The Universal Orlando Express Pass

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Last summer we went to Orlando for the third time and visited Universal Orlando for our second time. However, this time we used Universal Orlando Express Passes for the first time and I thought it would be useful to share our experiences of the passes and how we found using them.

As a family we never buy any kind of fast pass or express pass. We queue for rides and simply go to the ones with the shortest queues to try and go on as many as possible. So this was a completely new experience for us!

What is the Universal Orlando Express Pass?

The Universal Orlando Express Pass lets you skip the regular line at participating rides and attractions. It is valid for a specific day and can cover just one Universal park or both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Different types of Universal Orlando Express Pass

There is also a choice of two different passes, the Universal Express Pass and the Universal Express Unlimited Pass. The Universal Express Pass gives one-time priority access to the following rides and attractions:

• Jurassic World VelociCoaster
• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®
• Caro-Seuss-el™
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall®
• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls®
• Flight of the Hippogriff™
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™
• Hogwarts™ Express (Park-to-Park admission ticket required)
• The Incredible Hulk Coaster®
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• Skull Island: Reign of Kong
• Storm Force Accelatron®
• The Bourne Stuntacular
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
• E.T. Adventure Fast & Furious – Supercharged
• Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™
• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
• Hogwarts™ Express (Park-to-Park admission ticket required)
• Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl
• MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™
• Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
• Revenge of the Mummy
• The Simpsons Ride™
• TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D
• Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster
• Illumination’s Villain-Con: Minion Blast

However, the Universal Express Unlimited Pass gives unlimited priority access to the above attractions. You can go on them again and again with no restrictions.

What attractions aren’t included with the Universal Orlando Express Pass?

There are a couple of rides that aren’t included with the express pass access. For these rides you just have to join the standard queue and wait your turn. These attractions are:

• Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
• Pteranodon Flyers

How much does the Universal Orlando Express Pass cost?

The Universal Orlando Express Passes are purchased through a dynamic pricing system. The prices are higher when demand is higher. They start at around £95 per person per day for the Universal Express Pass and £121 per person per day for the Universal Express Unlimited Pass.

Getting a complimentary Universal Orlando Express Pass

As you can see, the costs can mount up when getting Universal Orlando Express Passes but there is one way to get free, complimentary Universal Express Unlimited Passes. Simply book a stay at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel or Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Guests receive free Universal Express Unlimited Passes from their arrival day through to their checkout day. A fantastic benefit and much better value than paying for Express Passes.

We stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort for two nights which included three days of complimentary Universal Express Unlimited Passes. It cost around £830 for two nights through Hotels.com but included Universal Express Unlimited Passes worth in excess of £150 per person, per day. There are other benefits of staying at the hotels too – complimentary transport to the parks, as well as being super close to them anyway. Your own dedicated entrance to the parks, early entry and so much more.

You can read more about our stay at Loews Royal Pacific Resort here.

How to use the Universal Orlando Express Pass

Using the Express Pass could not be easier. You simply go to the entrance to the ride and join the Universal Express queue instead of the standard standby lane. There’ll be a member of staff either at the entrance to the express queue or part way along checking your pass to make sure you’re in the right line.

You’ll then notice that the express queue moves more quickly than the standard queue , there are less people in it and so the queuing time is much less. It feels great being able to skip so much queueing time and the longest we had to queue in the express lane was around fifteen minutes – compared to over an hour on previous visits to Universal in the standard queue.

Is the Universal Orlando Express Pass worth it?

Whether something is worth the money is a really subjective question. Personally, I absolutely loved having the express passes, they saved us so much time and it was great being able to simply bypass so many people queueing in the standard line.

But, I would never pay £200 per day, per person for that privilege. It’s such an incredible amount of money and it’s not something I could personally ever entertain doing.

Having said that, I would definitely stay at one of the premium Universal hotels to get complimentary Unlimited Express Passes in the future. I think it’s great value for money, the hotels are beautiful and they are so well located, meaning you can really make the most of your trip to Universal Orlando.

You can find out more about Universal Express Passes over on the Universal website.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for your next trip to Florida, these posts might help:

• Our guide to Florida holidays
• Our top tips for Planning an Orlando Holiday
• Relaxing Things to do in Orlando
• Things to do in Orlando for Birthday Celebrations
• The Best Indoor Activities in Orlando Florida
• The Best Orlando Dinner Shows