How to buy tickets when staying onsite?

[grizbuzz]

Made reservations at RPR for a couple nights Friday and Saturday the week before Thanksgiving. Just got the hotel reservations.

What's the best method to purchase tickets for my family of four for two days at the park? Should I get a package instead?

Advice appreciated.

 

[fizbobunny]

I bought my tix from Undercovertourist.com

 

[macraven]

packages can be higher than buying everything separately.

there are restrictions in a package.
fees are added for changes and cancellations have to be made 46 days for no penalties.

 

[grizbuzz]

Thanks for responses.

I'm a little unclear as to how the onsite privileges work. Do I need to purchase special "onsite tickets" that include early entry and Express Pass? Can I just buy these tickets upon arrival at RPR? If I buy tickets from Undercover Tourist, for example, will I still get onsite privileges?

Thanks for clarification. This is our first trip to Universal.

 

[macraven]

Thanks for responses.

I'm a little unclear as to how the onsite privileges work. Do I need to purchase special "onsite tickets" that include early entry and Express Pass? Can I just buy these tickets upon arrival at RPR? If I buy tickets from Undercover Tourist, for example, will I still get onsite privileges?

Thanks for clarification. This is our first trip to Universal.

if you stay at one of the 3 onsite hotels, you get early entry and unlimited usage of the express lines.

those things are the hotel perks for staying onsite.

it has nothing to do with tickets.



once you check in to the onsite hotel, you and everyone on your reservation will receive a hotel key card.

that hotel card allows you to enter the park for early entry, one hour prior to the official opening.
parry hotter section will be open during the EE period for the ones with that hotel perk.

after you check in, you go to the kiosk in the hotel lobby.
you insert your hotel card, have a picture taken to be made into an express pass.

that express pass has your name, your photo, hotel dates stay on it.

that is the card (made of tyvex paper) that you show to the TM's when you enter the express lines.
some rides have you show that express pass again at another point in that line. (usually when it merges with regular line)


you can buy your park tickets online at UO website or any offsite company.
UT is popular to purchase tickets for the darkside.

if you bought a package for uo, you would receive your tickets from the check in TM when you check in.

don't go that route, too many restrictions and not a bargain.


you can have tickets mailed to you, picked up at will call or picked up at the kiosk machines. (located in the hotel lobbies and at the parks, inside and out)

express lines are 20 minute wait or less.

 

[fizbobunny]

I'm staying onsite and bought my tix from Undercovertourist because like Mac said where you buy your tix has nothing to do with hotel perks.

 

[General Panic]

What system of booking the tickets allows you to use these self serve kiosks at the park entrances?

We bought tickets in the UK via a firm called Attraction world. They emailed us a voucher near departure time which we had to queue to exchange from a kiosk manned by a human but it took over 40 minutes last September to actually get served!!

Would do anything and pay possibly more for the tickets just to avoid this system in future. Hate to think what that quueue would be like in busier July and August.

 

[grizbuzz]

Thank you macravan!

That clears everything up - just the info I needed.

 

[macraven]

glad i could help.
any more questions?

 

[macraven]

What system of booking the tickets allows you to use these self serve kiosks at the park entrances?

We bought tickets in the UK via a firm called Attraction world. They emailed us a voucher near departure time which we had to queue to exchange from a kiosk manned by a human but it took over 40 minutes last September to actually get served!!

Would do anything and pay possibly more for the tickets just to avoid this system in future. Hate to think what that quueue would be like in busier July and August.

sounds like you used guest services and not the kiosk.

if you do print at home tickets, you will have what you need before you leave home.
print dups of it in case you go on water rides and the ticket sheets you have are drenched and unreadable.

 

[crepemyrtle]

Wow macraven - that was a pretty great response. We'll be at Universal in May 2014 (staying at Royal Pacific). I have a couple of follow up questions:
1) Should we go ahead and purchase our park tickets (2 day park to park) now?
2) I don't think there is a date on the tickets, is there?
3) Would you recommend printing at home, or picking them up at the resort when we arrive?

Thanks.

 

[macraven]

since hp2 will be opening next summer, who knows if ticket prices will increase.

i just don't know if that will happen.


you can buy tickets now and they will be valid when you need to use them.
there will be no expiration date on the tickets.

you can do the kiosk pick up.
the system will hold all the paid ticket reserved until you collect them.
if it is a year from now when you pick them up, they will be there.

if you would change the cc you used to buy them, then you would need to go to will call or guest services for additional help to get the tickets.


for kiosk pickup, you need the original cc you used to purchase the tickets and the confirmation number of that transaction.
if you lose any of that, you need to go to guest services with an id to get those tickets.

you can use home delivery but there is a cost for that.
you can do print at home.
(make multiple copies in case they get wet on a water ride)


i have tickets in 1992 and 3 that have never been used.
they are still valid.
i might have to go to guest services if they don't scan when used.
but, i would get new tickets in exchange.

i bought my AP in 1993 and no longer needed the day tickets.

if you are not one to forget where you put valuable trip items, then do the print at home.

if you don't want to keep them at home for the next 10 months, do the kiosk system.

 

[macraven]

What system of booking the tickets allows you to use these self serve kiosks at the park entrances?

We bought tickets in the UK via a firm called Attraction world. They emailed us a voucher near departure time which we had to queue to exchange from a kiosk manned by a human but it took over 40 minutes last September to actually get served!!

Would do anything and pay possibly more for the tickets just to avoid this system in future. Hate to think what that quueue would be like in busier July and August.

i reread your question.
i don't know if i have an answer for you.

i am not familar with how someone in the UK buys tickets from a company that is in their home country. is this place something like a travel agency/ticket company that only residents of europe can purchase from?

in the states here, if you are mailed a voucher for tickets, ap, etc, you need to have the voucher traded in by going to will call or guest services.

can you go thru the UO site that is for UK residents only to purchase your tickets and do a print at home?

if that is possible, then you will avoid what you did before.


do you have a credit card that is international, something like American Express? Master Card ? some card that the company will do the exchange in american dollars for your pound when you make a charge from another company?

(i have one and it is convenient)

if you have that, can you book on the regular UO site to order tickets for kiosk or will call or print at home?

or can you order the tickets once you are in the states and use print at home feature?

i'm just tossing ideas around here for you as i do not know another way you can do this.

why don't you send an email to guest services at UO and inquire on the best way you can avoid receiving the vouchers and wasting time redeeming them once you are at the park..

schumigirl is a regular poster on something about nothing thread.
she lives in UK and does the darkside each year.

drop in over there and ask her how she does her tickets for the darkside.
she is a wealth of information on things like that.

 

[General Panic]

i reread your question.
i don't know if i have an answer for you.

i am not familar with how someone in the UK buys tickets from a company that is in their home country. is this place something like a travel agency/ticket company that only residents of europe can purchase from?

in the states here, if you are mailed a voucher for tickets, ap, etc, you need to have the voucher traded in by going to will call or guest services.

can you go thru the UO site that is for UK residents only to purchase your tickets and do a print at home?

if that is possible, then you will avoid what you did before.


do you have a credit card that is international, something like American Express? Master Card ? some card that the company will do the exchange in american dollars for your pound when you make a charge from another company?

(i have one and it is convenient)

if you have that, can you book on the regular UO site to order tickets for kiosk or will call or print at home?

or can you order the tickets once you are in the states and use print at home feature?

i'm just tossing ideas around here for you as i do not know another way you can do this.

why don't you send an email to guest services at UO and inquire on the best way you can avoid receiving the vouchers and wasting time redeeming them once you are at the park..

schumigirl is a regular poster on something about nothing thread.
she lives in UK and does the darkside each year.

drop in over there and ask her how she does her tickets for the darkside.
she is a wealth of information on things like that.

Thanks for the detailed reply. In the Uk we are usually encouraged to buy the tickets from UK sources "for the best deal" but i think though maybe wrong they all operate in the same way where you get a voucher to exchange at the guest services kiosks to exchange for tickets. Maybe i was just unlucky last year in the time i had to wait in line but it was bad , a lot of disgrutled people waiting for almost an hour. they did have multiple windows open but it seemed to take ages to serve each person.

I think as you say my best bet to avoid this is to buy directly from Universal and be able to use their self serve kiosks.

Thanks again , appreciated.

 

[crepemyrtle]

Brilliant. Thank you so much macraven.

 

[macraven]

i might not always have answers but glad to help on what i have experienced and know.

 

[ashearer]

I think tickets are much cheaper in UK. 14 day ,2 parks is £101 and add on unlimited Halloween nights is only an extra £50 so we'll prob buy here 2 although we are only staying at HRH for 4 nights.it seems such a waste to have 9 days unused on 5 tickets though.