WWYD? Express Pass or Suite?

[Spunky946]

We just stayed at royal and loved the express pass. I’d take that in a heart beat.

 

[smiths02]

If the only consideration is space (meaning price is equal), I would take the express pass and better location.
Standard rooms at RPR are 335 sq. ft. (HRH 375)-that is pretty roomy. Cabana Bay suites are 430 sq feet
And you only get one bathroom anyhow, correct?

I would also consider a split stay

 

[nkereina]

How many park days are you doing? An annual pass is equal to about the cost of a 3 day park to park ticket. In addition, it also gives you discounts at City Walk and what can be significant hotel discounts. We have had it bring down the cost of HRH quite a bit for us, so this may be an option if you want a second or larger room at RPR or one of the other deluxe resorts. The only downside is that these rates fluctuate and don't become available until about 3 months prior, so no way to know if or what will be offered. So always good to have a back-up plan.

My vote is for the hotel with EP. One of the things I love about Universal is being able to sleep in and go to the parks at our leisure. No need to get up early for rope drop. Even though you'll have the time to likely get to everything without EP, I still would not want to wait 40+ minutes for a ride. Nothing beats strolling into the park at 11, riding as much as you want during the afternoon, and then strolling back for a swim. Not rushing, not waiting forever. EP is great any time of year!

 

[damo]

We have two days and opted for express pass instead of suite.

 

[gotomu212]

My vote is EP too. Being able to zoom through EP lines like rock stars is priceless. Just in case you aren’t as familiar with EP- it will cut your lines down to 10-15 minutes. My son has been able to walk through rides 3x in the amount of time it takes the regular line to go through once so it’s a HUGE time savings.

You can also pool hop at Universal so if you want to take a day and enjoy CB pools you can without a room there.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just in case you aren’t as familiar with EP- it will cut your lines down to 10-15 minutes.

It isn't always that short. I need to temper your experience with mine. On VERY busy days even EP can be longer; but it won't be longer than the normal line. And for rides like Despicable Me (and Shrek in my repeated experience), because there are so many rooms where you have to wait, the line even outside is long. But, again, shorter than the normal line.

 

[Disneylover99]

I’m torn about express passes. Yesterday we had a great experience with them. But the day before? Not so much. Kong was 50 minutes with the express pass. 105 minutes without. The Mummy was actually longer with express pass. We did find some single rider lines shorter than EP.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I’m torn about express passes. Yesterday we had a great experience with them. But the day before? Not so much. Kong was 50 minutes with the express pass. 105 minutes without. The Mummy was actually longer with express pass. We did find some single rider lines shorter than EP.

Wow. That's not good. We have only been twice, once the weekend before Thanksgiving and we only saw a long EP line once at Minions. Our experience was much more like the poster who said that they zipped on through in 10-15 mins per ride. There's obviously no guarantee on that though.

OP, given our great experience with EP I would always pick that over the space. I love all the time it saves us. I love not worrying about getting to certain rides at certain parts of the day.

We are a family of 5 and stay in regular rooms usually. We've stayed in a suite at Disney and it's nice, but we spend much more time in the parks and at the pools. The only time we spent significant time in the room is when it rains. But if you do spend time in your room, it would be nice to have the space.

 

[bumbershoot]

Kong was 50 minutes with the express pass. 105 minutes without.

Well, I’d rather have 50 instead of 105!

 

[Liningup]

Express Pass is worth all the budget flexing you might have to do. We are here now for a week and used the "throwaway room" idea form this forum to have EP for two days of park touring. We are at CB and it's busy. Front desk, food court, and pool areas are very busy. There have been times we could not find a chair by the pool. It depends what you want in your experience. If chilling out is very important to you I would consider another Resort than Cabana Bay. I won't come back. It's just too busy. We love taking the boat to the parks so I would consider SFalls. Gotta have EP though. Somehow someway. It's the best thing ever.

 

[glocon]

We would Definitely go with the ep’s. Makes for a totally different trip.

 

[jperrot1]

I suggest Royal Pacific for Express pass. Did you ever think of going with a Royal Pacific Club Level room. It is around $99 more per night. But it includes access to a Club Lounge (that is presently being refurbished so it will be brand new for your stay), and a free breakfast every morning, free cans of soda and bottled water all day, snack time from 12-3, hot foods and free wine and beer from 4:30 - 6:30, and dessert service from 8-9. Plus the club lounge is a nice space to relax, and it is never really that crowded. If you want to book club level you need to do it immediately as they will sell out these rooms. I know you are concerned about not having enough space in a basic size room, and I thought having access to a club lounge down the hall from your room might be a nice option for you and your family. Also, it's a nice feeling walking through the park with your Royal Pacific room key around your neck as your unlimited express pass. Really...... nice...... feeling. Period.