And how to avoid huge disappointment and enjoy more ride time at Universal Orlando
Theme park days are undoubtedly a mission. You can pack in a lot of fun, but it isn’t a go-with-the-flow kinda vacation, unless you plan it right. I’m here to share all the tips and hacks we have learned over multiple visits to Universal Resort Orlando to ensure you spend more time riding and enjoying yourselves than you do lining.
I’ll cover the advantages of the Universal Express Pass here to help you decide if it’s worth investing in (or upgrading to a premium resort). I’ll also provide tips for using your Express Pass to maximum advantage, along with alternative strategies to avoid the queues.
What is the Universal Express Pass?
An Express Pass allows you to jump the general queue at most rides at Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios; you’ll experience shorter wait times, fit more into your day and spend less time stressing with your family in a queue. There are two types:
Universal Express – This allows you to skip the regular line once on each ride for either Universal Studios OR Islands of Adventure. Pricing starts from $89.99USD++ per day
Universal Express Unlimited – You can ride all participating rides unlimited times at both parks. Pricing starts at $119.99USD++ per day
Pricing varies by day, season, and availability. In peak demand times, Unlimited can climb up to a staggering $300USD pp.
NB The Universal Express Passes I’m discussing here do not operate at Volcano Bay; they have a completely separate system for queueing for rides using Tapu Tapu and Volcano Bay Express- I’ll be covering this soon in another article!
How Do you Get Your Universal Express Pass?
The Express Pass is a purchase that needs to be made ON TOP OF YOUR PARK TICKETS. You can do this when you buy your tickets as an add-on or, through the Universal App, or if they’re still available, on the day at the parks.
They do sell out on busy days, so don’t bank on this as a last-minute time-saving strategy; you need to go in with a budget and a game plan.
Whichever type you buy, remember you need your theme park tickets first—these start at a base price of $119 USD per adult ticket, per day (but you can get these cheaper, too; keep reading below!).
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If you’ve bought your tickets online, you still need to collect a physical ticket on arrival; Universal resort hotels have Guest Services ticket counters, or you can collect at the Will Call window at either theme park gate.
If you are staying at a Premium Universal Resort (that is, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort), you must still buy your Universal theme park tickets separately, but your UNLIMITED EXPRESS PASS will be automatically connected to your room key, which doubles as your Express Pass.
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Good to know! You can check in to your hotel and get your Express Passes early on your day of arrival and leave your luggage in the hotel baggage hold, even before you’re fully checked in!
What Rides Don’t Have Express Pass?
If you’re like me and enjoy a bit of strategising, you might be thinking, what rides do I need to hoof it to at the opening to be first in the queue on non-Express Pass rides?
The good news is, that nearly every ride at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure has Express Pass, with two exceptions at Islands of Adventure;
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure—The queue for this gets CRAZY long. We weren’t exactly dawdling, but we entered with the flow of the early park admission crowd at 8 a.m. By the time we got to the Wizarding World, which is the furthest point from the entrance (of course!), the waiting time was already 120 minutes. I kid you not.
It went down to 90 minutes around an hour later, but we never saw it lower than that all day.
(I had heard of Virtual Lines which can be used whilst in the park, but saw no way of doing this on our Universal App; unless I was totally missing a trick, I think they’ve been completely abolished in 2024)
Pteranodon Flyers—This ride is found in Jurassic Park. You need to make it at the general park opening time (9 a.m.) to nab it queue-free, as it’s not open during early park admission. But please note that the height limits on this one are quite different from those on other rides!
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Your first rider MUST be between 36″ and 56″ (91cm to 142cm), and only then can you have a second rider over 56″; if both riders are over 56″, it’s a no-go, so make sure your littlest family members have their trainers ready to sprint to this one!! Queues are long by 10 a.m.
Express Pass is quicker but does NOT offer instant access
Setting expectations here is essential; getting around the key attractions when you have an Express Pass is undoubtedly quicker, but it does not mean you go to the front of the queue every time. What it does is put you in a shorter queue.
As the day goes on, lines will form at the most popular rides, both the general line and the Express Line—you are not the only ones with a golden ticket! When you get to the front, and the rides are loaded, operators will take riders from both lines.
It can also depend on how quickly Express and general queues are merged on some rides. On rides like The Simpsons, you only save a few minutes using Express Pass; on others, it will pop you basically to the front every time.
For anything that is a set show time, like Minions or Jimmy Fallon, you’ll still have to wait until the next show starts, but they’ll let Express Pass holders through first.
On some of the most popular rides, the Express line may even be closed off; this happened to us several times on Velocicoaster.
Can I Get By Without an Express Pass and Still Do Lots of Rides?
Now, I know staying at a premium hotel isn’t in everyone’s budget (and our family actually LOVES some of the value resorts, too!), but can you still have an enjoyable trip to Universal packed full of action without an Express Pass?
It depends. Peak season, on a weekend, forget it. Mid-winter on a weekday, you might get away with it.
- Strategize and use Single Rider
You could strategize your way through the parks, arriving early in the day to beat the crowds at the most popular rides. You could also take advantage of Single-Rider queues, another brilliant way to cut down on lining (even faster than Express Pass on many rides!).
- One Day Park-to-Park
If you intend to visit both parks on a Park-to-Park ticket in one day (the best option for those who can only dedicate one day in their Orlando itinerary to Universal), you’d be very hard-pressed to see even half the attractions without an Express Pass.
Even taking the Hogwarts Express between the parks, by midday, you’re looking at 60-90 minute queues; the Express Pass should cut this to 10-15 minutes with luck.
You’d have to be happy with only seeing a selection of rides if you’re trying to achieve everything in one day (though it IS possible with young kids too short for many rides or if you suffer motion sickness and are skipping the biggest coaster queues).
- Multi-day passes and pace yourself
You could also plan to be an early bird. If you’re on a multi-day pass (e.g. pay-for-3-get-5 types of deal), you could easily fit everything in across both theme parks and Volcano Bay in five days.
I’d still recommend you take advantage of Early Park Admission and be there for rope drop (that’s where guests staying at any Universal Resort or select partner hotels can get into one of the parks an hour early, only select attractions are open early).
Get to the most popular rides early in the day then relax your way into the afternoon at CityWalk or back at your resort pool.
How Do I Get the Best Universal Orlando Deals?
- Guests with flexibility in their travel dates will be able to score the best discounts at Universal. Multi-day ticket deals tend to be set for guests visiting Monday through Thursday.
- Staying at the premium hotels within Universal Studios can be worth their weight in gold when the express passes are thrown in (plus, it is way more pleasant arriving at the parks by boat, and even by foot if you stay at Hard Rock, vs other transport).
- Staying subscribed to Universal will let you know when deals are coming up. I know this means yet more correspondence in your inbox, but it’s honestly worth keeping them on your radar. Unlike other attractions, I’ve found that the best Universal deals almost always come from booking with them directly.
More Help Planning Your Orlando Family Vacation
- Start with our Ultimate Beginners Guide to Planning A Trip to Universal Orlando – this is the best starting point for everything about Universal we’ve not covered here!
- How to get from MCO (Orlando Airport) to Universal – Fastest and cheapest ways to start your adventure
- Is it worth renting a car in Orlando? When it is and isn’t convenient to have your own wheels – plus what you can expect to pay for parking at Universal
- Tackling Universal Orlando with Toddlers – which rides and attractions will keep the youngest family members entertained?
- At the other end of the spectrum, these are the best things to do with your Tweens & Teens in Orlando
- Things to do in Orlando beyond the 2 Big Theme Parks – from animal interactions to great parks, nearby State Parks, and the Space Coast, all within a day trip from Orlando
- Get beyond Orlando; these are the best beaches close to Disney & Orlando if you want to combine this to be a Florida beach trip too
- How does Universal Orlando compare to Universal Studios Singapore? An honest review from our tweens and teens
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