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Long lines are the biggest complaint people have about theme parks. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just get on every ride without having to cool your heels in line for an hour or more? Well, at Universal Orlando there are two closely related programs that let you do just that.
Universal Express Plus
This program allows you to buy your way to the front of the line (see Notes and Comments, below) by purchasing a small card with a magnetic stripe that gives you one-time Express access to every ride or attraction with an Express queue. You can buy a pass for one park or both and the cards will only work on a single day starting one hour after park opening.
To find out how much you will pay for this privilege, go to the tickets page on the Universal Orlando web site and look for the “Express Plus Passes” link. Recently, passes have been selling in advance online for $26 for a one-park pass during slower periods, all the way up to $56 for a two-park version at peak periods like Christmas. Prices go up a notch on weekends. Prices may also be higher when purchased in the parks, where they are only available for same day use. There are very few days, it seems, on which the pass is not available; since those are usually slower days, that might not be a problem.
Quantities are limited (the exact number issued is a closely guarded secret) and once they’re gone for the day, they’re gone. At each ride, your card will be “swiped” by an attendant using a hand-held device. If there is no hand-held device, the attendant will scribble a notation on the card. Either way, the result is the same: one ride per attraction.
Universal Express Plus for Resort Guests
Guests at the on-site resort hotels (see Chapter Five) get the best deal of all. At no extra charge, they can use their room keys (which look like credit cards and are personalized with the guest’s name) to gain immediate access to the Universal Express Plus queues. Simply show your key to the attendant at the express queue and you are in. Better yet, you can use this perk all day and ride each ride as many times as you wish.
At check in, you will be given a key for every member of your party, so everyone staying in the same room can take advantage of this perk at his or her own discretion. Even if your family tours the parks as a group, the official policy is to check every card, so make sure every member of your party has theirs. However, on occasion I have seen families waved through after a single card was produced. Your key card will be examined carefully by an attendant. This is to make sure that your room key is still valid (no year-old room keys allowed!).
Your room key gives you Express access on the day you check in and all day the day you check out. So you can check in very early and, even though your room isn’t ready, get a room key to use at the parks. When you check out, hang on to your room key and use it at the parks for the rest of the day.
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