1 night at Universal - is it the best plan for small children (6 & 9)

[dworrall]

Hi - apologies if this question has been asked a million times.

We are heading to Florida early August with 2 children, aged 6&9 and staying off site for 10 days and then cruising for 7 (Royal Caribbean)

Is it worth throwing a night at Universal (mid the first week) to get the express passes for 2 days. I wondered if they would really make a big difference in August for their enjoyment of the Universal parks?

Any guidance greatly appreciated.

[joe 70]

Hi, whilst Universal is doable in August without express passes you will get more done faster and with less queuing and hassle.This will allow you some relaxation by the pool in the afternoon maybe.
Make sure you book one of the main hotels for the express pass though and see if there is a good deal for Club Level at these which not only gives you the benefits of the club room (breakfast , snacks and drinks etc ) but generally a top floor room with good views!
I would say for the ages of your children Royal Pacific Resort may be your best bet but Hard Rock Hotel is also a Fantastic experience.
Hope this helps and have a wonderful holiday.

[mydogbaloo]

Yes absolutely, we done this in 2016 and will be doing again next month just for the 1 night.

Like previous post says you can get so much more done and also early entry, we then go back during the afternoon for a chill round the pool and back out for the evening.

[GezzasGem]

Our DD is 7 for this trip and we are doing exactly this! 👍

[cornishfrogboy]

Another yes. .. and a yes re club level.

Even though I am extremely budget conscious in planning and executing vacations, We always have a night in a premium Universal.
It is worth pointing out that double booking of rooms costs money and therefore we do the following (in order to save plenty).
1. Arrive in Orlando late afternoon and Uber to a cheaper hotel for the first night. Ours is the Ramada on IDrive (27 July 2019) and was £60 for the four of us with that all important early breakfast.
2. Very early Uber to Royal Pacific, check in and get express passes whilst leaving bags with concierge (£375 for 28 July 2019 at Club level).
3. At end of second day in Universal parks, pick up car at Holiday Inn and move to our Villa.

In this way, we have eliminated 2 days of Car hire, Car parking fees and double booking of accommodation. With the Ramada breakfast and then club level, we are also some way towards also feeding ourselves.

[Guest]

I couldn’t bear to do Universal without express passes. And we go at less busy times of the year but the queues still look awful.

[Andybear]

Originally Posted by Claudette

I couldn’t bear to do Universal without express passes. And we go at less busy times of the year but the queues still look awful.

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I did it last September without express passes and everything was a walk on. The longest wait was 10 minutes at the Harry Potter rides during the afternoons which I did multiple times. I went there on a Sunday and a Monday.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Andybear

I did it last September without express passes and everything was a walk on. The longest wait was 10 minutes at the Harry Potter rides during the afternoons which I did multiple times. I went there on a Sunday and a Monday.

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You were very lucky! I have spent about three weeks Universal in total, every day of the week, always outside school holidays and have literally never seen anything we want to do as a walk on, apart from during the early opening hour. In January I did not see the Hippogriff queue drop below an hour.

Never been in September, but have heard it is one of the quieter months for parks, that is why I chose it for next trip.

[PoohBears#1fan]

We usually go at the end of August (after the local kids go back to school) and generally have a few nights in either HRH or RPH, to be honest, while the EPs are nice, we usually comment that we don't really need them, I think the beginning of August could be a very different scenario though, we do see the drop in crowds.

[dworrall]

Thanks for all the comments and advice. Booked club level at RPH early August for a shade under £400. Now to formulate a plan for those days. I assume I just drive tot the hotel early on the check in day for say 08:00?