SSUSJFUN20 T&Cs: Valid only for Universal Studios Japan Studio Pass. Max discount $100. Valid for AU & NZ residents only. Applicable to 1 order per customer. Valid until 5/6/23 11:59PM AEDT or until quantity exhausted, whichever comes first.
Referrer receives $7 credit after referee's 1st completed activity. Referee gets $7 credit on signup.
If you are a true OzBargainer you would have flown into Japan on either;
- Jetstar Return for Free Sale
- ANA Business Class Deal
Jetstar
No. Never again. Being messed around for hours is not worth the minor discount.
Make sure you pick the right date after checking the crowd calender.. and most important rule, go there early (at least one hour before official opening time - yes they do open before official opening time). Be prepared for crowds, ques, running from one attraction to another (fear of missing out) but it'll be a fantastic day nonetheless. We went on a Thursday (least crowded day but still the facility was packed with people), went one hour early (still had hundreds of people before us in the que), due to early arrival got in early, finished most popular attractions ASAP and by the end of the day we could cover almost entire park (i.e. all important/popular attractions, some even twice).
PS: I can't emphasis enough the importance of going early (and have a proper plan with a marked up map with the ones you're going to visit etc). Just to give some perspective, by coming at 7 AM, you will be covering 2 or 3 most popular attractions within the first hour. But after 8 AM, these same attractions will take 1 hr each to do.
We’re planning to go end of the year. Any tips on what rides to go best. Kids are thrill seekers 😊
1) Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey (we did this twice)
2) The Flying Dinosaur (minimum height applies)
3) Jurassic Park: The Ride
4) The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
5) Hollywood Dream The Ride or Backdrop
We enjoyed the 'Harry Potter' one the most. But Hollywood dream ride/backdrop and Flying Dinosaur were the most thrilling (perhaps that's why we didn't enjoy them as much, I thought they were a bit too much, probably not for kids. Mine were 9 years old and after riding the Hollywood dream, they swore that they will never get onboard a roller coaster ever again, they were crying the whole way through and until half an hour after the ride as well. So it wasn't fun.. LOL - please note, my kids were also thrill seekers until that ride.. Just a heads up).
Cheers, just booked my tickets for my trip soon. Hopefully it won't be too hectic on a friday
If you go to universal get there 1.5 hours or more early because they always open before the official time.
Then run to Super Mario Land and join the line for Mario Kart. You will be able to ride within 10 minutes and even get off and directly rejoin line for another quick go. Later in the day this line blows out to 3 hours. You can then also ride the Yoshi Ride which is really not worth it unless very short wait (scenic ride for kids under 10 basically).
Once done with Mario World go to Wizarding World to enjoy the rides first then the scenery. Use the app to find the rides with shortest wait times and be flexible. Flying dinosaur is recommended as is Jaws, Spiderman(will close soon) and Minions. See the "Monster Rock" show and "Hello Kitty" show in the afternoon. In the evening Mario World will reopen to everyone so you can enjoy at night when it is lit up then do the same for Harry Potter. Another secret is the park will stay open for 1 hour after official closing time. Even during this time you can join rides if they are not yet to shut and take tons of pictures when streets are deserted.
Another option is to go mid-week (outside of holiday periods) on a day with a forecast for rain. Even light rain keeps most locals away, meaning there are so few people in the park there are barely any wait times and they usually don't need to do the timed entry thing to the Mario or Harry Potter areas.
Thanks
Been 3 times and they’ve always opened on time, never early.
It opened 1 hr early when we visited this April. We went about 1.5 hours early and still there were a couple of hundred people in front of us quing. Nonetheless, we did almost all popular rides (without any express pass but with a proper plan with proper research) hence had a fabulous day.
I'd get the Express Pass, despite the huge price difference.
The Mario Kart ride had a 2-hour wait time, while the express pass cuts it down to 30 minutes.
Not required if you arrive at park early and go directly to Mario World.
I am about to go to Japan next week, can I ask you something? Thanks.
Sure.
is the express pass only available direct?
Zombrex absolutely nailed it. Agree, definitely not required if get there early and before official opening time. Also if it makes sense for you, use the solo rider lane wherever they offer.
The pros will use the single rider queue.
You mean a true ozbargainer
Can't tell what the difference is between A through E.
And everything says something else is required to get into the Mario Land. It all seems very confusing.
you will need an express pass to get into mario land unless you plan to go to the park 1 hour earlier than the stated opening time.
I'll definitely go early.
On the app you can reserve a free entry time window for Mario World. Entry time slots become available throughout the day. No express pass is required unless you plan to turn up later in the day and spend a short time in the park.
If you arrive early and spend the entire day you can experience everything worthwhile.
Noting that the app area booking for Nintendo world only works when you scan your code inside the park
As long as you arrive at 8am and line up, once you scan the ticket at the gate and enter the park, get on the app book immediately , you'll get to select the available timeslots.
If I purchase the express pass, I don't need to reserve the time slots, right? Just go straight to the Mario World gate? Thanks
@T-man: You still need to reserve time slot for the area. But you'll get guaranteed one according to the website.
If my guess is correct, how the booking timeslot works is they let you book 2-3 hours from the time of booking. So when you book at 3pm you'll have 3 - 5/6 time slot Available for you to book, with the express pass you'll be guaranteed to get in and others have to wait for you(and other express pass ppl ). Also the express pass cuts down the queue time for the ride, but ONLY once.
@Fappy Bunny: Thanks, for the booking, can you just stay close to the gate and book the timeslot? Or you have to be inside the park? I am just a bit worried for my child and we can't book the desirable time we want. The last time I tried to book the Harry Porter area, only 6 pm was available. It's way too late and we couldn't make it, so just want to make sure this time for the Nintendo World.
@T-man: you have to be inside (cause they have to scan your ticket during entry in order for the bar code to function and than u can use it in the app)
express pass detail you may want to reseach more cause i didn't have to use it.(i did all the rides in nintendo land(only 2) and line up at 7:50)
-MINI GAME
a lot of mini games in the nintendo land,my recommendation is do it after the rides asap!
you cant use express pass for any of those and again they are mini game and essential for the nintendo world.:D hopefulyl u can get 3 keys and get the browser JR castle !
-POWER UP BANDS
get the power up hand band in the park(just for the kids & essential for the mini game.), they sell it everywhere inside nintendo world.don't need to line up and buy it outside the area.
around 30aud.
my recommendation would be going there early as possible, lining up before 8 am on the right side of the park(harry potter and nintendo land is on the right of the entry) on a weekday and making sure it is not a school hoilday.(google japan school hoilday etc)
also book only a week in advance max as weather is unpredictable ( don't want the kids to be sick)
@Fappy Bunny: Thank you so much for your advice. My original plan is to use the chopper as we did with 7/11 and once I got the fake location, I just reserve the tickets for Nintendo Land in the morning (it won't work as you said they have to scan the barcode on the ticket).
So once I got in the park, just run as fast as we can to Nintendo Land and line up for Mario Kart (the only ride my kids want), then come back for the Mini games, taking the photo and then to Wonderful Land and play some other games if possible. Finally, get out of the park 1 hour before the close time. (6 or 7 pm), sound good to you?
@T-man: adopt me pls?
jokes aside, if you're early enough you can just directly go in the park(regardless, the moment they scan your bar code, start fiddling with the app and get the booking :))
The different ticket categories represent different prices for different days. Less popular (and therefore less busy) days have cheaper tickets.
how do i find out what alphabet i need to purchase?
Click 'Check availability' or 'Book now' and you will see the dates those tickets are available. Use the toggle switch to show prices for all dates on the calendar.
Thanks - perfect timing - just purchased , as im planning my trip - now just need a special on the Tokyo Disney
Wow, at this rate it looks like OzBarginers will be getting me a deal on my whole trip to Japan! Thanks OP!
Yesterday I bought the southern airlines deal to japan and now this deal coming out! :)
Had friends recently return from USJ and said the same as Zombrex. Parked opened at 8am instead of 9.
As soon as they entered they booked the timed entry to Harry Potter through the USJ app while running down to Nintendo world, which they walked straight into without timed entry pass.
Will be there next Thursday so fingers crossed.
Is this only up to august?
Looks like you can only book tickets up to 2 months in advance.
The ticket is valid for 90 days from the date you actually book for. So if you book for end of July you have until end of October to use it. Just make sure you buy the correct ticket type for the date you actually want to go (a, b, C, or d). You can find this on the usj website.
Cheers djlee, just booked and realised 👍
The USJ website doesn't show what the type is for September/October - any idea where we can find this to figure out which ticket type I will have to buy?
@djlee do you have to book for a specific day or can rock up anytime within the 90 day period? We sre going in October but not sure if I can buy it now. Thanks
Anytime within the 90 day period. Just find the latest date with the correct ticket type, and the date you want to go is within 90 days of that.
Thanks for your inputs. How can one ensure the correct ticket type, if the date planning to travel is after 30 August?
@absolutec: Yeah sorry just had a look and seems like the calendar on the usj website only runs until end of August. I thought when I had looked in the past I could see 6 months out.
Buy express pass too if you're only going to spend a day there.
Get there around 8am. There will likely be a line already and hopefully let you in early.
Have fun!
Yep definitely worth getting an express pass especially for the rides you really want to go on otherwise you'll be stuck waiting for at least 1-3 hours. I've done that not ideal especially waiting in the rain.
What is the difference between pass A, B, C, D, E??
Different prices for different days. Less popular (and therefore less busy) days have cheaper tickets.
Oh awesome, thank you!
And do you know which letter to pick? And why?
@T-man: Click 'Check availability' or 'Book now' and you will see the dates those tickets are available. Use the toggle switch to show prices for all dates on the calendar.
I wish that is Tokyo Disney, going in 2 weeks but not stopping in Osaka this time
Im planning a trip in November, can i still use this? I note the calendar only shows dates up to 31 Aug?
Need some advice - planning to visit in October this year but the calendar only shows ticket types until August. How would I know which ticket type to purchase?
And also is early entry ticket recommended? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
You can only buy the tix 90 days prior from the intended date. You can only know when the calendar is out around 3-4 months prior.
I went 3 weeks ago and here's what i learned:
- download the app and register your tickets. Only need 1 app for 1 group. as soon as your ticket is scanned, get time entry to super mario world as early as possible and do the koopa challenge first.
-the rides with the longest wait was minion mayhem, hollywood dream ride, doraemon and koopa challenge (more than 100 mins on a friday for each rides)
-buy that damn ghost hat for ¥3900. I completely regret not buying it because it would be perfect for Melbourne winter.
I went in April to USJ so I'll summarise my experiences here.
I bought the express 4 pass and was able to go on 9 rides whereas my mate who went in March went on 3 rides but complained about the wait times as he only bought the studio pass.
Best to go on a weekday as it is LESS crowded. There's still wait times so download the USJ app to monitor ride wait times.
1. Go early.
We booked a hotel nearby and was in the queue at 7am. The park opens up to an hour earlier than advertised time. (Note this cheapest price but you'll have to eventually queue when the park opens.
2. Buy the early entry pass.
The early entry pass allows you to enter half an hour earlier.
3. Buy express 4 pass
This is the pass we bought. Since not all rides are covered, we monitored the USJ app a few days beforehand and went to longest waiting times first.
For eg Yoshi is a 75min wait right now on the app, but there was no queue at 8am (when the park opened). We came back later when our SNW time was due to go on Mario kart.
4. If money's no object
Buy the 7 day express pass and enjoy your time in SNW.
So confusing with the packages.
What’s the best bang for buck with 2 kids who doesn’t have patience to wait and also doesn’t like going on scary ride? Just base and walk around?
Don't buy any of the express passes in this case, they all are for some sort of adrenaline ride which your kids won't fully enjoy? (Check YouTube videos first to determine whether they're actually that scary or not, in my opinion they are not but some might find them some of them are).
I am in the same situation as Frozensage, my children only want to go to Nintendo World and don't want any rides (or just a soft one), they are scared. Do you have any advice? Just buy the normal ticket and go straight to the Nintendo World? Thanks.
Yep, pretty much. But go there early… I mean one hour earlier than the official opening time and thank me later for the advice. You don't need any express pass or anything like that. Install the USJ app and activate Nitendo timed entry ASAP you're inside the park gates. For the life of me, I don't understand why you'd only be stuck in there for the whole day though. There is so much to see and do, Nitendo is just one attraction (which we like the least to be honest) of many fun activities out there. Just watch some youtube videos to check whether they're actually scary as you think. I thought most of them are 'kind of cute scary' rather than real scary. But everyone is different.
wish they have deals for DisneySEA
Is the times entry to super Nintendo world timed to also get out or can you stay as long as you like?
What happens if you want to enter Super Nintendo world before your timed ride?
Once you are in you can stay as long as you wish.
Realistically you will want to leave once you have seen everything and go see other areas of the park.
Make sure you get Nintendo timed entry as soon as you enter the park (you can't get them outside the park gate as the app detects your location). These sell out very quickly. Once you're in you can stay as long as you can. But chances of getting another timed entry would be next to nill (because you can get a second timed entry until the first one is used up). Honestly we didn't enjoy Nintendo that much, it was crowded like you wouldn't believe. You basically have to push people to make your way through.
The Express Pass 4 ranges from about $175 - $210 , so this will only allow you to use the express pass specifically on the 4 rides as per the package selected only. How about all the other rides throughout the theme park that are not specifically listed in any packages, do they have the express pass queue that you can use as well?
is the express pass available on klook?
Yes but you can’t pick your times for the timed entry
Express passes are for the ones that you pay express pass for. Other ones you'd have to que in like everyone else.
Good timing, anyone know if any promo might happen with japan rail pass based on past experience
Getting a ‘The total discount amount has already reached its maximum error’ when trying to enter discount code?
Getting same error… too bad I missed it since I thought expiry is 5th of June
Perfect. In Osaka right now was holding out to buy last minute. Cheers