Theme Park Express Passes Hack

Picture it, Universal Studios, 2025. You’re standing in yet another hot, sweaty line with your fussy kids, staring down the long wait times. Finally, you give in and decide to look at express passes—only to discover they’re going for something outrageous, like $1400 for a family of four.

Here’s the hack: don’t buy the passes directly. Instead, grab your phone, open the Universal Orlando hotel site, and book the cheapest hotel that comes with unlimited express passes. At Universal, that’s the Royal Pacific. A one-night stay runs about $516, and it includes express passes for everyone in the room.

Yes, you do have to check in—because the hotel key cards are what serve as your Express Passes. But here’s the trick: you don’t actually have to stay there. Many people check in, grab the keys, and head straight to the parks. One hotel night gets your whole family two full days of unlimited express access: the day you check in and the day you check out.

And this kind of hack isn’t unique to Universal. In the Bahamas, you can book a night at one of the cheaper partner hotels—like Comfort Suites Paradise Island—and that reservation gives you access to Atlantis. You pay a fraction of the price of staying at Atlantis itself, but you still get the wristbands and access to all the water slides, pools, and attractions.

Bottom line: sometimes the smartest theme park or resort strategy isn’t buying the pass or booking the expensive room directly—it’s knowing which hotel unlocks the same perks for far less.