USH Price Increase!

[Ryan]

The problem is is that the big theme park operators like Universal and Disney are not after the people who are just scraping by, who have to scrimp and save for that theme park visit. They want the people who will shell out $400.00 a night to stay at a theme hotel and who have plenty of money to throw around on food and merchandise and who have no compunction about doing so. These are the most profitable guests, and being a profit oriented organization, these are the people they most want.

They have no problem with the fiscally challenged visiting, but they are not aggressively pursuing that demographic.

Now you may think as I once did, that there aren't enough of these big spenders out there to keep these parks afloat. But then Disney raised their prices into the stratosphere, and kept their parks more packed than ever. So, I guess I was wrong; there are a lot of people out there who have a lot of money to burn. That's the market Disney and Universal are after.

Well then they're doing an awful job at that because that theme hotel has yet to exist.

USH is not UOR, and yet they're acting, price wise, as if they're better or as good as them. And pardon my language, that's complete bullshit on their part.

 

[smoaT]

Well then they're doing an awful job at that because that theme hotel has yet to exist.

USH is not UOR, and yet they're acting, price wise, as if they're better or as good as them. And pardon my language, that's complete bullshit on their part.

Agreed. There is no way Universal will ever get those big expenders as Disneyland. There is not even a hotel owned by Universal in property and there is not enough to do to justify a multi-day stay at Universal...

 

[Tyler Crouch]

I hate to say it, but I hope Potter fails. It's going to bring in a crowd for awhile. Things will probably die down though. Quicker than they did it Florida too. If Potter doesn't bring in the crowd they are expecting; I could see them bringing free parking back or even including some of the days that are now blocked. Heck, maybe they will even wise up and realize they need to get their customer service up to the Disney level? One can only hope. Let's also consider what's going to happen when Star Wars opens at Disneyland. Sure Potter is big, but it ain't no Star Wars. What's going to be Universal's answer to that? I see this as a pretty cocky move from Universal and I think it has a good chance of biting them in the butt down the road. 

 

[Wesker69]

In regards to the Potter fatigue and it "failing".... all we have to do is look no further than Diagon Alley in Orlando. They ripped out a timeless ride that people still ask where it is at 4 years after it closed, just to build "more Potter" because apparently there was a demand for it :unsure:  Sure the Potter fanboys will geek out over Diagon Alley, but they're sheep (no offense to you Potter fans on here) who will OMGZ over anything (just like all of us Star Wars fans are doing... and I LOVE Star Wars, but the thought of a new movie every year for the next 5+ years doesn't excite me, it makes me feel burnt out before it even begins).. ANYWAY....

Diagon Alley opened last year to a pretty abysmal fanfare crowd-wise. We all remember what Universal looked like when WWOHP opened in 2010... it was Pottergeddon! That didn't happen the 2nd time around. Which made me laugh at their whole promo crap of "Lightning strikes twice"  The park was not slammed, sure there was a several hour wait to get into the new land, but it was nothing like it was a few years ago. The annual passes (with blackout dates) & employee comp tickets were blocked out until nearly September... well when Universal realized there wasn't a Pottergeddon 2.0 like they expected, those blocked out APs/comp tickets were able to be used at the beginning of August. I moved out here the same month DA opened (was so annoyed that the day after I went to the park July 2nd, they soft opened the actual land. At least I got to give into laziness & take the Potterail aka Hogwarts Express to IOA).. Even during the soft opening of the Hogwarts Express, I was able to walk right on with no wait twice to IOA, once to Studios (this was before DA actually opened... so that alone should put it into perspective) WWOHP was slammed the first year or 2 it was open before crowds became tolerable. Diagon Alley was only open for less than a month before its hype died down. Even the day it grand opened, the parks were still tolerable crowd-wise...

Yes, there are many people in California (or the West Coast in general) that have never been to WWOHP in Orlando (or Japan), so they're obviously excited to finally experience it. That's understandable. While I'm personally expecting Pottergeddon to happen here, part of me also feels like the novelty of Potter has worn off and we won't see the massive crowds that Orlando saw in 2010. If anything, it will be like last year's Diagon Alley opening.. There will be a several hour wait to get into WWOHP, but the park will be slightly tolerable. Although I say tolerable very loosely only because USH doesn't have as much to offer guests like Orlando does.

I don't think Potter will necessarily fail, but as I said, part of me doesn't expect what USH is hoping for. I'd be curious to know how much Potter merch is sold each day because it just doesn't seem like there is really a demand for it (especially not when you can buy it elsewhere... WB Studios, Hot Topic, online, etc). I'll say it again though, these new AP prices can not be justified by WWOHP.

 

[Park Man]

It’s important to remember that Orlando and Southern California are two completely different markets, just as tourists and locals are completely different demographics. What we’re doing here is lumping them all together and confusing ourselves.

Here’s an example of the different markets. A top tier annual pass at Walt Disney World that includes all 4 theme parks, 2 water parks and a golf course with no block out days will run you $829.00.

A top tier annual pass at Disneyland, that only includes 2 theme parks with no block out days (No water parks, no golf course, none of that other vacation goodness) will run you $1,049.00. That’s $220.00 more for a hell of a lot less.

How can they do this? These two geographic locations are not in competition with each other. They get an entirely different clientele. Remember, with annual passes most of the time we’re talking locals. The average household income in Orlando, Florida is $47,463.00. (just google it; it'll come right up) The average income in Los Angeles is $78,309.00. http://www.healthypasadena.org/index.php?module=DemographicData&type=user&func=ddview&varset=1&ve=tab&pct=2&levels=-1&varid=2406&vl=tb&sregcomp=1

Over all, it’s just more expensive here in Los Angeles than it is in Orlando.

Now, if you compare what they charge the tourists, it seems to make a lot more sense. A two-day park hopper ticket at Disney World costs $257.73. A two day park hopper ticket at Disneyland costs $225.00.

Likewise, a one day ticket to USH costs $95.00. A one day ticket to USO costs $102.00.

You’ll notice the tourist prices seem far more equitable and that’s because they’re aimed at a different demographic. They are approached differently than locals who want an annual pass.

 

[Allen The Actor]

I just realized that I only posted my thoughts on the new prices on IU's Facebook and vented to some friends, but haven't posted in here. Almost everyone has already echoed my thoughts, so it's nice to see most of us agree regarding this. I'll keep it "short" and sweet:

Extremely disappointed in the new annual passes prices and especially the lack of a true top tier pass. I'm sincerely hoping this is only temporary for the first year of Potter to help minimize crowds and feel out what the park looks like, because I know and personally have seen Universal's plans for really expensive but also perk heavy passes. So hopefully they come in the future.

But for now, I'm very disappointed. I'm so blessed that I have a new Premium Star Pass that I will activate next month that I saved.

Its a huge slap in the face that they don't offer included parking for the Gold pass, or even offer a parking pass you can get separately. To have it be THAT expensive and not offer monthly payments, and be stripped of any beneficial perks AND have black out dated AND not offer anything above it is quite honestly bonkers.

I know it's unfair to judge UOR VS USH pricing since they're different markets. But I will absolutely compare them to Disneyland. Universal is getting super cocky with their pricing and big headed because of Potter. I'm a massive Potter fan AND massive USH fan. But I'm also not filthy rich and/or stupid. Disney offers you so much bang for your buck. They know, locals know it. And they raised the prices because of over crowding. But they at least still introduced two fantastic options for their top two APs. And they ADDED perks too!

Universal needs to appreciate and recognise their loyal fans and locals who WANT to spend more on a more fully featured pass. Yeah, we're a tiny group in the big scope of things, but it's a big slap in the face, and they'd have nothing to lose by offering a more expensive but fully featured pass.

Overall, even with Potter, I don't think USH is worth this much without special perks for locals.

I can go on and on about this but a lot of you have already eloquently expressed my same thoughts.

 

[Red Carpet]

With Costco annual passes now being sold for the same price as a single day ticket, there is no reason for anyone with a Costco membership to only get a single day ticket.

 

[Freak]

Wait wait wait wait....they're STILL selling the Costco passes, but they choose to have the park overcrowded with the cheap passes but screw over the higher tiers with no parking!? What the crap Universal! What. The. CRAP.

Can Florida management sit down with USH management on how things are done? That's rubbish!

 

[RyanTTD]

I'm guessing that Universal is contractually obligated to offer a pass for CostCo to sell.

I find it very hard to believe that Universal would want to give away their gate in a year where they open the largest expansion in park history.

 

[Jonathan]

Look at the Costco pass and its blackout dates. Almost all if not all weekends are blacked out. Universal Studios Hollywood is offering this pass to help spread out crowds by only offering weekdays which during the offseason the park is quite empty. It's a smart move to help spread out the crowds throughout the year.

 

[Goatmilk]

also the dates blacked out for the resident pass online are different from the ones bought in park

So on days one has sundays blocked for example, the other has them open and vice versa

 

[Red Carpet]

CA Resident Plus Pass online blackouts

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/passmember/2016l/

CA Resident Plus Pass at gate black outs

http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/passmember/2016m/

 

[Allen The Actor]

Since I didn't get to post it here:

At Costco right now. New Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Pass. I have a feelings it's gonna be more popular than ever. Better deal than the regular ones. Ton of Black out Dates though. I'm definitely getting it for my mom and sister.

 

[RyanTTD]

This just in, Universal just increased the number of blackout days on all pass levels!

Gold:

Was 312 valid days. Now its 310 valid days.

SoCal Plus:

Was 244 valid days. Now its 236 valid days.

SoCal:

Was 182 valid days. Now its 175 valid days.

 

 

[Park Man]

Changes already? One gets the impression the folks at Universal don't know what they're doing.

 

[chris.g]

This is, and please excuse my language, f***ing bonkers. What the hell does Universal think they're getting away with?

 

[Freak]

As if the parking situation wasn't already a giant middle finger to the pass holders.

 

[Wesker69]

Anyone have a comparison of what the new added blockout dates are compared to the previous?

 

[Jon Fu]

^ The change in valid dates may be attributed to future blackout dates rather than a set number of days as time passes.


Certainly if that's the case, it makes it more difficult to understand Universal's new system on a fixed basis.

 

[Wesker69]

Oh god... I just saw a Fast & Furious: Supercharged commercial & at the end it now promotes the new annual passes, telling people to go online & get one :wacko: