How necessary are express passes the week of Memorial Day?

[Penny McMouse]

We're going to be taking our first family trip to Universal since 2012 next summer and are trying to figure out the cost/budget. How much easier will it be with express passes? We'll be arriving in Orlando late Memorial Day and there for the rest of the week.

I'm thinking we trudge through the crowds Tuesday and Wednesday and get the Express Pass just for our last park day (Thursday or Friday we haven't decided yet) so we can hit anything we missed or repeat our favorites over and over when we're exhausted and don't want to stand in lines anymore.

So if you were me would you plan on shelling out for all days? Or does going out with a bang sound like a good idea?

 

[Kit Jackson]

If you are still figuring cost/budget, did you look into the hotels that come with ExpressPass? Depending on your budget, sometimes it is less expensive to stay in one of the hotels that includes ExpressPass instead of buying it seperately. However, the hotels may be out of your price range, which happens.

If you are going during the summer, that is a busy time, so I would try to get them for the entire trip. If you can't afford that, than having it on the last day makes sense. Use that day for the ExpressPass rides with the longest lines.

For planning, I would reccomend downloading the app before you go and every now and then checking wait times to see which rides that you want to do normally have longer waits and which normally have shorter wait times.

 

[emmabelle]

We were in Universal this past Memorial Day week and had EP through Royal Pacific. The closer to the holiday the busier in my opinion. If you get there for rope drop you can bang out some things before the crowds get crazy.

I would definitely look into staying at RP even for just one night because that will give you Express Pass for two days. You'll get it for check in and check out day. It's a pain to move hotel rooms but it could be worth it to get EP for two days depending on how many of you there are.

 

[Skywalker3]

I would say necessary to make for a much better experience. Memorial Day week is very busy and hot! You can get a bit done with rope drop , early entry on site, but I’d recommend at least 1 night if not more at a premier hotel. Easy access to parks, and express is fabulous. Takes a lot of stress away, can repeat favorites, more time to enjoy the ambiance,, especially if it’s been a while.

 

[ruthies12]

I agree with the others to see if you can do royal, it is usually cheapest of the hotels that include express. If are you going to change hotels to stay at Royal for only one or two nights, I recommend looking at Sapphire Falls for your other nights. The hotels are connected through their conference center so you can walk from one to the other in an interior hallway with your luggage, making the transfer a little easier.

 

[djmeredith]

I did Memorial Day week this year Monday-Friday. We had EP, but you can get everything done without it if you have all week. If you are staying onsite, the early entry will help a lot. If not, rope drop will still be crucial to getting some things done with little wait times. As others have said, a premier hotel room for one night will give you 2 days of Express. One night is almost always cheaper than buying multiple EP, and it gives you 2 days instead of 1. Some people even book a "throwaway" room during their visit at another hotel just for the EP. This past Labor Day was the first time I did a split stay to get Express. We did 1 night at Royal Pacific and then switched hotels. It wasn't too much trouble and definitely worth it for 2 days of Express.