At what crowd level is Express Pass advised?

[rlp]

I am going to Universal Orlando with my kids for the first time Dec 15 through the 17th which is a Friday to Sunday. Crowds are supposed to be moderate. Undercover tourist says a 6, 6 and 6 for those days. I don't have a Touring Plans subscription for those parks so unsure if it would state something different. Anyone know how crowded it will be and also at what crowd level should one get an express pass? We don't mind waiting 30 to 45 minutes for most popular rides with maybe 1 or 2 longer waits thrown in a day.

Adding: Orlandoinformer's calendar says it will be slow on those days.

 

[bchbetha]

You can always wait and see on those days and just buy if it becomes necessary for your enjoyment.
Depending on how many in your group, staying on site can be the affordable way to get Express Passes. Only RP, HRH and Portofino do this.

 

[rlp]

You can always wait and see on those days and just buy if it becomes necessary for your enjoyment.
Depending on how many in your group, staying on site can be the affordable way to get Express Passes. Only RP, HRH and Portofino do this.

There are 3 of us. I was considering booking at RP instead of Cabana Bay or doing a split stay. RP is about 250 more on Saturday night than Cabana but only 130 more Friday night. I know I would get EPs the day of check in and the day of check out too if I stay at RP. So what I am thinking of doing is staying at RP Friday night then Cabana Saturday though if the hotel rate for Friday night isn't that high it makes me think that at least Friday, the parks won't be that crowded and I would rather stay at the same place. Though I think I'll do the split stay thing so that at least we'll have EPs for 2 days, just wanted to see if they would be needed since I am trying to save as much as possible! When we go to the Disney parks I always try to save by not eating on site, and staying at cheap hotels but am willing to splurge a bit for this trip since I don't think we'll stay at Universal again for a couple of years. I have been to the one in CA and while I liked it, Disney is more my scene.

 

[Allie B]

We went to universal last week at low crowd level. Got express pass due to only being there and covering both parks in one day. So glad we did! Totally worth the $$

 

[rlp]

We went to universal last week at low crowd level. Got express pass due to only being there and covering both parks in one day. So glad we did! Totally worth the $$

I can see why you would need EPs when going just 1 day! We'll be there 3 whole days but the crowds will probably be higher than what you saw, so we will probably stay at RP one night to get the passes for at least 2 of the days we are there.

 

[bchbetha]

With a weekend (I missed that) you'll more likely want them. I like your split stay idea. I think it'll do the job well. You don't need them every day. You can enjoy the no line things- Camp Jurassic, shows, Harry Potter stuff...the other day.

 

[macraven]

Only thing I can add here is if that weekend has great weather, more locals will come to the parks

 

[puakinikini]

The EPs are so nice to have if you can afford them - I like the idea of 1 night at RP.

 

[Mama Lo]

I would say if you can swing it getting the EP will be totally worth it. Especially since you say that you don't see yourself coming back for a while.

There is so much more to do at UO then in Cali, you might find yourself enjoying it more then you think (and this is from a Disney girl )

Also, check to see if there are AP rates and upgrade one of your tickets to get the hotel discount. They probably aren't available just yet but you can adjust your rate if you do see one become available. You don't have to upgrade until you actually get there. We were able to upgrade our 3 day tickets that we bought on Undercover Tourist for only $10.

 

[Liljo22]

There is not a price difference between advance purchase and day off so I would wait to see if you need it. There are places through out the park that they sell it at. We went on a day that the two park EP was 89.99 so we did a night at RP even though my in-laws live 20 minutes from the park. It ended up raining for two days straight at the parks were empty. Didn't need to spend the extra money.

 

[mamabearof4]

I did a split stay when we went in April. and we're planning another split stay in early December. the 2 days of EP's we get for staying at one of the upgraded hotels is totally worth the xtra price for 1 night. although on the down side, it is a bit of a pain to have to move your luggage. but then you also get to experience 2 of the hotels which in itself is kind of neat.

couple tips....check in at the RP as EARLY in the morning as you can possibly stand getting up. They'll hold your luggage till room is ready, but you'll get your EP right away and can head to the park to be in line for early entry.

also... the days you have your EP make full advantage of it. save the rides/attractions that usually don't have as long a line for the days you don't have EP.

 

[mikejuliestl]

Our first night of a 7-8 day stay is almost always spent at a Hampton Inn or similar - we drive from St Louis and arrive around 9:00pm and it bugs me to pay $500 to stay at RP for almost no benefit.... so what we started doing was stay at a $100 Hampton and check out around 7:00am and head to RP for our EP and first day at the parks. Our room is always ready when we get back and I feel better knowing I saved ~ $400.