Weekend with Express Pass/Early Access or weekday without it?

[MomOTwins]

So my kiddos and husband have decided we need to try Universal for the first time, solely for the Harry Potter lands, for one day on our upcoming trip, most of which will be spent at Disney. We'll be doing 1-day, park-to-park tickets so we can ride the Hogwarts Express, and would also like to do all (or most) of the Harry Potter rides and get a wand at Ollivanders, and just take in the Harry Potter elements, but we are totally fine skipping everything else at Universal.

We had originally planned to go for a day visit on a Thursday (uber there and back from our Disney World hotel), with a standard ticket, no express pass (which is cost-prohibitive for our family of 5).

Someone in another thread raised the idea of doing a single night stay at Royal Pacific on our arrival day to take advantage of Early Access and Express Pass, before we move over to Disney World. I don't love the idea of a split stay but a single night on arrival day doesn't sound too bad since we could pack a day bag and not have to unpack and repack everything. We would arrive at RP Friday evening, taking advantage of early access and express pass the following day (Saturday), before heading over to our Disney hotel Saturday night for the rest of our trip.

I am wondering if it will be so crowded on a weekend, we would be better off going mid-week without a hotel stay and just chancing the ride wait times without early access/express pass. Even if express pass means shorter waits, I'm worried we won't be able to enjoy the Harry Potter lands as much if we are packed in with heavy weekend traffic. Then again, if it is going to be busy both days, obviously Express Pass would be a big help. It's certainly not costless to add the Univeral Hotel stay, because Royal Pacific is quite a bit more expensive than our Disney hotel (and probably not as comfortable to squeeze five people in, from the sounds of it).

WWYD? Will let the opinions of this thread decide for me.

 

[macraven]

Weekend is a crowded time.

I did a Saturday in October and had the hotel free ep
Still had lengthy waits for some rides and shows in the park for specific rides
Early morning to 11:30 was decent waits but crowds were there soon after.

crowd patterns change but I found less crowds on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday last fall.

What month are you going?

 

[cschaaf]

Tough choice - knowing when you are going might help a bit, but there's still a bit of guesswork with the current environment.

My guess is, even with larger crowds on the weekend, your waits would be shorter on the weekend with EP than on a weekday without, but that's just a guess.

However, if all you really care about is the HP stuff, there are only 4 rides plus the train (both ways), and one doesn't take EP (Hagrids). On a weekday, the shops and spell locations might be less crowded and a bit more enjoyable.

How old are the kids? There may be other things they might enjoy, too.

 

[MomOTwins]

Weekend is a crowded time.

I did a Saturday in October and had the hotel free ep
Still had lengthy waits for some rides and shows in the park for specific rides
Early morning to 11:30 was decent waits but crowds were there soon after.

crowd patterns change but I found less crowds on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday last fall.

What month are you going?

Going in March, the week after the local florida schools’ spring break but before easter week. Hopefully not the absolute worst of the spring break crowds but expect it will still be pretty bad.

Tough choice - knowing when you are going might help a bit, but there's still a bit of guesswork with the current environment.

My guess is, even with larger crowds on the weekend, your waits would be shorter on the weekend with EP than on a weekday without, but that's just a guess.

However, if all you really care about is the HP stuff, there are only 4 rides plus the train (both ways), and one doesn't take EP (Hagrids). On a weekday, the shops and spell locations might be less crowded and a bit more enjoyable.

How old are the kids? There may be other things they might enjoy, too.

The kids are 9, 9, and 5, all three love harry potter—always playing harry potter games at our house. They have not seen all the movies yet though (later ones are too scary).

Youngest is too little for two of the HP rides so am planning to take him on the kiddie coaster and in the shops to explore while the twins do Hagrid’s and/or Forbidden Journey. We would all do Gringotts, Ollivanders and the train ride together.

I know they might enjoy some additional things but we really can only do one day with school schedules and budget, so the plan is to check out Harry Potter this time and wait to do the rest of the parks in a couple of years when our youngest is tall enough for everything.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Honestly, in your situation the EP is probably mainly going to be useful on the train. I think the general areas (and therefore lines for Hagrids / Ollivanders) will be significantly less busy on weekdays. The Early Entry would also probably be a good benefit for you guys, but lacking that I'd plan to be at the parks prior to opening to enjoy those quieter early hours - staying til close is also recommended. If possible, Hagrids at night is really cool...

Also, the HP area is right next to Seuss Landing which would be a great alternative for the little one while the biggers are awaiting Hagrids / FJ.

 

[bchbetha]

I think I’d do a weekday. It will be better to explore the shops and wand spots with (hopefully) less crowds around.
Be there ASAP in the AM; tickets in hand, parking your car an hour before the park opens to day guests.
Plan to eat an early lunch (show up by 11:15) to beat that crowd.
I haven’t tried Hagrids at night but Diagon Alley before the park closes is magical.

 

[cjlong88]

We were there on a Saturday during MLK weekend. Waits first thing in the morning were quite low. By the afternoon they were very long. Glad we got EP, but dang it's just so expensive during peak times. I would have much preferred to visit on a weekday and saved myself some money.

 

[MomOTwins]

Honestly, in your situation the EP is probably mainly going to be useful on the train. I think the general areas (and therefore lines for Hagrids / Ollivanders) will be significantly less busy on weekdays. The Early Entry would also probably be a good benefit for you guys, but lacking that I'd plan to be at the parks prior to opening to enjoy those quieter early hours - staying til close is also recommended. If possible, Hagrids at night is really cool...

Also, the HP area is right next to Seuss Landing which would be a great alternative for the little one while the biggers are awaiting Hagrids / FJ.

That's good to know. With the train, if we don't have express pass, is there a "direction" that is better crowd wise? In other words, better to go from Universal Stuiods to Islands of Adventure and vice versa? I know the experience is different both ways, but realistically I don't think we'll likely have time to do both, and if one route is more popular than the other, going against the crowd might be a good solution.

I think I’d do a weekday. It will be better to explore the shops and wand spots with (hopefully) less crowds around.
Be there ASAP in the AM; tickets in hand, parking your car an hour before the park opens to day guests.
Plan to eat an early lunch (show up by 11:15) to beat that crowd.
I haven’t tried Hagrids at night but Diagon Alley before the park closes is magical.

We were there on a Saturday during MLK weekend. Waits first thing in the morning were quite low. By the afternoon they were very long. Glad we got EP, but dang it's just so expensive during peak times. I would have much preferred to visit on a weekday and saved myself some money.

Weekday does seem to be a growing consensus. The tickets in hand part may be tricky because we won't be onsite until the day of, but I am thinking I'll order the paper tickets to be mailed to me so I don't I have to mess with the kiosks.

Saving money sounds good too. I confess I was I was taken aback a bit by the per night cost at Royal Pacific, (I did look into the "get one AP to get the AP hotel discount" but it doesn't work out to much savings for us since we'd only be going one day but paying for an AP). But the high rack rate probably is also a warning sign that the weekend we would stay there is going to be insanely busy.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

My guess is that once you get there, your kids will be more interested in some of the non-HP stuff than you think. Because of that, i would choose any day with EP over any day without EP.

 

[cjlong88]

The tickets in hand part may be tricky because we won't be onsite until the day of, but I am thinking I'll order the paper tickets to be mailed to me so I don't I have to mess with the kiosks.

If you have a smart phone, you can also download the Universal app and purchase tickets through there. They will show up as a QR code in the app and you won't have to manage paper tickets while in the parks. We did it this way for the very first time on our last visit (we always used paper tickets for Universal before) and we loved it. I just pulled out my phone and they scanned the codes. Super easy. If you purchase EP on the app, they will show up as a separate QR code and you they scan it each time you enter the EP line.

 

[MomOTwins]

My guess is that once you get there, your kids will be more interested in some of the non-HP stuff than you think. Because of that, i would choose any day with EP over any day without EP.

Haha, not sure about that. My 5 year old just walked up and threw a kleenex on me while casting "Wingardium Leviosa." They are pretty deep into Harry Potter at the moment!

If you have a smart phone, you can also download the Universal app and purchase tickets through there. They will show up as a QR code in the app and you won't have to manage paper tickets while in the parks. We did it this way for the very first time on our last visit (we always used paper tickets for Universal before) and we loved it. I just pulled out my phone and they scanned the codes. Super easy. If you purchase EP on the app, they will show up as a separate QR code and you they scan it each time you enter the EP line.

That sounds perfect! Also relieves some of the stress of Covid times--did not relish purchasing non-refundable date based tickets weeks in advance and potentially needing to cancel the vacation because of travel restrictions or something. Now I'll just wait until I'm down in Floria and buy them on my phone. Thank you.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I'm guessing you're going the second half of March. I watch some YouTubers that focus on Universal, and they predict a very busy spring break this year. Most days at capacity.

I did a quick search.
RPR for 1 night Thurs March 25th is $456 rack rate. AP rate came to $279 (savings of $177)

1 day park to park pass for an adult its $164. A seasonal( you'll need to verify dates) AP is $305.
Difference of $141

Purchasing unlimited EP during this timeframe is gonna cost $210 per family member....yikes!

Just my opinion...I would buy one AP, stay one weeknight at RPR and get the included unlimited EPs.
And if the parks hit capacity, you are guaranteed to get in!
Since you are trying to do all HP in one day, give yourself the most optimal chance for success.

 

[cfoxga]

It is a shame that a single day at Universal or Disney is so expensive. $150+ per person is a tough pill to swallow, just for the privilege of sitting in long lines. Spending another $400-500 to get the throwaway room for EPs just seems like too much for one day, especially when you'll want to go through most of the queues for the HP rides.

For Universal, the first two days are very expensive, and additional days are quite cheap. After 2 days, the cost to upgrade to an AP is not much (< $25), and that opens the APH rates at the onsite resorts. With the APs, you can make additional trips and not have to pay for tickets. It really has been a great deal for our family of 4, once the kids "outgrew" Disney.

 

[sazzlynn]

Weekday, weekday, weekday! The Harry Potter areas will have less people on a weekday then on a weekend day. If you're planning to get the interactive wands at Ollivander's (show doesn't use EP) and play with them in the either Diagon Alley & Hogsmeade you will want less people and for these you just wait your turn are each kiosk so no EP here either. As soon as you are on site check the virtual que for Hagrid's, either way weekend/weekday, EP won't help with this ride. If you plan to go at regular park opening you should be able to run either the castle or Gringotts with little to no wait. Several times mid-week during our last trip we did not need our EP on the Castle or Gringotts. The train though is the one ride I think you would want the EP on for sure, not enough to buy it or pay extra for the hotel, but just be ready for a wait. They are only putting one group in each compartment instead of filling them up so it's longer even with less people. If you have your tickets ready to scan so the CM can verify your ticket is a Park-to-Park you'll be in the que faster. Try to go both ways though if I had to pick one then I'd leave from King's Cross to video going through the platform 9 3/4 for your kids. Good luck!

 

[shawthorne44]

One thought. Some travel agents can get EA when you buy your tickets through them. For HP, I think that EA is most important. Because a lot of it is wandering around the area and admiring things and trying the spells.

Ok, two thoughts. If your kids are even marginally into HP, I'd get the cheapest AP that doesn't have blackout dates for your dates for everyone and in slightly less than a year go back for a Universal trip.

Another thought on doing a split stay. Unless you do Value at Disney and Premier at Universal, the Universal hotel is bound to be cheaper.

ETA: Our SOP was to be at the leading edge of EA, and I'd ride Grighotts about 5 times before the crowds arrived. Family would ride with me the first 2-3 times and then bail on me.

 

[nicket]

One thought. Some travel agents can get EA when you buy your tickets through them. For HP, I think that EA is most important. Because a lot of it is wandering around the area and admiring things and trying the spells.

Ok, two thoughts. If your kids are even marginally into HP, I'd get the cheapest AP that doesn't have blackout dates for your dates for everyone and in slightly less than a year go back for a Universal trip.

Another thought on doing a split stay. Unless you do Value at Disney and Premier at Universal, the Universal hotel is bound to be cheaper.

ETA: Our SOP was to be at the leading edge of EA, and I'd ride Grighotts about 5 times before the crowds arrived. Family would ride with me the first 2-3 times and then bail on me.

May I ask which travel agents can get the EA if you aren't staying on site? I am in the process of planning a May trip to mostly Disney with one day at Universal and that's something I haven't come across before. Thanks!

 

[macraven]

Also curious which travel agencies are doing free EA

 

[shawthorne44]

May I ask which travel agents can get the EA if you aren't staying on site? I am in the process of planning a May trip to mostly Disney with one day at Universal and that's something I haven't come across before. Thanks!

The TA's on a facebook Universal planning group I like has said that they can get that. The Agency name is Marvellous Mouse (I think). My understanding is that it has to be more than one day tickets. Unfortunately I can't log into facebook to double-check. If that isn't right, I can check later today. I also don't know from personal experience since we ended up going straight to Preferred AP's.

 

[cschaaf]

I believe Craig and Ryno mentioned that Dreams Unlimited sells tickets that come with EA on the Universal show last week.

ETA: Yes, it was early on in the video - here's a link to when they mention it.

and technically, it's Elaine that says it

 

[MermaidMommy]

If you really want to up the HP factor, some people hit the parks so that they take the train from Platform 9 3/4 first, then to the castle, then Hogsmeade, and then the train the other way to Diagon Alley. It's not the most convenient way, but you get to reenact Harry's "journey." Also, you can order custom Hogwarts admission letters from Etsy, which might be fun for your kiddos.