Ticket vs. annual pass... seems too good to be true

[DreamIsaWish]

This will be our first trip to Universal, so I feel like I'm learning a new language after many Disney trips. We're trying to pick tickets, and what I'm seeing makes me feel like I'm missing an important detail.

We're thinking about annual passes (the seasonal pass). And it looks like it's the same price for a 2-day park-to-park as it is for an entire year ($303 including tax). Can that be right? I know there are blocked days on the seasonal, but that still seems odd to get the entire rest of the year for free. Is this just a Florida resident pass or something restricted, that somehow I missed in the fine print?

I'm also thinking then that I can buy a discounted Undercover Tourist ticket (the 2-day park-to-park is currently $271, thus saving about $30) and then upgrade it even-up for a seasonal annual pass (after using it to enter a park to lock in the full value). Will that work? Seems funny to "upgrade" and pay nothing extra.

And on the Universal site it says blockouts are all of July and some of December, but Mousesavers mentions that Spring Break is normally blocked. Will they add additional blockouts in 2019, or does this seem like the likely blockout calendar for next year?

 

[brertoad]

The cheaper passes don't include free parking.
There are block out days.
I think they block our part of Mardi Gras nights as well at USF i.e. "concert dates", you may still be able to go into IoA.

From their website:
"Seasonal Passholders are blocked out of Universal Studios Florida™ on all concert dates and will only receive access to Universal's Islands of Adventure™."

 

[emmabelle]

I'm also thinking then that I can buy a discounted Undercover Tourist ticket (the 2-day park-to-park is currently $271, thus saving about $30) and then upgrade it even-up for a seasonal annual pass (after using it to enter a park to lock in the full value). Will that work? Seems funny to "upgrade" and pay nothing extra.

I was wondering if that would work too?

 

[chiisai]

We bought UT tickets on one of their two days plus two days free offers. On my second to last day I upgraded to season passes and paid a small fee for the one child ticket we had; I think it was ~$10. I waited to upgrade as there was a concert on one of the earlier nights we wanted to attend.

The person helping us did make a call to ask about the (nearly) lack of cost to upgrade just to make sure and she got the green light.

 

[UniversalBound]

I have been wondering this myself. We are driving from MI so I wondered if there were more perks to it. But also, when I check UT the prices day they are above gate prices right now, am I missing something there?

 

[gotomu212]

Pricing seems odd right nOw. I was checking tickets for a friend and it was the same- it was cheaper to buy the AP than a 4 day ticket. I’d jump on it. Honestly, if it was only $30 I don’t know if I’d wait to upgrade just in case the prices increase- but $30 isn’t be enough for a risk if you’re talking about the whole family.

 

[sconnell]

3 years ago I was pricing a couple of days at Universal for my husband and kids as they were traveling through Orlando on Spring break. I couldn't believe that I could get a 2-Park Preferred pass for the same as 4 days. Not to mention no black out dates, free parking and food/merch discounts. We signed up on Flex-Pay and still have them. Defiantly worth doing the math on what you will use.

My sister in law and her husband went with us for a couple of days and ended up getting passes a few months later. They wished they'd just upgraded.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

The cheaper passes don't include free parking.
There are block out days.
I think they block our part of Mardi Gras nights as well at USF i.e. "concert dates", you may still be able to go into IoA.

From their website:
"Seasonal Passholders are blocked out of Universal Studios Florida™ on all concert dates and will only receive access to Universal's Islands of Adventure™."

Good points! I think we're OK on them, so this is looking good for us...

* We don't need parking, so the lack of free parking is fine.
* Looks like the Mardi Gras concerts were all on Saturdays and Sundays this year, so we can work around that and do Disney on the weekends.
* I'm having trouble getting the blockout dates for Spring Break, but it looks like in 2017 it was the two weeks directly around Easter. Our Spring Break next year does not abut Easter, so I think we're good.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

3 years ago I was pricing a couple of days at Universal for my husband and kids as they were traveling through Orlando on Spring break. I couldn't believe that I could get a 2-Park Preferred pass for the same as 4 days. Not to mention no black out dates, free parking and food/merch discounts. We signed up on Flex-Pay and still have them. Defiantly worth doing the math on what you will use.

My sister in law and her husband went with us for a couple of days and ended up getting passes a few months later. They wished they'd just upgraded.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm feeling less crazy as more folks are saying they've done similar things. I guess it's like the Six Flags tickets... "cheaper than two visits..."

 

[sconnell]

Good points! I think we're OK on them, so this is looking good for us...

* We don't need parking, so the lack of free parking is fine.
* Looks like the Mardi Gras concerts were all on Saturdays and Sundays this year, so we can work around that and do Disney on the weekends.
* I'm having trouble getting the blockout dates for Spring Break, but it looks like in 2017 it was the two weeks directly around Easter. Our Spring Break next year does not abut Easter, so I think we're good.

BTW, if you ever show up on a day that you are blocked, you can always upgrade then!

 

[DreamIsaWish]

I have been wondering this myself. We are driving from MI so I wondered if there were more perks to it. But also, when I check UT the prices day they are above gate prices right now, am I missing something there?

Are you looking at the single day tickets? Those don't ever seem to have discounts.

I don't see any that are above gate prices, but remember that UT includes tax while Universal's website does not. Another trick to the comparison is that UT is quoting their savings vs. true gate price, but in reality the Universal website is $20 cheaper on multi-day tickets than the ticket window at Universal. Gets confusing!

 

[DreamIsaWish]

Pricing seems odd right nOw. I was checking tickets for a friend and it was the same- it was cheaper to buy the AP than a 4 day ticket. I’d jump on it. Honestly, if it was only $30 I don’t know if I’d wait to upgrade just in case the prices increase- but $30 isn’t be enough for a risk if you’re talking about the whole family.

We're going really soon, so I doubt the tickets will increase before then. Typically they increase in February, and we're going in early summer so I think we'll be OK and try to save the $30 per ticket. But if the trip were further out I'd consider a different approach. We bought our Disney tickets right before the last price increase to lock them in.

 

[AngiTN]

Universal AP are wonky for sure. The Seasonal AP are almost always cheaper, or as cheap as, 3 day park to park tickets.
We actually got $10 back when we upgraded DGD's ticket to an AP last year.
DH and I keep Premier AP since we never know for sure what days we'll want to go but for DGD, she never goes on days Seasonal are blocked out anyway. It works great for her. I plan to get her another one when we go later this month. I've already bought her park tickets to upgrade. Not sure we'll make another trip but it's dumb not to do the upgrade even without a plan for a 2nd trip with her. Not when there's no additional cost involved.

 

[EveDallas]

I just did this very thing. I bought 2 "Buy 2 Days, Get One Free" tickets from UT, saving $60 dollars off the Universal website price. I used them the first day then went to Guest Services and upgraded to Seasonal Passes for no extra cost.

 

[Drewferin]

How does Universal determine the upgrade cost to AP? I'll be in Orlando for 10 days in July. I'd have to buy multie sets of tickets since they only offer up to 5 day tickets unless I did the AP. Will guest services even allow AP upgrades if I buy from Underc9ver Tourist?

 

[DreamIsaWish]

I just did this very thing. I bought 2 "Buy 2 Days, Get One Free" tickets from UT, saving $60 dollars off the Universal website price. I used them the first day then went to Guest Services and upgraded to Seasonal Passes for no extra cost.

Definitely the way I'll be going! Thank you to the several folks that shared recent experiences. Really helps me feel good about our choice!

 

[Maus79]

This will be my first visit to Universal in well over 20 years. We had already planned a cruise and a week at Disney, but my nieces are addicted to Potter so we were pricing hotel/ticket packages. Not only are the seasonal passes almost the same price as a 2 day pass, but by purchasing the seasonal passes we ended up getting a significant discount at the hotel. The hotel savings for 2 nights paid for 1 of the seasonal passes. When you add the express pass savings for our party, it feels as if we have been given a massive return for a small investment even if we only go for our scheduled 2 and 1/2 days.

 

[HuskieJohn]

Mind being blown...
I wish Universal was more clear on this stuff.


So looking online at the annual pass hotel discount...it looks like they only allow you to currently book for only 2018 dates. Does that get extended later in the year?

I am planning a March 2020 trip and there is NO way that I am going to wait to book a room 3 months before our trip. Its nerve wrecking enough as it is that you cant book at least 1 year in advance.


Something new to research!

 

[AngiTN]

Unfortunately, that's the way Universal and Lowes works their Resort discounts/promos. They'll rarely have it more than a few months ahead of time. Right now they are only out till Sept. That's about the furthest out I've ever seen it go.

 

[bumbershoot]

And it looks like it's the same price for a 2-day park-to-park as it is for an entire year ($303 including tax). Can that be right? I know there are blocked days on the seasonal, but that still seems odd to get the entire rest of the year for free.

Sometimes seaworld in CA has “but one day get the rest of the year free” promos. We’ve done that twice.

So this isn’t unheard of.

Mind being blown...
I wish Universal was more clear on this stuff.


So looking online at the annual pass hotel discount...it looks like they only allow you to currently book for only 2018 dates. Does that get extended later in the year?

I am planning a March 2020 trip and there is NO way that I am going to wait to book a room 3 months before our trip. Its nerve wrecking enough as it is that you cant book at least 1 year in advance.


Something new to research!

What is unclear?

Find a resort at a price you can handle. Book it directly and room-only. Keep checking. If an ap rate comes out for your dates and it’s better than the rate you have, you can change it. Easy.