My USH day without VIP or Express.

[NoodlesMom]

After researching my USH day, I was convinced I needed express pass or the VIP experience to enjoy my day. I was SO wrong. We got there at opening and rode everything we wanted. On most rides, we were in line 5-10 minutes max. Mummy had the longest posted wait time at 40 minutes but we did single rider and walked right on. It was an amazing day I I loved the park! Thankfully I didn’t try to spend over 1k extra. It would have been a total waste of money. We visited the park yesterday 12/16/23.

 

[henry72]

That's awesome. We are going in June so I'm still trying to decide if Express Pass is needed. It is quite a bit of money so hate to spend it if I don't need to. But I expect June to be busier than December. Still not sure what we will do.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I totally agree with you. Don't get me wrong, I love the VIP Experience but because it offers true elevated offerings: a knowledgeable guide, a more intimate Studio Tour with exclusive access to areas, the food offerings, plus the Express pass. But we can't swing it every time.

This time we just did the $30 Super Nintendo World Early Access add on. Wow. Totally worth it. We spent the first full hour of the day in the area (8am - 9am) and were able to head out just as the regular park guests were arriving. Then, the waits right at 9am for the Lower Lot attractions were walk-ons because guests still hadn't made their way down there. By the time you made it back up to the upper lot, the waits still weren't bad.

Of course, they went up later and anyone waltzing in to the park at 11am or noon would have had a totally different experience. But the early arrival totally worked and we got a ton done by lunch and were able to save shows for later when the waits for rides were high.

 

[sandam1]

This time we just did the $30 Super Nintendo World Early Access add on. Wow. Totally worth it. We spent the first full hour of the day in the area (8am - 9am) and were able to head out just as the regular park guests were arriving.

So I have a question about the add-on. I bought tickets through TripAdvisor since I had a coupon for 10% off + a credit card bonus, but there wasn't an option for the early access. Is it still possible to add it? We are staying in the area and will likely be at City Walk the night before (hopefully, assuming our flight is on time) so we have the option of doing it the day before if it needs to be done in person.

 

[China Expat]

I was just there on 12/15 and everything was walk on! The emplyees are generally friendly and helpful, and the guests are courteous. Ate what we wanted when we wanted, no reservations needed. Great place!

 

[bbeagle]

So I have a question about the add-on. I bought tickets through TripAdvisor since I had a coupon for 10% off + a credit card bonus, but there wasn't an option for the early access. Is it still possible to add it? We are staying in the area and will likely be at City Walk the night before (hopefully, assuming our flight is on time) so we have the option of doing it the day before if it needs to be done in person.

The Super Nintendo World early access is only available on the Universal Hollywood website. Just go there and get how many you need for the date you need. They don't have to be 'linked' to tickets at all.

We bought our VIP on Undercover Tourist, then the SNW add-on directly through Universal.

 

[sandam1]

The Super Nintendo World early access is only available on the Universal Hollywood website. Just go there and get how many you need for the date you need. They don't have to be 'linked' to tickets at all.

Oh, that's perfect! Thank you for the help! It's only $20 for the day of our visit so it's almost a no-brainer.

 

[Brandonius]

Yeah, Universal is "feast or famine" on lines. Either the park is overwhelmed with 1.5 hr+ waits (in which case express is a LIFESAVEER), or it's mostly empty. If you're going any time during summer or tourist season, the park has a huge spike in guests because of international tour groups. In the off-season, all those folks go away and things are super quiet as you discovered.

 

[bbeagle]

Oh, that's perfect! Thank you for the help! It's only $20 for the day of our visit so it's almost a no-brainer.

Just make sure you understand how it works. Watch videos or read about it.

For example, if the park normally opens at 9am, Nintendo World early entry is at 8am. They'll start letting people in around 7:00-7:15am, and stop people at a spot at the top of the hill. It will be crowded! They'll let you down the escalators around 7:40am. If you just arrive at, say, 7:50am, you'll be behind all the crowds and might not get in until 8:15am or so.

 

[sandam1]

Just make sure you understand how it works. Watch videos or read about it.

For example, if the park normally opens at 9am, Nintendo World early entry is at 8am. They'll start letting people in around 7:00-7:15am, and stop people at a spot at the top of the hill. It will be crowded! They'll let you down the escalators around 7:40am. If you just arrive at, say, 7:50am, you'll be behind all the crowds and might not get in until 8:15am or so.

Thanks for the information! I will definitely take it into consideration.

I don't think that getting there early will be a problem. On our USH day, the park opens at 10 a.m. and we will be flying in from the East Coast the day before. I suspect that we are going to be up waaaay too early to head to the parks.

Which brings me to another question - is there any place in City Walk that is open pre-park opening for breakfast?

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Just make sure you understand how it works. Watch videos or read about it.

For example, if the park normally opens at 9am, Nintendo World early entry is at 8am. They'll start letting people in around 7:00-7:15am, and stop people at a spot at the top of the hill. It will be crowded! They'll let you down the escalators around 7:40am. If you just arrive at, say, 7:50am, you'll be behind all the crowds and might not get in until 8:15am or so.

Yup. We were there on a day the park opened at 8, so early entry at 7. We arrived at 6:30 AM and were far from the first people in the park. But we were in good shape. I would not have wanted to arrive much later than that. We were walking into the land by 6:52 and getting on Mario Kart at 6:59.

 

[bbeagle]

Which brings me to another question - is there any place in City Walk that is open pre-park opening for breakfast?

No. There is a Starbucks that opens the same time as Nintendo world early entry, and the rest open with the park.

Best to get breakfast before you get to Universal. There are a few breakfast restaurants in the area.

 

[jimmymc]

I totally agree, you really don't need express unless you have to do every ride together in one day, or you want the VIP studio tour that lets you walk around sets.

I do think Nintendo World early entry is a good investment, since you save 2-3 hours of waiting for the ride, but even the single rider line for that isn't bad.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I'm really torn about what to do. We're going on a Saturday when the crowd calendar seems to say "Yup it's packed".... but OP went on a Saturday, Dec 16, 2023 when the crowd calendar says "forget about it" and yet it was everything as a walk on. I am considering VIP but it seems insane to spend 3x as much for five of us if maybe we could get away with a lot less!

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I'm really torn about what to do. We're going on a Saturday when the crowd calendar seems to say "Yup it's packed".... but OP went on a Saturday, Dec 16, 2023 when the crowd calendar says "forget about it" and yet it was everything as a walk on. I am considering VIP but it seems insane to spend 3x as much for five of us if maybe we could get away with a lot less!

I consider VIP to be more about the overall experience than just the FOTL pass. In fact, you can still purchase FOTL passes if needed, even on the same day based on availability.

Of course, there's always rope dropping and coming back later in the day for the nighttime shows and wait times drop again towards close again.