USH Price Increase!

[Goatmilk]

Im glad it's cheaper than I was told 


and it doesnt have front line 2 hours before the park closes

 

[Freak]

Well it's about time Universal. FINALLY. I think it's worth just $500 but at least it's not as expensive as I thought someone here implied it would be. (Even with Potter, USH ain't worth $700).


I'm a little in the fence but I might just upgrade. A free ticket to HHN plus free parking, plus front of line for the tour, and a front of line for the rides before closing. I may upgrade fairly soon. Not having to pay $18 a pop is worth it alone. 

 

[Ryan]

Single day ticket price went up as well.


The new "gate price" is $115, an increase of $20.  The cheapest ticket online is now $90.

Man, Universal is really scared shitless, huh? My god, this is the most expensive consistent ticket price out there on the market! I guess that's what some will get for not doing their research...


As for the new premium pass, I'm also glad that it's under $600, and now easily makes up for itself with the parking option. Not bad, but FoL on all non-Potter attractions should be included, and maybe that's just me.

 

[chris.g]

JUST as I was saving up to buy myself a new AP too... Man, what the hell! As much as I love Universal, they are just lost and worried on what Potter will attract to them. Once they realize it may not have attracted the crowds they hoped, I feel this is really gonna blow up in their faces.

 

[eivega]

Hmm, so I currently still have the Premium All Star pass which I bough last March as it was being discontinued.  (Thanks to the tip from IU)  I waited until December to activate so I'll be covered for a long time.  I'm loving this pass so much and living nearby having free parking makes it easy to just run on over whenever I'd like.  I know it would be an adjustment to settle for any lower tier pass.  I'm so grateful this isn't $700 so I might actually go for it.  Anyway, I don't need to get it any time soon, but what time frame should I consider nabbing one before the price increases again?  It seems like they always unveil new ticketing prices in March.  This year there was also a raise in November, right?  Is that the norm?  I know I probably shouldn't wait until my pass expires in December.  Is there an ideal time to buy these?  It was last March for the All Star, what about now for this?

 

[Jonathan]

The new post on this site says that this new premium pass comes with Front of Line access to all rides and access to shows and attractions two hours before closing, but where does it say that on Universal's I can't seem to locate it, thanks! 

The Front of the Line to all rides in the article was an error on our part. We apologize for any confusion.

 

[sickle_claw]

Single day ticket price went up as well.


The new "gate price" is $115, an increase of $20.  The cheapest ticket online is now $90.

..... 115 For admission at the gate. I think thats more expensive then a ticket at the gate to Disneyland right now. And Universal has far less to do in the park then Disneyland.

 

[Jonathan]

..... 115 For admission at the gate. I think thats more expensive then a ticket at the gate to Disneyland right now. And Universal has far less to do in the park then Disneyland.

Peak price for Disneyland is $119. 

 

[Allia]

The Front of the Line to all rides in the article was an error on our part. We apologize for any confusion.

Aw, I wish that was included then I would have considered buying it! Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Ryan]

JUST as I was saving up to buy myself a new AP too... Man, what the hell! As much as I love Universal, they are just lost and worried on what Potter will attract to them. Once they realize it may not have attracted the crowds they hoped, I feel this is really gonna blow up in their faces.

Honestly if the crowds are lower than anticipated, they'll probably seek to up various AP perks and change the gate price to the dynamic pricing tiers, making it no longer an online exclusive. They will never actually fully lower prices, it's the ultimate sign of weakness. Even the early years of DCA, Disney refused to lower the single-day admission price and opted instead to introduce the 2fer deal that essentially made DCA nearly free and barely ever raised the price of a park hopper. 

 

[Kaley Cyrino]

Worth it? No. Going to get it anyways? Yes.  <_<

 

[foodstampsFTW]

If this pass was $100 cheaper, it wouldn't be a bad option. universal doesn't have as much as Disney so pricing their passes as so is ridiculous 


also how do you guys **** up a detail like FOTL on rides before closing. That wasn't mentioned at all on the website, was that something you were hearing and decided to post it.

 

[charlie]

 it's a good deal..  ^_^ Glad we waited. 

 

[chris.g]

Honestly if the crowds are lower than anticipated, they'll probably seek to up various AP perks and change the gate price to the dynamic pricing tiers, making it no longer an online exclusive. They will never actually fully lower prices, it's the ultimate sign of weakness. Even the early years of DCA, Disney refused to lower the single-day admission price and opted instead to introduce the 2fer deal that essentially made DCA nearly free and barely ever raised the price of a park hopper. 

Don't get me wrong, I see their reasoning, and I hope thats what they eventually do. Even if they don't lower prices I'm super sure knowing the fanboy I am I'll still settle for a cheaper pass, but even then for what the money's worth and the dates available, sometimes it doesn't seem worth it... sometimes....

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

The Los Angeles Times has a story about the huge demand for the new Harry Potter land at Universal Studios Hollywood, in spite of the existing versions in Florida and Japan:   http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-harry-potter-crowds-20160319-story.html

The article says that the new land "is likely to be the most popular attraction to ever open at a Southern California park."

Another excerpt:


Theme parks spend heavily to ease crowding because long queues and gridlock are among the top visitor complaints. The challenge for park managers is to attract big crowds but keep foot traffic moving to avoid angering parkgoers and discouraging them from returning, according to crowd management experts.


"First and foremost, you have to think about customer satisfaction, which means they must want to return to the park and increase profits," said Paul Wertheimer, principal at Crowd Management Strategies of Los Angeles.


If lines get long and frustration boils over during the upcoming hot summer months, Adam Leggat, a crowd control expert with Texas-based Densus Group, said it will be important for the theme park to deploy staff to tell visitors how long they may be waiting and to offer them alternative attractions to visit until the crowds at the Harry Potter land decrease.

 

[Opie]

Single day ticket price went up as well.


The new "gate price" is $115, an increase of $20.  The cheapest ticket online is now $90.

The opening weekend was on sale for $85 prior to this. Looks like I'll hold off now.

 

[javierm27]

Has anyone pulled the trigger on the platinum pass?  

 

[Allia]

No way, I'm downgrading from last year's premium pass to costco's pass! 

 

[Jonathan]

I wonder if after summer Universal will add benefits to the Platinum pass or will it stay this way from here on out.

 

[WhyDoYouHateFun?]

I wonder if after summer Universal will add benefits to the Platinum pass or will it stay this way from here on out.

That'd be great......I'm holding off on ours to see if they do that, or al least roll out the monthly payment option.