Some Questions

[Bowen9475]

Haven’t been to Universal in several years so we have a few questions. Good chance we aren’t staying on site. I have read that you don’t need to make park reservations. Do you buy dated tickets? Any chance of getting there and not being able to get in, when you have tickets? Also, are some attractions using virtual queues? If so, how does that work? Anything else we should know?

 

[cschaaf]

• I have read that you don’t need to make park reservations. Correct
• Do you buy dated tickets? Yes, they base ticket prices on anticipated crowd levels. You can pay extra for an 'any day' ticket.
• Any chance of getting there and not being able to get in, when you have tickets? Yes. The ticket does not guarantee entry. They will pause entry when the parks hit capacity then may open back up if enough people leave. On-site guests get priority upon reopen.
• Also, are some attractions using virtual queues? Yes, but none are virtual queues 100% of the time. A few rides will switch to virtual queue when the line gets long enough. (ETA: We don't know about the Velocicoaster yet.)
• If so, how does that work? You use the app to get a virtual queue return time. Hagrid's, in particular, is the most common to switch to VQ. They release return times throughout the day.
• Anything else we should know? Lots of information in the sticky threads (the ones pinned to the top of the board)

 

[Bowen9475]

Thanks for the responses. So, even if we buy a dated ticket, we may not be able to enter the park? What happens to our tickets then?

 

[cschaaf]

Thanks for the responses. So, even if we buy a dated ticket, we may not be able to enter the park? Correct
What happens to our tickets then? I don't know if they have a written policy for this. I assume you can go to guest services and try for a refund or a shift in dates. I don't think I've seen anyone respond about this.

There are some Covid times answers here: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/safety-faqs/theme-parks

 

[bchbetha]

This is, again, one of those things that I’ve seen conflicting real life things about- dated tickets should count towards that day's capacity which is why they sell out. There’s a special line for them at entry, from what I’ve seen. APs and multi day ticket people have yet another line. It’s driving me crazy that I can’t find that photo of how the entrance queues were split recently. I would still not chance anything and get a dated ticket and arrive an hour before opening (at least).

 

[nkereina]

From what I have seen, if you plan to arrive at park opening or some time before lunch, you should be fine for entry. If you leave mid-day and try to return later, that's when it can pose a problem. To my knowledge, its primarily problematic during holidays/spring break times and weekend days, when its busiest. However, dated tickets (as PP mentions) may be given priority over people with general tickets or APs, but I still don't think its a sure thing.

I'm not sure if you're firm on lodging yet, but all on-site guests are given priority entry so you really don't have to worry about this if you stay at a Universal hotel.