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Express pass, worth it?

reddit.com › r › UniversalHollywood › comments › 1go3v9k › express_pass_worth_it

We went peak summer for two days and rode everything multiple times, Mario Kart 5 times one day. I don’t think it’s necessary. Answer from N64Andysaurus92 on reddit.com

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › express pass? worth it or not

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Express Pass? Worth it or not

November 27, 2024 -

Hi guys!

My boyfriend and I are celebrating our 6 year anniversary and are looking into booking a last minute trip to Universal Studios Hollywood. We're coming in from Toronto, Canada.

We are planning on going in 2 weeks (Jan 21 + Jan 22). We're thinking of buying a 2 day admission ticket as well as an express pass. Do you think the express pass is worth it? I don't know how busy it is around this time (after the holidays). We will be going on a weekday. If we get the express ticket, do we even need a second day at Universal? Let me know your thoughts!

Oh also, if you have any suggestions of where we can stay (hotel wise) that's nearby or a cheap Uber ride away that would be great.

Universal’s a 1 day park, even faster if you get the Express Pass. Personally, I’d use the second day for something else.

We just got back from universal and had a great time! The express pass was totally worth it for us, but we went at a busy time (Thursday Jan 2nd). With the pass, we were able to walk on to virtually all rides, with our max wait time being 15 min. If you don’t like waiting, would recommend it. We stayed at the garland and we had a great experience! They have a free shuttle to and from universal that runs every hour. Like others have said, universal is a single-day experience. We did the WB tour the next day and also loved that, if you’re looking for alternate suggestions for day 2. Enjoy your trip!

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › express pass, worth it?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Express pass, worth it?

November 10, 2024 -

Planning on going to Universal tomorrow with 4 young children (ages 4-7.) Are the express passes worth it? Or do you think the lines won’t be too crazy tomorrow (November 11.) thanks!

We went peak summer for two days and rode everything multiple times, Mario Kart 5 times one day. I don’t think it’s necessary.

I used to buy normal admission until one day I visited the park later in the afternoon. A couple was leaving the park and stopped me and my girl and asked us if we wanted their express unlimited lanyards. Of course we said yes. After experiencing that day at the park I vowed to never go again without buying express passes. It can completely change your experience. Some rides like Studio Tour, Jurassic World, The Mummy, Harry Potter. The express pass can be the difference between 120min standing in line, or walking straight past hundreds of people right to the front. Sure there are probably exceptions. I’m sure season pass holders that visit more frequently have experienced days where the lines are just short or the occupancy is lower. But if you’re someone like me who visits maybe once a year, and fly there from outside Los Angeles or even out of state, I don’t think it’s worth chancing it. Standing in line for hours personally just bums me out, and in poor weather conditions, hot or cold, can drain me of my energy. I think Universal Express pass might currently be the most efficient fast pass of any theme park. It can be purchased as a version of the admission ticket, not separately from a 3rd party like Six Flags. Disney Genie plus was terrible, forcing you to be on your phone all day strategically trying to reserve rides and fill in the time between. Universal Express is simple and effective. You buy it, you use the Express lanes and go to the front. In conclusion, I say it’s worth every penny.

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reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › is the express pass worth it for a july visit?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Is the Express Pass Worth It for a July Visit?

January 17, 2025 -

I'm planning a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood on July 1st or 2nd with my wife and our two kids. It's their first time, and I haven't been in over 15 years. Trying to decide whether to stick with general admission tickets or upgrade to the Express Pass.

Here's the breakdown:

General Admission: Total for 4 people is $570.
Express Pass: Total jumps to $1,230.

I know the Express Pass allows you to skip the regular lines once per ride. However, doubling the cost is significant. I'm curious:

Is the Express Pass truly worth the extra cost during early July?
Are there alternative strategies to manage wait times without the Express Pass?
Any tips or hacks to make the most of our visit, especially with kids?

I appreciate any advice or experiences anyone can share.

TM Here: Early July and days shortly after 4th of July are our busiest during Summer Peak. What I suggest to save money on express, do Early Entry for Super Nintendo(Which would most likely open at 7am), in that way you have 4 - 5 hours of doing most things in the park before the big crowds really show up(Roughly around 11am - 12pm). If you feel the need to do Express, I suggest waiting until 2pm because the park often has the After 2pm Express Pass where it starts at $69(A far better price than paying double or triple in advance).

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › is it more expensive to buy the universal express pass in the park? if so, by how much?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Is it more expensive to buy the universal express pass in the park? If so, by how much?

June 28, 2024 -

I want to buy my family the buy one get one free deal, but we usually like to purchase the universal express pass as well, so I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it or not to buy it separately

If you buy it in the park and want it at a discount, you have to wait until after 2pm when the park is selling it at a lower price than it is online(It usually starts at $69)

Does anyone know if they actually sell out? We are wanting to go today 🫤

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › i'm going in mid-august on a weekday? can i skip buying the express pass?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: I'm going in mid-August on a weekday? Can I skip buying the Express Pass?

May 7, 2025 -

I'll be going with my family on August 13th, a Wednesday. I've been reading posts that weekdays are not that busy but summer is busy, so not sure what weekday summer would look like.

The Express Pass Select would be great if I could choose the three attractions, but I apparently can't choose. Which means $80 more each, and I'm not sure it's worth it if the park won't be that crowded.

Worth buying the Express Passes then or not?

EDIT: Ignore the question mark in the title and imagine it's a period.

Doing everything in day is possible. What's your tolerance level for long lines? Express will help you finish everything in a half a day so you can go at a leisurely pace. Single rider lines can also help reduce wait times if you don't mind getting split up from your group, but when it's busy there are some single rider lines like the Mummy that can get as bad as the regular line.

this website shows average wait times- it is summer but the combination of week day/ back to school should help. I think you will be able to do everything without express, maybe just buy early entry into SNW or try the single rider lines. https://www.thrill-data.com/trip-planning/crowd-calendar/universal-studios-hollywood

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › universal express pass cost?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Universal Express Pass cost?

July 23, 2024 -

Does anyone know what the costs for this week for the Universal Express passes you can buy same day at the park as an add on as well as the cost of the Universal Express Unlimited?

A lot but it was worth it!!

Depends on the day. $205 last Saturday, $255 for unlimited. And that was as an add on after entering the park.

reddit.com › r/universalstudios › is unlimited express pass worth it?

r/universalstudios on Reddit: Is unlimited express pass worth it?

January 18, 2025 -

Going to universal studios hollywood in a week and I already bought our express tickets. I just learned that there is an unlimited express that lets you skip the line/go to the shorter line as many times as you want for each ride vs the regular express tickets that only lets you do it once for each ride. What I’m asking is, are there many (if any) rides that are so cool/fun that you’d want to ride it more than once, making it worth it for me to upgrade to the unlimited express? I’m a first timer. Realistically, I don’t see my husband & I wanting to ride a ride more than once but again I’ve never been so I’m not sure how dope the rides are to even know if we’d want to do it more than once. It’s only $40 each person to upgrade, but if the rides aren’t worthy of going on more than once then it’s not necessary to spend the extra 80 bucks. Thanks in advance!

Jurassic Park is the only ride I wanna ride over and over again

reddit.com › r/universalstudios › 1 day universal studio hollywood express pass vs 2 day regular pass

r/universalstudios on Reddit: 1 day Universal Studio Hollywood express pass vs 2 day regular pass

May 12, 2022 -

Hi, we our family of 4 with a 16 and 12 year old are going to Universal Studio Hollywood in July, mid week. Kids have never been there, and the last time me and my wife went was 20 years ago. We are planning a trip and want to see people's view on getting a 2 day pass vs 1 day express. Questions:

with the 1 day express pass, is there enough time to ride all the big ticket rides?
if we go and do all the feature rides, will we just be running from place to place without time to do the enjoyment and amazement factor?
with the 2 day pass, will you end up missing stuff as the line up might be too stupid long on both days?

any tips on this is greatly appreciated. We are frequent Disney travellers and we usually do Disneyland and California Adventure in 2 days for reference of our pace.

Orlando Informer provides a in depth blog all about Express Pass . There is also a link in the side bar, but we know getting there from mobile can be a pain, so here is a convenient link for you! In short summary, there are two types of EP. Basic EP and Unlimited EP. Basic lets you into the EP line once, per ride, per day. Unlimited is exactly that. Express Pass is an add on to an entry ticket. You cannot get into the park with only an EP. If you stay at one of these hotels: Royal Pacific, Hard Rock, and Portofino Bay, you receive Unlimited EP as a perk of staying at the hotel. This includes the day you check in and the day you check out. Meaning, if you stay one night, you receive two days of EP. You cannot share an EP. Many of the rides at USF have engaged a bio-metric system that uses a type of facial recognition to verify pass holders. You do not have to purchase EP to enjoy the parks. You can wait until you're inside the parks to determine if EP is needed for you and purchase them at kiosks inside the parks. You do NOT have to stand in the long lines at the front of the parks to buy Express add on There are several kiosks inside each park and they generally have very small to no lines, at all. You can also ask about discounted prices after specific times of the day (such as a discount after 4pm) Not every ride or attraction has a EP lane, but most do. Check the reference article for a comprehensive list. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Did the express pass for one day back in 2019 and was able to ride all the rides and see all the shows we wanted and not feel rushed. Some rides we were able to go on multiple times by using the pass once and then lining up the second time around. If it’s still the same as it was back then there is no timed entry like the Disney system so you can go in any order you want. Meaning you don’t have to go back and forth to different areas. We got to the park by 9 and did everything we wanted to do by 6-7 including a long lunch break and snacking/shopping throughout. Then had time to go to a nice dinner after without being too tired.

Find elsewhere

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reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › universal hollywood hotels that offer express pass

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Universal Hollywood hotels that offer express pass

July 16, 2024 -

Hi all, Are there any hollywood hotels that offer the express pass with your stay? I’ve seen many for Orlando, but none for universal studios in hollywood

USH doesn’t have a resort specific hotel like Orlando, they’re just hotels that happen to be on property. Unfortunately the only express is available is through the park itself.

Thank you both!

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › universal express unlimited vs express

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Universal Express Unlimited VS Express

March 16, 2024 -

Hi everyone, I’m taking my 2 young kids (4 & 9) to Universal Studios for 2 days on the first week of April, either 1st & 2nd or 2nd & 3rd.

I know it’s spring break and will be crazy busy. Do you recommend I purchase Universal Express Unlimited tickets for both days or Unlimited for 1 day and regular express for the second. Or maybe the Universal Express is enough for both days?

It’s expensive, any advice is greatly appreciated.

We're going that same time too! Imo, it depends on what you're wanting to do most. For us, my kids and family are all about Super Mario World, so I ended up buying season passes (we're doing more than 1 trip to SoCal this year) and just added on the early access ticket. But if you think your kids will want to do everything and money isn't as big of an issue, I'd probably buy one Unlimited day and one regular day since the youngest one may not be able to handle/may not be tall enough for some of the rides (Mummy, maybe Jurassic?), so you can re-ride the stuff the 4 year old can handle without waiting in the super long lines, and then use the second regular day to re-ride your favorite rides and explore the areas a bit. If you're also trying to save money, you can do the Express ticket and regular ticket, but be aware that depending on what the youngest can handle or is tall enough for, you might not get the full benefit of the ticket since you can only skip the line once on each ride with that ticket. Either way it'll be busy due to Spring Break, so it just depends on what you're trying to accomplish and your threshold for money spent vs experience.

I think it really depends on your goals. If you haven't been before and are focusing on getting on as many different rides as possible, the single use express pass will be adequate. Our first trip that's what we and there were only one or two rides each day that we did a second time. If you think you're going to want to re-ride velocicoster all day then get unlimited. If you have park to park you can prioritize the rides you want to reride on day two. A slight advantage of unlimited express is making park hopping on hogwarts express a little quicker if you plan to bounce back-and-forth. Keep in mind hagrids is not on express pass and plan for a long wait unless you rush it during early park access or catch a break at park close. Otherwise, plan for 1.5-2 hours for that queue. You may be able to get a discount in express at something like undercover tourist or another affiliated reseller, but during peak time it'll still be expensice.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › universal hollywood express pass

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Universal Hollywood Express Pass

July 23, 2023 -

I was wondering if the express pass is worth it this time of year? I know with HHN currently running, the park does close earlier.

My boyfriend and I plan to go during the week, maybe 09/17 or 09/18.

I see the express pass option but I also see the buy one day and get the second free (which seems like a good deal since we would have 2 days to be at the park).

I haven't been to universal in years, so can someone please guide me to see which option would be better?

What would be the longest you'd wait for any given attraction?

hmm okay! like i said, it’s been years since i went to universal, so do they have like an upgrade option inside the park? or is it only at the admissions box?

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › should we get express pass?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Should we get Express Pass?

February 11, 2025 -

Hello! I am taking a trip with my family in July. We just got our tickets to both Disneyland and Universal, we got Lighting Lane for Disneyland, but skipped on the Express Pass for Universal. I haven't been to Universal for a really long time, but I remember it being smaller than Disneyland, and since we got the SNW early access, I didn't think the Express Pass was necessary.

I just got off the phone with my dad, and he told me that a friend of his recently came back and mentioned we definitely need the Express Pass, since every ride had at least a 3-hour wait. This seems a little excessive to me, I've been to Disneyland quite a few times and never have I experienced a 3-hour line, same case at Universal as far as I can recall, but I don't know if things have changed at USH.

Should we take the plunge and invest the 80 extra bucks each?

Appreciate your guidance :)

I was just there this past weekend with my wife and 5yo, and I can adamantly say I would never go or suggest anyone else go without the express pass. Standing in line all day for rides that last >1 min would have killed the experience for me. We got through pretty much every single line in under 3 min with the exception being Mario, which took about 10 minutes. Absolutely worth it in my opinion

If you're worried about lines I'd do Express Pass BUT rides like HP and especially Mario Kart you will benefit going through the regular line because of all the cool stuff they have up that you can check out. With an Express Pass, you kinda just walk past it.

reddit.com › r/universalstudios › going to universal studios hollywood for the first time in years. how does express lane work?

r/universalstudios on Reddit: Going to Universal Studios Hollywood for the first time in years. How does express lane work?

March 2, 2024 -

My parents gifted my girlfriend and I season passes for my birthday so the two of us can make memories somewhere fun together. We plan on going this weekend but either of us have gone in forever. My family and I never used express lane and neither have her’s. I’ve been considering it on our recent but how does it all work?

Can it be bought on its own? Or does it ONLY come with a ticket as an additional add on? If that’s the case then how would I get it since I already have my season pass membership already bought?
If I can purchase it without having to get another ticket, can I get it digitally/online prepaid? Or do I have to buy it in person physically once I’m there in the park?
Will it be something they scan from my phone (similar to genie plus at Disneyland) or is it like a physical voucher paper with a barcode?
Do you think it’s worth it? How does it compare to genie plus at Disneyland?

Some of the annual passes come with express so I’d verify which type of pass you have. If it doesn’t include express, I think you can purchase it online for the day of your visit. For sure it’s available for purchase when you’re at the park but they may sell out depending on what time you get there. If anything, you can always call and ask.

Yes you can buy Express on its own. Universal only sells Express as a combo with single day tickets online, so you will have to go to the Universal Box Office inside the park to purchase on the day of your visit. Express comes in 2 options, Regular Express, which will allow you to by pass the main queue 1-time at each participating attraction. Express Unlimited allows you to use the Express lines as many times as you want all day long. When you purchase Express, they will give you a ticket with a barcode. You will scan that barcode at the entrance to each attraction. There is no reserving ride times like with Genie+, you can enter an Express queue anytime you want.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › cost of express pass add-on on sunday

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Cost of Express Pass Add-On on Sunday

October 6, 2024 -

We're going to Universal Studios Hollywood next Sunday, and are considering buying the express pass add-on. We're just not sure how much extra it will be.

If you're at the park tomorrow (Sunday), could you post the cost of the add-on? That will give us a good data point of how much we can expect it to be a week later.

I’ll let you know in the morning around 7am when the prices go up.

For reference, I went on a Sunday in March this year and the price for the Express upgrade was $139/person, and when I went this past Thursday, it was $125/person. I think it usually fluctuates between those prices depending on the day.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › headed to universal june 26, is express pass needed?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Headed to universal June 26, is express pass needed?

March 6, 2025 -

Going for my son’s 5th birthday and he loves Mario so just considering if express is worth it.

Weekdays you should be able to do all or most of the rides without express. Max wait times on Mario kart and transformers might be around an hour, but they clear out closer to the end of the day. Typically you don’t need express on weekdays There aren’t all that many rides a 5 year old will want to ride, so you should be able to hit them all comfortably If anything, get the $20 early access and just rush down to Mario world early

My tip is to use express pass in certain rides, but for ones like Mario/Hogwarts it is worth it to stand in the regular line because of all the cool stuff you’ll see. Yes, an express pass will get you to the front but you’ll some of the displays they have since you’ll probably just walk right past it.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › ush express select

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: USH Express Select

May 1, 2025 -

Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts. While $35 a person isn’t outrageous, I think these 3 attractions may not be worth it, Jurassic Park is the only ride I could actually see this being somewhat useful for, I’ve never been turned away from WW and the Studio Tour line is never THAT long (IMO) - curious to see how this evolves in the future and affects queue times moving forward.

Absolutely hate this, because it sure feels like Universal dipping their toe into the water with a Lightning Lane type of product. The current Express system is fine, don't muck it up! They have so much goodwill right now, crazy they would try this. It's like the execs let the creatives have fun for a little while and now are like "ok our turn now" haha

Jurassic world runs pretty quickly, and has single rider which is even faster. I would never buy this

reddit.com › r/universalstudios › is the express pass worth it? (hollywood)

r/universalstudios on Reddit: Is the Express Pass worth it? (Hollywood)

July 17, 2022 -

My husband and I are planning to go to Universal Studios Hollywood on the second weekend of December. I love all rides but he isn't a fan of rides with heights. In this case, is the express pass still worth it? I heard most rides in this park are more so motion based. Thanks in advance!

As a heads up, the normal line can be worth it at least once for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey since it allows you to see all of the Hogwarts castle, so if seeing the rooms of the castle is important to you you’ll want to do standby.

Panda Express is always worth it.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › express pass?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Express Pass?

November 12, 2022 -

My family of four will be visiting the park for one Saturday in August. The million dollar question: is the Express Pass worth the upgrade?

Took my family of five over a week ago on a Thursday. It was $215 a person to fast pass all rides except Mario Kart more than once). They say the price depends on the day but since Super Nintendo World just opened I would expect to pay more than $150 a person to fast pass each ride once. It was worth it for us. A few things to note: the Fast Pass does allow you to walk right into Super Nintendo world without a reservation. There is a $20 early access pass for super Nintendo world that will allow you to enter 1 hour before it opens to the public, so try and get those asap they sell out really quick.

“Worth it” is different for everyone. We don’t know your finances, tolerance for lines, etc. Do the math and figure out if you consider it worth it.

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › hhn review w/ early entry and no express pass

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: HHN Review w/ early entry and no express pass

June 13, 2024 -

This is my third year in a row going and I’ve never gotten the express pass because it’s just way too expensive and I have never felt the need for it because I normally can get through so much without it.

We arrived right at 5:30 and we left a little before midnight, this is what we were able to do:

Insidious
Ghostbusters
Food break
Quiet Place
Opening Ceremony
Purge show
Terror Tram
Monsters of Latin America
Eternal Bloodlines
The Weeknd

If we had stayed til close we could have easily done the last two mazes. We did not rush around from maze to maze we really took out time wandering scare zones and running from chainsaw wielding Mohawk punks and wrestlers.

The only thing I would have done differently is hitting Texas Chainsaw early - the line did seem to get pretty long and it’s the only franchise themed maze in the lower lot.

My only other callout is they the estimated wait times were just incredibly inaccurate all night. I know this is partly because almost EVERYONE seemed to have express (it was kind of wild) but some lines would say 50 and took 30 others said 20-30 and took closer to 50.

Some lines are much more entertaining. Insidious is the roughest line and gets really hot.

The Weeknd had the coolest line because there was his music and someone interacting with people in line from the stage.

There wasn’t a single house I was disappointed by. My final pro tip is it is OKAY to walk a LITTLE slower to give space between you and the group in front of you if you want to catch the jump scares. Give them a chance to reset and you’ll be rewarded.

Definitely agree with your last comment. My friends and I have an unspoken rule. Whoever is in front has to act a little extra scared and hold us back if we are starting to conga line into the groups ahead of us.

I had the same experience. If you have early entry you absolutely do not need the express pass. They key is: Enter the part by 5pm, and be ready in the Insidious line. 5:30-6pm Insidious, 6-6:20pm Ghostbusters (they're right next to each other). Atleast 1-2 minutes before 6:30pm, before any general admin can enter the Quiet Place area, enter that. Finish that by 6:45pm, and enter Latin Monsters right next to it (it opens right at 6:45pm). So basically early entry makes you go to the four most crowded houses all in upper lot without any major lines within a couple hours, very easily. Then you can decide to do the tram/purge/Chucky/dinner or go to the lower lot houses, in either order, not a big deal. We had finished everything by midnight except one maze (could've easily done that but were maxed out), and that included sitting for dinner/drinks, tram, purge water world show, Chucky show, walking around hogsmead etc. But they key is to hustle in the first hour with your early entry to get the upper lot mazes done

reddit.com › r/universalhollywood › can i see the whole park without express (going on the 19th)?

r/UniversalHollywood on Reddit: Can I see the whole park without Express (going on the 19th)?

October 18, 2023 -

Hi! Canadian going to LA for the first time. I've only got one day at Universal Studios, so I was wondering if it was worth getting Express at this time of year? It's an extra $100 USD which is a lot on an already expensive vacation - but obviously I don't know when I'll be back so I'd love to experience everything if I can.

I know it's a holiday for Americans but is it going to be chaotic enough to need Express to get on all the rides?

Thanks!

Are you going by yourself? Some rides offer single rider lanes that will help cut down on wait times. Personally, I’d splurge for the express if you’re looking to ride every single ride.

You probably don't need Express. I'm not usually trying to do every single ride in the park (I don't mind skipping Simpsons, for example), but the only time I've felt like Express was a necessity was when I visited for Halloween Horror Nights. Just make sure you get there at opening because things are generally pretty manageable for the first hour or two of the day.