Should You Buy Universal Express Pass? A Complete Guide to Shortening Your Wait at Universal Orlando Resort

Guests visiting the Universal Orlando Resort can acquire express passes, which makes their theme park day easier. Should you buy a Universal Express Pass?

Like many theme parks, Universal Orlando Resort offers a paid way to shorten guests’ waits in attraction queues. The queue-skipping concept at Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida theme parks is known as the “Express Pass.” This upgraded service enables visitors to enter a shorter queue for their desired attractions.

Still, these passes come at a price and do not work at every attraction. Guests should be aware that there are several different varieties of this system. This resource strives to help readers decide whether Universal Express Passes fit their Universal Orlando vacation and examines the various types..

What are Universal Express Passes?

Universal Express Passes allow guests to avoid waiting in the regular standby queue for an attraction. Those with this upgrade enter a shorter queue at most attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Universal’s Volcano Bay, the resort’s water park, also sells a version of these for the water park only. We will explain those later.

For the main version of Universal Express Passes at Universal Orlando, these upgrade privileges work very simply, unlike a very different shorter queue system used at Walt Disney World, currently called Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. Those with Universal Express Passes do not need to schedule a return time. They have their pass scanned and enter the shorter queue whenever they desire. Unlike the Walt Disney World version, they can sometimes enter the same queue over and over.

Officially, having this upgrade guarantees half the posted wait of the standard queue for an attraction. However, guests wishing to ride one of the best Universal Orlando rides, like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, may see a posted wait time of 40 minutes. Those with express pass access usually wait 15 minutes or less for this attraction in those cases.

On jam-packed days, even guests with this advantage will wait longer than 15 minutes for attractions like Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. However, they should not have to wait more than 25 minutes, which sounds terrific compared to over an hour for other guests.

How Much Do Express Passes Cost? What Types of Express Passes Exist?

Universal Express Passes at Universal Orlando can be acquired in several ways. The most common way for most guests to obtain them is to purchase them in addition to admission ticket media to the theme parks. These are paid for per person and for each day. Every member of your party over age three will need one to use the shorter queue for an attraction.

Pricing varies significantly depending on which type of express pass guests want to purchase. Some of this relates to the difference between the Universal Express Pass and the Universal Express Unlimited Passes. As you might guess, the unlimited version costs more. Also, guests can purchase access to the shorter attraction queue for just one theme park or both, with the two-park version costing more. The time of year you visit also factors into the price.

The standard Universal Express Passes allow guests to use the shorter express queue once for each participating attraction. This pass may only be used once per attraction.

Universal Express Passes Unlimited can be acquired like the standard version. However, guests can use the quicker queue as often as they want on days with an active pass.

Now, the Bad Universal Express Pass News!

Unlike the Lightning Lane system at Walt Disney World, which costs between $15 and $39 per day, Universal Express Passes cost far more. Still, if your budget can afford it, you can have an experience that quickly makes up for the price difference. The ability to show up at the entrance to an attraction whenever you want and enter the shorter queue makes guests feel relaxed and unique at Universal Orlando.

Nevertheless, this service comes at a hefty price per person. The price varies per day and tends to escalate as the day approaches. In other words, if you buy a Universal Express Pass for a specific date four months in advance, the price will be lower than if you buy it a week (or less) in advance.

Guests arriving on high-crowd-level days, like spring break or winter holiday break, will see high prices for special access to shorter queues. Under those circumstances, we have seen these upgrades sold for almost $400 per day per person during busy crowd-level days. That price may still be worth it if your vacation budget allows, but it will eat significantly into that vacation budget.

However, guests should not lose heart. Universal Express Passes can be obtained in other ways that might even save you money. We will discuss those in more detail in the later paragraphs.

Universal Express Prices

According to Universal Orlando Resort’s website, the price for Universal Express Passes varies widely depending on the date you wish to use them at Universal Orlando theme parks. For example, these are the prices listed:

• Universal Express – $89.99 to $289.99
• Universal Unlimited Express – $119.99 to $319.99

Once again, we have seen these passes sold on the day off in the theme parks for more than these listed prices.

What Attractions Are Not Included in Universal Express Passes?

Before you think Universal Express Passes solve everything at the Universal Orlando theme parks, we have more information for you. Some attractions at Universal Orlando do not accept or utilize this system, which means everyone goes through the standby (or regular) queue.

Sadly, the most popular attraction at Universal Orlando Resort does not accept Universal Express Pass. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure often has long queues for those looking to ride this Wizarding World of Harry Potter ride. However, this attraction still does not accept express passes. Many guests purchasing these fail to check on this critical detail. This leads to some disappointment. We would not expect this attraction to add Universal Express Pass access soon. This attraction still struggles with reliability and must shut down in bad weather. Universal Orlando knows it will have even angrier guests buying an upcharge and then being unable to ride.

The other two attractions not included are:

• Pteranodon Flyers in the Jurassic Park area of Universal Islands of Adventure
• Ollivanders Experience at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure.

If You Get Lucky (Or Have a Premier Annual Pass), There is an After 4:00 p.m.

Sometimes, Universal Orlando sells an after-4:00 p.m. version of the Universal Express Pass. These passes, as the name suggests, work after 4:00 p.m. They entitle guests to enter the shorter queue once daily (after 4:00 p.m.) and cost less than the full-day version.

Nevertheless, these are not often sold. Also, if the theme parks close around 7:00 p.m. or earlier, they will not be helpful for many hours.

However, Universal Orlando Resort sells an annual pass, the Premier Pass, that gets guests the same after 4:00 p.m. express for every day they visit. The two-park version of this pass costs around $900 annually for those interested. It is available to all guests, no matter where they live.

I Heard There Was a Way to Get Free Unlimited Universal Express Passes

If you have heard about free Universal Express Passes, that information is correct but also needs clarification. Still, this method of getting a “free” Universal Express Pass is straightforward.

The three currently most expensive Universal/Loews hotels provide Unlimited Universal Express Passes to all guests staying at those hotels. This includes check-in and check-out day. Those hotels are:

• Hard Rock Hotel
• Loews Portofino Bay
• Loews Royal Pacific Resort

These three Signature Collection hotels at Universal Orlando Resort offer top service, high-quality rooms, and the highly coveted Unlimited Universal Express Passes. However, these advantages come with a catch. You will need to spend top dollar for these hotels.

These hotels used to be called “Premier Level” hotels. When they were under that title, we wrote a resource about those hotels, which should provide insight into how great the express pass perk can be for your visit to Universal Orlando. You might find that staying at one of these hotels for your group of four with the Universal Express Passes included in your stay cancels out the added expense if you plan to purchase the passes for your theme park days.

So, if you were considering paying $200 per person daily for Universal Express Passes, staying at one of these hotels might save you money, as odd as that sounds. Since these hotels offer a complimentary water taxi service and an excellent location, the upgraded hotel experience may pay for itself with the express passes feature included.

What is the Cheapest Universal Studios Hotel with Express Passes?

 

These “Premier” hotels range from around $300 to $900/ night, depending on the time of year you visit. Most of the time, Loews Royal Pacific Resort provides the cheapest rooms, including Universal Express Pass. However, this will vary based on convention bookings and renovation projects.

How Do Universal Express Passes Work During Halloween Horror Nights?

We hear visitors express significant confusion about Universal Express Pass and Universal Orlando’s after-hours event, Halloween Horror Nights. Your Universal Family Vacations travel advisor will help you, at no cost to you, to understand this incredible spooky event. In fact, you can listen to a podcast about their experience at Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) on Mousechat.net.

However, they will have some potentially bad news about Universal Express Passes regarding Halloween Horror Nights. Every Universal Express Pass option mentioned previously does not work during Halloween Horror Nights, including people staying at the three “Premier” hotels. If you plan to attend Halloween Horror Nights and want to utilize the express queues, then that event’s express passes must be purchased separately.

Universal Express Passes: Volcano Bay

Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando’s water park, also sells an express pass for visitors looking to enjoy the thrilling water-based attractions. This is sold separately from any version mentioned earlier. Also, guests staying at the formerly named “Premier” hotels do not receive complimentary express passes for use at Volcano Bay.

Volcano Bay offers Express Passes to guests, which function like the ones for the land-based theme parks. Two types are available: a standard option, which allows one-time access per ride, and the Unlimited Express Pass, which offers repeated access to the attractions at Volcano Bay all day. The prices start at $19.99, but you should expect to pay more since the prices are date-based. The Volcano Bay ones only work at this water park and cannot be used at the two land-based theme parks.

Does Universal Orlando Sell Out of Express Passes?

Yes, Universal Express Passes do sell out. This happens often regarding ticket media for Halloween Horror Nights. It could happen at the theme parks during regular admission times if you visit during a busy time of year, so please plan accordingly.

Does Epic Universe Have Express Passes?

Universal Epic Universe, a brand-new theme park, Will open at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025. This theme park will feature a brand-new Wizarding World of Harry Potter-themed land. We do not have any official information about the “Express” system for this new theme park. However, we have been told that Universal Epic Universe has designed ride queues so that Universal Express Passes will exist in some form. Besides that, we know very little official at the time of writing.

Looking To Plan That Universal Orlando Vacation?

The experts at Universal Family Vacations can help you plan your next vacation free of charge. Whether it is a short stay or an extended holiday, they know the best ways to make the experience as stress-free as possible. You can get a free quote from the website. Happy vacation planning!