Seasonal AP at HRH??

[Erica Ladd]

Except for the blockout dates I can use Seasonal AP's as theme park admission and get all of the benefits of staying at HRH like EP's and one hour early park admission? Are Seasonal AP's considered park hoppers (meaning I can go to either park on the same day)? Is the biggest difference just no discounts on food,etc. and parking? Thanks!

ETA - Seasonal AP says valid only during park hours which made me nervous

 

[macraven]

Seasonal ap have block out dates where they are not valid for the parks

 

[georgina]

Except for the blockout dates I can use Seasonal AP's as theme park admission and get all of the benefits of staying at HRH like EP's and one hour early park admission? Are Seasonal AP's considered park hoppers (meaning I can go to either park on the same day)? Is the biggest difference just no discounts on food,etc. and parking? Thanks!

ETA - Seasonal AP says valid only during park hours which made me nervous

EVERYONE staying at the 3 EP resorts get EP. You get all the benefits of staying there including Early entry no matter how you are paying/what discounts you are using. Not sure what exactly the valid only during park hours disclaimer means. I think my Preferred AP gets me in for early entry even when I am offsite, so maybe that's it? Yes, they are park-to-park passes. There are a few resort restaurant discounts you would get even with the Seasonal AP. Check out the UO website for all the specifics -

https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/annual-passes/uoap-types#seasonal-pass

 

[macraven]

Maybe I misunderstood Erica Ladd question
I answered it as the seasonal ap had dates of not
allowing park admission.

 

[cfoxga]

The 2-park APs are really hard to beat in value. If you do need to visit on a blockout date, you always have the option to upgrade to remove the blockouts. On our trip last Thanksgiving, we upgraded to Power Passes for an extra $50 so we could go to US on the days when Mannheim Steamroller had concerts. We were supposed to go back in March during Mardi Gras, and would have been able to see the concerts then too.

Once you get to Power Passes, then you can upgrade one ticket to Preferred for another $40. It opens up a lot of discounts at local shops and restaurants.

 

[Erica Ladd]

The Seasonal AP blocks out all of July and December 19-31. We are planning on going December 16-18 and may or may not return the next year but the prices are cheaper than buying 3 day park to park tickets. I thought I read that the seasonal AP was good for regular hours so I wanted to make sure we could get the hour early benefit from staying on a Premier property. I need to go back and see if and where a seasonal AP can get discounts for food - that part seems to be very limited...

 

[cfoxga]

We have used the Seasonal and Power Passes to go during Early Entry on all of our trips. Those are benefits of staying at the onsite hotels, as is EP.

There are very few food discounts for Seasonal and Power Passes; they are all at the hotels. The Preferred Pass is the lowest level that has significant food. Probably not worth the extra $90 over the Seasonal for 1 or 2 short trips. You can compare them at:

https://www.universalorlando.com/we...nnual-passes/uoap-types#preferred-annual-passhttps://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/tickets-packages/annual-passes/uoap-types#seasonal-pass

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks for the easy links! If I thought we would definitely be back before the passes expired I would seriously consider paying for more food discounts!

 

[Erica Ladd]

Since I’ve never been do y’all think the early admission is necessary when you have the EP from the hotels? I think my kids would appreciate not rope dropping if they didn’t have to. We did almost every day on our Disney trips but I think an extra hour of shut eye would be greatly appreciated by the whole family!!

 

[georgina]

Since I’ve never been do y’all think the early admission is necessary when you have the EP from the hotels? I think my kids would appreciate not rope dropping if they didn’t have to. We did almost every day on our Disney trips but I think an extra hour of shut eye would be greatly appreciated by the whole family!!

I don't usually take advantage of it. EE is only for the Harry Potters areas, maybe one other attraction, and usually only for 1 park for your whole trip. The only advantage I can think of is if the kids want to get interactive wands and use them in the EE land, that might be the least crowded time. The spell areas can get backed up a bit throughout the day.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Since I’ve never been do y’all think the early admission is necessary when you have the EP from the hotels? I think my kids would appreciate not rope dropping if they didn’t have to. We did almost every day on our Disney trips but I think an extra hour of shut eye would be greatly appreciated by the whole family!!

During recent visits I have ignored EA and just made a beeline for ropedrop for Hagrids.

 

[Artygal90]

Since I’ve never been do y’all think the early admission is necessary when you have the EP from the hotels? I think my kids would appreciate not rope dropping if they didn’t have to. We did almost every day on our Disney trips but I think an extra hour of shut eye would be greatly appreciated by the whole family!!

Especially with EP it’s not necessary for short ride waits but I enjoy walking through Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley before they get stuffed full of people in the middle of the day.