Another reason to do Universal

[AllyBri]

Annual Pass Preferred renewals are only $159.99!!!! I had no idea they were this cheap. Compared to Disney's $570, that's an amazing bargain.

But with Disney you get 4 Parks.

 

[sonofanarchy]

But with Disney you get 4 Parks.

At more than 3x the price.

 

[AllyBri]

At more than 3x the price.

How do you figure the Disney is 3x the price?

 

[DOOM1001]

It is a good deal,I've had my Preferred AP for like 15 years but it actually was an even better deal in the mid 2000's right up until 2010 when Potter opened phase 1 I was paying $99-$119 to renew,they raised it by $10 every couple of years but as soon as Potter came in in 2010 it went up by $40,the biggest single year rise I had seen.With all the additions they've made and are making the $159 is a very good deal.

 

[sonofanarchy]

How do you figure the Disney is 3x the price?

Math.

Universal renewal = $160.
Disney renewal = $570.

 

[damo]

But with Disney you get 4 Parks.

Okay then, compare it to the Disneyland AP with only two parks.


Premium Pass (no blackouts) --- $699

Deluxe Annual Pass (319 days of admission)--- $499

Southern Californian pass (215 days of admission) -- $399

Renewals get a $20 discount.

 

[hobbes493]

I agree this is a remarkable deal when looking at entertainment in a theme park environment. It is, however, a simple reflection of what price the market dictates a Universal pass is a valued at.

At this point in time Disney can charge almost $600 for an annual pass because the general public perceives a greater value in that pass. As such, they are willing to pay more for a year at what many believe to be the "gold" standard within the theme park industry.

With the passage of time and continued improvements to the Universal property the secret is sure to get out. Once this occurs, Universal prices will adjust accordingly.

 

[sonofanarchy]

I agree this is a remarkable deal when looking at entertainment in a theme park environment. It is, however, a simple reflection of what price the market dictates a Universal pass is a valued at.

At this point in time Disney can charge almost $600 for an annual pass because the general public perceives a greater value in that pass. As such, they are willing to pay more for a year at what many believe to be the "gold" standard within the theme park industry.

With the passage of time and continued improvements to the Universal property the secret is sure to get out. Once this occurs, Universal prices will adjust accordingly.

I can't say I agree with this 100%. Universal has been ahead of Disney in attraction technology and hotel service for quite some time now. I do agree, if Universal gets as big as Disney, obviously the prices will go up. However, this is absolutely no indication of the "value" of the Universal parks.

 

[DawnM]

Wow. We moved out of SoCal 8 years ago. We had APs for 20 years. When we left, the SoCal pass was $99/year.

I had heard it had gone up quite a bit but didn't realize it has quadrupled!

Dawn

Okay then, compare it to the Disneyland AP with only two parks.


Premium Pass (no blackouts) --- $699

Deluxe Annual Pass (319 days of admission)--- $499

Southern Californian pass (215 days of admission) -- $399

Renewals get a $20 discount.

 

[hobbes493]

I can't say I agree with this 100%. Universal has been ahead of Disney in attraction technology and hotel service for quite some time now. I do agree, if Universal gets as big as Disney, obviously the prices will go up. However, this is absolutely no indication of the "value" of the Universal parks.

The general public determines what they feel is a better value every time they walk through the turnstiles at either a "Disney" or "Universal" park to spend their vacation dollars. Presently Disney operates the five busiest theme parks within the United States. If you add attendance of all three Universal parks together they barely exceed they yearly attendance at the Magic Kingdom alone. Families have consistently indicated, through dollars spent, that they feel Disney is a more desirable vacation destination that provides the environment they want.

I agree, the attraction quality at Universal is incredible. As the general public changes their vacation habits, this will allow Universal to adjust pricing accordingly. At this point in time, the market will not allow Disney pricing at Universal. A distinct advantage for those of us that enjoy Universal.

 

[sonofanarchy]

The general public determines what they feel is a better value every time they walk through the turnstiles at either a "Disney" or "Universal" park to spend their vacation dollars. Presently Disney operates the five busiest theme parks within the United States. If you add attendance of all three Universal parks together they barely exceed they yearly attendance at the Magic Kingdom alone. Families have consistently indicated, through dollars spent, that they feel Disney is a more desirable vacation destination that provides the environment they want.

I agree, the attraction quality at Universal is incredible. As the general public changes their vacation habits, this will allow Universal to adjust pricing accordingly. At this point in time, the market will not allow Disney pricing at Universal. A distinct advantage for those of us that enjoy Universal.

This I agree with. Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were saying there isn't as much value at Universal. While the general public may feel that way, I would argue against that point strongly.

 

[hobbes493]

This I agree with. Maybe I misunderstood. I thought you were saying there isn't as much value at Universal. While the general public may feel that way, I would argue against that point strongly.

I agree as well. For those of us that enjoy Universal, I feel like we are getting more "bang for our buck." This effect is even more profound when you consider the value associated with on-site hotels at Universal.

At this point in time, people are willing to pay more for a year at Disney then Universal, otherwise the Universal pricing structure would be different. It will be interesting to see how pricing will change with the HP expansion and Universal sees how that will affect demand.

 

[2girlsmom]

Universal is definitely a better deal, even with the florida resident renewal, my Disney premium pass was $519 per year, an annual pass was $450 or something. And we just talked about this last week, as we just renewed our Disney passes last month, with all the fp+ stuff, Disney is getting more complicated and less value for our money; if that doesn't change, we will likely not renew next fall. However, I will keep my Universal even though I won't likely use it from July-Nov for certain with the Diagon Alley expansion; I'm not into the crowds so want it to die down a bit before I head back, but it is cheap enough to keep the pass that there's no advantage in NOT renewing.

 

[macraven]

I agree this is a remarkable deal when looking at entertainment in a theme park environment. It is, however, a simple reflection of what price the market dictates a Universal pass is a valued at.

At this point in time Disney can charge almost $600 for an annual pass because the general public perceives a greater value in that pass. As such, they are willing to pay more for a year at what many believe to be the "gold" standard within the theme park industry.

i bought my AP for the motherland on my trip this fall.
i paid $648, wish it was cheaper.
since i had 2 trips booked within a 3 month time period, it was cheaper to go that way then buy 2 sets of 6 day Hoppers.

not renewing it as i am cutting back on days at the motherland for the next fall trip.

my UO AP, i keep renewing each year.
i'm there for at least 15 park days a year.
the AP is great for reduced rates for the onsite hotels, discounts off of food and merch, besides park entrance.

 

[lugnut33]

Wow. We moved out of SoCal 8 years ago. We had APs for 20 years. When we left, the SoCal pass was $99/year.

I had heard it had gone up quite a bit but didn't realize it has quadrupled!

Dawn

At one time they had over one million AP holders and had to raise their price because the amount of people was out of control.

Imagine that, one million people at a hundred dollars a piece.

 

[hobbes493]

At one time they had over one million AP holders and had to raise their price because the amount of people was out of control.

Imagine that, one million people at a hundred dollars a piece.

Wow!

 

[disneydawg10]

This is the price I paid in August to renew our passes. Almost let it slip through my fingers, but made it within our 30 day renewal window. So glad we did renew. I knew we'd regret it if we didn't - even if we don't plan to go as much as we did last year. We really got our money's worth from our passes and feel universal is great for our family. It has enough for two thrill seekers and two ride chickens to stay entertained. We love to plan last minute trips and love how flexible universal is with our schedules. I've been looking to take a more disney focused trip (of course visiting UO), but I feel like I have to plan down to the minute. I feel like UO is a secret treasure not yet discovered!

 

[2girlsmom]

another big advantage to Universal is the sheer number of places that give a discount with the AP, since all the shops, and pretty much all the restaurants and booths, including the butter beer tank outside gives me a discount.