Why not do what Universal does?

[LAKid53]

Which attractions do you mean? I have been to WDW a lot and in a lot of pretty wild weather and have never encountered a ride closed due to the weather.

Umm, I was standing in FP+ line at 7DMT, watching the ever darkening and nasty sky. One of the CMs announced that the ride might be closing soon due to the approaching storm. Fortunately, the rain started just as I finished the ride and I was able to dash over to BOG for my ADR, not getting too wet. And noticed they had stopped the ride.

 

[LAKid53]

I don't find the cost to be unreasonably expensive at all.

So the $40 per day per ticket 2 park cost for the limited Express Pass ISN'T unreasonable to you? It's not like the park hopper that you add for a one time fee to a Disney ticket. When I added Express Pass to our 2 park per day tickets after my daughter injured her knee, I was shocked that it was not $60 total, but $60 per day (did the unlimited Express Pass). And if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express, you need a 2 park ticket. So I paid nearly $500 for Express Passes for our two day visit. Which exceeds the cost of my Florida Resident Annual Pass (which comes with FP+) at WDW.

 

[LAKid53]

That's actually incorrect. At least in my experience it is.

Depends on the circumstances. If they anticipate the ride will be down for an extended length of time (happened to us with BTMRR), we could either use the FP at another ride or come back later and it would be honored. We went over to Haunted Mansion and used it there.

 

[LAKid53]

I live in Florida, it always rains. In fact, it was raining today.

I've lived in Florida for nearly 50 years - it doesn't rain every day. I wish it would have rained today since it looked like rain, but no it didn't. I prefer the free water for my garden, lol.

 

[LAKid53]

If I stayed at Universal, the express passes would be included at no cost at all, so I'm not sure your post makes any sense.

Only if you stayed at Hard Rock, Royal Pacific or Portofino hotels. Rooms at Cabana Bay and the new hotel don't include Express Pass.

 

[LAKid53]

To clarify, you only get the express pass if you are staying at Portofino, Hard Rock or Royal Pacific. Cabana Beach & the new Sapphire Resort opening next year don't come with express passes. It also looks like Universal is going to a three tier hotel system - Premier (Portofino & Hard Rock), Preferred (Royal Pacific & Sapphire), & Prime Value (Cabana Beach).

Yes they are. And what bites is that Sapphire will be in the same tier as Royal Pacific but will not have Express Pass. And there are plans to build a 6th hotel.

 

[LAKid53]

Not sure what suite you're staying in, but we paid around $160 a night for 3 nights at RPR from September 11th-14th. That's less than what you will pay per night at a Disney moderate. Universal offers unlimited Express Pass with the stay. Disney allows 3 scheduled FP's + however many more you can squeeze in after that. I'm not a math major but the "value" definitely sways in favor of Universal. Honestly. we are in LOVE with Universal's setup, but we also know that with the amount of on-site guests and the logistics of it, it would be almost impossible at Disney.

You must have gotten a great deal. I'm a Lowe's Blue member and I've never gotten a room that cheap at Royal Pacific.

 

[LAKid53]

We went to Universal for the first time a couple of years ago. I would not pay extra for fast passes and it didn't seem to be necessary anyway. While we were there, it never got near as crowded as Disney does. I have yet to use the new Disney system, so I admit I might be a little nervous about it, but we'll see. We really liked Universal/IOA (especially Harry Potter, wow that was awesome), but what annoyed me was the fact that they make you use those lockers before going on the rides.

For certain rides at Universal (Forbidden Journey, Gringotts, Men in Black and others I cannot remember), you have to put your belongings in a locker. Not an option. They will stop you in line. But the lockers are free for the first hour, so we always dash from Forbidden Journey to the T-Rex ride in order to have our stuff in a locker, for free. The lockers at the T-Rex ride are optional and they are not free.

 

[LAKid53]

when I went and rode the HP ride you had to put your stuff in a locker and they charged you , I did not like that forced use of a locker for a fee.

We used have annual passes at Universal and visited several times a year. And rode Hogwarts until I just couldn't stand it any more. We visited this past July and the lockers were still free. You must have gone past the 1 hour free period.

 

[LAKid53]

I'm interested in the Universal express pass system, as we are going to WDW in November and have scheduled one day only at Universal Studios side only. (we've been to IOA, HP, etc, and don't want to do it again) We are planning on purchasing the limited EP which allows only one ride per person per day. That will work for us, because we usually only ride once. Also with only one day, we wouldn't have time to ride them again, I don't think? Anyway, the EP sounded like a good deal to us, with only one day. I feel we can ride all we want to of their many great attractions without a wait, and just hit HP first thing at rope drop. Now I'm wondering if this is the best way to do it??? Very interested in everyone's opinions on the Universal EP! Thanks

So are you doing a 1 park or 2 park ticket? Because I believe the cost is higher for an Express Pass on a 2 park per day ticket. If you are visiting during a busy time of year, I would consider purchasing the Express Pass. Rides like Transformers and the Hulk are VERY popular. We waited in the Express Pass line for Transformers for 20-25 minutes.

 

[LAKid53]

You only get charged if you leave your stuff there for 2 hours or more. Something like that. I've used the lockers and have never been charged.

FYI I was on the Hulk with a friends son and his Iphone flew right out of his pocket. Where it landed no one knows. LOL. I can see how flying shoes, phones or whatever could be a problem on some of the bigger rides. Funny part is 16 year said I was wearing Grandpa shorts, well he's out a phone and I'm not. I laughed at him for a while. LOL. Ya Grandpa shorts, yep. There's a reason I wear cargo shorts to parks.

I'm surprised the net didn't catch it. Which is why I try to walk under that net between launches....

 

[draybook]

You must have gotten a great deal. I'm a Lowe's Blue member and I've never gotten a room that cheap at Royal Pacific.

I was wrong. It was actually $180 a night. Still cheaper than most Disney mods I believe. I know it's cheaper than POFQ.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Oh, and since you asked, name the 3 headliner attractions that FP+ allows you to do at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. And before you attempt to answer, allow me to remind you of that lovely tier system that Disney uses. You know, the one that Universal does NOT use.

Last year when I went to Epcot, I had a FP+ for Mission: Space and Soarin'. I arrived at the park at 9:00 A.M. and got on Test Track without waiting. The rest of the entire park did not require any more fastpasses.

I have not been to HS in years.

I completely agree with you that if the extra cost is a concern, then the FP+ system is preferable. However, if the extra cost does not matter to you, then the express pass system is better 8 days a week.

See... This would have been a completely reasonable reply from the beginning that we both could have* settled on..

 

[Disneyhead'71]

To put things in perspective, I have been a Uni AP holder since 2009. I live 3 miles from the parks. I am there a lot. I have only had EP 6 days during that time because I chose to get a night or 2 at Portofino. I have never ever considered actually buying an EP because, quite frankly, you don't need them most of the time.

And yes, the EPs are expensive. They don't want a lot of people using them. The only people I know that this is an issue for are Disney fans who feel that HAVE TO HAVE an EP/FP+. They also freak out when you tell them that you don't need to make ADRs 180 days in advance. It seems that the uncertainty of not having every minute inked into a spread sheet causes a panic that the whole vacation will devolve into a chaotic disaster!

I love the luxury of waking up at Portofino and catching a launch to the park about 10:30am. Walking on what ever ride I want. Eating when and where I want. I like the whole, "so, what's everyone in the mood for?" moment. With all the in-park choices and CityWalk right there, the options for great food are staggering. Finnagan's, Vivo, Antojito's, Cowfish, Hard Rock, Mythos, Red Oven, Emeril's, etc. not to mention the Signature Restaurants in the Resorts. It's just pick one and go!

No FP+ times, no ADRs, no schedule. Now, that's what I call a vacation.

 

[squidward]

A.If you stay at one of the 3 Universal Deluxe Hotels, Express pass is included. Yes, there ARE other hotels besides those at Disney.
B.I've used both systems. Anybody who says that FP is superior to Express has never used Express or are just saying so because of their love for all things Disney.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I'm sure this has been discussed on here before, but I'm relatively new to this forum. Anyway, like myself, it seems as though many people don't really like the fastpass+ system. So my question is, why not do what Universal does with its express passes and allow guests to purchase tickets like that? I mean, if Universal can make it work, no doubt Disney can as well, and it would take all the headaches out of the constant way-in-advance planning that a trip to WDW requires.

Since you're new to these forums and clearly unfamiliar with a scroll button, clearly you missed that we're discussing this very topic down in the universal forums here -> http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/universal-vs-disney.901644/

The Universal vs Disney arguments have been rehashed to death over the past 10 years.

 

[JusticeDisney]

Since you're new to these forums and clearly unfamiliar with a scroll button, clearly you missed that we're discussing this very topic down in the universal forums here -> http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/universal-vs-disney.901644/

The Universal vs Disney arguments have been rehashed to death over the past 10 years.

And since you clearly must lack in reading comprehension skills, let me educate you now by pointing out that this wasn't a general Disney vs Universal thread, like the one you provided a link to. Rather, it was a much more specific thread, pertaining only to the topic of FP+ vs express passes.

Oh, and since these type of arguments have been "rehashed to death" in your opinion, let me also advise you that this forum is set up in a way in which you actually have the ability to NOT click on a thread and read it. Imagine that! You can actually choose not to read a particular thread if it doesn't interest you. I guess you were just unfamiliar with that feature of this forum.

 

[JusticeDisney]

A.If you stay at one of the 3 Universal Deluxe Hotels, Express pass is included. Yes, there ARE other hotels besides those at Disney.
B.I've used both systems. Anybody who says that FP is superior to Express has never used Express or are just saying so because of their love for all things Disney.

This post is on the money. If the express pass cost is a problem for a particular person or family, that's totally understandable. However, if cost is not a concern, there is simply no possible way, other than complete Disney bias (which I admit I am often guilty of myself!), in which someone could conclude that the FP+ approach is better.

Think of it this way. Imagine if the situations were reversed. Imagine if Disney had passes that applied to nearly every ride and you could use them any time of day as you saw fit, and Universal had passes that applied to only 3 rides (and on top of that you had to choose between some of the best rides in tier system) and locked you into selected one-hour windows. Imagine the bashing that Universal would take from the Disney fans then!

 

[Luxe]

Well I tried but I won't be reading this thread anymore. Anything posted about FP+ is just instantly replied to with a "nope you're wrong EP is better because I like it more".

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Well I tried but I won't be reading this thread anymore. Anything posted about FP+ is just instantly replied to with a "nope you're wrong EP is better because I like it more".

I do like EP more.


Because I think it's better.