Can you explain on tix work please?

[Tina in FD]

We will be coming down to do a WDW/Universal trip in November, staying onsite at HRH. Trying (like everyone!) to save $$ where I can. Exploring all options and looking at buying tix from Undercover tourist or possibly costco (would even consider buying an AP but doesn't look like there are any savings available hotel wise that time, we'll be there 11/19-11/22)... but how do they work since we're staying onsite?

At Disney you have your KTTW and everything charges back to it and it is your "ticket". Is it the same at Universal? Would they just take our tix (if we buy them "offsite") and put them on the express pass card?

Sorry to be so dense, trying to wrap my mind around everything.... Thanks so much!

Tina

 

[macraven]

We will be coming down to do a WDW/Universal trip in November, staying onsite at HRH. Trying (like everyone!) to save $$ where I can. Exploring all options and looking at buying tix from Undercover tourist or possibly costco (would even consider buying an AP but doesn't look like there are any savings available hotel wise that time, we'll be there 11/19-11/22)... but how do they work since we're staying onsite?

At Disney you have your KTTW and everything charges back to it and it is your "ticket". Is it the same at Universal? Would they just take our tix (if we buy them "offsite") and put them on the express pass card?

Sorry to be so dense, trying to wrap my mind around everything.... Thanks so much!

Tina

suggest you buy your tickets from UT as they are cheapest around.
cosco is another place you might consider, but it would take you time and gas money to drive to a cosco to purchase them.
compare their costs to decide which way to go for tickets.
check out both sites.
(i use my AP so i do not know the current prices for costco tickets)

you can always buy the park tickets in your hotel, at the parks or online.


your park tickets are not put on your hotel room key.

Loews owns the hotels.
Universal has the parks.

they are two separate things.
they can not be combined.


when you check into the onsite hotel, you are asked if you want charging privileges.
tell the the amount you will allow per day on your hotel account.

there is no separate express pass card.
showing your hotel key/your hotel id card, allows you to use the express lines in the park.

a person used to just have to show their hotel key card to use the ex. lines.
now you have a photo taken, put on an ID card, that you show for the ex line usage. (this can be done in the hotel lobby)

 

[Tina in FD]

Do you suggest I get the hopper version to be able to go back and forth (only at Universal 2-3 days) or will we go to one park and stay there for the duration? figure if we're not going to swap parks, no need to pay for that feature...

 

[macraven]

Do you suggest I get the hopper version to be able to go back and forth (only at Universal 2-3 days) or will we go to one park and stay there for the duration? figure if we're not going to swap parks, no need to pay for that feature...

if you buy the 3 day 1 park passes, you could do each park once and use the 3 day ticket for the park of your choice to repeat.

or you could upgrade the 3 day pass to "park to park" when you first buy them.


if you buy the basic passes and decide to upgrade them to hoppers while in the park, you can do so at guest services.
you would pay the difference between the 2 prices.


if you decide on your last day, 3rd day of the pass to upgrade, it might be a waste.
when you upgrade the passes, each day has the hopper on them, thus you could have done that from the start.


i go back and forth between the parks.
it is a short walk from one to the other.

sometimes i hop to the other due to a show time to hit.
or, if i have plans to eat at one of the parks with friends but at the other park....or if one park has more crowds than i want to deal with.

if it rains, there are more rides and things to do at the studio side than ioa.



i enjoy the flexibility to move between parks.
others may feel opposite.

 

[Tina in FD]

Thank you so much.... you have been so much help!

 

[macraven]

 

[Anal Annie]

I recently purchased the tix at Costco to use next month. It's our first trip over to Universal and we are only slipping over there for 2 days in the middle of our Disney trip. I priced the UT ones and they were like $138 or $139 for 2-days admission and had to be used within 14 days. The Costco ones I got were only $145 for 3 days and they don't expire until Dec. 2015 (and they're hoppers). So for $6 or $7 more pp we got a 3rd day. We will use them for 2 days this summer and save the remaining day to use on another trip. I think the Costco deal is a good one if you can use 3 days of tix either now or later.

 

[disneyred]

I recently purchased the tix at Costco to use next month. It's our first trip over to Universal and we are only slipping over there for 2 days in the middle of our Disney trip. I priced the UT ones and they were like $138 or $139 for 2-days admission and had to be used within 14 days. The Costco ones I got were only $145 for 3 days and they don't expire until Dec. 2015 (and they're hoppers). So for $6 or $7 more pp we got a 3rd day. We will use them for 2 days this summer and save the remaining day to use on another trip. I think the Costco deal is a good one if you can use 3 days of tix either now or later.

can i go into any costco near wdw and buy these tix?? don't know which days we might go and might even save them for next year given the expiry dates

 

[Anal Annie]

can i go into any costco near wdw and buy these tix?? don't know which days we might go and might even save them for next year given the expiry dates

I think I've read that they're never available in the Orlando area so I would look at home like I did.

(Oops - I see you are in Canada...I guess that might not work out for you if you don't have a Costco up there...)

 

[bumbershoot]

I've never seen a Universal ticket at my WA Costco stores. They aren't everywhere, if past posts are any indication. And I've seen numerous posts stating that they aren't online. So don't count on Costco tickets until you actually see one at your store.

 

[mcjw2011]

It's our first trip over to Universal and we are only slipping over there for 2 days in the middle of our Disney trip. I priced the UT ones and they were like $138 or $139 for 2-days admission and had to be used within 14 days.

When you buy tickets directly from the Universal site or from UT, the tickets don't expire if you don't use them. When you get to the park and activate them on the first day you come, that's when the 14 day expiration kicks in.

 

[Anal Annie]

When you buy tickets directly from the Universal site or from UT, the tickets don't expire if you don't use them. When you get to the park and activate them on the first day you come, that's when the 14 day expiration kicks in.

Right, as opposed to the Costco ones which can be used PAST the 14 days. The current Coscto ones don't expire until Dec. 2015, regardless of when you first used them.

 

[Maytrix]

When I go, I always visit both parks each day. We ride all we want in IOA and then head to USF. Might even head back to IOA end of day.

As far as saving money where you can, stay onsite just 1 night and offsite the other. The one night gets you express for two days. Changing rooms is a little hassle, but depending on the rate you got, you could save a couple hundred.

Royal Pacific is often cheaper and it pays to check rates periodically. If you see a lower rate, they'd likely reduce your rate if you are still in your cancellation window.