Just back from a spilt stay Universal/Disney..... here's what I learned.

[geenerbell]

Security: On Friday all Muggles, Minions and Fairytale creatures started going through metal detectors. At Disney, (4 parks/1day) there were still random scans. This concerns me.

Early entry: I'm not sure its worth it at Universal. It's only the Harry Potter attractions and Universal decides which park to open that day. Harry Potter areas are Amazingly themed and cast are in character. Everything else opens at 9.

For Soarin' Use a PPO reservation at Garden Grill. Go to Garden Grill no matter what time your reservation time is. They will seat you right away. You can have breakfast and be first in line for Soarin'. We were and it was the highlight of the day.

Hotel:Universal Cabana Bay theming is awesome and I didn't hear one door slam or toilet flush. POP needs soundproofing.

Two days at Universal is one too many. Express pass is not Express at all. Love the new fastpass+ especially being able to add as you go.

4 parks/1 day is very doable if you pick your favorites and go with the flow. It was a great day even with the afternoon rain. We left MK and came back later. It was great. We did EPCOT, boat to DHS-we planned to walk but it was 100 degrees, AK then finished with MK. Great day, so much fun.

Seeing The Grand Floridian was very emotional for me.

 

[Raeven]

Security: On Friday all Muggles, Minions and Fairytale creatures started going through metal detectors. At Disney, (4 parks/1day) there were still random scans. This concerns me.

Early entry: I'm not sure its worth it at Universal. It's only the Harry Potter attractions and Universal decides which park to open that day. Harry Potter areas are Amazingly themed and cast are in character. Everything else opens at 9.

For Soarin' Use a PPO reservation at Garden Grill. Go to Garden Grill no matter what time your reservation time is. They will seat you right away. You can have breakfast and be first in line for Soarin'. We were and it was the highlight of the day.

Hotel:Universal Cabana Bay theming is awesome and I didn't hear one door slam or toilet flush. POP needs soundproofing.

Two days at Universal is one too many. Express pass is not Express at all. Love the new fastpass+ especially being able to add as you go.

4 parks/1 day is very doable if you pick your favorites and go with the flow. It was a great day even with the afternoon rain. We left MK and came back later. It was great. We did EPCOT, boat to DHS-we planned to walk but it was 100 degrees, AK then finished with MK. Great day, so much fun.

Seeing The Grand Floridian was very emotional for me.

Felt the same way when we did Pop then Cabana Bay. Cabana Bay was so quiet I wondered if we were the only people there (though we obviously weren't). Pop you could hear toilets and people getting ready in the morning. I slept with earplugs in there (though I do that at home too we have some noisy neighbors in our building). But I felt terrible every time I flushed the toilet at night.

 

[RDawn]

We will spend 5 days at WDW and 2 at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal, but only have 1day park to park USF passes this fall. Have never been to Universal, so hoped that the early entry plus the express passes would allow us to see/do a majority of attractions. Hubby & kids do not enjoy roller coasters, so that helps with time management. I was happy to read that you didn't need 2 park days for Universal, but concerned when you said express passes are not express and the early morning entry didn't help much. Our priorities are Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, King Kong and Minions. Spiderman, Transformers, Shreck & Men in Black are secondary. Any advice? Thanks for sharing your insights with us.

 

[whiporee]

We will spend 5 days at WDW and 2 at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal, but only have 1day park to park USF passes this fall. Have never been to Universal, so hoped that the early entry plus the express passes would allow us to see/do a majority of attractions. Hubby & kids do not enjoy roller coasters, so that helps with time management. I was happy to read that you didn't need 2 park days for Universal, but concerned when you said express passes are not express and the early morning entry didn't help much. Our priorities are Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, King Kong and Minions. Spiderman, Transformers, Shreck & Men in Black are secondary. Any advice? Thanks for sharing your insights with us.

You didn't ask me, but I'll pipe in. I didn't do the Hogsmeade side last trip, only Diagon Alley. And it's crowded and gets crowded fast. i know people think that's part of the charm, but for all the theming and effort they put into it, it might have been nice had the streets been a little wider because you end up pushing into people. At least I did -- and to me, a lot of it felt like overkill, but while I liked the books, I never got immersed in the Harry Potter world like some did -- I guess I like my fantasy lands to have more than one perspective. I think the early entry helps for the line at Gringotts, but because that's the only thing going, it's where all the resort people are. So you'll get through quicker than you normally would, but I doubt you're going to get more than one ride in the morning.

As for the Express Pass, I agree with the OP. It's certainly faster than the non-express line, but it's a misnomer to suggest you're walking on or anything of the sort (if you want to walk on, take the VIP tour. Those put you at the ride disembarking spot). My experience was that, while shorter than the standby line of 100+ minutes, you can count on 30-40 minutes or so per attraction with the Express Pass. The rides you mentioned are at two separate parks, so you won't be able to hit both Harry's early on the same day and the Express Pass doesn't work for them, so expect at least one very long HP wait unless the park is nearly empty.

Good luck, and I hope you have a great trip.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I did both parks in one day using the Express Pass, but that was 5-6 years ago. Increased crowds might have made the EP somewhat less of a "walk on" pass. Still, if the place is crowded, the pass will certainly help you.

I would place Spiderman as a top priority. It's still one of the most amazing rides in the world. Transformers is also very good, but basically springs from the same template as Spidey. Also, if your kids are little, they should love the Cat in the Hat ride. I'm an adult, and I love that ride, too. And if you're going in summer, Popeye and Bluto's will get you SOAKED. The Dudley Doo Right water ride won't get you nearly as wet.

 

[Travis B]

We will spend 5 days at WDW and 2 at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal, but only have 1day park to park USF passes this fall. Have never been to Universal, so hoped that the early entry plus the express passes would allow us to see/do a majority of attractions. Hubby & kids do not enjoy roller coasters, so that helps with time management. I was happy to read that you didn't need 2 park days for Universal, but concerned when you said express passes are not express and the early morning entry didn't help much. Our priorities are Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, King Kong and Minions. Spiderman, Transformers, Shreck & Men in Black are secondary. Any advice? Thanks for sharing your insights with us.

The folks on the Universal section of the boards here are amazing and super helpful. I would check out threads over there for research - and they're always happy to answer questions.

 

[jon18uk]

Two days at Universal is one too many. Express pass is not Express at all

I don't use Express Pass so find two days at Universal is fine, many rides are worth repeats (such as Hulk, Dragons, Spiderman etc).

I think the problem with Express Pass is that three hotels full of people can use it whenever they like, its not liek FastPass where you get a specific time. I think Uni might have to cut the benefit from one of the hotels to make it more worthwhile to the others.

 

[zebsterama]

Thanks for your info!

One question re: Soarin and Garden Grill comment, what does PPO stand for? Is it prior to park open?

Thanks!

 

[zebsterama]

Thanks for your info!

One question re: Soarin and Garden Grill comment, what does PPO stand for? Is it prior to park open?

Thanks!

Sorry ... one more question for the board. We are staying at BWV. If we have a PPO reservation can we get into Epcot via the INTERNATIONAL pavilion entrance, or can we only enter via the main Epcot entrance before the park opens to make our breakfast resi? If yes, "we can get in via the international entrance," how early in the morning is a CM there to let guests in?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

This is of interest to me. So you pay for the express pass if you are not a hotel guest at Universal but you still have to wait 30 - 40 minutes? I did not realise that. I thought it was a walk on maybe 10 mins load time max.

 

[Samdari]

As for the Express Pass, I agree with the OP. It's certainly faster than the non-express line, but it's a misnomer to suggest you're walking on or anything of the sort

I just got back from a split stay as well. Our experience with Express was that its pretty much the same as fastpass+ - you are waiting in a MUCH shorter line than the regular one, but still waiting behind everyone who has the pass too. In general, I would say we waited longer in our fastpass+ lines than express. And express has the huge advantage of being able to use it as many times as you want, not just three. And you can decide what you want to do on the spur of the moment and use it, instead of needing to decide two months in advance.

Transformers is pretty much the best ride there. There was a 3 hour wait in the normal line. Took 20-25 minutes in express, and that was by far the longest. The norm was 10-15.

And MiB is horrible, don't waste your time.

 

[melana]

We did one day at Universal last October after 5 days wat WDW. We stayed at Cabana Bay also. Loved the hotel!! Anyway..we had one day park to park tickets and with staying onsite we also had early entry but no express pass which was fine with us.. Anyway. We really enjoyed the early entry to the HP part as that was our main reason for going. Also enjoyed the park to park pass becaue then you can ride the Hogwarts Express.

We don't like roller coasters but during early entry when we were there they had the Minions ride open and we were able to do that on our way back to the Diagon Alley.

I thought the early morning entry was worth it. Diagon Alley was not crowded at all and you really got to take in the whole atmosphere without bumping into someone all the time. We bought wands and I could not imagine how miserable that experience would have been if we would have gome in at regular opening time. That shop is tiny and I was already feeling claustrophobic with just about 15/20 people in there at the beginning of the day.

Also about express pass.. if you stay at the cheaper US hotels like Cabana Bay you have to pay for it extra. But you still get early entry. You get express pass if you stay at the more expensive places like the Hard Rock Hotel. Or that is how I remember it.

 

[hamilkm]

We went to Universal for the first time the end of May. We had Express and while it was useful, it was definitely not that express. We still waited 20-30 minutes, but that was less than the standby time (sometimes by only 5-10 minutes, but less). It is nice that you can use it over and over, though. I think I was expecting more that it was, but that's okay. Also, for HP wait til the very end of the night. We rode Gringotts with a 15 minute wait. It was great! We then walked out of the park at closing.

 

[kelleybean]

This is of interest to me. So you pay for the express pass if you are not a hotel guest at Universal but you still have to wait 30 - 40 minutes? I did not realise that. I thought it was a walk on maybe 10 mins load time max.

Hi - depends on the line. In my experience, the longest wait with express pass is on the Minion ride. The Minion ride tends to have REALLY long standby waits so it makes sense. On a lot of rides they typically take one side of the ride and use it for express only (btw people who got Express with their hotel stay and people who purchased it go into the same line, so there is no difference in wait time). Since so many fewer people have express than regular guests, those lines are significantly shorter.

I have always found Disney's FP to be faster than Universal's Express but a couple things make up for it: you can go anytime (no stress of scheduling 60 days out), you can use it for way more than 3 rides, and if you are staying at a deluxe hotel you can ride as many times as you want. I love that flexibility and convenience.

 

[rwdavis2]

Express lines at Universal always some kind of wait, but always less than standby. IMHO, to do Universal without rushing around like a madman requires 2 days. We do everything but the kiddie rides. Also multiple rides on the coasters and 3-D rides.

 

[geenerbell]

We will spend 5 days at WDW and 2 at Royal Pacific Resort at Universal, but only have 1day park to park USF passes this fall. Have never been to Universal, so hoped that the early entry plus the express passes would allow us to see/do a majority of attractions. Hubby & kids do not enjoy roller coasters, so that helps with time management. I was happy to read that you didn't need 2 park days for Universal, but concerned when you said express passes are not express and the early morning entry didn't help much. Our priorities are Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, King Kong and Minions. Spiderman, Transformers, Shreck & Men in Black are secondary. Any advice? Thanks for sharing your insights with us.

I was surprised that Express Pass wasn't Express. I know it was a busy time but we waited over 40 minutes at each EP attraction. Ride the Hogwarts Express both ways, it was amazing. Disney doesn't have anything that compares to HP. We love the frozen Butterbeer! The plain is way too sweet. You will be able to do everything in 1 day with no problem. Have fun!!

 

[geenerbell]

Thanks for your info!

One question re: Soarin and Garden Grill comment, what does PPO stand for? Is it prior to park open?

Thanks!

Pre Park Opening PPO, it was worth it!!

 

[PantherPete]

This is of interest to me. So you pay for the express pass if you are not a hotel guest at Universal but you still have to wait 30 - 40 minutes? I did not realise that. I thought it was a walk on maybe 10 mins load time max.

I believe that 30 to 40 minutes is a bit of an exaggeration. I was there during spring break and outside of Minions and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the waits were walk on to 10 minutes. Minions varied wildly. Sometimes it was only a few minutes until you were in the preshow room and sometimes it was a half hour or more. HRRR was ALWAYS a long wait for some reason.

Overall it is way better than FP+. And for the record, I love both Universal and Disney, so I don't believe my opinion is biased in any way. We take turns going to them - one year Disne, Universal the next. Last year we did both. And there are many things that Disney does better than Universal - but FP+ vs EP isn't one of them.

 

[geenerbell]

Sorry ... one more question for the board. We are staying at BWV. If we have a PPO reservation can we get into Epcot via the INTERNATIONAL pavilion entrance, or can we only enter via the main Epcot entrance before the park opens to make our breakfast resi? If yes, "we can get in via the international entrance," how early in the morning is a CM there to let guests in?

Thank you for your help!

You can use the International Gateway for PPO reservations.

 

[geenerbell]

I just got back from a split stay as well. Our experience with Express was that its pretty much the same as fastpass+ - you are waiting in a MUCH shorter line than the regular one, but still waiting behind everyone who has the pass too. In general, I would say we waited longer in our fastpass+ lines than express. And express has the huge advantage of being able to use it as many times as you want, not just three. And you can decide what you want to do on the spur of the moment and use it, instead of needing to decide two months in advance.

Transformers is pretty much the best ride there. There was a 3 hour wait in the normal line. Took 20-25 minutes in express, and that was by far the longest. The norm was 10-15.

And MiB is horrible, don't waste your time.

We waited more than 40 minutes in each EP line.