Universal - Band Trip - adding Express passes

BelleQ

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Just thought I would try my luck asking here. Tried to call Universal Orlando today but waited forever and couldn’t get a person on the phone.

We are traveling in May with our school’s marching band to Universal Studios. 3 day park-to-park plus seeing BMG. We booked with a tour company (contract - you know the deal if you’ve ever done one of these band trips). We are staying OFF property. So....we don’t have Express passes! 😢. I called the tour company a few months ago and they told us they couldn’t add an Express pass as an additional offer through them at this time. So is it possible to add this on when we arrive at the park?

But here is some additional logic that I am trying to reason out before I pay $100ish extra per person in our party of five...per day for Express passes! That is an additional cost option that other families going may not be willing to pay. My kids will want to ride with their friends. If their friends don’t have express passes and my kids do ...then what’s the point if they are not going to use them since they will probably stand in the regular lines with their friends that don’t have express passes??

We just went on our first Universal Orlando trip this past May and stayed at Hard Rock so we were spoiled with the unlimited express pass! So maybe since we just went and know what our favorite rides are, maybe we can just live without express passes this time and ride only our favorites ...not feeling like we have to spend time riding every single ride. Well have 3 full days anyway.

Just wanted to check here and see if anyone knows of the express passes option can be added in to your company tickets when we arrive? And also a “what would you do”?
 
1. Yes, you can buy them day of.
2. I wouldn’t buy them for your kid(s) who will be touring with their friends. Odds are low their friends will have them so it makes no sense, like you’ve already considered.
My oldest went with his band as well and they barely rode anything but they totally didn’t care. They walked around and had fun. They liked long lines because they played Heads Up on their phones together. They simply didn’t care about lines. They liked socializing.
Unlike your plan, ours were there Easter week so it was insanely crowded. You have 3 days in May. You just don’t really need EPs then anyway.
 
Agree I wouldn't buy them EP. They are old enough they can do single rider if there is something they don't want to wait for.
 


My band kid, who knows the benefits of express passes, said that she would not want an express pass on a band trip if only her family or her small group had them. She wouldn't want to be treated differently or have to separate from a larger group , waiting in line is not bad with friends (playing games together on their phones), and single rider would work fine when they really wanted to ride something like Forbidden Journey.
 
My kids will want to ride with their friends. If their friends don’t have express passes and my kids do ...then what’s the point if they are not going to use them since they will probably stand in the regular lines with their friends that don’t have express passes??

Exactly.

If the adults won’t be with the kids, but the EPs for you once you’re there, but let the kids just have fun with friends in lines.
 

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