest of all them but the rest were great!
*It’s either Maku or Puihi and I want to say it’s Maku. That one was a bit of a bore.
Thank you! This is all so helpful!
On Kala and Tai Nui keep your head back all the way on the slide. It feels weird. Like I normally slightly lift my head off the slide. I didn’t my head all the way onto the slide on the first go thru and the G’s on this thing (The Incredible Hulk level) threw my head back into the slide and it hurt.