Universal Orlando’s Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane at Disney World

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Orlando theme parks continue to get busier every year, and this means more crowded parks and longer wait times. When taking a look at Universal Orlando’s Express Pass vs Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World, it can be hard to decide which resort and which system is a better fit for you.

I’ve been to both resorts numerous times over the years, have an Annual Pass for Universal Orlando Resort, and even have over 25 years of experience visiting, researching, and working for theme parks.

Let’s take a look at which pass offers better value, convenience, and perks to their respective resort parks. I’ll make sure you know exactly how these two systems compare and help you decide which is the right fit for your trip!

Overview of Universal Orlando’s Express Pass

Universal Orlando’s Express Pass system is a paid service that allows you to skip the standby lines for attractions across the Universal Orlando Resort. 

It’s as simple as purchasing your Express Pass product or having a reservation at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel that comes with free Express Pass and showing up at the attraction you want to ride. You then enter a separate line exclusively for guests with Express Passes.

Universal Express Pass products are fairly easy to use and navigate once you’re inside the parks!

There are two types of Express Passes: Universal Express Pass and Universal Express Unlimited.  Universal Express Pass allows you to skip the regular standby lines once per day for each participating attraction. Universal Express Unlimited, however, allows you to skip as many standby lines as you want per day for an added cost.

You can also purchase Express Passes to be used in one park per day or multiple parks per day.

It should be noted that there is no Universal Express Unlimited at the Volcano Bay water park – a similar product is called Universal Express PLUS Pass there.

Currently, most major rides at Universal Orlando Resort have an Express line, with one major exception being Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Be sure to take advantage of early entry if you want to ride that roller coaster before non-resort guests can.

You can also purchase Express Passes to be used in one park per day or multiple parks per day. So, if you’re going to be riding the Hogwarts Express from Universal Studios Florida to Islands of Adventure (or vice versa), make sure both your tickets and Express Passes allows for that if you want to use them!

Overview of Disney World’s Lightning Lane

Disney World’s skip-the-line systems have had numerous names in the past, like FastPass and Genie+. However, this current iteration is called Lightning Lane.

Disney’s Lightning Lane allows you to shorten the wait times you would experience in the regular standby line for an additional cost.

There are three Lightning Lane products available for purchase:

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you to most attractions participating in the service once per day by reserving a time to come back to an attraction. It does not, however, grant you access to Lightning Lanes for rides participating the Lightning Lane Single Pass program (more on that below). You’re able to park hop with a Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
• Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for the most in-demand rides at each park. Usually, there’s only one or two of these at each park, and they aren’t included when you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can, however, still reserve these ahead of time as you can with other Lightning Lane products. You need to reserve a time to come back to an attraction with Lightning Lane Single Pass.
• Lightning Lane Premier Pass allows you to enter the Lightning Lane queues for all attractions participating in Lightning Lane once per day at one park per day. You are not able to park hop with this option, but you do not have to worry about reserving times for your rides – you can just show up to the Lightning Lane queue and walk on.

Disney World’s Lightning Lane allows guests staying at a resort hotel to book their first three Lightning Lane rides up to 7 days in advance. Other guests can book their first three rides up to 3 days in advance.

Lightning Lane has you reserve a time through it’s My Disney Experience app to come back and ride each attraction with a shorter wait. Once that time comes, you go to the Lightning Lane queue to be granted access to a shorter wait than those in the regular standby queue.

Pricing and Value of Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane

Universal Orlando’s Express Passes start at about $90 for their theme parks ($20 for Volcano Bay). Prices will go up based on the date you visit the park and its anticipated crowd level. It’s very easy for Express Unlimited to get to be $200 or more during peak seasons.

Disney’s Lightning Lane products start out much cheaper, with Lightning Lane Single Pass usually starting around $15 and Lightning Lane Multi Pass starting around $20. Lightning Lane Multi Pass has seen prices around $40 on the busiest days.

However, Lightning Lane Premier Pass, starts at $130 and gets as high as about $450, while the comparable Universal Express Unlimited starts at about $120 and gets as high as $400.

Universal Orlando gives guests staying at certain on-property hotels free Express Unlimited, which can end up making Express much cheaper when divided among the people staying in a hotel room.

Both of these skip-the-line options can add up pretty quickly on top of the cost of tickets, hotels, and food. Make sure to work with someone who knows the parks well when deciding if these costs are a necessity or a luxury for your vacation.

If you’re looking to have the best Walt Disney World vacation, work with me as a travel advisor and Authorized Disney Vacation Planner! With the help of my host agency, Wishdrawals Travel, I can help make it one to remember. Whether you’re a family with kids, a solo traveler, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you’ll have an stress-free, safe Disney trip!

Ride Availability and Perks of Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane

Currently, Express Passes at Universal Orlando do not cover Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Pteranodon Flyers. Only regular standby queues are available for those attractions.

There aren’t really any major Disney World attractions that do not include a Lightning Lane queue. It all depends on which product you purchase as to which ones you can use.

Lightning Lane products can include all eligible Lightning Lane attractions, but you’ll have to pay for both Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. If you don’t want to do that, you can splurge for Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which includes all eligible Lightning Lane attractions.

Lightning Lane products also allow you to download your on-ride photos for free from the My Disney Experience app as well as access Disney PhotoPass Lenses.

Note that because these systems are letting people skip the longer waits, standby queues may not move as quickly as these priority queues if they get backed up.

Convenience and Ease of Use of Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane

Express Pass doesn’t require any type of reservation to ride. You simply show up to the ride you wish to experience and enter the Express Pass queue.

Lightning Lane, however, requires you to reserve times through the My Disney Experience app unless you pay for Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which costs much more than the other Lightning Lane products.

If there are no more Lightning Lane times available for a certain ride, you may not get to experience it that day unless you wait in the regular standby line.

This booking system for Lightning Lane can be annoying as it ties you to your phone all day making reservations. It also doesn’t allow for much spontaneity, which can be part of the fun of enjoying a theme park.

Resort Hotel Advantages for Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane

Currently, guests staying at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, or Portofino Bay get free Express Unlimited for every person in their room beginning on their check in day and including the day they check out from the hotel.

Let’s say you’re staying in a room with four people total at a cheaper Universal hotel like Cabana Bay. You spend $150 on the hotel room plus $150 per person in the room for Express Unlimited. If your trip consists of three nights at the hotel and three park days, that’s $1,800 total. 

But if you were to stay at Hard Rock Hotel, you may pay about $600 per night for the room. That would still be $1,800 total, but you now are staying at a much nicer hotel than you would have been previously and get Express Unlimited for everyone in the room.

It can also make the difference between paying for another day of Express Pass for your check-in or check-out day vs using standby queues on those days.

Disney World currently does not give any of its hotel guests any Lightning Lane perks. 

Disney World Resort guests still get early entry to the parks if they stay on-property, much like Universal, though Universal gives an hour head start as opposed to Disney’s half hour.

Occasionally, though, Disney will let guests staying at Deluxe Resorts stay in certain parks after normal park hours for a bit, giving them exclusive access to the park.

Best Rides for Express Pass Vs Lightning Lane

At both resorts, it’s best to know which rides typically get longer wait times. Working with someone like an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner will help you get ahead of those long lines and determine if it’s worth getting any skip-the-line products. 

Universal and Disney both have many large, thrilling attractions that are almost always going to have long lines the match the large thrills you experience. 

It’s safe to assume that if an attraction is deemed to be more thrilling than others, it’s going to have a longer wait time. Having ridden over 200 roller coasters, I can confidently say that using these products to minimize your wait times can make the difference in how many of these thrilling attractions you can experience.

It’s best to have a plan and know which rides are worth using these skip-the-line features for and which can have shorter standby lines.

Pro Tip: If you’re a solo travelers or don’t mind being split up from your party, some of these attractions have single rider queues, which can often be a shorter wait than standby lines and don’t cost anything to use. Keep in mind that you cannot pick your seat or who you ride with if you choose this option, though!

Which Skip-The-Line Pass Is Right For You?

When it comes to Express Pass vs. Lightning Lane, many people in the industry can have heated discussions about the pros and cons of each. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference as to which of these products you prefer.

Those traveling in large groups or families or those who do not get to experience these resorts as much may benefit from paying a little more to minimize the time spent waiting in each line.

However, Orlando locals or Annual Passholders may decide to forgo either Express Pass or Lightning Lane products since they frequent the parks much more often, and can come back to experience something with a long standby line at another time.

Additionally, some of the larger attractions have single rider queues, so solo travelers may benefit from these and not feel obligated to pay to skip the regular standby lines.

What’s going to be best for you is going to be based on many unique factors. That’s why it’s important to work with a travel agent or do a lot of your own research when deciding if Express Pass or Lightning Lane is best for you. I’m here to guide you every step of the way to ensure your trip is stress-free and unforgettable!