Tickets for 5 night trip with kids and adults/price bridge confusion

[damo]

Boo! That is silly, oh well, I guess that means we can't visit universal in Feb. I will probably go to guest services to just see if they will make an exception but I'm guessing they won't. I appreciate the f/u Macraven.

They reason they aren't upgradable is because they are revenue sharing tickets. It would be like trying to upgrade a flex pass to an annual pass.

 

[RocketCityMama]

We were there in June, bought 3 day tickets for the price of 2 with undercover tourist, upgraded on day 2 to 1 preferred and 4 power pass, they bridged the prices at what the 3 day cost was (even though we paid for 2) and we paid less than $200 for all 5 passes to be upgraded. We did it at guest services inside the parks. Our TM was super helpful

 

[Bluer101]

I always tell people, if you are going to visit atleast 2 times in a year, buy an annual pass.

 

[thr33boys]

We took our first trip as a family to Universal/IOA about two and a half years ago and it was a great success thanks to the advice we got on these boards. We stayed on site and had a great time at the parks before continuing on to Disney. We are repeating the pattern this summer but with a longer stay at Universal. We just tacked a night on to the start of our trip at Cabana Bay (I understand there is no FOL access there), and the remaining four nights will be at RP. Not sure yet whether we will hit the parks that first day, but it would be nice to have the option, so I was considering getting the 2 day + 1 free park-to-park passes from UT and then attempting to bridge them to power passes after we enter the parks.

Our check in day is 8/13, which is a black out day for Universal (but not IOA) on the power passes. I have never attempted anything like this before, so I would love to double check my plan. Does it sound correct that:

1. We should go to the parks first (to activate the tickets and since there is a blackout day for the PPs)

2. We should be able to upgrade these tickets to PPs BUT

3. We may or may not be given the $9 upgrade price I have seen referenced on these boards; worst case scenario should be upgrading but being required to pay the full price differential

A follow up question - since there seems to be one price for PPs for adults and children, but there is separate pricing for the park-to-park tickets, I assume even if the $9 differential is applied to the adult tickets that the children's tickets would have a higher payment due?

Sorry this is so long. I just wanted to confirm my understanding with the experts before pulling the trigger in tickets!

I'm very interested in seeing how this works for you as we may end up doing the same thing in November. Do you mind sharing your experience once you return? Lastly, I can't figure out the $9 price difference. I'm seeing a difference in price on UO site between the 3 day and the Power Pass is $35. I will be getting a power pass to take advantage of the hotel discount but it could be worth upgrading all of ours.

Thanks!

 

[elaine amj]

I am being a little overly cautious about this Can I ask where you went to do the upgrade? Thanks!!

We had bought 4 day park to park tickets from Cheaptickets.

Midway through our trip, we stopped at the ticket booth outside the park to upgrade. She quoted me some crazy price and said there was nothing she could do! I told her the price she quoted was even more than the differential of what I paid for my tickets...she then suggested I talk to guest services INSIDE the park.

I happily went inside to guest services (no line, nicely airconditioned). The girl took my passes and price bridged them with no questions asked. She was actually surprised how cheap it was for me to upgrade to Power Passes.

So - ALWAYS go to Guest Services inside the park. And do the math before you go so you know how much you should be paying for your upgrade.

 

[crazywig]

Similar here. Bought 4 day tix from Undercover tourist. On way out of park on our last day we stopped at guest services and upgraded to a Power Pass (knowing we are adding at least one universal day to our already scheduled wdw trip). We waited until leaving because it is July and that's a power pass blockout time for US and if we'd done it earlier we wouldn't be able to enter US.

It cost us about $5 each ticket to bridge.

 

[olive]

Thanks for all the info! We will stick with guest services inside the park, and I will be happy to report back on the experience. I was also having a hard time figuring out the math compared that what I have seen reported here. We'll see what happens at the parks! Most likely we will try to upgrade the first or second day we are there (second full week of August).

 

[elaine amj]

Thanks for all the info! We will stick with guest services inside the park, and I will be happy to report back on the experience. I was also having a hard time figuring out the math compared that what I have seen reported here. We'll see what happens at the parks! Most likely we will try to upgrade the first or second day we are there (second full week of August).

It should be the difference between the gate price is of the tickets you have and the gate price of the Power Pass. Remember, Power Pass prices went up a few months ago - I think it was in the beginning of May. (burned me because we went in the 3rd week of May so our upgrade cost more)

 

[abooch]

Question on upgrading to a power pass all. So if I buy the 2 day plus 1 day free park to park ticket from Undercover Tourist for $198 including tax, Universal will look at it as a 3 park ticket at $218 including tax at guest services? So if a power pass is $255 including tax the difference would only be $37 instead of $57?

 

[johde]

Question on upgrading to a power pass all. So if I buy the 2 day plus 1 day free park to park ticket from Undercover Tourist for $198 including tax, Universal will look at it as a 3 park ticket at $218 including tax at guest services? So if a power pass is $255 including tax the difference would only be $37 instead of $57?

I just answered a similar question in another thread. The general answer is "it depends". Is the 2+1 ticket a ticket offered by Universal or is it advertising on the 3rd party website. This spring, Universal was offering a 2+1 that had an expiration date (they are no longer available). Those got upgraded at the 2+1 rate. The 2+1 that does not expire is probably advertising by UT for a 3 day ticket. You will probably get a 3 day ticket and you'll get credit for a 3 day ticket. Either way, it's probably worth it to get the 2+1.

When I upgraded, the website I went with offered a 2+2 ticket. When I got the tickets it was a 4 day ticket and I got credit for 4 days.

 

[thr33boys]

Question on upgrading to a power pass all. So if I buy the 2 day plus 1 day free park to park ticket from Undercover Tourist for $198 including tax, Universal will look at it as a 3 park ticket at $218 including tax at guest services? So if a power pass is $255 including tax the difference would only be $37 instead of $57?

I'm the similar question that Johde answered.

From what I've read, Universal would/could look at it as a 3 day ticket and credit the 3 day 'gate' price ticket, not the online price of $218 tax inclusive price that you referenced. Therefore, the difference would be $17 instead of $57.

UT price - $197.21 (using mouse savers link)

Gate price - $238.71 (224.99 + tax)

Power Pass - $255.59

Cost to upgrade would be $16.88

 

[Toddhart]

If I might be permitted a slight thread hijack, rather than start an entire new one...

If my family of five plans to do a three-day parks visit summer 2016, maaaaaybe a fall visit, maaaaaybe a winter visit, and definitely a 2017 summer visit, does it make the most sense to get preferred passes (can't work around blackout dates) for each member and then make sure the 2017 visit is within the year's period of activating the passes in summer 2016?

Hope that run-on sentence even makes sense.

The fall/winter visits might be longshots, so the alternative would be a round of UT tickets the next two summers. (Deep breath before plunking down the dough for five preferred passes while living a 10-hour drive from Orlando!)

Thanks!

 

[macraven]

sure, buy the prefered ap now, activate them when you come summer of 2016.

you will have the price locked in at what it is now so no extra to pay if increases happen again in 2017.

but if you buy park passes from UT now at today's price and plan to upgrade 15 months from now, no way to find out how much tickets/passes will be at that point.
you won' t know the difference in costs from upgrading and if the darkside will still have that window open and be the same as upgrading is done now.

 

[Toddhart]

you will have the price locked in at what it is now so no extra to pay if increases happen again in 2017.

That's a great point - thanks!