I am Universal dumb..

[georgina]

If you stay deluxe you will have a room key printed (hard plastic card) with you picture on it- works as your unlimited EP. You will have a separate ticket. We have lanyards to hold our passes as it’s a real pain to haul the pass out for every ep line.

They have not been doing pictures for express pass for a while. It's just the room key now, and they take your photo digitally in some of the EP lines.

 

[my2lovedisney]

Ask yourself this question - I am fine with Pop Century, but if Disney offered unlimited FastPass if I stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, would I upgrade?

Only you can answer that question.

So, imagine having unlimited Fast Pass that you didn't have to reserve 30-60 days out, along with no ADRs needed because your favorite dining locations had availability. How much planning would you do for a Disney vacation?

Look at maps, review menus, show up and have a great time. If you love a ride, go on it again, and again, and again. If you don't, move on. Spend time on shows and shopping and relaxing at nearby hotel pools (pool hopping allowed).

Also imagine the entrance to your favorite 2 Disney Parks only a few hundred yards apart.

That is why many WDW fans find Uni confusing, because you are looking for something that isn't there...but the water is warm, so jump on in.

What does it all mean...stay onsite, get unlimited express pass, go to your favorite dining (table or counter), swim at the beautiful hotel pools, enjoy yourself to no end while also relaxing. And prepare for your next vacation to be a Universal vacation with WDW sprinkled in.

Have a great time!

So with Unlimited, you can go on over and over....my Q is- What is the difference in wait times for those with Unlimited Vs. Not having it?? I plan to do a end of August trip...I am sure they'll still have the bustle of kids out of school..

 

[macraven]

Use the UO app and you can check wait times for rides

I stay at one of the deluxe hotels solo and it includes the free unlimited ep

Some rides do have a reasonable rate and some don’t
Depends on the ride and season you are there in the parks

I do have favorite rides that I do repeatedly

For the shows in the parks, you are let in prior when using the express line

No need to go 30 minutes early to stand in line

I prefer the deluxe hotels as they are closer to the parks
I go solo and hit city walk after the parks close

Water taxis run until 2:00 am so easy to get back to my hotel room

 

[Skippyboo]

You can get the Universal Orlando app and see the various wait times for the regular line. The express pass is definitely way quicker. Some of the rides like Minions or Shrek load a theater at a time. So you have a slightly longer wait than a ride that load continuously. Basically Monster Inc versus Small World.

 

[macraven]

I’m in northern Georgia and our schools start the first week in August

But there are northern states that school start is around Labor Day

 

[Skippyboo]

Like WDW, Universal gets a lot of visitors from overseas. British schools would be off in August. You can estimate what crowd level expected by what the express pass cost, higher the price larger crowds. I think undercover tourist have crowd calendars for Universal.

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

So with Unlimited, you can go on over and over....my Q is- What is the difference in wait times for those with Unlimited Vs. Not having it?? I plan to do a end of August trip...I am sure they'll still have the bustle of kids out of school..

Yes, since we do multiple day visits - we tour the parks in shifts. One shift might be our MIB family war, very hotly contested, with the loser (me) constantly wanting one more game. WDW would get more of my money if I could do something similar on Toy Story Mania. Another shift is water rides at Islands. We put on bathing suits, head over, and ride Jurassic, Dudley, and Popeye for a few hours and get drenched. Of course, we have HP shifts as well, and always find our way onto Mummy before we leave each shift. Each ride is unique as far as lines, but I don't remember many lines in excess of 10 minutes, with many walk ons. HP and the "new ride of the year" may be a touch longer, but you have to catch your breath at some point.

Here is the downside to Express Pass - I now have to pay for them everywhere! Sea World, Cedar Point, etc. - my kids don't know what waiting in line means.

 

[Skippyboo]

Another plus of the compactness of Universal, it’s super easy to go back to your hotel and take a break. It’s not 30 minutes on the bus like it’s at WDW. Also security is at the entrance to walkways of citywalk so you don’t have to go through it at the park entrances

 

[martikus]

I'm a Pop Century gal, so the thought of the onsite hotel prices just to get unlimited express pass seems outrageous. Also, there is only two in my family, myself and DD12. Do you still think it makes sense to splurge for onsite with express pass for only two people?

Yeah I do think it is worth it. I honestly can’t picture ever going without. But only you can decide the value. Maybe do 2 days one night at end of your trip to test universal and move to a cheaper hotel at end of day 2? I personally don’t think you will truly get enough taste in one day. And I say end of trip because if you or your daughter love it as much as my son going back to Disney same trip with their lines and only on FP per major ride will be a tad of a letdown

 

[SA mom]

We love express pass.

We booked our next trip with Chase Ultimate Rewards. We are trying Hard Rock this trip.

 

[Sue M]

Yes, I think the Unlimited Express Pass very worth it. And the Universal Deluxe resorts are cheaper than WDW. We’re going April/May and got a rate for $210/ night at Royal Pacific. That’s what WDW charges for a moderate. Stay more play More rate. We got highest discount staying over 7 days. % of discount depends on length of stay.
Universal tickets cost less than WDW too.

I also love the ease of planning. No staying online for an hour or more booking fast passes, after you have to figure out what park you’ll go to each day. For our 10-14 day trips it’s so time consuming.

For a Universal trip I’d plan on minimum 3 days. Of course if you only want to hit some highlights you can do it in less. But we could spend hours just doing Harry Potter!

We’ve never done longer than 4 days Universal but this trip we aren’t doing WDW, and just looking forward to a relaxing 10 days at Universal, and Volcano Bay. May add on a Seaworld day. Sleep in days, don’t have to do rope drop with Unlimited Express Pass!

Look up The Orlando Informer, I found a lot of useful info about Universal parks on that web site.

 

[ljr74]

I am so thankful for this thread! Just dipping my toe in and finding Universal so confusing. Their website is terrible. I cannot figure out how to search for just a hotel stay. It seems to automatically add on tickets and for more days than I need. Is it better to call and talk to an agent?

 

[Skippyboo]

I am so thankful for this thread! Just dipping my toe in and finding Universal so confusing. Their website is terrible. I cannot figure out how to search for just a hotel stay. It seems to automatically add on tickets and for more days than I need. Is it better to call and talk to an agent?

Just go to places to stay heading at their website. You can also use third party sites like orbitz or Expedia to look at the hotels.

 

[macraven]

I always use the uo website to see prices and what discounts are available for my dates

Then I call and book
I prefer using a live rep to make my reservation

 

[georgina]

I am so thankful for this thread! Just dipping my toe in and finding Universal so confusing. Their website is terrible. I cannot figure out how to search for just a hotel stay. It seems to automatically add on tickets and for more days than I need. Is it better to call and talk to an agent?

You can also book a room on the Loews hotels website

 

[k2kten]

Does Universal have the same payment situation as Disney - pay a deposit and then the final amount is due a month before you arrive?

Thanks!

 

[bigeyedfish]

I just have to agree their website is awful and not user friendly at all. I’ve just started researching for a 2020 Universal trip and it is off-putting to say the least. And it seems way more expensive than Disney. I’m finding that three days at UO is about what we paid for 5 at Disney.

 

[macraven]

Does Universal have the same payment situation as Disney - pay a deposit and then the final amount is due a month before you arrive?

Thanks!

Packages require some payment when you book them
Remainder is to be paid in full a number of days prior to arrival

I don’t remember the exact time period involved but ii should
Have the specific info listed on the website

If you book room only stay, you pay a one night room cost to set up the reservation
The remainder is paid when you check into the hotel

This is how I book my reservations

 

[glocon]

And it seems way more expensive than Disney. I’m finding that three days at UO is about what we paid for 5 at Disney.

Our combo wdw/UO trips I find that it’s about even. What we do is: We stay at cheaper wdw resorts to save money since ticket prices are so high. At UO we stay deluxe to get the unlimited ep since ticket prices are lower.
While it is definitely cheaper to do just one or the other- at wdw you save on tickets the longer you stay, at UO you get discounts at your resorts for longer stays. And UO ap’s are pretty inexpensive.
We love both so do both, but it does do some damage to your pocketbook!
And we don’t do dining plans at either since for us it is less expensive to pay oop.

 

[smiths02]

I just have to agree their website is awful and not user friendly at all. I’ve just started researching for a 2020 Universal trip and it is off-putting to say the least. And it seems way more expensive than Disney. I’m finding that three days at UO is about what we paid for 5 at Disney.

I find it MUCH cheaper than Disney.
Right now, we are going to do Portofino for 6 nights for $3926 which includes a Preferred annual pass for me and 4 day park-to-park for the rest of the family (this is with APH discount)

Our family is too big for a value at Disney, at this point, I don't see discounts for our dates at Disney anymore...a moderate (POR) would cost us $4453 (and there would be no annual passes, just 4 day park hoppers)
A Deluxe (Boardwalk Villas) would cost us $6029 (again, no annual passes, just 4 day park hoppers

Even just comparing ticket prices... Universal has Buy 2, Get 2 4 day park to park for my family is $1443.05 (I could also get us all a seasonal pass, which would work for our dates, with 15 months of use for $1437.70)
The discount Disney ticket is 4-park Magic are $1980 (this does not include park hopper and we can only go to each park once)

So are you comparing outdated or discounted Disney prices (discounts will probably be even more limited in 2020 at Disney)? Are you comparing Portofino Bay to Pop Century?