Cheapest Way of Getting Universal Express Pass - with and without hotel stay?

[seema]

1. Which is the most economical Universal hotel which will give one a free express pass?
2. If one does not stay at a hotel, what is the cheapest way of getting a universal express pass?

 

[greg9x]

1. Which is the most economical Universal hotel which will give one a free express pass?
2. If one does not stay at a hotel, what is the cheapest way of getting a universal express pass?

My understanding is either you get it 'free' with Deluxe hotel stay, or you buy it separately at whatever the going rate is from Universal. There is also the 'After 4 p.m.' express pass with the highest level Annual pass.
Otherwise there is no discounted way to obtain it.

So cheapest depends on how many people you are buying for... A family of 5 would be best off with the hotel stay version... the 2 person group would need to calculate the cost differential from hotel stay to buying it stand alone.

 

[mjhtvchick]

1. This is difficult to answer as hotel prices vary based on occupancy and length of stay. On paper, Royal Pacific Resort has the lowest base price but often sells out quickly, especially in busy periods. There have been reports of people getting a lower rate at Portofino Bay with the "stay more, save more" rate.

2. Outside of a package, the only way to purchase express passes is from Universal - either in advance online or at the parks. However, these prices vary as they are date-specific and will be more expensive during busy times. The least expensive pass - the 1-park "regular" pass which is limited to 1 ride per attraction at whichever park you buy it for - starts at ~$70.

 

[skylock]

tHow many people are you needing it for and what time of the year.

You question is not a simply one answer is all that is needed question.

There is no discount for express pass. It is either free from the hotel, or full cost purchased separately.

Sometimes if only 2 people it can be cheaper buying it as a stand alone, it would depend on the time of year.

In most cases the cheapest way is to book a hotel room esp if you actually need a place to stay.

 

[slpeters]

Too many variables--and then also what you need as opposed to want and the like. We are going for a week in early December and staying at the Royal Pacific. We probably don't need EP at all--it's not going to be that busy and we have five days in the parks--but just want it. If we were buying it separately we would probably only do it for a couple days and just have a couple ride heavy days and then work out the rest. But our time at Royal Pacific averages $181 a day--even for just the two of us that would be pretty close to the cost of EP (way cheaper if for instance there were four of us). Of course if we were buying it separately we certainly wouldn't buy it for the whole week, but we'd still have to live somewhere and, frankly, very much enjoy staying onsite in general (Disney too) and rarely pay much less than that for a hotel room any way. For us even if you took the free EP off the table I would feel pretty good about the hotel rate, so the EP really does seem free to me and I think we will enjoy having it the whole time.