18. Unlocking Express: Your Key to Shorter Lines at Universal Orlando

Ever stared at a list of Universal Orlando Express Passes and thought, “Wait… what do I actually need?” You’re not alone. In this episode, I’m breaking down every type of Express Pass—from the basic single-park add-ons to the multi-day options that (finally) include Epic Universe. We’ll talk perks, pitfalls, and the planning hacks that save you time, money, and sanity.

Plus, I’ll clear up a huge point of confusion around hotel perks, Epic access, and a special shoutout to my Premier Annual Passholders. And yes, Ygor makes an appearance. You’ve been warned.

🎁 Want the whole list—organized, printable, and meltdown-proof?
 Download my free Universal Express Pass Cheat Sheet here:
👉 unlockinguniversal.com/express

In This Episode:

• What Express Pass actually is (and isn’t)
• Key differences between 1-Day, Unlimited, and Multi-Day Express
• The Epic Universe Express catch for 2025
• Why your hotel might not unlock what you think
• How Premier Annual Passholders get a secret perk after 4pm
• The strategic case for using Express—and when to skip it
• My favorite tip for getting the most value for your vacation dollar
• A downloadable Express Pass cheat sheet to make it all click

Links & Resources:

📝 Download the FREE cheat sheet → HERE
🎧 Mentioned Episode #17: “Your Epic Questions Answered, Volume 1” → Listen now
📬 Have a question? Text me! → Link at the top of the episode notes

🎇Grab your FREE Express Pass Cheat Sheet HERE🎇

🌟 As a senior travel consultant and trainer with The Magic For Less Travel, a top U-Preferred agency, I specialize in Universal Orlando vacations—When you're ready to go from dreaming to doing, I'm here for you. My services are free, my excitement is contagious, and your countdown to Epic could start faster than a VelociCoaster launch.

🎆Get a No-Obligation Quote HERE!

💌 Let’s Connect:

📧 Email me: holli@themagicforless.com

📲 Instagram @Unlocking_Universal

📺 YouTube @Unlocking_Universal

Let’s unlock your best Universal Orlando vacation together!

This podcast is fan-created and not affiliated with Universal Destinations & Experiences.

Transcript

[00:00:00] A mother clutches her child's hand as they stare down a 75 minute wait for Spider-Man. A couple bickers quietly in the queue for Escape From Gringotts. Both silently wondering if this is how they'll spend their anniversary.

Meanwhile, in the Express line, guests are breezing past, no meltdowns, no back sweat, soaking through their minion themed t-shirts. Well, maybe a little, but with a quick scan they're in. That's the power of Express Pass. But the real question is, do you need it? And if you do. Which one because in 2025 the rules have changed.

Epic Universe has entered the game. Express passes come in more flavors than a Florian Fortescue's sunday and the fine print, it matters. I'm about to walk you through it all.

 Welcome back to Unlocking Universal, [00:01:00] your Key to all things Universal Orlando and beyond. Now here's your guide and unfair Advantage Holli.

 Let's get this right out of the way. You don't need Express Pass. It's totally possible to have a great trip without it, especially if you have a little more time to spend, a good touring plan, and proper expectation management.

Think of Express like park alchemy. You wave your pass and just like that, poof, the wait time shrinks, but not all Express passes are created equal. Some are tied to your hotel stay, others are standalone upgrades. And when it comes to Epic Universe in 2025, let's just say you're gonna want a roadmap.

So first things first. What is an Express Pass anyway? Well, it's an add-on that lets you bypass the regular standby lines at most rides and attractions for a separate line with a significantly shorter wait time, and depending on which version you buy, you'll either get one-time Express access per ride or [00:02:00] attraction or Unlimited Express access, meaning you can loop that favorite coaster as many times as your lunch will allow.

You'll find Express Pass options for all four parks, Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and yes, even Epic Universe, but with a twist, and we'll get there. But just a heads up, going in Express passes are always in addition to regular park admission. You need both. And Volcano Bay Express Pass is always its own thing.

It's never included with any of the other park Express options.

So with that out of the way, here's where things get interesting. In 2025, Epic Universe opened with its own Express Pass options, but they don't quite Play by the same rules as the Express pass for the OG parks, you can buy a standalone Epic Express pass, which covers just that park for the day, same as the others.

So far, so good. Here's where it starts to throw a lot of people though, from way back, guests [00:03:00] staying at certain signature collection hotels have gotten unlimited Express included as a complimentary perk. No extra purchase needed. I call these hotels, the OG three, and that's Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.

Which is Universal Orlando's flagship resort. Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort. Yeah, so what's happened is a lot of people staying at Portofino, Royal Pacific or Hard Rock assume that this Hotel perk Universal Express Unlimited is going to work at Epic too.

But it doesn't. Those perks only apply to Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure. You still get Early Park Admission to Epic, but not Express access. Unless you've added the right ticket combo, that is. This trips people up all the time, and I totally get why. I cover this with every one of my clients planning a Universal trip right now, , it's not a surprise anyone should have at check-in.

 So what if you want access to Express at all [00:04:00] three of the dry parks, that's where the Multi-day Universal Express Pass comes in. It's available for two to five days. It includes one time Express access to participating attractions across the Studios, Islands, and Epic Universe. 

And bonus, it's discounted compared to buying multiple single day passes. For 2025 you cannot park hop in and out of Epic Universe on the same day. That's changing for 2026, but for now, plan your Epic time per day. Oh, and if you want my thoughts specifically on Epic Express and whether it's worth it as a standalone thing this year, check out episode 17.

Your Epic Questions answered, Volume One, I go full soapbox in that one. You may be surprised at where I land with it.

If you're a Premier Annual Passholder, you get a nice little perk of one time Express access every day after 4:00 PM. This is at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It does not apply to Epic [00:05:00] Universe, because we don't have Annual Pass access there yet, but it's still a good reason to hang out in the parks after lunch.

Remember when I told you Volcano Bay Express Pass is always its own thing? So, Volcano Bay has two types of Express Passes to offer guests. And both choices are single-ride passes The first, Volcano Bay Express, gives giests access to a select group of participating rides. 8 of the 12 participating rides, to be exact. And the second pass, Express Plus, access to all 12 of the participating rides at Volcano Bay. Since Volcano Bay is discontinuing their TapuTapu, which is their wearable, Virtual Line wristband as of October 1, 2025, it might be interesting to see how Express Passes evolve here.

 So is Express Pass worth it? And to talk value, we have to start out by talking about the prices. And prices for Express Pass are date based. That means it can [00:06:00] change depending on what days you buy them for, and they can range from under a hundred dollars to well over $300 per person per day.

That's why strategy matters. Sometimes, many times booking a single night at one of the OG three signature hotels costs less than buying Express Passes separately for your entire group, often by hundreds of dollars.

I love this hotel hack, it's one of my favorite tips, especially for busy travel weeks. And while the multi-day Universal Express is one-time use per ride, because it's discounted, it can be a solid value when you wanna include Epic. Now, I say can be a solid value because there are some nuances to this depending on your goals for the trip, and that's an important distinction to make.

It's not always black and white. I cover this deeper in episode 17, so that's definitely worth a listen.

I know all this can make your brain spin faster than Storm Force Accelatron. So I've bundled all of this info into a [00:07:00] super handy little Express Pass reference guide that includes a breakdown of each Express Pass type, which ones work, where and when, what attractions are included in each of the four parks and a few pro tips I've picked up as a professional planner and a fan, you can download it free today. Just grab the link in the show notes.

So let's say that you decide that Express is for you. Here are my top four tips for using it like a pro. First, you're gonna wanna get to the parks early. Yes. Even with Express. You can knock out several key attractions before other guests are even making it into the parks.

Because here's the thing, a lot of times people plan on using the Early Park Admission hour. But they end up not doing it. So if you commit to it and actually take advantage of Early Park Admission, you're gonna be ahead of the curve to begin with.

Number two is to use the Universal app to monitor wait times in real time. You can even set alerts in the app to notify you when an attraction drops to a wait time that you've chosen. Number three, [00:08:00] not all attractions are included, so always check the latest list. This is especially important with Epic Universe, where I recommend heading straight to Battle at the Ministry and at Islands of Adventure for Hagrid's, neither of which offer Express access at this time and wait times can climb really quickly.

And finally, number four, Express doesn't guarantee zero wait time. But it gets you on the rides much faster. Saving at least 50%, usually much more in my experience. This is especially helpful on higher crowd days. Not only that, it gives you more time to enjoy all the little things.

Your hotel, CItyWalk, reriding your favorite rides. This is very often where your best memories end up happening... in those little pockets of unexpected free time and unscripted moments that you just could never plan out.

 Universal Express Pass is a game changer, but only if you really understand how it works. Whether you're skipping the standby line at the Studios looping Velocicoaster at [00:09:00] Islands, or heading into the world of Dark Universe at Epic, there's a version of Express for you.

Just make sure it's the right one, and if you're ever unsure, reach out. This is the stuff I love helping with. So much so I made you that guide just to simplify it even more. So if this episode has saved you from cobbling together a Franken plan, like mixing up your Express options or rage- queuing behind Ygor and a 17 cousins, then don't stop now.

Snag my free Express guide in the show notes. It's got the full breakdown. No lightning bolts needed . And if I helped you escape a monstrous mistake today, please share this episode with your crew. Trust me, it's scarier 

not to. See you soon.

Thanks for hanging out with us. Now, get out here and go do something nice for someone.