Universal's Express Pass Time Test | How Much Time Did It Save on the Most Popular Rides?

Universal's Express Pass Time Test | How Much Time Did It Save on the Most Popular Rides?
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The Rix Flix channel creates Orlando theme park content regarding Universal Orlando Resort, which includes Universal Studios Orlando, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay and Universal’s Epic Universe. Universal Orlando is Rick’s Flicks favorite Universal Florida theme park for walking around but the Islands of Adventure rides are the best. RixFlix also will make visits to Walt Disney World Resorts including Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Epcot.
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Rix Flix creates theme park livestreams. RixFlix will travel to Universal Orlando, Universal's Islands of Adventure, Disney's Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disney's Epcot and livestream from those Orlando theme parks. Try is, theme park livestreams from Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World Resorts may become your new favorite youtube content.
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[@joshua.hintze]

You feel like royalty with Express Pass. We loved it staying at the hard rock.

[@coreyjunk4392]

We only stay at the premier hotels when we come to visit Universal. I love Canana Bay and Sapphire Falls resort but with five or six of us going every time it just makes so much more sense to stay at Premier and get the free unlimited express pass for everyone in our party for the length of stay at no additional cost.

[@krystagreen3094]

These are the sort of unofficial non scientific experiments we need more of 😎 To show my appreciation, and because I'm a bit of a geek 😂 here's the breakdown for anyone interested; Total listed times of all 7 rides - 350mins (5hr50m) Total time with Express Pass - 98mins (1hr38m) ...Express Pass saved 252mins (4hr12m) which equates to being 3.5 x quicker than the regular line - or you could do 3.5 x more rides in the same time, depending how you look at it 🤗 Total listed times of rides where Single Rider was available - 165mins (2hr45m) Total time taken to complete these rides - 82mins (1hr22m) ...Single Rider line saved 83mins (1hr23m) of the listed times, which equates to being 2 x quicker than the regular line Many thanks for your videos from 🇬🇧 ...eventually they'll let us fly out there again Don't miss the magic, don't miss the fun

[@sparkyboomboomboi7051]

Oh wow thank you for this!

[@Legenkilla]

The issue is that sometimes stand by says 50 and its 25. I been outside on the mummy like that line was and was only 20 minutes

[@lindsaydrew56]

Fantastic idea for a video! It’s really great to see the time comparisons like that.

[@angel.maldonado]

Great video content as always, Thanks Rick and Nikki!

[@tsormmh3590]

For the amount of money they are asking for an Express Pass, they should include VelociCoaster and Hagrid's.

[@TommyGun2533]

But it is understandable sense they r the newest and most desirable rides. In a few years they will be added.

[@tsormmh3590]

@@TommyGun2533 I would agree as long as you can get a fast pass for around $100. When a fast pass costs $399 for one person for one day plus cost of admission, then I am less understanding.

[@TommyGun2533]

@@tsormmh3590 that’s when you book a night at one of the three luxury hotels and get the fast pass for free.

[@tsormmh3590]

@@TommyGun2533 that is a good option. My family prefers to rent a large house when we come down. We have quite a large group and space is important. I bought the annual premier pass so I get free fast passes after 4pm and free premier parking so it's not so bad.

[@dasean4000]

I totally agree all together for 2 ppl the express for both of us made the price go from $668 to $1100 very quickly

[@howardboulder]

your videos are so helpful! thank yo so much.

[@Alejandra-pc6pq]

Love this type of videos! Do more of this on the busy days

[@dazzlingdizney9335]

Very informative! Thanks!

[@nluther22]

Express pass was really awesome! I will say that, in our experience, standby times were much shorter than what was posted. We did standby for Hargrids, posted time was two hours and we got on in less than 1.

[@thepofoshow5393]

This was super helpful!!! Thank you!

[@stepharredon13]

Great videos guys! Can't wait to use our express passes. Staying at a primer hotel, as annual passholders during busy season worth it.

[@NessieMay]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@MP-cr7uf]

Awesome video! We stayed at the Royal Pacific for our first trip to Universal Orlando and absolutely loved using Express Pass!

[@jimmiller82]

We are staying there in April next year and have never been to a Universal Resort before. The videos I've seen of it look incredible.

[@jw75]

We stayed there during our last trip and will be heading there next week. It’s a beautiful hotel and worth the price to get the Express passes.

[@AngieMargas]

We were just at universal the 24th through the 29th of June and we stayed at royale pacific and we loved using the express pass too.

[@TheRiseofKali]

Thank you for doing this. Have a trip planned for next year and this definitely cements that i'll want express passes to get the most out of my time there.

[@Shapress7779]

It is definitely worth it

[@UncleIanYorkshire]

Great idea and such a useful video

[@maldonadoruthie]

Thank you great video ❤

[@lsulsuroman7249]

Thank you for what you do

[@pportp7828]

Thank you guys, this is exactly what I want 👏👏👏

[@ShannaBelle83]

Good info!! On Tuesday Single Rider for Mummy was a walk-on and so was Wednesday with Spider-Man when I was there.

[@angelakosar1003]

Awesome video! Looking forward to our return in November!!

[@flixsymmetry]

Thanks for the video! Looks like our names are somewhat similar! Great content. We are arriving Friday. First time in July for us. Express passes will come in handy. How are they these days on call pros? I see some rides are a no-no but for the most part it seems like they’re tolerant. I’ll check your videos to see if you’ve done one on that topic.

[@RodGwinn]

Thanks. That is a great little ad-hoc comparison and really makes the point for staying at the premier properties

[@RegianiOsti]

I'm Brazilian but I follow you and I love the videos you make. Congratulations

[@davidreynolds9744]

We loved the Express Passes. I have used them at a few parks now and will never attend another park without them. If traveling for vacation, the extra cost of the premier hotels is worth it for the free passes.

[@nickellfrancis1128]

Thank you rix and nikki I enjoy the express pass expertment bye

[@erinkennedy3956]

This is a really good vid 👍🏻

[@ginachancey3449]

Awesome vlog. Express pass is the way to go.

[@brendaevans9981]

Thanks so much for the info! Two of my friends and I opted to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel next month to get the Express Pass since we will only have one day to visit both parks. I'm so happy to see your results! Totally worth the price of staying at the Hotel for the included Express Passes!

[@playwithmilygool]

I stayed at Hard Rock Hotel last week! express pass def worth it! Go right when the park opens and you’ll be able to ride most if not all of your favs! I spent two days(1 for each park) and got done early both days :)

[@ladyjane8855]

We stayed at the Portofino last month so had the fast passes. They were a game changer.

[@ES4406]

Great video!!

[@shahjehan]

We use the premium hotels for our family during the holidays. We love that express perk.

[@madmudd96]

We stayed at Lowe’s Portofino Bay and and it was soo worth it! Bc of the express passes & with the boat that took us to the park every day we didn’t even have a rental car!

[@ericrush3543]

Great video guys, wish the express wasn't so expensive though.

[@WeTheTeeple]

Hi! Love your videos! What time did you test the express pass? Was it the UOAP after 4p express pass?

[@richmatthews7685]

We used express this past Saturday and Sunday.. pretty much walked onto everything.

[@francinepecaro5112]

It seems a good bargain to move quicker through the rides for single rider. Tho I do enjoy ALL the benefits of staying at the premier hotels offer. And great video… AS ALWAYS :-)

[@livingmytruth2289]

Very good content i am subscribing

[@RixFlix]

Thank you

[@ChinaDollTravels]

I FEEL LIKE EXPRESS IS NEEDED DURING THE BUSY SEASONS LIKE SUMMER AND DURING HHN UNLESS YOU DONT MIND WAITING IN LONG LINES LOL

[@tsrgoinc]

Yeah, the wait times at HNH are ridiculous. You can do everything in 1 night with the express pass but much cheaper to get the multi night pass but obviously you have to go multiple nights!

[@CarmemSouzaUSA2011]

Great video I got my express pass yesterday I can’t stand in line in this heat 😢

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

Thanks.

[@zulickj]

I'm watching this video in the future.....and as of 2/20/23....Velocicoaster is now included in Express Pass!

[@jhanevafrancis5948]

Could you do the same thing but a time during school or work? Also love you guys :)

[@TheJediKenneth]

I’m a Los Angeles resident, so Universal Studios Hollywood is where my Express Pass would be at. I think I learned from watching you video, it’s worth it in California also. I went in April 2021, a week after the park reopened (we have only one) and rode 3 rides in a period of 5 hours, ate dinner, and waited 75 minutes for Jurassic World. Express Pass cost only $79 on top of admission. In retrospect, I probably should’ve splurged. Now Express Pass would cost a lot more. I’m not going to lie. I had a good time, but it could’ve been an amazing one.

[@matthewluong9447]

I went to Universal Orlando/Islands of Adventures two weeks ago and realized the fast pass was the most useful thing for my money. Definitely worth it.

[@beckyobeck]

This feels very scientific. Thanks for gathering the data

[@mauriciobori]

Thumbs up for Nicki

[@caicoskid5635]

If your thinking about express it doesn't make sense to do anything else. but stay at least 1 night at a premier hotel. Your probably staying at another hotel off property anyway so put that money towards on-site hotel. Also keep in mind .. a lot of people don't realize if your staying on site at the premier hotels your express works for your check in day and check out day. So you get 2 days of express even if your only staying for 1 night. Also even if check in is at 3 or 4 o'clock they will allow you to check in early in the morning( I do it as early as 7 all the tine) and the will give you your express for the day. KEEP IN MIND I'm not saying they will give you a room at that time, but they will take your info and check you in and notify you when your room is ready. If you are visiting a slower time a year and there are rooms ready I have been lucky enough to get a room very often super early before going to the parks

[@anitrawalker6361]

I just did the math and you just saved me $300!!! So glad I saw this post!! Thanks!

[@andreasouth4596]

That was really cool.

[@KatRoyalOfficial]

Really appreciate videos like this. I’d consider EP during a low season but paying nearly $500 for one day at a theme park (ticket price plus $300+ EP) is unrealistic for most people (non locals). Honestly, it’s pretty ridiculous. But if you can catch it for the $70 price I’d give it a try.

[@esciteach7997]

yup; insane

[@nickwhidden405]

Need to do a part 2! Just to show all of the rides.

[@stephenharris2710]

Express works the day you check in and out. 1 night stay = 2 days of express. This is the very reason we purchased the AP.

[@staceyspratley538]

my parents and i are going to universal and islands of adventure for only one day so we got the unlimited fast passes for both parks! thank you for making this video, it was extremely helpful! definitely seems like it’s worth paying the amount of money if you only have one day for both parks! very expensive though, for all of us the express passes were about $600 alone!

[@michelle1]

wow that is definitelyh when the premiere hotels make the EPs worth it. Usually Royal pacific is about $350-400/night and that includes the express passes for all guests in teh room.

[@Shapress7779]

I love the express passes

[@RemoteNomads]

As of now May 2022 both of those rides in islands now has express lane and I was jealous we didn’t have express

[@martianleader1]

Thank u

[@drumrunner78]

I love when I have EP or use Single Rider, but for people that haven't been before, there are some queues that are worth waiting in. :)

[@martianleader1]

Do u miss parts of the queue with single rider?

[@drumrunner78]

@@martianleader1 Yes, you do. So sometimes it's worth waiting at least once. 😀

[@JuniperMB]

@@martianleader1 Biggest "miss" is velocicoaster.

[@amazingcoasters7972]

Which queues are worth waiting in???

[@miaoyao243]

What about end of August? I heard it would be quieter season. Will express pass make a difference during that time? Planning for the trip now

[@jonathancancel9708]

My family and I went to Universal Studios from June 27 to the 30th and the very first ride we did was Hagrid’s Motorbike and thanks Hod they did open the express lane.

[@cbart4285]

Holy cow! I can't believe the price of the express pass for a day per person! That's ridiculous!

[@michelle1]

It is a lot less when you buy in advance, but the day of is always a lot higher..also more expensive on weekends and holidays.

[@uowebfoot]

Agreed but that's what also keeps the express pass lines smaller. If it were too cheap the lines would be as long as stand by

[@JuniperMB]

@@uowebfoot They are limited in sales. Once the max for the day is reached, they won't allow anyone to buy anymore. (I've tried a few times on Saturdays and been refused.)

[@tsormmh3590]

You think that's bad? When we called to book a cabana at Volcano bay for a day (at the end of June) we could rent out a bottom unit for a measly $851!!

[@cbart4285]

@@tsormmh3590 WHAT?!?!😳😳😳😳

[@lust4lyfe101]

Can I ask does Express Passes get sold out super quick if I get it the day of or should I just order it before the trip?

[@davidcuesta243]

Hi Rix Flix great video's I have a future question for you ? for universal orlando you seem to be in the know 😉 we are planning our next family holiday for a long time from now 2025 need to save a lot and will be splitting 18 days between international drive a disney hotel and 2 nights at universal hotel loewe Pacific to get all the perks so we can fit in everything so my question is do you think with EPIC universe open (2025) will any of the attractions be covered by express pass as its a brand new park or just the biggest main attractions as thinking ahead for when it's time to book an extra night at universal hotel for extra days express pass ??

[@bufordmyers9001]

Great video, on eve rage single rider was half the time of standby and Express was half or less than half the time of single rider!

[@eddiesfl7003]

Can you compare the premium express pass after the 4pm start to see if it’s worth the upgrade?

[@morganmccartney6145]

Any update on express passes with hagrid magical motor bike and velocicoaster? I plan to go in August. I hope they have express passes for those two when I go. This will be my first time at Universl. I'm so excited!

[@FullPourForYou]

Are the premiere hotel room keys the equivalent of the unlimited express pass or the one per attraction express pass?

[@shch1673]

My friend and I tried to use the single rider line on Hulk last year, and somehow we ended up in the regular line. We never could figure out where we went wrong. Super fun roller coaster, though.

[@robcannon]

We were at the park when they removed the mask mandate for walking around the park. The single rider lines were awesome and frequently put you right at the front of the line instead of an hour wait. I will definitely stay at one of the premier hotels next time as not every ride had a single rider line open.

[@scottkarolchyk9187]

Love the unlimited express pass, but it didn't help much week after Christmas Day.

[@yeobosayo5700]

I had bought my express passes online, will I be given physical tickets? Or just the mobile pass?

[@SUNSHINE21480]

You can always ask a tem member which is faster since rider or express pass.

[@joshmathews3858]

We stayed at the Royal Pacific and those express passes were worth every penny we paid for the hotel. Hulk ride was an hour wait and we rode it 4 times within 20 minutes

[@ashleymcallister3386]

Im going the last week of November/first week of December do you think i really need the express passes? It will be our first time there and we have 4 days

[@JayJayDobro]

I'll save the outrageous $600 + dollars for 2 express passes and simply use the single rider line, thank you very much. The sr lines just about double the ex lines ...6 min for ex, 12 min for sr on the average. Besides it's like adding insult to injury having to pay that much and not be valid on the 2 best rides in the park ie Hagrids and Velocicoaster

[@tsrgoinc]

I think the first express pass at Universal I ever bought, costs about $30! 😱

[@Bighirsch2]

Do you know when they will put the express pass on hagrids?

[@contraband20]

$330 wow. When I go in January it's $99. I'll stick to the winter seasons lol.

[@Legenkilla]

I went in early december before the 18th and january both i did not need express walked on almost everything

[@ParallelDiscover]

I like what you did but stand by estimates are pretty bad and with out waiting in it we don't get the full story. It would be asking a little much though. Great video

[@rebeccaparker9703]

Anyone know if I would be able to gift express pass to a stand by person. Our group has 2 elderly and 2 young children however we will all have express passes. I wondering if we could help people out along the way and use our un-needed passes to get a stranger or 2 past the queue. Is it just a quick scan of the pass?

[@AlexGarcia-dt8uf]

I am going in late august. Should I buy my express pass now or wait until I go?

[@JohnDoe-vc4vw]

I have only been to the park once without express.... in 1991 when express was not an option and IOA was not there. Otherwise, premier hotels all the way!!! Unlimited Express is the way to go!

[@makailaf8448]

Was this test with the park at full capacity or close too? I’ll be there in September we are 100% investing in this

[@parrishrturner]

If your doing express pass for one day which park do you think is better to get, taking Hagrids and Velosocoaster out of the equation?

[@michelle1]

Actually if you have never been in either queue, you really would want to do standby for both at least once (after the Haggrid's pre-show returns). Otherwise, the single rider queue will be 20 minutes or less for velocicoaster most days. (You won't see animatronic or animated raptors in the queue, though). Hagird's is a better themed coaster. Velocicoaster is a much higher thrilling coaster. NOT for the faint of heart. Hagrid's may have virtual queues, so that is also something to consider. Personally, I'd go for Hagrid's over Velocicoaster but I am highly biased in that VC scared me a LOT so I'm not going on it again.

[@andrewrinehart1092]

My family and myself were at Universal last week and we saw you eating lunch at Louie's Italian restaurant in Studios. Express is the only way to go to have an enjoyable time. Some rides were walkons with express and over an hour for the regular wait. Example: Jurassic River Journey, 75 mins was the regular time, we walked right on. We would have been miserable waiting in the regular lines. I recommend staying at the Royal Pacific hotel that way you can just walk to the parks. Sure beats waiting for the river taxi or the bus.

[@denisejohnson2731]

The express pass is worth its weight in Gold. You will not enjoy the parks without one. Well unless you like like waiting in line in the heat

[@paulr7898]

Coming over from the UK next year hopefully, Can the Express Pass be used individually amongst my family if we only bought one pass. Did you and Nikki share the same pass ? Thanks Paul

[@futureshock2038]

No, it is tied to a human being; just like a buffet - NO SHARING! You would need to buy a pass per person in your party. Or as many people have suggested, have your party stay at one of the premier level hotels and unlimited express pass is included per person per day at the hotel (and those days include check-in and check-out; so you could stay one night at the hotel but get 2 days worth of unlimited express passes per person).

[@KarloStars]

You could buy one pass for your family however only one person would be able to get into a ride at a time. You won't be able to scan 1 person and use that same ticket to get the next person into the same line but theoretically you could get your pass scanned and then hand the pass off to someone else so they can ride a different ride elsewhere if the scanner is at the front of the attraction. They don't verify who the pass belongs to. It would be really inconvenient to try to share a pass. You might as well do single rider at that rate.

[@KarloStars]

@@krisb3576 We 100% do not. I work here and deal with express. We do not take your photo. Even the resort keycards don't take your photo. At no point do we cross examine the passes with a photo.

[@sunshine14217]

Again this is absolutely incorrect. I have purchased and used these passes the last four visits to Universal. The first time your pass is scanned in the express line you walk in front of what looks like a camera on a tripod. This camera takes a biometric measurement of your face and attaches it to your pass that they scan. They have biometric scanners all over Walmart now. They know who you are and where you are at all times on the resort.

[@KarloStars]

@@sunshine14217 Facial recognition has been phased out. When was the last time you visited? Probably not anytime within the past year or so.

[@shanewinsten1846]

I believe a better experiment would be one person go in the normal line and one I’m the express because as we all know the wait times are never accurate. The other day the mummy was listed as 35 minutes and it was about a 5 minute wait, almost a walk on.

[@makailaf8448]

Okay wait…. The price in the park IS CRAZY high compared to the price online for express passes? IF I buy online can I use it tin the park?!

[@deannawaltman3684]

Hogwarts light show starts back tomorrow night!!

[@adamkasowitz3966]

Are the standby time estimates usually accurate?

[@freddymedina7430]

When you stay at the hotels that provide the express pass does it apply to all of the guest in the room?

[@michelle1]

yes!

[@kermitis_green2301]

The express pass for me was definitely worth it! We were able to go on every single ride in one day without rushing to the next. I highly recommend buying the express pass

[@deviousderpster1823]

Cool

[@user-nd1ke6gl1n]

Can u take turns using the express pass or did u both have one?

[@tsormmh3590]

You both have to have one. You could try using the other person's but you risk getting kicked out of the park.

[@rlee7389]

I just wish I could afford a premier hotel so I could get express passes. It’s cheaper for us to stay at the dockside and buy express passes for each day than a premier hotel unfortunately. However they are still so much more expensive than just regular tickets.

[@kennethlua4928]

Not much The EP lines were longer when I was there a few days ago

[@bobscott5022]

Is it always over $300 for that is there any time of the year cheaper

[@michelle1]

That is the day of purchase price. Buy ahead of time and on a weekday will be cheaper.

[@motluv]

Can someone let me know if they still allow guests at the three hotels he mentioned as Premier to get into the parks an hour early?

[@RixFlix]

Yes

[@motluv]

@@RixFlix great. Is it possible to get on the roller coasters mentioned without express passes in that time?

[@kelly199]

If you stay at Hard Rock is the express pass per person?

[@RixFlix]

Yes, say how many you need

[@madmudd96]

Also Lowe’s had happy hour in the lobby every night for the adults 🤪