I’m planning a birthday trip for my DS10 and I for April (trying to avoid SB crowds) and it will be our first USO visit (Disney vets changing it up). It would be a long weekend, with 3 park days. I am trying to figure out if Express passes will be all that necessary, and if 2 days at the USO parks with hoppers will be enough. I’m a little hesitant to spend the $ on a hotel stay that includes Express, and want to know just how critical it would be (just how crowded are the parks on a given late April weekend after spring break?).
We are more into JP than HP, but we definitely want to experience Gringotts and Hagrid, so we aren’t really needing to do the full HP experience. We have done USH several times also, so FJ isn’t necessarily a priority either.
Also, would you say that two day hoppers will be sufficient for both parks (leaving us with a third day for DHS, which we haven’t seen since 2016), or should we go for a full 3 days at Uni? We also plan to visit Fun Spot in the evenings after the USO parks close. It would seem like using Uber for transportation would be more cost effective than renting a car? Given the minimal driving distance for the trip.
Thank you so much!
What a fun, fun age to go to UO with your son! My oldest son's first trip was when he was 9 (in 2000,) and then my younger son enjoyed great trips when he was 9 and 11. (and 14 this past year, but it starts getting different for sure....)
We've pretty much only been w express pass, staying at one of the premier hotels. But we have 4 people, so was always more cost effective to get a room/not express pass separately. But we also go during busy times...Memorial day weekend, Columbus day weekend, Thanksgiving.
It's So very nice to just go to the head of the line on almost every ride. We love MiB, and love riding over and over, like 3-4 times in a row. But I would think at that time of the year, late April/early May (at least 1-2 weeks after Easter week, quite a few schools are off the week following Easter, it's not slow,) EP might not be necessary. But it's still nice. I know it may seem crazy, but might be worth for 1 person to have an AP to possibly get a hotel discount?
Good idea to sit and look over the rides and prioritize. Rope drop is VERY important, and lines tend to get a lot shorter in the evenings/last hour. We rope dropped Hagrids, and was on/off quickly. But it also didn't go virtual queue while we were there. Sometimes it's VQ. Be prepared for that just in case. We tried to rope drop Velocicoaster, but it wasn't running yet, so just had do that one later, longer lines, but not dreadful. My son waited about 60 mins midday, and my husband, maybe 20-30 mins in the evening.
keep in mind you will get soaked on Bluto and mostly soaked on Dudley do right. They are super fun, but SOAKED. Wet shoes, wet bottoms, (bring plastic bags for phones, or put them in lockers!) etc. Also fun to ride those over and over. once you're wet, you're wet, so why not?
idk what to say about working in DHS.... I usually advise 3 days at Universal, so you're not rushed, can do everything, but a lot of that involves taking the time for all the HP shows, food, snacks, etc. If not doing that...idk. Galaxy's Edge is great. But it's very important to get there at rope drop if you're going to do Rise/Resistance. If offsite, I hear it's hard to get a lightning lane, or just impossible, but they have standby now. Can be 90-120 mins on most days, but it's an awesome ride/experience. My family LOVES Tower/terror, and RnRC, and Smuggler's Run. Know several families who worked in 1 day at DHS just to make sure to do the SW stuff, and they had fun days. If you think you'll be back soon, maybe save for then. It'll sure add a lot of hustle/bustle, But we love Galaxy's Edge and DHS in general.
Have fun planning. Hope y'all have a great trip!!!