Universal

[Jenksy74]

See after all this I'm really thinking about RPR 1 night 😂😂 thanks Cornishfrogboy lol... BA can add to my existing booking without me checking out of Rosen for £300... i am going to wait though as I want to see if boys will go on bigger coasters in Oct... I appreciate there's plenty more non roller coaster simulator rides but as I say they don't care re HP... Something to think about

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Jenksy74

Families that like HP yes, that's what I said... Mine don't and we will do Universal about 3 times and don't want to go one day after the other so £340 is money thrown away for us and we would not get express passes anyway... I go on quieter days and never wait longer than 30 mins👍

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We are all different. Obviously, 54 inches is crucial to getting value out of the Hotel XPress pass and if my boys couldn’t get on the bigger rides, then I would keep the money in my pocket.

Harry P is imho a fantastic experience, whether you can go on the Gringotts, Hogwarts and Hagrid rides or otherwise. The ‘theming’ is obviously great on its own.

Mine are ‘riders’ and do get value .. other than my wife who is very tolerant, holding our stuff while we indulge.

[Jenksy74]

Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy

We are all different. Obviously, 54 inches is crucial to getting value out of the Hotel XPress pass and if my boys couldn’t get on the bigger rides, then I would keep the money in my pocket.

Harry P is imho a fantastic experience, whether you can go on the Gringotts, Hogwarts and Hagrid rides or otherwise. The ‘theming’ is obviously great on its own.

Mine are ‘riders’ and do get value .. other than my wife who is very tolerant, holding our stuff while we indulge.

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What I have to think of as well is... And I know its extortionate for 1 day but the boys are desperate to go to HS on May 4th so the money I spend on 1 night at Universal hotel would get us that Disney buzz for 1 full day and I would get to eat at my fave Sci Fi Diner... I think if it was one and not the other it may have to be Disney as its the only Disney thing we would be doing next year... Bar Disney Springs obvs

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by Jenksy74

What I have to think of as well is... And I know its extortionate for 1 day but the boys are desperate to go to HS on May 4th so the money I spend on 1 night at Universal hotel would get us that Disney buzz for 1 full day and I would get to eat at my fave Sci Fi Diner... I think if it was one and not the other it may have to be Disney as its the only Disney thing we would be doing next year... Bar Disney Springs obvs

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Big decisions!

Like you, I always weigh up value.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by Jenksy74

Families that like HP yes, that's what I said... Mine don't and we will do Universal about 3 times and don't want to go one day after the other so £340 is money thrown away for us and we would not get express passes anyway... I go on quieter days and never wait longer than 30 mins👍

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It's not just useful for the HP rides, although it does help with those. One of the rides with the longest waits is the Minion ride, so the Express passes are good for that too. Plenty of the other non-HP and non-rollercoaster rides can have long waits during peak periods as well.

Having said that, most of the time we've visited Universal we haven't had Express passes and we've been fine. The only time we did stay onsite to get the Express passes was when we visited around Easter (which is often busy) and we were trying to do everything at Universal in 2 days. It was a bit of a treat.

It can be a lot of money, so I wouldn't always suggest getting the Express Passes or staying onsite - see the comments by Claudette, Loldis and myself earlier in the thread.

However, for those with money to spare and who were thinking of buying the Express Passes anyway, staying a night at one of the deluxe resorts does often make financial sense.

[wildphantom]

I have stayed overnight in both a deluxe Uni hotel for express pass, and a regular hotel without.
Whilst the express pass is great, I wouldn’t say it is essential providing you approach the major attractions at the right time of day etc.

I’ve stayed at Cabana Bay twice and it is wonderful. You can walk into Volcano Bay, which is a huge plus. Plus you still get access to Harry Potter before park open - which gives you a head start on everything as most people head to either land first upon official park open.

I know plenty say it’s worth a deluxe upgrade for the express pass, but I’m not convinced personally. Especially as you’re not likely to make the most of the hotel itself due to being in the parks most of the time.

Cabana Bay all day long for me. You can walk to the parks in about 20 mins, or it’s a shuttle bus ride of around 5 minutes. They’re very frequent.

Having a Disney hotel, with a mid-holiday break with one night stay at Universal is something I always do now. Well worth the money as it gives you more time and exposure to the irrefutable alternative magic that universal have to offer.

[Ellibop]

I’m weighing this up at the moment for our trip next August. We’re doing 3 nights at Universal at the start of the holiday followed by 14 nights at Disney. Previously we’ve stayed at RPR for the express passes and was planning on booking the first night at Endless Summer (travel day and essentially just need somewhere to sleep) then move to RPR early the next morning to get into the parks. I’m now wondering whether to try and make do without the passes and stay at Cabana Bay for the full 3 nights. It will be mid August though so would Express Passes be essential? I’m also wondering when to book the Universal hotels, do they normally have sales or with next year likely to be busy am I better to book now whilst the dates I want are available?

[Ellibop]

At the other end of the spectrum I’m also considering adding Club Level at RPR! We haven’t done Universal since 2017 so am now leaning towards definitely staying at an EP hotel and am VERY tempted by Club Level for 2 nights (with a cheaper hotel for arrival night). Eek!

[adrian-sara]

Originally Posted by Ellibop

I’m weighing this up at the moment for our trip next August. We’re doing 3 nights at Universal at the start of the holiday followed by 14 nights at Disney. Previously we’ve stayed at RPR for the express passes and was planning on booking the first night at Endless Summer (travel day and essentially just need somewhere to sleep) then move to RPR early the next morning to get into the parks. I’m now wondering whether to try and make do without the passes and stay at Cabana Bay for the full 3 nights. It will be mid August though so would Express Passes be essential? I’m also wondering when to book the Universal hotels, do they normally have sales or with next year likely to be busy am I better to book now whilst the dates I want are available?

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If you are the kind of person who will make use of early entry and/or go (back) into the parks quite late (as the masses have gone) then you don’t ‘need’ the express passes. We deliberated but have decided to stay again at Sapphire Falls. It’s a beautiful hotel and you can still walk to and from the parks easily (or get the boat).

[Ellibop]

We would definitely be getting in the parks early. I’ve been looking at Cabana Bay which is so much cheaper, includes early entry and you can walk to volcano bay. I’ll give it some more thought, thanks.