Converting ticket to annual pass

[bearette]

I was looking at a March trip, but the seasonal pass wouldn't be good for the Saturday we would be there. We would leave Sunday to do a cruise and then be back the next Sunday, but the four day ticket won't work because it has to be used within 7 days. It is currently the same price for the four days ticket (through a discount site) and the seasonal annual pass. I need to use it Thursday to Saturday and then a week Sunday. Can I upgrade the four day ticket on Saturday, so that I can use it the next Sunday when we return from the cruise? I know this could be done at other places, but I wasn't sure if they would do it there.
I could also buy the pass outright and then use it to book a hotel discount on site if available (we may stay at an EP resort) and then plan my trip to not go to the Universal Park on Saturday (the day it isn't good, but then I would have to buy the slightly more expensive seasonal ticket for three parks). It sounds like the EP isn't an option at the water park so a waste to use it there.

Which option would you recommend? We are four, two adults and two kids (8 both kids). Thank you for your advice.

 

[georgina]

I was looking at a March trip, but the seasonal pass wouldn't be good for the Saturday we would be there. We would leave Sunday to do a cruise and then be back the next Sunday, but the four day ticket won't work because it has to be used within 7 days. It is currently the same price for the four days ticket (through a discount site) and the seasonal annual pass. I need to use it Thursday to Saturday and then a week Sunday. Can I upgrade the four day ticket on Saturday, so that I can use it the next Sunday when we return from the cruise? I know this could be done at other places, but I wasn't sure if they would do it there.
I could also buy the pass outright and then use it to book a hotel discount on site if available (we may stay at an EP resort) and then plan my trip to not go to the Universal Park on Saturday (the day it isn't good, but then I would have to buy the slightly more expensive seasonal ticket for three parks). It sounds like the EP isn't an option at the water park so a waste to use it there.

Which option would you recommend? We are four, two adults and two kids (8 both kids). Thank you for your advice.

We have definitely upgraded tickets to AP's at guest services within the parks. I don't remember all the rules, so while I am almost certain you can do this on your last day, maybe read through some old posts to be sure. I would also be careful because you may not be able to ride the Hogwarts express after upgrading? Not sure on that either.

You only need 1 AP to get the room discount, and you will have to do the math on that once AP discounts are released, which could be as late as Jan next year. You may want EP in March since it will be busy. So it might be worth it to buy 1 AP ahead IF you can get the discount, you do not have to have the AP in order to book the AP discount, you could show it later. You don't necessarily have to have it at checkin either, but if you buy the 4 day and are not going to upgrade until after you checkout on Saturday, not sure how that might work.

Hope I didn't raise more questions than I answered!

 

[Bethany10]

you may not be able to ride the Hogwarts express after upgrading?

As long as you have tickets to both parks you can ride Hogwarts Express.

You can upgrade at guest services at the parks at any time. Our experience was it set our AP expiration date to a year from our first entry into the parks. I don't know if that was due to operator error on the person who upgraded us end or if it's supposed to be that way. You can book an AP rate at the hotel as long as you're planning to upgrade before checkout. We were able to do this last year.

 

[georgina]

As long as you have tickets to both parks you can ride Hogwarts Express.

My thinking was once she upgrades on her last day (the seasonal pass she is upgrading to is blocked out that day) she is no longer able to re-enter either park as her admission ticket will not be valid that day. She is not planning to upgrade before checkout as I read it.

 

[bearette]

Since it as a two park seasonal, I could not do weekends at the standard Universal park or the water park, so by using the tickets I can use the water park and universal Saturday, but without the AP I cannot use the fourth day as the ticket has to be used within 7days, so I would upgrade all the tickets to APs Saturday night or Sunday morning before I checked out.

It sounds like it is allowed to upgrade the tickets, but on the weekend because I would not have a park hopper valid that day we could not do Hogwarts express? I can't see us going to be water park more then once so I wasn't sure if we used the ticket there it would null and void an annual pass upgrade, because I didn't want to upgrade to a three park ticket, but a two park seasonal ticket.

Once I am in the park, cant you still upgrade the pass even if it isn't good that day? We did this here in California,I bought a discount California fun card and used it on a black out day the first time. If nothing else I would just not be able to park hop that day so I need to plan to do universal and park hop to ride the Hogwarts express Thursday and Friday.

If I don't have the AP at the check in time, that is ok as long as I have one before I check out in the hotel?


Please correct me if I am wrong. As I understand the discounts are not big or useful in the park, I didn't see a list of where the discounts were good beside that they had some for the seasonal AP.

 

[Bethany10]

My thinking was once she upgrades on her last day (the seasonal pass she is upgrading to is blocked out that day) she is no longer able to re-enter either park as her admission ticket will not be valid that day.

Ack, I missed that part! Please disregard my earlier post.

If I don't have the AP at the check in time, that is ok as long as I have one before I check out in the hotel?

yes, this is correct.

 

[Bethany10]

It sounds like it is allowed to upgrade the tickets, but on the weekend because I would not have a park hopper valid that day we could not do Hogwarts express?

If Islands is blocked out on that day, then no you can't take the express. You have to have a valid ticket to both parks as you're literally taking the train from one park to another.

 

[Mamabun]

This has been a few years, and I’ve upgraded at both Universal and Disney, so I may have mixed up some stuff here, but my best memory is that upgrading a ticket into an annual pass is just making it like you had the annual pass all along.

This means a couple things:

- the 1st use of the annual pass is the first day you used the ticket (not the day you upgrade)

- if you have used the ticket for anything that is not allowed for the annual pass, you can’t upgrade to that kind of annual pass. So if you’ve used for a water park day, you can’t upgrade to an annual pass that doesn’t include water parks, and, specifically here, if you’ve used it for a blockout day, you can’t upgrade to the seasonal annual pass, instead they allow you to get a higher one without those blockout days, for a higher cost, of course.

I’m sure someone can correct me if I’ve got that wrong, or if Universal now has a loophole for the blockout days on annual passes, but that’s my best recall on it.

 

[bearette]

That's what I was thinking, so I can't upgrade the $300 four day ticket to the similiar price 2 day annual pass, but I probably can use the $350ish annual pass, but I have to make sure I use the Universal and water park on my first two days because it is blacked out on the weekend-islands is good on weekends so I can use it Saturday and the next week Sunday. I can't use the 4 day ticket because I won't be able to use the ticket at all on the next week Sunday. So annual pass it is for us if we want the four days.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Where are you seeing these blackout dates for a seasonal AP? I want to make sure I understand them before I purvhase

 

[Flyg1rl]

You can typically do just about anything if you are respectful and talk to customer service at the parks. Just before I upgraded our 3 park, park to park tickets to 2 park, Seasonal APs, I was there at Christmas-time (which is a blackout day for Seasonal APs.) On the last day of our trip, right before we left, I upgraded the tickets. The TM asked me three times if I was leaving right after upgrading to make absolutely sure, because once he upgraded the tickets, blackout dates would apply, and we would not be allowed to reenter the parks.

Now that being said, here's the good news - you typically get Universal's price as trade-in value for the tickets. Here's the bad news - you typically only get that trade-in value for the actual paid days (not the free days.) So, if you buy a ticket that is buy 2 days, get 2 free, it does not count as a 4 day ticket for trade-in - it only counts as a 2 days ticket.

Hope this helps, and I understood your question correctly.

 

[Flyg1rl]

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/annual-passes/blockout-dates

If you are looking at March dates - please keep in mind that only Universal Studios is blocked out in March - Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay are not blocked out in March. (See the asterick note in bold below the blockout days.)

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks! When do they usually come out with the next years blackout dates??

 

[Flyg1rl]

Typically, they would have been out already. I think a lot was put on hold with COVID. It's a good question, because a lot of the Spring events which cause blackout days at US have been supposedly been moved to Fall.

 

[Erica Ladd]

I don’t see any dates listed for the Mannheim Steamroller concerts. Have the been officially put on hold or canceled? Thanks for your insight

 

[frank808]

That's what I was thinking, so I can't upgrade the $300 four day ticket to the similiar price 2 day annual pass, but I probably can use the $350ish annual pass, but I have to make sure I use the Universal and water park on my first two days because it is blacked out on the weekend-islands is good on weekends so I can use it Saturday and the next week Sunday. I can't use the 4 day ticket because I won't be able to use the ticket at all on the next week Sunday. So annual pass it is for us if we want the four days.

If you go to VB waterpark you cannot buy the 2 park seasonal pass but will have to buy the 3 park seasonal pass. Just want to let you know as you posted earlier that you would probably not go again.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

To reiterate again, you cannot upgrade to a 2 park pass if you have used the tickets to enter Volcano Bay.

 

[Martie Parker]

We bought a 3 day park to park but have not visited VB so should I get AP? I’m on the fence and not totally sure we will come back to Universal. However, if the money for my 3 day day PH would be comparable to an AP I feel as if I should go ahead! One note have 1 day left tomorrow but we do not have to do VB. Please advise.

 

[macraven]

Water park could have crowds due to how hot it has been.

If it were me, I would go for the two parks.
More places for ac and can be out of the sun if it’s hot the entire day.

If you decide to get the ap, you are more likely to return within the year.

Go for it!

 

[frank808]

We bought a 3 day park to park but have not visited VB so should I get AP? I’m on the fence and not totally sure we will come back to Universal. However, if the money for my 3 day day PH would be comparable to an AP I feel as if I should go ahead! One note have 1 day left tomorrow but we do not have to do VB. Please advise.

Might want to stop by customer service after turnstiles on your last day. Might not cost you much to upgrade to season pass. I upgraded my son to season pass and it was $10 more. I upgraded mine to preferred AP and paid $100 more. We bought the 2 day get 2 day free ticket from UT and got the bridged price for AP. Made it a no brainer as we are going back for 10 nights in Oct for HHN. Plus we got the 3 months free so our AP expires Sept 2021.