Notices
Additional Support Needs & DAS Help & advice

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 30 Aug 19, 12:34 PM  
Link to this Post
#1
shack69
Imagineer
 
shack69's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 11
Universal Attraction Assistance Pass Experince

Having just come back from Universal I would like to give you our experience of the AAP.
First up getting the pass. As we were staying at Cabana Bay and checked in late afternoon it made sense for us to make a trip to City Walks on the evening to familiarize ourselves with the layout etc. Doing this also allowed us to visit Guest services just outside IOA on the evening when it was much quieter and no queues. When I asked for a pass I had my documentation but was told they did not need to see it, I just said i felt more comfortable showing it. I said the reason we needed the pass was cognitive issues and the lady issued a pass without any further questions. She then very clearly explained how the system works. All in all it took about 5 minutes to get sorted.

The pass itself is a piece of card which on the front has the name of the person, party size (max 6) etc. It also has a bar code to be scanned at rides.

The way the pass is supposed to work is that at an attraction if the wait time is 30 minutes of less you are allowed to enter the express line immediately and if the time is longer you get a return time which relates to the current wait time minus about 15 minutes.

When you approach a ride you goto the express line and show the pass and the employee checks if you need a return time or are returning. So if the wait is over 30 minutes they will write on the pass the code for the ride plus the time you should return and you can return anytime after that time. If the wait is 30minutes or under they will wave you into the Express line. Keep the pass out as they will scan the pass further down the express line. You do need to bear in mind that the express line does not mean you will go direct to the front of the queue and you may still have a wait in the line , but much shorter then the normal line.
If you are given a return time when you come back they update the pass to show the time you came back and then allow you into the express line again.

If you are given a return time you can not get another return time for a different ride without cancelling out the first one. You can however still use the pass to ride anything with a wait time of 30 minutes or less. There is an exception to this currently which is Hagrids.
On a number of occasions we got a return time for one ride and then went and did other things eg return for gringotts and so went to ride Men in black. I would say to help with this make sure you install the universal app on your phone and use the wifi to see what the wait times are for rides. Doing this made it possible for us to look at what was at more then 30mins and so which we needed to get return times for.

I have to say when given the return times they were always shorter then I was expecting.

So what about Hagrids. Firstly you can only get a return time for a ride which is currently open, so when the ride goes down which Hargrids does a fair bit you can not get a time. We got caught with this as the ride was open when we entered the park,but by the time we got to the ride it was down.
When the ride is open you goto to the person at the express pass Queue with a clip board. They are not operating express currently so it is roped off. The process is the same here and they will give you a return time. We were advised that we could still use the pass to get return times for other rides as Hagrids does not block you out. The return times they give you for Hagrids can vary a lot. When it was 180 mins we got a 1 hour return time, another time it was 120 mins and the return time was 2 mins yes 2 mins. On one occasion we got a return time but could not use it as Hagrids was down and we were leaving the park, but the next day i politely mentioned this to the employee and it was clear on the pass it had not been used and he waved us straight in.
As mentioned the express line is not been used currently (apart from people who have been given special access via the AAP or a special express pass for breakdowns). So the walk down the line is easy. You will then be checked just inside the building. At this point you are just outside the last room where motor bikes are be repaired by Hagrid. You are fed into the normal Queue at this point. So you need to be aware that the lights are dimmer and you will be queuing for around 15 - 20 minutes before you get to ride.

All in all we found the pass worked well.
shack69 is offline Boy Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 30 Aug 19, 03:32 PM  
Link to this Post
#2
richard29
Apprentice Imagineer
 
richard29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 05
Thank you so much for posting.
A lot of the recent information regarding getting a pass has been quite negative, so I have been a bit worried about it.
This has put my mind at rest a bit, lets hope I talk to the same lady!
__________________
richard29 is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 30 Aug 19, 05:56 PM  
Link to this Post
#3
shack69
Thread Starter
Imagineer
 
shack69's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 11
One of the reasons I went on the evening was that I expected guest services to be quieter and so less pressure on them. Plus I was on my best behavior and as polite as i could be eg as soon as i approached the window I addressed her with the name on her Badge and also approached starting with we have not visited Universal before but at Disney and also Merlin parks in the UK have had a Disability access pass as our son ... what options do they have that will help. Rather then specifically asking for a pass. I had obviously read up on their disability page about the fact that many disability are handled within their normal q's but cognitive issues are one thing they will issue passes for.
shack69 is offline Boy Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 1 Sep 19, 06:57 PM  
Link to this Post
#4
TheHughesCrew
Imagineer
 
TheHughesCrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 19
Mobile

Great inormation. Thank you x
TheHughesCrew is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 2 Sep 19, 01:11 AM  
Link to this Post
#5
simker
Very Serious Dibber
 
Join Date: Mar 06
Location: Birmingham
Id like to add please make sure if you go on a water ride to make sure the pass is in a waterproof case of some sort. Popeys ruined ours the other day. We did get replacements easily but did have to queue again.
__________________
11/2001 (Embassy vacation resort LBV) 6/2005 (southern dunes villa), 05/2007 (Sandy Ridge villa), 12/2008 (Bass Lakes villa), 12/ 2011 (Lake Wilson villa), 7/2014 (Regal Palms), 8/2016 (Sandy Ridge villa), 9/2018 (Lake Davenport Villa), 9/2019 (Sandy Ridge Villa)

simker is offline Boy Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 2 Sep 19, 05:01 AM  
Link to this Post
#6
nadya
Imagineer
 
Join Date: Aug 06
We have the passes currently for our 2 sons with asd, we were issued them with no problems and they are valid for 2 weeks,was not aware we could use them on hagrids so thank you for the info
nadya is offline Girl Mouse Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
DIBB Savings
AttractionTickets.com

Get £10 off each Disney Ticket with the code ATDIBB10

Get up to £50 off per room at Disney or Universal with the code DIBBHOTELS


theDIBB Blog
One of the the five worlds found in Epic Universe, How to Train Your Dragon... Read More »
Disney announced that a new nighttime show, “Disney Dreams That Soar,” will run nightly at... Read More »
Walt Disney World Resort guests can get ready to have a “glowing’’ good time when... Read More »


theDIBB Menu


Exchange Rates
US Dollar Rates
ASDA  $1.2354
CaxtonFX  $1.2302
Covent Garden FX  $1.2544
FAIRFX  $1.2350
John Lewis  $1.2380
M&S  $1.2178
Sainsburys  $1.2354
TESCO  $1.2364
Travelex  $1.2353
Updated: 07:00 29/03/2024
Euro Rates
ASDA  €1.1447
CaxtonFX  €1.1418
Covent Garden FX  €1.1526
FAIRFX  €1.1432
John Lewis  €1.1457
M&S  €1.1263
Sainsburys  €1.1440
TESCO  €1.1445
Travelex  €1.1435
Updated: 07:00 29/03/2024

DIBB Premium Membership
Did you know you can help support theDIBB with Premium Membership?

Check out this link for more information and benefits, such as...

"No adverts on theDIBB Forums"

Upgrade Now



X