AP vs 4 day park to park. Am I missing something

[ariel53098]

I’m looking at tickets for my family of 5 (all over the age of 10) for November 3-6 this year (4 days) and we want to be able to hop from park to park.
I know there are cheaper options out there, but just looking at the Universal Orlando site I see 4 day 2 park for $299.99 each.
For the AP seasonal pass (which I know has blackout dates but those don’t affect me) it days $284.99 and there are hotel discounts.
Am I missing something? That seems super odd to me that the AP would be cheaper.

Additional info: Also, my son (and possibly me) will be going in march (21st-23rd) again with his band. I MAY be able to use the AP pass depending on how the trip package is done.

 

[skylock]

You have the AP rate right. A 3 day park to park is equal to the cheapest Annual Pass.

Not everyone knows that.

 

[ariel53098]

Wow! So any disadvantage to just going with the AP seasonal pass.
If we stay in one of the deluxe hotels with the express pass we still get that with the AP?

 

[Bethany10]

Not everyone knows that.

Or takes the time to research where it might be cheaper. Universal (amongst others) capitalizes on that. My husband comes to mind as someone who refuses to shop and therefore pays more money for things from time to time.

FYI, UT has the 4 day for 293.95.

 

[Bethany10]

If we stay in one of the deluxe hotels with the express pass we still get that with the AP?

Yes, plus an AP rate if one is offered for your dates. Many people have reported purchasing the buy 2 get one free tickets from UT, then using those to upgrade to an AP once in the parks for a cheaper option.

 

[ariel53098]

How do you check to see if there is an AP rate available for the hotel? I couldn’t figure it out on the site.

 

[skylock]

How do you check to see if there is an AP rate available for the hotel? I couldn’t figure it out on the site.

When you get within a 90 day window, you can call and ask if they have an AP rate for your dates.

Forgot to add, you can book your room now and when your window comes up you can call and have your rate changed.

 

[jerseygal]

You have the AP rate right. A 3 day park to park is equal to the cheapest Annual Pass.

Not everyone knows that.

If we "sneak" in another trip, guess it makes sense to buy the AP, cheapest AP, the seasonal pass..think we may do that. The blackout dates wouldn't bother me, those are fine. Only ONE of the AP, Premiere I believe, gets free parking correct? The seasonal AP parking is the same as a regular ticket parking correct? THANKS!

 

[gotomu212]

How do you check to see if there is an AP rate available for the hotel? I couldn’t figure it out on the site.

Enter code APH under promo code on the Loews site.

 

[damo]

How do you check to see if there is an AP rate available for the hotel? I couldn’t figure it out on the site.

Here's a sticky with lots of good info. There is a direct link in the first post for AP rates.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/aph-rates-are-currently-available-updated-07-27-18.3301532/

 

[bumbershoot]

Enter code APH under promo code on the Loews site.

Yep

 

[khertz]

Not missing anything! Last year we bought tickets from Undercover Tourist that were buy 2 days get 2 days free and park to park. We upgraded at the parks to a seasonal AP for an even exchange. We only had to pay $10 to upgrade the three of us because my son had a child's ticket and there are no children's APs. There are blackout dates with the seasonal AP and there are no food or merchandise discounts (except for right now during Passholder Appreciation Days). It worked for us since we don't plan on visiting during the blackout periods.

 

[sahm2two]

Not missing anything! Last year we bought tickets from Undercover Tourist that were buy 2 days get 2 days free and park to park. We upgraded at the parks to a seasonal AP for an even exchange. We only had to pay $10 to upgrade the three of us because my son had a child's ticket and there are no children's APs. There are blackout dates with the seasonal AP and there are no food or merchandise discounts (except for right now during Passholder Appreciation Days). It worked for us since we don't plan on visiting during the blackout periods.

Hey! I'm thinking that's the cheapest way to get an annual pass... is there any catch? Just go upgrade when you get there? I'm a worrier so I would worry they would tell me I can't upgrade if purchased from an outside source. We're planning on going in April.

 

[wilbret]

Good lesson here. Always check on annual passes for everything you do for more than a day. We have so much crap in our house, we ask relatives to please not get toys, etc, anymore.
Passes to zoo, museum, aquarium, children's museum, six flags, legoland, and tbd Disney or Universal don't take up any space and are nice to have. Not just the savings on admission, but often free parking and other perks like free tickets and discounts send it over the top.

 

[skylock]

Hey! I'm thinking that's the cheapest way to get an annual pass... is there any catch? Just go upgrade when you get there? I'm a worrier so I would worry they would tell me I can't upgrade if purchased from an outside source. We're planning on going in April.

It seems from recent reports that loophole has been closed and you will get the actual value you paid for the discount tickets towards the AP.

 

[sahm2two]

It seems from recent reports that loophole has been closed and you will get the actual value you paid for the discount tickets towards the AP.

Bummer! Thanks

 

[mamapenguin]

Premier and preferred get free parking. Premier gets preferred parking, which is the best. Premier also gets after 4 express, and a free admission to Halloween Horror Nights.
Good food and merchandise discount too.

 

[ClapYourHands]

With your dates, the AP makes sense.

The seasonal AP does have blackout dates, so if your trip were to fall in that time, you'd need a higher level of pass or to just buy daily tickets. We did the buy-2-days-get-2-days tickets last year. The price wasn't much lower than an AP, but I knew we weren't going to be going back down within the year.

For us, it made sense just to buy the daily tickets because I wasn't interested in dropping another thousand in airfare and hotel for a second trip, even if the park tickets would be close to free for the second trip if we got APs.

 

[imprint]

We had a grandmother going with us for a 6-day visit. She knew wouldn't be going back in a year, but the seasonal annual pass was the only way to get 6 days and it was cheaper than a 4 day pass. Just run the numbers, because the only catch is blackout dates. If the blackout dates do not interfere with the trip, then the AP is the way to go.

 

[DMLAINI]

When are the AP blackout dates usually? Going in June & have 4 day 2 park tickets.