Annual Pass plan questions?

[Dizney73]

Our family of 4 is planning to enjoy Universal the weekend after Thanksgiving (Nov. 27 - Dec. 2)! We are DVC members and are staying with our points at AKV for 5 nights. Instead of renewing our Disney passes we are purchasing annual passes for Universal! This will be our first visit to these parks and the kids are hesitant.
I know that there is a good sale on Universal tickets right now that would get us 4 days in the two parks... but I think that we are still planning to get the annual passes so that we can also enjoy the parks summer (June) of 2021 as well . My plan right now is to purchase 1 Preferred pass and 3 Seasonal passes. As of now we don't plan to visit during any of the seasonal pass black out dates. Purchasing the Preferred pass would get us the free parking after the first visit.
Is this a good plan?
AND If we would happen to change our mind and visit over a blackout date can we upgrade the other 3 passes?
Will we miss not having the Express passes?
What other extras will be available to us as Universal pass holders?

Thanks so much! This is all new to us!

 

[damo]

Sounds like a great plan to me. The parks will be very busy on Thanksgiving weekend, so the express pass is nice on those types of days. Once you've used the express pass, it's hard to go back.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Is that weekend typically a Manheim Steamroller concert? If so, Studios will be blocked out on the concert day for Seasonal Passes.

 

[Dizney73]

Is that weekend typically a Manheim Steamroller concert? If so, Studios will be blocked out on the concert day for Seasonal Passes.

No idea... this is all new to me! How would I find that out?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Found last year's Manheim Steamroller dates:
2019 Concert Dates are Saturday and Sundays
Nov. 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30
Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14 and 15

They unfortunately don't post the dates super far in advance, but it's probably reasonable to assume that it'll follow that pattern again.

So the Seasonal Passes would be blocked out of the Studios side for concert dates. You could either stick with IoA for those days, or upgrade to the next level pass (and watch the concert, if you like).

You can get AP hotel rates if they're offered on your dates.

 

[damo]

Yes, sorry Capslock is correct. You wouldn't be able to use the Seasonal Passes at Universal on the Saturday or Sunday of that weekend because of the concerts. You could get a Power pass for them with no issued.

It used to be that you could use a normal ticket for those two days and then upgrade to an AP as you left for the day. However, someone said they were only allowed to upgrade to a power pass because they had attended on a block out day. This might be an option for you to try if you would end up buying a power pass anyways, you wouldn't be losing anything by trying.

 

[Dizney73]

Yes, sorry Capslock is correct. You wouldn't be able to use the Seasonal Passes at Universal on the Saturday or Sunday of that weekend because of the concerts. You could get a Power pass for them with no issued.

It used to be that you could use a normal ticket for those two days and then upgrade to an AP as you left for the day. However, someone said they were only allowed to upgrade to a power pass because they had attended on a block out day. This might be an option for you to try if you would end up buying a power pass anyways, you wouldn't be losing anything by trying.

Thank you all! I saw the concerts listed on the pass info but no dates so didn't even think of it! Is the Mannheim Steamroller concert worth the upgrade?
I have no problem getting the upgraded Power passes. Honestly... I contemplated the Premium pass for everyone just for the Express pass after 4 pm! I just don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to!

updated since I misquoted the pass name... it's all new to me! And too many passes that start with a P!

 

[damo]

Thank you all! I saw the concerts listed on the pass info but no dates so didn't even think of it! Is the Mannheim Steamroller concert worth the upgrade?
I have no problem getting the upgraded Power passes. Honestly... I contemplated the Preferred pass for everyone just for the Express pass after 4 pm! I just don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to!

It isn't that it is worth the upgrade, the problem is that you can't go into that park at all on concert days. So if there are concerts on both Saturday and Sunday, you can't go into the Studios on either of those days.

 

[Dizney73]

It isn't that it is worth the upgrade, the problem is that you can't go into that park at all on concert days. So if there are concerts on both Saturday and Sunday, you can't go into the Studios on either of those days.

Thanks. I've got that part about not going into the park... but that still leaves the other park or a Disney fun day. Honestly, that's one thing I learned with annual passes is that we don't HAVE to go into a park everyday. We will have 5 days... if 2 are blocked out... we still have 3.

 

[macraven]

Thank you all! I saw the concerts listed on the pass info but no dates so didn't even think of it! Is the Mannheim Steamroller concert worth the upgrade?
I have no problem getting the upgraded Power passes. Honestly... I contemplated the Preferred pass for everyone just for the Express pass after 4 pm! I just don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to!

Has policy recently changed as it has been the premier ap had usage of the ep lines after 4?

 

[Dizney73]

Has policy recently changed as it has been the premier ap had usage of the ep lines after 4?

That's the one I meant! Like I said... It's all new to me! Too many different levels of passes to track for a newbie! And so many start with a P!

 

[smiths02]

You can definitely upgrade later. I got one Preferred Pass and 4 seasonal passes for my family April 2019. We just went this last week, and we upgraded two of them to Power so they could attend the concert at Guest Services outside the park. Then, I goofed and forgot our last day was still blocked out for 2 of us at Studios (I remembered before the vacation and thought nothing of it, but then the day came and everyone wanted to do rides at Studios before we left). Anyhow, we upgraded at the Hogwarts Express. As a warning, though, you pay the entire upgrade fee even if it is the last day of your pass.

Honestly, I have toyed with the idea of going this summer before our passes expire and staying at a value hotel and upgrading everyone to Premier for express after 4 pm (instead of paying for a hotel that offers express pass).

 

[cfoxga]

We've been twice for the 4 nights leading up to Thanksgiving, and it started off not too crowded and got progressively worse. There was even a day where the EP lines were 40+ minutes. But I would think the following Monday and Tuesday might be better.

The first time we went we opted to stay in IOA for the two Mannheim days, so Seasonal Passes worked for us. Last year we went with Power Passes so we could go. The concert was ok, but the kids would rather do rides.

The Premier Passes would get you EPs after 4 pm, but some of the best times to be in the park are in the morning (especially for EE). So it would be a long day of lines before getting to use the EPs.

So instead of going the Premier Pass route to get EPs, it might be cheaper/better to book a "throwaway" room for one night (Friday) at the Deluxe Hotels. It would give you EE and EP into the parks for two days for all 4 people on days that will likely be quite crowded. It will give you a place to rest during the first afternoon and you could even stay overnight if you don't want to drive back to AKV. You could park at the hotel, since you have to pay for parking anyway.

 

[Dizney73]

You can definitely upgrade later. I got one Preferred Pass and 4 seasonal passes for my family April 2019. We just went this last week, and we upgraded two of them to Power so they could attend the concert at Guest Services outside the park. Then, I goofed and forgot our last day was still blocked out for 2 of us at Studios (I remembered before the vacation and thought nothing of it, but then the day came and everyone wanted to do rides at Studios before we left). Anyhow, we upgraded at the Hogwarts Express. As a warning, though, you pay the entire upgrade fee even if it is the last day of your pass.

Honestly, I have toyed with the idea of going this summer before our passes expire and staying at a value hotel and upgrading everyone to Premier for express after 4 pm (instead of paying for a hotel that offers express pass).

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It truly helps me understand and make decisions!

 

[Dizney73]

We've been twice for the 4 nights leading up to Thanksgiving, and it started off not too crowded and got progressively worse. There was even a day where the EP lines were 40+ minutes. But I would think the following Monday and Tuesday might be better.

The first time we went we opted to stay in IOA for the two Mannheim days, so Seasonal Passes worked for us. Last year we went with Power Passes so we could go. The concert was ok, but the kids would rather do rides.

The Premier Passes would get you EPs after 4 pm, but some of the best times to be in the park are in the morning (especially for EE). So it would be a long day of lines before getting to use the EPs.

So instead of going the Premier Pass route to get EPs, it might be cheaper/better to book a "throwaway" room for one night (Friday) at the Deluxe Hotels. It would give you EE and EP into the parks for two days for all 4 people on days that will likely be quite crowded. It will give you a place to rest during the first afternoon and you could even stay overnight if you don't want to drive back to AKV. You could park at the hotel, since you have to pay for parking anyway.

We surely did contemplate this.! The Saturday night at RPH is quite expensive. The Sunday night would be $320 which is a bit easier to swallow.
If we booked the room we would definitely get two full days in at the parks! It was when I saw that I could get the lowest annual passes which would allow us to visit the parks in our next 3 trips for not much more than the current special that I started thinking that perhaps we should just get annual passes!
It's just so much to decide! I don't even know if we will like universal enough to use annual passes! And it's hard to think ahead for our Next 3 trips to decide what to do!
But the crowds on the weekend of our visit could push me towards the room!
Thanks so much for taking it out with me! You gave me great information!

 

[cfoxga]

Here is why we've always done APs:

1. Seasonal Passes don't cost much more than a regular 2-day park-to-park ticket.
2. Opens up APH rates at the hotels to save around 30% off the regular price. It is usually better the the other offers, but you have to keep an eye out for room openings with these rates and book them immediately (especially for the deluxe hotels over the holidays).
3. The Preferred Pass has some really good discounts around the hotels/parks/CityWalk. As a family of 4, we easily saved the $40 cost over the Power Pass in our 4-night stay.
4. Makes additional trips much cheaper. You just need to pay for a room and food.

We have 2 girls (ages 12 and 13) that love going to Universal. The are HP fans and spend quite a bit of time in those areas (the rides are very unique), but they also enjoy the other rides Spiderman/Transformers/Simpsons and even Hulk and Rip Ride Rocket. We are going on our 4th trip in three years and they are as excited as the first one. We usually stay at the Deluxe Resorts for the EPs, at around $300 per night with the APH rate.

The Universal bubble is excellent, with hotels/parks/dining/shopping all within walking distance. The boats are our favorite way to travel around; we almost never use the bus or our car.

 

[Dizney73]

Here is why we've always done APs:

1. Seasonal Passes don't cost much more than a regular 2-day park-to-park ticket.
2. Opens up APH rates at the hotels to save around 30% off the regular price. It is usually better the the other offers, but you have to keep an eye out for room openings with these rates and book them immediately (especially for the deluxe hotels over the holidays).
3. The Preferred Pass has some really good discounts around the hotels/parks/CityWalk. As a family of 4, we easily saved the $40 cost over the Power Pass in our 4-night stay.
4. Makes additional trips much cheaper. You just need to pay for a room and food.

We have 2 girls (ages 12 and 13) that love going to Universal. The are HP fans and spend quite a bit of time in those areas (the rides are very unique), but they also enjoy the other rides Spiderman/Transformers/Simpsons and even Hulk and Rip Ride Rocket. We are going on our 4th trip in three years and they are as excited as the first one. We usually stay at the Deluxe Resorts for the EPs, at around $300 per night with the APH rate.

The Universal bubble is excellent, with hotels/parks/dining/shopping all within walking distance. The boats are our favorite way to travel around; we almost never use the bus or our car.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am so very appreciative of your help and patience with explaining this all to me!
How far in advance do the AP rates come out? Would you recommend that I book a room now just in case?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

How far in advance do the AP rates come out? Would you recommend that I book a room now just in case?

If you book room only, you can cancel up until 6 days prior to check-in. So yes, I would book now to have a guaranteed room over the holiday weekend. Rack rates frequently increase as the dates get closer. But the pre-booked room is not helpful for the AP rate. You'll need to make a new reservation and cancel the existing one. AP rates are out through 11/1 now. They'll release those once the dates are closer. And if there are no AP rates that work for you, you've got your backup reservation.

 

[cfoxga]

Once I have my dates set, I save a bunch of bookmarks that link to the hotel booking site with for APH discount code. I check the links daily and book as soon as a see a rate I could live with at any deluxe hotel, and continue looking until I get the room type at my preferred hotel. When you see something you like, book it immediately. Aside from having to wait for the deposit to be refunded, cancelling has no penalties. I can tell you from experience that it sucks when the room disappears while you are on the fence.

Here are links for Nov 27 and 28:

Nov 27: https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/default.aspx?hgID=641&langID=1&checkin=11/27/2020&nights=1&rooms=1&adults=2&children=2&promo=aph&iata=&group=&hotels=&ada=0&currid=0

Nov 28: https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/default.aspx?hgID=641&langID=1&checkin=11/28/2020&nights=1&rooms=1&adults=2&children=2&promo=aph&iata=&group=&hotels=&ada=0&currid=0

There probably won't be any APH rates for Thanksgiving before September, so don't worry if you don't see them for a while. Even at $439 for RPR, you'll still save money vs buying 4 EPs for 1 or 2 days.

Once you lock down your room and EPs, you are basically done with planning. No ADRs to setup, no FP+ to reserve, just show up and enjoy

 

[barb969]

Thank you all! I saw the concerts listed on the pass info but no dates so didn't even think of it! Is the Mannheim Steamroller concert worth the upgrade?
I have no problem getting the upgraded Power passes. Honestly... I contemplated the Premium pass for everyone just for the Express pass after 4 pm! I just don't want to spend the extra money if I don't have to!

updated since I misquoted the pass name... it's all new to me! And too many passes that start with a P!

You do not need to upgrade the passes.
Buy 4 day tickets. Use them for 4 days. Before you leave the park on the last day upgrade to the seasonal pass.The seasonal passes are almost the same price as a 4 day park to park tickets, so you will just pay the difference if there is any.