Universal Orlando is testing a new version of its popular Express Pass service that allows guests to purchase one-time line-skipping access at select single attractions for $25 each. This covers eligible rides, how it compares to Lightning Lane Single Pass at Walt Disney World, and what this could mean for an expansion of Express Pass at UOR.
For starters, this comes during the popular fall break period at Universal Orlando. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as we already reported that Walt Disney World’s Worst Crowds Since Easter Are Here. Attendance trends are mostly the same at both Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World, with Epic Universe being the colossal caveat to that (Universal Studios Florida has more in common with Magic Kingdom crowd trends than it does with Epic Universe.)
Suffice to say, Universal Orlando is very busy right now. The two legacy parks are in the midst of their two worst weeks since Easter, which is consistent with Walt Disney World. I’m not there on the ground to share reports of “feels like” crowds, but from the photos I’ve seen on social media, just entering Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure in the morning looks pretty brutal!
Anyway, these peak season crowds are the backdrop against which Universal Orlando is testing something new to capitalize on higher demand for line-skipping services. This part makes sense, as such a test can’t really be conducted during the off-season, as it would yield inconclusive results since few guests would feel properly incentivized to buy.
Universal Express Single Attraction Access is currently available in-app for Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida and Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Islands of Adventure. You can find this in the “Special Offers” section of the app, or by scanning a QR code outside the attractions. Here are details pulled from the purchase page:
Limited-Time Offering: Skip One Regular Ride Line Now!
Purchase Universal Express Single Attraction Access now and fast-forward to amazing by skipping one of our regular lines. This limited-time offering is only available at select attractions. Valid theme park admission required for entry. These offers sell out fast! Please note that you can only select one offer at this time.
Here are screenshots of the Universal Express Single Attraction Access Special Offer:
The total cost after tax for either attraction is $26.62. As of right now, I see availability for either attraction, and would not expect either to sell out fast.
For reference, here are today’s prices for Lightning Lane Single Pass at Walt Disney World:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: $14
- TRON Lightcycle Run: $22
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: $19
- Star Wars Rise of the Resistance: $25
- Avatar Flight of Passage: $18
These are the new maximums for Lightning Lane Single Pass, following last week’s price increase. Note that only Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is $25.
Our Commentary
I’m not the least bit surprised that Universal Orlando is testing a la carte line-skipping access. A lot of Walt Disney World fans give Universal a free pass when it comes to upcharges, nickel & diming, etc. because they have blind spots for the most egregious examples–and in fairness, many guests get free line-skipping by virtue of their hotel stays.
Regardless, it’s not like Comcast (of all companies) is different from Disney. Both want to maximize revenue and grow their businesses, and will charge what the market will bear in that quest. The biggest material difference is that Universal and Disney have different fanbases, guest profiles, and places in American culture.
Universal is gaining ground and their aggressiveness is admirable, but it’s precisely because they want a slice of what Disney has! It’s not out of corporate benevolence, loving their fans, or whatever. Perhaps most importantly, Comcast just invested $7 billion in a brand-new theme park and really wants/needs to see ROI on that sooner rather than later.
Although they aren’t going to say as much on earnings calls, my guess is that Epic Universe hasn’t quite met early expectations. Attendance is still fairly low–and necessarily so, given ongoing capacity woes. But that’s another topic for another post–and one we’ve covered elsewhere, anyway.
That brings us to experiments like this with Universal Express Single Attraction Access, where the company tries to create a new revenue stream and achieve higher guest spending with impulse buys. It’s a great idea…in theory!
Universal Orlando’s existing line-skipping products are aimed upmarket. They are expensive, whether they’re included with top-tier hotel stays or purchased as an a la carte product. Not totally the same, but more akin to Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World than Multi-Pass.
Whereas Walt Disney World created that new revenue stream last year at the higher end of the spectrum, Universal is now aiming downstream at guests who were priced out of the highest-tier hotels or the bundled Express Pass. Given that regular Express Pass starts at $210 today, this is a comparative bargain! There are undoubtedly guests who would pay $25 to skip the line at their favorite attractions, but not shell out ~$200 for line-skipping at all popular rides.
The problem, as is likely obvious to anyone who has ever visited Universal Orlando, is that these are very undesirable attractions for Express Pass. Revenge of the Mummy is borderline, but it also has Single Rider. By contrast, it’s criminal to be charging any amount for line-skipping on Skull Island: Reign of Kong. We’ve had Unlimited Express Pass (via hotel stays) numerous times, and I’m honestly not sure whether I’ve ever used it there. It’s just not usually necessary!
That’s also the problem with this test of Universal Express Single Attraction Access. Is it really going to yield any useful data points? If this doesn’t sell out–and I sure hope it doesn’t–does that actually speak to demand for this particular product offering? And if it does sell out, does that actually say anything useful about demand and pricing for the real headliners?
The answers to those questions are probably all no. If this is as unpopular as we expect it to be, that says absolutely nothing about the market for a la carte line-skipping at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Jurassic World VelociCoaster…or any ride with higher demand.
If Express Pass is selling well for $25 at Reign of Kong and Revenge of the Mummy (bold assumption), it’s gotta be worth like $100 at Hagrid’s!!! I wouldn’t pay anything for this, period, but $100 for Hagrid’s seems more logical to me than $25 for Reign of Kong–and I’m not even remotely kidding.
Honestly, I really wonder what’s up with this test. It’s almost as if the team at Universal Orlando being tasked with this project wants it to fail. As someone who dabbles lightly in conspiracy theories, it wouldn’t surprise me if c-suite leadership tasked the park teams with “finding” more Express Pass revenue, instructed them to look at what Walt Disney World is doing and try some of that.
In such a scenario, it’s possible that the park team doesn’t actually want to monetize even more or impair the regular guest experience, so they “sabotaged” the test by choosing two attractions that would garner low sales and have minimal negative guest impact. I hope this is what happened, and if so, good on Universal Orlando local leadership.
To be clear, I have no clue whether this occurred. I don’t have that kind of familiarity with Universal Orlando decision-making. I do know that this type of tension absolutely exists at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and there are times when the people on-the-ground drag their feet or try to resist mandates from above. So it is superficially plausible.
It’s also possible that this is part of a more concerted bigger-picture plan, and one that Universal wants to finesse to avoid breaking the guest experience. As we’ve seen with the relatively-recent introduction of Express Pass at Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, line-skipping can wreak havoc on wait times and the regular guest experience.
As one final dose of conspiratorial thinking, I could also see Universal Orlando wanting to do everything possible with the bounds of their contract with Loews Hotels to minimize the value the Unlimited Express Pass guests of select resorts receive.
I’ve mentioned this before, but I’d be willing to bet that Universal regrets making that sweetheart deal back in the day (hence Helios Grand not offering Express Pass). However, I’m not really sure how they go about undermining the on-site hotel Express Pass without also negatively impacting the people paying $200+ out of pocket for the standalone product.
In any case, it should be interesting to watch how the test of Universal Express Single Attraction Access continues to unfold. I would bet we see an expansion of this product over time, as that $7 billion park isn’t going to pay for itself overnight…and Universal has other big expansion plans around the globe that need funding from Kabletown. What’ll be most interesting here is the where and when of Universal Express Single Attraction Access.
Universal doesn’t have a ton of excess bandwidth at its most popular rides during peak season, but it does at the less popular ones (see the current test) or during off-peak dates (mid-November and early December come to mind). Whatever they do, it’ll also need to coexist alongside the more expensive (and more lucrative) Express Pass bundles without cannibalizing sales of those.
Then there’s Epic Universe, which is its own can of worms–we do not expect this test to occur there anytime this year. In related reading, you might want to check out Should You Buy Express Pass at Epic Universe?
Express Pass Basic Background
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Universal’s Express Pass is a line-skipping option at popular rides that promises to cut wait times in half. You present the pass at participating attractions and enter a separate ‘fast lane’ (sound familiar?) with a shorter wait time at each attraction.
Logistically, redeeming Express Pass is quite similar to entering the physical Lightning Lanes (or prior FastPass queues) at Walt Disney World. It’s what you do before entering each physical queue that varies considerably between the Universal Orlando and WDW options.
Express Pass is available as a ticket add-on or with select hotel stays. You can purchase two varieties of Express Pass, regular or unlimited. The regular version allows you to skip the line once per eligible attraction in either park. Universal Express Unlimited offers line-skipping privileges, as the name suggests, an unlimited number of times per attraction.
Unlimited Express Pass is available at the Premier Hotels, which are Universal’s highest-tier resorts. Guests who stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino Bay all receive Unlimited Express Pass included with their stay at no additional charge (including check-in and checkout days).
We hesitate to call Unlimited Express Pass that comes with hotel stays “free” since it’s arguably priced into the nightly rate. However, we’ve had some stays that literally cost less than Express Pass would’ve when paying out of pocket, so perhaps free is apt!
If your budget allows for it, we’d highly recommend one of Universal’s Premier Hotels if you want the Unlimited Express Pass perk or a good location near the parks or a cool luxury-caliber themed resort. The trio of hotels that offer Unlimited Express Pass are all top-notch. If you’d be staying at a nice hotel anyway, these hotels are definitely worthy of your consideration. See our reviews for photos, video, and comprehensive thoughts:
When included as part of a Premier Hotel stay at Universal Orlando, Unlimited Express Pass absolutely trounces Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Walt Disney World. There is no comparison. It wins hands down in every category, including cost.
If you aren’t doing a hotel stay, you’ll have to pay for regular Express Pass or Unlimited Express Pass out-of-pocket. This changes the calculus considerably, as the out-of-pocket cost of regular Express Pass starts at $120 per person plus tax. Currently, peak season dates for regular Express Pass top out at $360, with the average being around $150.
Then there’s Unlimited Universal Express Pass. This ranges from $150 to $380, with $200 appearing to be about the average for upcoming dates. There are plenty of dates when the surcharge for Unlimited Express Pass is only ~$20 to $30 extra. Great for thrill junkies who want to loop the coasters!
In short, a family of 4 can expect to pay anywhere from around $500 for the basic one-time use Express Pass to over $1,000 during peak season for Unlimited Express Pass. To put that into perspective, we’ve booked several stays at Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific, or Hard Rock Hotel for under $300 per night. Granted, most of our stays are in the off-season and with Annual Passholder discounts, but still. You can routinely score one of the 3 for $500 or less, so long as you book it early!
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Would you buy Universal Express Single Attraction Access for Reign of Kong or Revenge of the Mummy? What about Hagrid’s or VelociCoaster? Assuming that a la carte line skipping is “worth” $25 at these rides, what’s it worth for the headliners? Agree or disagree with my assessment? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
