I hear you on that expense !We are going the week before easter. EP's are SO expensive for that time(close to $200 - but cheaper on friday/sat/sun which isn't an option for us) and right now my friend and I are considering them since our tickets were generously paid for by someone else otherwise there is no way we could even consider paying for EP. I've also read reports that say EP could go even higher closer to the date which makes me really nervous because we aren't quite ready to pin down a date we want to go (and we're only doing one day).
I hear you on that expense !
It is really high and many people will buy them
If it is at all possible to book rpr or hrh or PBH for one night, it might be beneficial for you both
Book the cheapest room for one night only and you and friend will receive free unlimited usage of all the express lines for shows and rides
You get check in day and check out day with that perk
You also receive the early entry time before the park is open to the general public
You don’t have to stay and use the booked room so that is why many of us call it booking a throw away room
Compare a one night stay against the cost of two park express for both of you
It the price difference is minor, book the room
Check in early that day so you can do the early entry for hotel guests
Designated rides (3) will be open for it
When you buy the ep for the day, it is a one time usage for the express line
Believe that is the ep you are considering
The free hotel unlimited ep lets you do repeats the entire Park day
I know you did not ask about staying onsite a night as an option but thought it might be something to know
Yes the cost of the ep can increase
Supply and demand happens
More last minute decisions to buy the ep at the park could be higher on the day of
If what I wrote is not in your budget or plans, you still have the option to use the single rider lines
It would be a shorter wait than the regular lines
It’s free but not all rides have it
None of the shows offer it
Depending on the crowds in the park the day you are there, can have long waits
If you spend an hour + in line for one ride, you will not be hitting all the rides in the park
Ask yourself if just doing some rides is fine or use the ep so you can do most of the things on your “to do” list that day
You said a friend bought the park tickets for you
You can upgrade them at the park to a two day pass and pay the difference
If you do that, stay onsite and enjoy the EE the next day
How do you find out how many express passes you get if you book one of those hotel rooms?
If the room costs $450 and you get 2 days worth of passes, you should come out ahead if you were planning to get 2 days of EPs. EPs will probably be $150/ person/ per day. 1 day of EPs= $300. You would still need to pay for a hotel room...it’s not like that’s a free expense. If you only want EPs for 1 day then you’re right about hotel vs non-hotel. But if you want 2 days of EPs, you’ll totally save $ staying in one of those hotels.I did check out one of the hotels that offers the EP and they were about $450+ so not really a cost savings for just 2 of us. But I may check it out again.
I went a couple years ago mid-June which the crowd calendar says is busy but I didn't think it was that bad. The waits were maybe 45-60 min but we did only do a ride once which at the time was fine because I wasn't familiar with any of the rides at universal and didn't realize how many of them I would really enjoy (and it was June and freaking hot which I think makes you not care much about anything lol). This will be my friend's first time and we're going to do park to park so since we don't have to pay for the tickets I thought this would be a good use of that money we would have spent on tickets (even though the EP is way higher). Just stinks that you have to pick a day. The days we can go (Mon-Thurs) the EP is currently the same price so I wish you could just pick a week or something you planned to use it.
Each person registered in the room will get an EP.
Most normal rooms take up to 5 people.
If the room costs $450 and you get 2 days worth of passes, you should come out ahead if you were planning to get 2 days of EPs. EPs will probably be $150/ person/ per day. 1 day of EPs= $300. You would still need to pay for a hotel room...it’s not like that’s a free expense. If you only want EPs for 1 day then you’re right about hotel vs non-hotel. But if you want 2 days of EPs, you’ll totally save $ staying in one of those hotels.
so i'm pricing out some rooms. My group will actually have 8 people (6 adults and 2 kids). So I did a room for 2 adults and 2 kids which was $479 and then a room for 4 adults which was $549. Can we lie and say the 2nd room is also 2 adults and 2 kids? Do the passes dictate if they're adults or children??
I don't know if everyone is up for paying for express passes which is why I only mentioned my friend and I first but if everyone is willing to pitch in it might be the way to go.
That's why i priced 2 rooms because you can't have that many people in one room, although I think i did find one hotel that did and the price was waaaaay more than buying the express passes separate.Even if you broke up the group, there would still be additional adults in the rooms since there are 6 altogether