No EP--tell me the positive stories

[sandam1]

I love Cabana Bay and, for me, it is HOME. I love everything about it - the style, the layout, the lazy river, the food court, the extra space and amenities of the family suites.

We go to UO in September almost every year and, if you plan properly, you don't need EPs. Late August is actually a low crowd time of year and you have five days. One year, we did one night at Hard Rock to get the EPs and, frankly for us, it was a waste because we had well-developed strategies for how to avoid the lines. My tips:

- I know you said that you aren't rope drop people, but the value of the early hours can't be over-emphasized, particularly in the summer heat. I would try VERY hard to get there early for a day or two. For the early entry hour, usually the Harry Potter area is the primary thing open. You can head there and knock off the HP ride(s) before opening. Then, while everyone else headed to the HP rides, either do some wand work and/or hit some of the other non-HP park highlights before their lines build. At park opening, it seems like everyone heads directly for HP so it can take a couple of hours for the rest of the park to fill in. Then when the lines get crazy, head for the shows or back to the hotel for a break. (Note: If Studios has early entry that is also the best time to get on Minions.)

- I don't know the ages of your family, but single rider can be your best friend. Almost all of the big rides have it available and it works. You do miss a lot of the queue most of the time so you want do the regular line for the HP rides the first time, but for re-rides, it can't be beat.

- The parks close early (like 7 or 8 p.m.) in low crowd times. If you can plan your meals/snacks and wait to eat dinner until after the park closes, those last couple of hours can be golden. This is where the food court at CB comes in handy as it is easy to grab a late meal quickly. Or you can eat at one of the restaurants at City Walk, but reservations can be your friend here as walk-ups can be hard to get at park close.

- As others have mentioned, definitely get at least one AP. It will take a LONG time for the passholder hotel rates to come out - if you are nervous, you can always book a room at a regular rate and then rebook when the APH rates drop - but it is usually worth it.

Please don't get discouraged or frustrated. Everyone's vacation is different and you can have a great time no matter what you decide. Stick ahead these boards and keep reading and it will start to make sense.

 

[mommymanda]

Thank you TommyJK--I had been trying to find something like that. All the sites I pulled up had so many flashing ads I couldn't read them.

I'm sure I can figure out a few morning park days. Typically at Disney we'd be on the way to parks by 9:30am, and return after night show, than play in a pool...but if Universal is closed by 8pm, and we're taking our time to just wonder...I think getting up earlier could be arranged. Plus kids are old enough and parks smaller we can head out in groups.

I know everyone is helping, I love this site and planned many trips with dis boards help. I'm just torn between budget or the vacation. If we can't fit an EP resort into the budget do I just wait until 2023 to travel...cut it from a 6night/5 park trip to a 5night/4park.

Adding to planning, I feel the stress is also me. As I mentioned we are a family of 5. My eldest is 18 now, 19 next year. She hasn't joined many family trips since COVID because she found full time work, and camping wasn't worth it to her. We were robbed of two holidays already. I feel I'm running out of time to get us all together one last trip.

 

[jen7233]

We did a quick 3 day trip in June after school was done for the year, and stayed over by Sea World and took Uber to Universal. We ended up doing two Universal and one Sea World day. Honestly, it was fairly terrible without EP.

We've also never been to Universal Orlando so really didn't know the best insider info. Day one, after waiting in a huge security line from the Uber drop off point, we then waited over an hour in line at the front guest relations to get our freedom passes exchanged for entry, it was bad. The location of the hotel was not a wise idea. We stayed there as we had free Marriott nights, nice hotel and all, but terrible with trying to get to the parks conveniently.

Only got to ride Hagrid's once based on time in lines at other rides, if we had had EP for other line rides, could possibly have had more time to do Hagrid's again. Got rained out of the line on a second time on the next day, and it was shut down the other time we tried, so bummer just rode once. Food lines were quite long, kiosks too (Wimpy's, don't recommend). Waited a very long time in line to get into the Leaky Cauldron, in all that ended up being about a two hour time out of rides, with the line and then inside. Also, being rookies, we didn't realize some of the kiosks would close so early before park closing, and spent time at that as one of my kids wanted a particular item. So, if a certain snack is thought about, might want to do that before 6pm.! Depends. Leaving the park, the City Walk food area lines we also didn't know would be so long, surprise! All things learned first hand.

Anyway, I think you can have a great time without EP if you work your plan well on food and times, check expectations, etc. But, we are staying at Portofino if we go again. Looking at that over Christmas.

 

[Bethany10]

I know you are frustrated because Universal is supposed to be easy and it's not as easy as you thought. But, the posters here are honestly just trying to help you see pros and cons so you can make an informed decision.
With 5 days, you should be fine without EPs. But, no EPs and not willing to get there in the AM for opening, that's a hesitation. I am not sure still what time you are planning to hit the parks. If you mean you'll get there at 9- great! If you mean you want lazy mornings and arrive at 11, not so much.

I completely agree with this. We love CB, but did a split stay earlier this year (2 nights at RP and the rest at CB) and it worked perfectly. Having express those first 2 days was really nice, especially since I'm a nonrider and could just hold everyones stuff so they could jump right on the rides once we got in. I also agree that if you want to experience the parks at lower capacity, getting there earlier is really the only way to do that. We got more done in the first 2 hours than the rest of the day once the general population got in there.

Another option with 5 people is 2 connecting rooms. We did one king two queen connecting rooms putting the teens in one and us in another. Then when we went to CB, did the same with 2 family suites. You're no longer paying for the extra adult in your room if you want all 5 in one room, and everyone has a bit more space.

Also, the boat - I totally made fun of DH for being obsessed with the boat before the trip. Now? I'm the one obsessed with the boat. so much easier to get into the park.

That said, do what works for your family. if the EP hotels are too much, then they're too much. It is what it is.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with the PP who said 5 days is enough time to do everything without EP. It certainly is enough time to do everything, but that does not mean you want to spend your time waiting in lines. As others have mentioned, August is hot and can be wet. Universal has more exterior queues than WDW, so EPs help you get out of the elements more quickly in addition to the overall shorter wait in line. EPs are also conducive to a touring strategy that doesn't include rope drop. With EPs, there's no need to strategize - we always sleep in and just tour the parks in any order we want because we don't have to worry about building lines or wait times. They truly are worth the cost, IMO.

I also agree with getting the seasonal AP and taking advantage of the passholder rate for a premier resort that includes EP. We've done this in the past, even though we didn't plan a second trip within the same year. Financially, it still makes more sense.

All of that said, we will be taking an October trip with another family who are staying off-site, so we agreed we'd only do one day of EPs to save them money. While I'm certain we will still have a great time, I am managing expectations accordingly on our non-EP days so I don't get frustrated with wait times or what we are or are not able to get done.

 

[Travelgrrl]

Thank you TommyJK--I had been trying to find something like that. All the sites I pulled up had so many flashing ads I couldn't read them.

I'm sure I can figure out a few morning park days. Typically at Disney we'd be on the way to parks by 9:30am, and return after night show, than play in a pool...but if Universal is closed by 8pm, and we're taking our time to just wonder...I think getting up earlier could be arranged. Plus kids are old enough and parks smaller we can head out in groups.

I know everyone is helping, I love this site and planned many trips with dis boards help. I'm just torn between budget or the vacation. If we can't fit an EP resort into the budget do I just wait until 2023 to travel...cut it from a 6night/5 park trip to a 5night/4park.

Adding to planning, I feel the stress is also me. As I mentioned we are a family of 5. My eldest is 18 now, 19 next year. She hasn't joined many family trips since COVID because she found full time work, and camping wasn't worth it to her. We were robbed of two holidays already. I feel I'm running out of time to get us all together one last trip.

I am here to put your mind at rest. I've never used EP's except a quick trip in 2009 where we bought one day for $20 each. To me, the cost of APs, EPs or a throwaway room aren't worth it. I'd rather travel more as a budget traveler than less as a more deluxe one. And we've had great experiences at Universal and Cabana Bay without EP!!!

We LOVED the resort and are staying there again in December. Love, love loved it. My advice is similar to others: Yank those kids out of bed early despite the grumbling. Shove donuts in their faces. Tour like kings for a few hours. If hungry for lunchm have at 11 AM before the lines form. Hit a ride or two after that, and leave when the parks get crowded and it's hot at about 1 PM. SUPER easy and quick to get back to CB, and the kids will be happy to rest and swim in the cool pools and lazy river. Head back to the parks about 4 PM, and stay until close. Have dinner at the food court, which we found had lots of great choices for not much money. Go to bed early-ish and repeat.

Also take advantage of Single Rider line after you've been through the cool queue one time. Chances are, members of your family will still end up seated together (though you can't request that, of course).

You can and WILL have a great time at Cabana Bay if you follow this general plan (and even if you absolutely cannot get up early, single rider is a great help). Univeral is SO much easier than Disney - I've gotten to hate FP+ with the heat of a thousand suns.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

I am here to put your mind at rest. I've never used EP's except a quick trip in 2009 where we bought one day for $20 each. To me, the cost of APs, EPs or a throwaway room aren't worth it. I'd rather travel more as a budget traveler than less as a more deluxe one. And we've had great experiences at Universal and Cabana Bay without EP!!!

We LOVED the resort and are staying there again in December. Love, love loved it. My advice is similar to others: Yank those kids out of bed early despite the grumbling. Shove donuts in their faces. Tour like kings for a few hours. If hungry for lunchm have at 11 AM before the lines form. Hit a ride or two after that, and leave when the parks get crowded and it's hot at about 1 PM. SUPER easy and quick to get back to CB, and the kids will be happy to rest and swim in the cool pools and lazy river. Head back to the parks about 4 PM, and stay until close. Have dinner at the food court, which we found had lots of great choices for not much money. Go to bed early-ish and repeat.

Also take advantage of Single Rider line after you've been through the cool queue one time. Chances are, members of your family will still end up seated together (though you can't request that, of course).

You can and WILL have a great time at Cabana Bay if you follow this general plan (and even if you absolutely cannot get up early, single rider is a great help). Univeral is SO much easier than Disney - I've gotten to hate FP+ with the heat of a thousand suns.

Completely agree with everything Travelgrrl said .

We've done both - with & without EPs - & it's just not worth the cost to us of upgrading to a Premier for us. We usually go for at least 5 park days & we're always there for Early Entry because my husband is constitutionally incapable of sleeping past 5:00 a.m. .

We LOVE Cabana Bay - it's our Universal "home" .

 

[jen7233]

That's a great point on being a non-rider above I forgot to mention. Many of the rides require putting things in lockers. There was a line for getting into lockers outside of Gringott's when we went, about 10 minutes going in, and another 10 minute wait after we got off. We didn't have EP, so I think for that ride we waited about an hour. Anyway, it's just something to consider allocating time for. And, probably just depends on luck and timing. Most of the lockers other rides, we had no problem walked right up.

 

[mommymanda]

.

We've done both - with & without EPs - & it's just not worth the cost to us of upgrading to a Premier for us. We usually go for at least 5 park days & we're always there for Early Entry because my husband is constitutionally incapable of sleeping past 5:00 a.m. .

Lol this is me! Although I can make it to 6am. Normally I'm up, go for a walk, have a coffee. Back at the room for 8:00...start family moving at 8:30...out door by 9:30. So I can get them going earlier.

 

[Travelgrrl]

Just adjust that timeline to 'back at room at 7, out the door by 8" and you've got something!

At least the first day. Then sleeping in might become more optional.

 

[sandam1]

Lol this is me! Although I can make it to 6am. Normally I'm up, go for a walk, have a coffee. Back at the room for 8:00...start family moving at 8:30...out door by 9:30. So I can get them going earlier.

Or get up at your normal time and head to the parks by yourself. Invite anyone willing to get their butt out of bed to go with you. The others can come later. Then rave about how quiet the parks were, how beautiful the weather is, and the low wait times. Rinse and repeat for the next morning and see if you get anyone to bite on the beauty of early entry. I am NOT a morning person, but I can manage at least two days of every trip. After that, I've usually done everything that I want to and try to make it slightly after rope drop for the following days.

 

[Kestryl]

We never get EPs. We stay at Cabana Bay.

We find that the last few hours of the day are great for getting rides in. One night we did a ride on Dudley’s, a ride on Jurassic Park, and 8 rides on Bilge Rat Barges in just over two hours. A different night, we hit up King Kong, Forbidden Journey, Hogwarts Express (Hogsmeade), Men in Black, and Gringotts in almost three hours. (This also includes a stop at Fortescue’s... which took longer than the waits for any of the rides.)

We’re also finding the mornings great- for non-Harry Potter rides. Everyone makes a break for Hagrid’s. No one goes to Spider-Man. We rode it three times in half an hour.

 

[ICan'tWait]

I'm going to agree on the AP being handy for discounts. My husband has the preferred and the rest of us have seasonal. But the preferred has a bigger discount and saved us a lot of money on food and souvenirs. My older son spent a lot of his money on a robe, wand, tie (and who knows what all else) and the discount really added up. August is typically the time of year for AP days at Universal and even the seasonal pass can have discounts on merchandise and food at that time, so a preferred may not be needed. The hotel discount is good with any pass.

We've gone many times end of August and stay offsite, having no EP. We've had the best time waiting in lines together, especially for the brand new rides. One of my favorite photos is a picture of my son right before he rode Gringott's for the first time - he looks so excited. Once we've been on a ride we use the single rider lines. Being on site will be handy as older kids can join in later and do things on their own schedule. We've had days where the kids slept in and we'll get there just to ride the water rides a bit before lunch. Plan on getting drenched! In the evening right before close I've seen the wait times for Forbidden Journey and Mummy drop to less than 10 minutes.

If you feel not having EPs may break it for you, just book a throwaway room one night in the middle of your trip at one of the EP hotels. You don't even have to move or stay there. It will give you two days of EPs for the five of you. We did this one time, but it wasn't really necessary and the kids had already ridden everything they wanted by the time we had our EP days.

 

[Cuchman]

Funny how so many seem to be just trying to sell you EP!
Let me lay out some of my experiences related to your question/plan. I have several trips without passes on one with, so I think I can offer some ideas.
We have gone the last week of August (sometimes a few days into September) several times. That is our go-to timing, for sure. The crowds are generally very manageable that time of year. Also, we stay at Cabana Bay. We've tried other places, and Cabana Bay is just the most fun and best theme for me and my family. We are also 5! We love the suites and they are so much cheaper than other options.Transportation is a snap and if you are going to Volcano Bay at all, it is a total win.
For our August trips, we DO NOT use express pass. We are early risers and it is easy for us to do early entry or rope drop each day. We simply use the general plan to ride the rides that normally get crowded early. Also, the Universal app lets you check wait times all the time, so we can make decisions about other rides as the day goes on.
Also - don't forget single ride lines! Not sure how old your kids are - mine are all adults at this point - but we use them all the time. Once we've ridden something together as a family, we will often re-ride using the single rider line. They make a huge difference in shortening the wait times. I think we rode Gringotts's maybe 10 times last trip - probably 8 of them single rider.

As far as Express Pass, we DID use them on a spring break trip we went on. Stayed at Hard Rock. I will say, the EPs were nice to have - BUT - it was spring break. It was more crowded and they made a difference. For the relative crowd levels we experience in August, there's no way I would even consider EPs or even staying at a deluxe resort for them. It just wouldn't be worth it.
As a side note, other than the short walk to US, we like Cabana Bay much more than we liked Hard Rock. Also, you might consider getting the lowest level annual passes instead of multi day tickets. In my experience, they usually are about the same price after 4 day tickets and they can come with big discounts (so maybe at least get one).

 

[ClapYourHands]

I know everyone is helping, I love this site and planned many trips with dis boards help. I'm just torn between budget or the vacation. If we can't fit an EP resort into the budget do I just wait until 2023 to travel...cut it from a 6night/5 park trip to a 5night/4park.

Adding to planning, I feel the stress is also me. As I mentioned we are a family of 5. My eldest is 18 now, 19 next year. She hasn't joined many family trips since COVID because she found full time work, and camping wasn't worth it to her. We were robbed of two holidays already. I feel I'm running out of time to get us all together one last trip.

Please don't let the stress of having the "perfect" vacation get in the way of having a perfectly good one.

I would not push it out a year. Your family can have a fantastic time without EP - I promise! It's so important to seize the moments now, when your kids are still young. The more they push into adult territory, the harder it is to get everyone's schedules and interests to line up. You don't want to plan the perfect vacation, only to find that your daughter can't go.

As for length of trip given the budget, that's up to you. UO is much more compact than Disney, so doing "everything" is much more manageable in a shorter period of time. On one end of the spectrum, some people get EP and blitz the parks in just 2 days; it's an intense experience that still gets "everything" done. It's exhausting and exhilarating. Other people go for a more leisurely approach, NEVER have EP, and do the same amount over a longer period. A shorter trip with EP and a longer trip without EP can work out to cost the same in terms of money spent, but vary in how you spend your time.

Also consider that standing in the UO queues is not necessarily "wasted" time; the attention to detail makes them attractions in themselves. And there's definitely something to be said for the extra days to just wander the parks, poke around the shops, see the shows, try different snacks, play with the interactive wand windows - none of which require EP. It's those extra atmospheric details that make Universal a true Theme Park, rather than just an amusement park like Six Flags (not a knock on Six Flags; their focus is on rides, which they do very well, especially thrill rides). At the moment, the two hottest rides in the park (Hagrid's and Velocicoaster) don't ever take EP, so a premier hotel doesn't give you any advantage there.

No matter what you pick, UO is a special place where I'm sure you and your family will make amazing memories. Just remember that for all the talk on these boards about how great EP is, its value is in how limited it is. In other words, the majority of people going to UO do NOT have EP, and they still have a blast.

 

[sandam1]

Please don't let the stress of having the "perfect" vacation get in the way of having a perfectly good one.

THIS!!! We've enjoyed every trip that we've ever taken to Universal (13 trips with 14, 15 & 16 booked) and we've had EPs for a grand total of two nights. Contrary to what some other parks might want you to believe, vacations are meant for relaxation - not running around trying to get everything done. If this past year and a half has taught us anything, it's that tomorrow is never guaranteed. Make the plans that fit your budget and have a fabulous time! And if you have get sucked into the Universal magic, you can always upgrade your tickets to APs and come back for another trip.

 

[jdrum3]

It is way easier to do a hotel without EP if it's your first time and you've never experienced EP. We did EP with RP the first time, Cabana next. You just get spoiled with EP and it's hard to go back without it. The biggest thing I find is that when you stay with EP, it's just a more relaxing vacation, a little more hectic without it. Also, let me say if someone is planning on staying on the "sleeper" sofa at Cabana Bay, well, it's really uncomfortable, but overall we liked the resort.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Also, let me say if someone is planning on staying on the "sleeper" sofa at Cabana Bay, well, it's really uncomfortable, but overall we liked the resort.

Kids don’t seem to mind. As an adult, my back would protest, but my boys are happy for the chance to spread out.

 

[nkereina]

Funny how so many seem to be just trying to sell you EP!

I don't know that anyone here is trying to "sell" anyone on anything. I don't think Universal is giving us any kickbacks I'm a huge proponent of EPs and would not visit without them, at least for one day. But its a very subjective thing and a very personal preference depending on the style of vacation you enjoy most. I think its important for people to understand the pros and cons of both sides so they can decide what's best for them.

Its certainly possible to have a great time and get most, if not everything done without EPs. People do it every day, as evidenced just in this thread. Generally speaking, the trade-off for this is waking up early to take advantage of rope drop or early entry, strategizing to do headliner rides in the morning, and having an overall framework to the trip to ensure you can maximize the number of rides you do by hitting them when they have minimal waits. With EPs, you don't have to worry about any of, that but the trade-off is the cost. We prioritize EPs so we budget the cost into our trip, but if someone doesn't want to prioritize EPs and would rather strategize, then they have that money in their pocket. Just depends on how you want to enjoy your trip.

 

[Cuchman]

I don't know that anyone here is trying to "sell" anyone on anything. I don't think Universal is giving us any kickbacks

I'm certainly not badmouthing EPs I just chose that wording because the original poster specifically asked for positive experiences without express passes and many people immediately chimed in with how great EPs are and suggested the poster consider them.