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

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I'm thinking it was more like $360? Our seasonal 3 park ticket is valued at $409 or so I believe, and it was about $44-45 for each ticket we upgraded. We did it 3 different times, with 3 different people, and they all charged us the same. I'm sorry that I didn't look at or save my receipt for better details! What I think they gave us credit for was the online price for a 3 day park to park with volcano bay included
This helps! The 3+2 promo tickets are $340 but $362 after tax, which is the same price as the regular 3 day p2p tickets, so it makes sense! Thanks so much!
 
Does anyone mind checking my math here?
  • Buy 5 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $371.50; Universal sees it worth $415.34 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $0 to upgrade and possibly get ~$6 refund (OOP $371.50)
  • Buy 4 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $349; Universal sees it worth $388.71 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $20.24 to upgrade (OOP $369.24)
    Buy 3 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $322.95; Universal sees it worth $362.09 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $46.86 to upgrade (OOP $369.81)
  • Buy 3+2 free days 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $327.95; Universal sees it worth $362.09 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $46.86 to upgrade (OOP $374.81)
So a 4 day ticket is the best option, unless I get a refund from the 5 day ticket? Though overall it comes down to being within a few dollars
 
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It looks like a seasonal pass might be my best bet. I'm going for 6 nights the first week of December. Looks like my weekend days will be limited to IOA, but Oh, well. It's the same price as a 3 day p2p. Gives me lots more options.
 
amalone1013

are you basing the upgrade price on the Universal site or what you'd pay if you walked up to the gate? We're thinking of doing exactly what you're doing, buying a 3 park 3 or 4 day ticket then upgrading. Interesting that it's a break even for you on the 4 day.
 


amalone1013

are you basing the upgrade price on the Universal site or what you'd pay if you walked up to the gate? We're thinking of doing exactly what you're doing, buying a 3 park 3 or 4 day ticket then upgrading. Interesting that it's a break even for you on the 4 day.
Basing it on the site.
 
Basing it on the site.

Yeah, that's the same math I came up with. While I've been looking at overall cost when I look at our trip spreadsheet, I've either blacked out or not paid that much attention to park ticket prices, just blending it all into the final total. $1,400 for park tickets for a family of four. That just really hit me.
 
It looks like a seasonal pass might be my best bet. I'm going for 6 nights the first week of December. Looks like my weekend days will be limited to IOA, but Oh, well. It's the same price as a 3 day p2p. Gives me lots more options.

If you wait till the last day of your 3 day pass to upgrade you can enter universal with the three day pass the first two days even if there is a concert that day
 


I am considering buying an annual pass. I’m am concerned for block out dates. We will for sure be there the weekend after thanksgiving: 11/24 and 11/25. Are there concerts those nights?

I’m assuming no concerts in the middle of the first week of January?

Are there concerts usually mid week during spring break weeks? We are going in the middle of the week the last wk of March.

I’m trying to figure out if we can get by with just a seasonal pass or do we need the next pass up. Thanks!
 
I am considering buying an annual pass. I’m am concerned for block out dates. We will for sure be there the weekend after thanksgiving: 11/24 and 11/25. Are there concerts those nights?

I’m assuming no concerts in the middle of the first week of January?

Are there concerts usually mid week during spring break weeks? We are going in the middle of the week the last wk of March.

I’m trying to figure out if we can get by with just a seasonal pass or do we need the next pass up. Thanks!

Start with the seasonal. If you find yourself going at a blackout time, you can upgrade to the next level pass.

But if you don't see a benefit to the next level, you would not have bought it.

My group all have seasonal except one or two people who get the pass with the free parking and the discounts in the park. If we ever find ourselves there during a blackout time, we will just upgrade then but that has not happened to us yet.
 
My daughter and I just got back. I already had a season ap. I bought her a 3 day plus 2 free promo 2 parks-to-parks ticket at Undercover tourist (I still kick myself that I didn't think of the AP first). After checking in at RPR, we went to the guest services desk to ask about an upgrade. She only could upgrade us to a 3 park season pass for +$60 as the Season Pass for 2 parks was less than the cost of her current ticket (at this point, my stomach hurt from this intell--did I really overpay?) so she couldn't swap. I shared that I wanted no change back, but didn't sway her. I politely declined and we went on our merry way to the park. After thoroughly enjoying some quality HP time, we visited guest services by Jurassic Park. There, we were able to swap the 3+2 days ticket for a Season Pass, 2 park with no money exchanging hands and was an overall pleasant interaction. (My daughter is 10 and paid adult prices for the days ticket). Emily is a stellar Guest Services employee and now I'm off to figure out how to tell someone in charge. ----Now---- I need to find cheap flights from Wisconsin with little to no missing of school :) :)
 
Quoting myself because I did this today. Bought 2 5 day 3 park tickets of UCT this morning, added them to the wallet on Universal app, entered gates, went to guest services and upgraded to seasonal pass. Was refunded $12.78. Guy asked about putting it on a gift card so we did that as we will be back to go the parks in 10 days. No issues.

ETA: wanted to add I did this at Volcano Bay


Does anyone mind checking my math here?
  • Buy 5 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $371.50; Universal sees it worth $415.34 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $0 to upgrade and possibly get ~$6 refund (OOP $371.50)
  • Buy 4 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $349; Universal sees it worth $388.71 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $20.24 to upgrade (OOP $369.24)
    Buy 3 day 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $322.95; Universal sees it worth $362.09 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $46.86 to upgrade (OOP $369.81)
  • Buy 3+2 free days 3 park P2P ticket from UCT for $327.95; Universal sees it worth $362.09 after tax
    • Upgrade to Seasonal 3 Park AP which is $408.95 after tax, so $46.86 to upgrade (OOP $374.81)
So a 4 day ticket is the best option, unless I get a refund from the 5 day ticket? Though overall it comes down to being within a few dollars
 
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Start with the seasonal. If you find yourself going at a blackout time, you can upgrade to the next level pass.

But if you don't see a benefit to the next level, you would not have bought it.

My group all have seasonal except one or two people who get the pass with the free parking and the discounts in the park. If we ever find ourselves there during a blackout time, we will just upgrade then but that has not happened to us yet.

I was looking at getting AP for our trip next year and had some questions...one I didn't even know I had til I read the above post :scratchin

We go in August, so the blackout dates won't affect us. From what I've read, this is what i came up with, please correct me wherever i'm wrong :)

1. I can buy the APs in March, activate them when we go in August and they will be good from that day in August not March?
2. I can get the seasonal pass for 2 of us and the preferred pass for 1 of us, so we get the merchandise and food discounts? (@skylock thank you for that info!! it saves us even more)
3. We're planning on going back at the end of Sept 2020, but our pass would expire in August. From what i read on Universal's site, it looks like after the year is up, it goes to a month to month renewal if you use the flex pay. Did i read it correctly? So we could use it August 2019, and keep the month to month renewal to use it in September 2020 and then cancel it when we get back from the September trip?
 
Yes to all you asked

Buy the ap and when you activate it, that is your start date

With one in your group with the preferred ap, parking allowed after it has activated

If you are on the flex plan for your ap, it continues unless you make a change in the 30 day time period for renewal
 
Yes to all you asked

Buy the ap and when you activate it, that is your start date

With one in your group with the preferred ap, parking allowed after it has activated

If you are on the flex plan for your ap, it continues unless you make a change in the 30 day time period for renewal

Awesome!!! this is definitely what we're going to do for next year :):)
 
OH boy, I almost messed up. I planned to buy tickets for kids from ticketsatwork, they had buy 2 days get 3 free for $273 (incl tax), however, tickets expire 17.Sept and we are staying through 18th. ugh!
So, now I guess I should buy them seasonal ap for $304? Any other multi-day deals out there?
I have seasonal AP for hotel discounts and renewal was only $243!
thank you!
 
One thing I do want to point out is for the free parking as disneyjr77 pointed out, the AP has to have already been activated.

What we have done is drop the unactivated pass holder off to run into the park to activate the pass then turn back around and come back to the car.

When you drop them off, you cannot sit and wait but we just drive around a bit and have the person call when they are walking out of the park and the car can start heading back to the pickup spot and it has usually worked out we meet back up perfectly.

That way, the pass is activated for the free parking when we visit the park the next day.

Since what I just wrote may be confusing let me give you a run down of our plans for our next trip.

I have an AP already with free parking but we will have two cars.

We get in later in the evening on Sat and our first park day will be Sunday.

We will drop the person off who currently has a 3 day park to park ticket. He will go to the park and upgrade his 3 day ticket to an AP. (I forget what the AP with the free parking is called)

He will then use his new AP to enter the park, thereby "activating" his pass then he will leave and give whoever dropped him off a call. At that point they are both headed to the pickup area and if all goes right, as it has in the past, they should meet up at about the same time.

That way when we go back to the parks the next day, free parking for both cars.

If you have already bought your AP and just need to pick it up, you can do this plan on the morning of your first visit. Drop the person with the unactivated pass off, have them run into the park, come back to the car, then go park for free. I mean that little extra step saves $22 and to us, it is worth it.
 
OH boy, I almost messed up. I planned to buy tickets for kids from ticketsatwork, they had buy 2 days get 3 free for $273 (incl tax), however, tickets expire 17.Sept and we are staying through 18th. ugh!
So, now I guess I should buy them seasonal ap for $304? Any other multi-day deals out there?
I have seasonal AP for hotel discounts and renewal was only $243!
thank you!

Have you checked Undercover Tourist?
 
I know the premier and prefer ap has free parking ( after activated) but don’t know if power and seasonal ap are totally free for parking
 
I think the second level pass has 1/2 price parking, but no in park discounts.

We had considered that one, but by counting on our fingers it basically came out a wash, so we went with the 3rd tier. 4 days parking = $88 so we will definitely save the additional $12 in discounts. If you are only going to be there 3 days, the third tier may cost you more than just paying for the parking.

I can't keep the names straight, so I go by tiers. I know tier 1 is the seasonal pass, it has the most blackout dates, and is the one most of my group uses, but if you do show up at a black out time, you can upgrade to the next level as needed.

The third tier is $100 more than the seasonal pass, but it includes free parking and park discounts.

We saved I think $250 a night for our hotel rooms (2 rooms) and we have 2 nights reserved = 4 days express passes.

Any annual pass can get you the room discount rate if one is available.
 
Yeah when we upgrade will get 1 preferred, and the rest seasonal. the extra $100 will more than pay for itself with free parking and in-park discounts over the course of a year
 
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