FANS HAVE SPOKEN! Which Is Better: Disney’s Lightning Lane or Universal’s Express Pass?!

Two of Florida’s biggest theme parks have their own skip-the-line options that guests can purchase at an additional cost: Disney has Lightning Lanes and Universal has Express Pass, but which one is better?

We asked for your thoughts, and there was a clear winner between the two options. Let’s dive into which you think is the better service to buy on your next trip and why!

The Difference Between Disney’s Lightning Lane and Universal’s Express Pass

Disney’s Lightning Lane:

Disney World has three different Lightning Lane tiers: Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass. Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows guests to book up to three time slots for experiences before they even get to the park. This tier does not include each park’s most popular attractions. Prices range from $16 to $39 per person per day, depending on the park and availability.

Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased for an additional cost for the e-ticket attractions in each park. These include:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
• TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Prices range from $10 to $25 per person per day, depending on the attraction and availability.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass is the easiest and least stressful of the three tiers to use because you don’t have to worry about booking time slots and being on your phone all day. You can just show up to any attraction and ride — whenever you want! However, you can only ride each attraction once per day. Prices range from $129 to $449 dependent on park and availability.

Universal’s Express Pass:

Universal’s skip-the-line option is the most similar to Disney’s Premier Pass, and here’s why: you can just show up and ride without having to worry about booking time slots. Universal has two different Express Pass tiers: Standard and Unlimited.

The Standard Express Pass allows guests to show up to an attraction and ride it whenever they want, but only once per day. Prices range from $119.99 to $359.99, depending on crowd level and availability. The Unlimited Express Pass is the same as the Standard, but instead of only being able to ride an attraction once, you can ride it as many times as you’d like. Prices range from $149.99 to $379.99, depending on crowd-level and availability.

Universal Express Now is another option that pops up as an option when there is availability to skip the line at one attraction — similar to Lightning Lane Single Pass. In the past, we’ve seen prices around $24.99 per person for Revenge of the Mummy and Skull Island: Reign of Kong, for example. This is not guaranteed on your trip, but you can check the Universal app to see if it’s available on the day of your visit.

Which Is the Better Option for Your Vacation?

Each of the skip-the-line options have their own perks, but if you can only choose one for your vacation, which should you choose? We asked our readers, and the response overwhelmingly favored one side over the other. A whopping 93.75% preferred Universal’s Express Pass over Disney’s Lightning Lanes.

One of the biggest reasons that people prefer Express Passes over Lightning Lanes is convenience. Lisa wrote, “While Disney’s price is more reasonable, Universal’s system is so much better. At Disney I spent the whole day on my phone planning things and trying to make the timing of rides work. At Universal, we got to meander through the park on our own schedule. A much better experience, in my opinion.”

Alex fully agreed with Lisa, saying, “Comes down to the best for convenience and ease is Universal Express Pass…best for the budget is Disney’s Lightning Lane. For one person the $ might not be too bad but for a family of 4 it can get real crazy expensive quickly. Find a good deal at one of the Universal Hotels that offers express pass and you are all set for a great day with good value.”

One thing that Alex mentioned that is important to note is the fact that Express Pass Unlimited is included with your stay at select Universal Hotels. These hotels are a part of Universal’s Signature Collection, which includes:

• Loews Portofino Bay Hotel
• Hard Rock Hotel®
• Loews Royal Pacific Resort

This is one of those perks that can put Universal over Disney when comparing the two services. Stacy writes, “I think if you stay at a Universal Premier Hotel where Express Pass is included it is 100 times better than Multi Pass or Single Pass. Disney needs to take page from Universal’s book in this area.”

But one of the biggest critiques of Universal’s Express Pass is the price, and that’s why some people would prefer paying for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Disney. Some people would rather be on their phones all day than pay the price of an Express Pass.

These services can cost a pretty penny, so we know how important it is to make the right decision when it comes to picking a skip-the-line option. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars because we’re always giving you all of the tips and tricks on how to have the best vacation!

Lightning Lane Rules Have Changed at Hollywood Studios!

Would you rather purchase Lightning Lanes or Express Passes? Let us know in the comments!

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