Universal tickets 14 days vs AP

[Kingbhoy]

I've just been checking out the ticket options this morning, it got me wondering why anyone would buy the standard 14 days passes for sale in the UK over an annual pass direct with Universal.

As far as I can see a 14 day ticket costs £279 for adults (£269 for kids).

The cheapest annual pass comes in at $349 (£259).

Granted there are a few blockout days, but it does seem much better value unless I'm missing something?

[loldis]

Blackout days would be the main reasons - the lowest pass is quite restricted, especially for Volcano Bay in summer. And if you're only planning on going once that year and not staying at a Universal hotel, the cheapest AP doesn't really give you any benefits over UK tickets.

[Welsh_Dragon]

Mainly for the AP rates offered by the UOR hotels. It’s a real money saver.

[LLamb]

A three park seasonal is $425 with tax (£326)

[Nimbus]

First, remember that the price does not include tax. So $349.99 before tax is about $373 with tax. That works out at £277. So the 14-day ticket is around the same price.

Also, the cheapest Universal Annual pass doesn't include Volcano Bay. Whereas the 14-day 3-Park ticket is the same price as the 2-Park version and does include Volcano Bay. If you want a 3-Park Seasonal Annual Pass then it costs $450+tax (£356).

And then there's the blockout dates already mentioned, although they only cover Christmas, Easter and July (admittedly these are peak periods when a lot of people visit).

I've often found that the 2, 3 or 4 day tickets for Universal tend to be cheaper than the 14-day tickets or AP if you only want to visit the two main theme parks.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by LLamb

A three park seasonal is $425 with tax (£326)

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Isn't it $450 not including tax? So $479 with tax?

universalorlando/web...-annual-passes

[LLamb]

Originally Posted by Nimbus

Isn't it $450 not including tax? So $479 with tax?

universalorlando/web...-annual-passes

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Yes you’re right, I had Florida resident selected! If only

[Phil Gr]

We are going for 3 weeks, family of 5, planning on getting the 4x seasonal AP and 1 x preferred AP

Not going till Aug next year, but thinking of purchasing soon to catch any price rises

Question, does the AP need to be activated to get the Hotel discounts - as we are planning on spending the first 3 days of our holiday at Hard Rock

[loldis]

Originally Posted by Phil Gr

We are going for 3 weeks, family of 5, planning on getting the 4x seasonal AP and 1 x preferred AP

Not going till Aug next year, but thinking of purchasing soon to catch any price rises

Question, does the AP need to be activated to get the Hotel discounts - as we are planning on spending the first 3 days of our holiday at Hard Rock

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You don't need an activated AP in order to book the hotel discount, it just needs to be shown when you arrive at check-in.

[Phil Gr]

Originally Posted by loldis

You don't need an activated AP in order to book the hotel discount, it just needs to be shown when you arrive at check-in.

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How do you claim the discount ? - apols for the daft Q’s - do you settle the bill on checkout and they apply the discount then ?