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Universal Express system may be gone
- Thread starter JAY-ROD
- Start date
jay_london
Member
What more can be said, Disney do it , they all do it
jay
jay
WDW-Imagineer
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry but, what's the Universal Express system?? 
WDW-Imagineer
Well-Known Member
Wait a sec, I just looked at it again and it sounds something like FastPass... am I right???
Sire_Bobbie
New Member
Last year when we at Universal, we tried using the early morning fast-pass rip-off and it didn't really work. However the Disney original is definatly a groud-breaker.
So what if they copied Disney?? In my view, Universal's front of the line access/Express is MUCH better than Disney's. We stay at the Hard Rock Resort just for these privileges. We rode every ride in Island's of Adventure by 2:00 last February. It is MUCH better than Fastpasses because if you stay at their resorts, you are not limited to one, it is like having an all day fastpass to all the rides.
If they take away this "perk" I think they will lose a lot of the resort guests that stay at HRH for a day or two of their vacation.
Just my two cents worth.
If they take away this "perk" I think they will lose a lot of the resort guests that stay at HRH for a day or two of their vacation.
Just my two cents worth.
WDW-Imagineer
Well-Known Member
Thanks NowInc. now that I think I about it, I do remember seeing a commercial about it. I think its a copy off of FastPASS as well. The issue isn't whether its better than FP, but that it is a copyright infringement, and if I were Universal, I wouldn't mess with Disney's legal team. 
WDW-Imagineer
Well-Known Member
I don't know, although it is a registered trademark...
woofboy111
New Member
I personally think universal has a much better system than Disney and I would hate to see it go. Compared to Disney, where you can only get 1 fastpass at a time, at the entrace of the ride, Universal allows you to get 3 at a time, with a group of rides together, so you don't need to go to each ride to get one. Also, just about every single ride and show has a express pass. Think about it...Disney started Fastpass before universal, and universal has it on just about every ride. disney has it on less than half of their rides, which doesn't allow you to plan your day like you can at universal. Also at Universal, many times you can get an express pass to go on a ride right away, so all you have to do is get your ticket and bypass everyone on line, just because you walked across the street. Just what I think about it...
Disney Maniac
New Member
I think I'll be glad to see Universal get rid of its system. Not only is it a "resort guests only" privilege, whereas any WDW Guest can use it, it is also a rip of Disney, which is definitly copyright infringement.
woofboy111
New Member
What do you mean "its for resort guests only?" As long as you save your ticket to scan, you can use it, just like at Disney. Early park admission and front of the line acess is for resort guests only. Didn't Six Flags or some other park like that start something like it up too? Shouldn't Disney have a problem with them as well?
I preferred Universal's system for two or three day passholders where you went straight to the front of the lines at the most popular attractions. This was the case when I was there in Jan 2000. It meant we could keep going on Spiderman at IOA time after time and straight on with no wait. The wait at the time in the standby line was over an hour!
woofboy111
New Member
Universal has some good single riders lines too. I wish Disney had some more of those. On Men in Black and Spiderman there is no wait at all when you take this. I love it! You could ride it so many times, over and over again. You also skip the preshow, so you don't get bored with it after the first time.
LaffnStock
New Member
I wonder if it is really the reason that Universal is thinking of dropping it. If they were scared of a lawsuit, wouldn't they drop it RIGHT NOW? And if Disney was threatening to sue, wouldn't they do it RIGHT NOW?
Besides, Disney doesn't seem to know an awful lot about copyright infringement. Just recently some online company (I think it was Amazon) tried to sue another because they had a patent on "One-Click Shopping" meaning you only had to click one button after filling in your info and you were done. Well they were struck down! I can't remember who made the decision, but he said that most business practices basically cannot be copyrighted.
And here is Disney, trying to copyright a business practice that has been in practice for decades. Namely they are "taking reservations" for something. It may not be a restaurant, but a reservation is a reservation no matter whether you call it FastPass or Universal Express or don't have a name for it like Six Flags Magic Mountain had WAY BEFORE DISNEY EVER SUPPOSEDLY INVENTED THE PROCESS.
Actually, since the reservation part of the process will never hold muster in court, the case will come down to the "idea" of having two different lines. I don't think this will stand either, since roller coasters have long had multiple lines, and many rides since then have all had a regular line and a single-rider line. Also, even though restaurants don't have lines, per se, when your name is on the list you have gone from the "want-a-reservation" line to the "have-a-reservation" line. I don't think Disney has a leg to stand on here.
PS - Universal's system IS much better since being able to reserve ANY three rides at one time is preferable to reserving ONE ride from a short list of rides. But I think I do prefer the old version better too, where multiple-day passholders got in an hour early and got to ride the biggies as often as they wanted! That rocked!
Besides, Disney doesn't seem to know an awful lot about copyright infringement. Just recently some online company (I think it was Amazon) tried to sue another because they had a patent on "One-Click Shopping" meaning you only had to click one button after filling in your info and you were done. Well they were struck down! I can't remember who made the decision, but he said that most business practices basically cannot be copyrighted.
And here is Disney, trying to copyright a business practice that has been in practice for decades. Namely they are "taking reservations" for something. It may not be a restaurant, but a reservation is a reservation no matter whether you call it FastPass or Universal Express or don't have a name for it like Six Flags Magic Mountain had WAY BEFORE DISNEY EVER SUPPOSEDLY INVENTED THE PROCESS.
Actually, since the reservation part of the process will never hold muster in court, the case will come down to the "idea" of having two different lines. I don't think this will stand either, since roller coasters have long had multiple lines, and many rides since then have all had a regular line and a single-rider line. Also, even though restaurants don't have lines, per se, when your name is on the list you have gone from the "want-a-reservation" line to the "have-a-reservation" line. I don't think Disney has a leg to stand on here.
PS - Universal's system IS much better since being able to reserve ANY three rides at one time is preferable to reserving ONE ride from a short list of rides. But I think I do prefer the old version better too, where multiple-day passholders got in an hour early and got to ride the biggies as often as they wanted! That rocked!
I don't know about the fastpass system at Universal but does anyone know whether they are still running an early opening day for people with the 5 park pass and if so on what day?
I read in the Brits guide that there was such a system in 2000, but no news on 2001.
Also I heard in the press that Brits may be limited to what they can see when visiting Busch Gardens due to the foot and mouth epidemic here in the UK. However I've just spoken to someone who did confirm that their ticket did give some indication that there may be some limitations but never experienced any restrictions when they actually visited.
Souey.
I read in the Brits guide that there was such a system in 2000, but no news on 2001.
Also I heard in the press that Brits may be limited to what they can see when visiting Busch Gardens due to the foot and mouth epidemic here in the UK. However I've just spoken to someone who did confirm that their ticket did give some indication that there may be some limitations but never experienced any restrictions when they actually visited.
Souey.
sillyspook13
Well-Known Member
Universal only had this last summer. I liked it because my mom could drop me off on her way to work, and I would not have to wait an hour or two for the parks to open. Now their only way to have short lines is their universal express thingy. I've never used it, and probably never will.