We just got back and didn’t buy Express Pass, and didn’t feel the need to stay at the higher priced resorts, to get it free. BUT, that is because we are not BIG rollercoaster fans, and knew we wouldn’t need that perk to get to see everything we wanted. I suggest you look at the maps and know in advance what you are wanting to ride. The main thing, in our experience last week, is that, if you are there for HP world, and especially Hagrid’s ride, I highly suggest you go to that park first, and get in line right away, and be willing to stay through any ride delays. It goes down A LOT!. We had 3 day passes and went to US the first day, riding Gringotts first. We went back and forth between the parks, deciding to do Hagrids first thing the 2nd day. We were first in line at the turnstile, only to be told the ride was closed due to the cold.This is going to sound crazy, but we spent 5 hours roaming Diagon Alley, keeping an eye on the app, and trying to overhear any announcements from the ’sentries’ blocking the line ( you could NOT get into the line). When at 1pm it was still showing closed, we decided to bag it, and went to ride Kong. I checked the app before going in- still closed, and when I came out at 1:25, it had opened and had a 90 min. wait. We looked at each other and asked, what should we do?Well, we decided to go get in line, because we worried that if we decided to wait until our last day, and it was closed again, and never opened, we would have lost our only chance to ride it. So,we got in line, had a 60 minute wait, and rode it. And it was the best ride we have ever been on!The only reason we were willing to do this, is because we had ridden everything else we wanted, and were missing nothing by waiting. You may have too many other rides to be willing to do this. Then, on our last day,we went back to Hagrids first, got in line, advanced to the very last line to board, (after several delays]and after 3 hours of sitting in line, they announced another hour delay. At that point, my hubby had been chatting with a cast member who escorted him to the restroom, and she pulled him aside and gave him 4 express passes to use, including on that ride! So, only because of that, we left and had lunch. We saw they eventually CLOSED the ride. We came back at 4 pm, and found it open, so used the express passes for our last 2 rides. We heard that when they closed the ride and ushered everyone out of the ride, they were all given express passes. So, be ready for this to happen, and give yourselves the best chance to ride Hagrids, by going there the first day! Our son and wife are going on Tue, with just a 2 d pass, and that is what we told them to do.
