Please criticize my plan for ticket bridging

[zavandor]

I am going this September, for 5 days, from the 5th to the 11th. I have a late afternoon flight on the 11th, so I could go to the parks in the morning, but as I understand it, Universal doesn't sell tickets for 5 days + 1 Epic and I don't want to buy two sets of tickets (too expensive just to add a day). So the current plan is to buy from www.undercovertourist.com a 4 days +1 Epic for everyone in my group.
From Universal the ticket costs $547.40 (after taxes), from UT it's $470.84, a saving of $74

But I also need an AP because I got a good deal for a Dockside 2BR suite.
A Seasonal annual pass costs, after taxes, $452,62 and a 1day ticket for Epic for Friday the 5th costs $136 (+taxes? Not sure, I don't have access to purchasing an AP ticket now). So My plan would be to pay $43,78 (plus the taxes on the Epic ticket) to upgrade my 4+1 ticket to an AP+1 Epic.

Can someone confirms if this is possible? Do they bridge the tickets this way?

Do I have to use the ticket before bridging it?

If Epic AP tickets are sold out by the time I get there, I might switch to another day or just buy a single day Epic ticket. The rationale on going on Friday, the first day I move to Universal (from Disney), is because we can decide if we really really want a second day at Epic (unlikely) or if weather forecast is awful, just move it to another day.
Also Fridays are slightly less busy, currently. I guess because they cost a bit more than other weekdays but they're still working days for most locals.

Another option would be to upgrade everyone to an AP, so we get the extra day we'd like for about $50.
I am 100% not coming back within a year, so there is no other advantage in buying a pass for everyone, just the extra day.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Everything I have read so far is that once you go to Epic on your 4days+1Epic ticket, you absolutely cannot upgrade to an AP.

 

[tony67]

Everything I have read so far is that once you go to Epic on your 4days+1Epic ticket, you absolutely cannot upgrade to an AP.

Yeah - this seems to be the case - I had thought about doing this myself and once you use the Epic day you cant upgrade it.

I know I've said it 100 times - but the whole Epic situation with APs is infuriating - we still dont know what the story is for 2026 let along if it will change before that as the rumors say

 

[zavandor]

Everything I have read so far is that once you go to Epic on your 4days+1Epic ticket, you absolutely cannot upgrade to an AP

What if I upgrade before entering Epic? I would upgrade right before entering any park.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

What if I upgrade before entering Epic? I would upgrade right before entering any park.

If you upgrade before entering Epic, you will lose the ability to go to Epic. There is no AP that allows admission to Epic at this point.

 

[tony67]

What if I upgrade before entering Epic? I would upgrade right before entering any park.

Most likely not an issue if you have not used the Epic day.

Also if you buy a 1 day epic ticket now - you can always get the difference back once you have an AP - as long as AP tickets are available for that day after you get your AP.

There are already a couple days each month sold out - which surprised me - so that might be your best bet if you want to be sure to get an Epic ticket for a specific day and if all goes well you can get the difference back - and if not at least you have your ticket.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

What if I upgrade before entering Epic? I would upgrade right before entering any park.

I expect that would be fine but that's just a guess on my part. You'd basically be using the 4+1 ticket as a voucher worth $TicketValue towards an AP, and the 1-day Epic ticket you buy after that is a separate transaction.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

I have an activated AP and bought an AP Epic ticket, but I want to buy my daughter an AP and also one day at Epic. She needs an AP both for her hotel rate and a future trip. We live in another state, so activating early is impossible. Because I was justifiably afraid that both AP and regular Epic tickets would be sold out by the time we arrive and she can activate an AP, I bought her a regular single day Epic ticket and will get her an AP.

If customer service gives me the difference back in the price of a regular versus AP Epic ticket, awesome, but the price difference is totally worth the peace of mind. Single day Epic tickets are supposedly "sold out" for what seems like random days despite there being plenty available on comparable days (I would love to understand why). My understanding is that you can't upgrade a ticket that has an Epic day. I can see why that might be complicated to do, assuming you want to preserve an Epic day (or have already used it, but I bet it catches many off guard. I am frustrated that I have to decide now if I want to get my son an AP or a multi-day ticket with Epic.

What makes this especially bad for guests AND Universal is that Universal doesn't sell tickets for more than 5 days. People want APs because it makes sense financially and is literally the only way to go to the parks all week. These are people who spend a lot at Universal, not just on tickets. And once you have APs, you're tempted to come back and spend more.

This would be avoided if they let AP holders buy AP Epic tickets without having activated their AP. Just let the first day that you use either the AP or the Epic ticket be the first day of your year. I get why they didn't want to do that for opening week, but at this point all they are doing is making people upset. And/or figure out a way to guarantee the ability to upgrade to AP + Epic day.

 

[zavandor]

If I buy a standard single day Epic ticket (no AP) for a certain day, can I exchange it for another day if my plans change (it would happen only if weather forecast is awful). Could it be moved the same day?