First, I cannot stress enough the importance of purchasing your tickets online at the Universal Orlando web site. This gets you a modest discount on one-day tickets and it’s the only way to get the Two-Park “Unlimited” seven-day ticket.
If your schedule only allows one day at Universal Orlando, with little likelihood of ever returning, the choice is both simple and complicated. Simple because you’ll only need a one-day pass, complicated because you must choose between two wonderful parks or try to do both parks in one day. If you will be visiting at a busy time of year, my advice is to choose one park. If the one-day, two-park option is available when you visit, it will pretty much give you a “Universal’s Greatest Hits” sort of experience with many attractions missed for lack of time. However, if you are visiting during a slow period, are staying at an on-site hotel (which gives you preferred access to rides), and know you will be skipping “aggressive” rides like the roller coasters and the kiddie attractions then you can probably comfortably do two parks in a single day. Conversely, if you will only be doing the aggressive thrill rides, then the two-park option might also work for you, especially if you are staying on site.
However, I do not recommend trying to cram both parks into a single day. There is just too much to see, do, and savor. In fact, Universal’s multi-day option is so reasonably priced that you really owe it to yourself to slow down and smell the roses. But if you only have one day available, please try to avoid the temptation to do both parks.
So let’s say you have one day. Which park should you choose? If you’ve already visited Universal Studios Florida, then you will clearly want to opt for Islands of Adventure. Even if this is your first visit to Orlando, I would still recommend Islands of Adventure. It’s newer, it’s special, and it’s the one all your friends back home will want to hear about. On the other hand, if you hate roller coasters and similar “thrill rides,” you might find Universal Studios Florida more to your liking. Read the chapters that follow and make your own decision.
If you have two days, then the Two-Park Unlimited Admission Ticket is the only sensible option, even if you will wind up not using all the days. If you want to spend three or more days in the parks, your options become a bit more complicated.
Making the choice between a Two-Park Unlimited ticket and an Annual Pass comes down to how many days you plan to be in Orlando and when. Annual Passes become a good investment if you want to spend three or more days at the parks now and you will be returning to Orlando within the next 12 months. The cost of a Preferred Annual Pass is actually less than the cost of two Two-Park Unlimited tickets, when you take into consideration the $11 daily parking fee (10 days times $11 is $110!). If you are going to be spending two one- or two-week vacations in Orlando within a 12-month span, this is an excellent buy.
And if you are considering a stay at one of the resort hotels, remember that an annual pass will entitle you to special rates, if you come at the right time of year. For example, annual passholder rates at the Hard Rock Hotel can sometimes be $60 less than the best rate available. A three-day stay and the annual pass pays for itself!
Think twice before grabbing a Power Pass, however. To my mind, this option makes sense only if you have figured a way around paying for parking. The dollar difference between a regular annual pass and the Power Pass is roughly six days of paid parking. Factor in the blackout dates and the money you lose by not getting a discount on meals and shopping and the Power Pass looks even less attractive. The Premium Annual Pass is recommended only for those who like the added luxury of preferred or valet parking, late afternoon express access, and a ticket to Halloween Horror Nights. If you don’t plan on taking advantage of those perks, it might be hard to make the additional investment pay off.
The Orlando FlexTicket is also an excellent buy for people whose main interest is Universal and who have two weeks to spend in Orlando. You can spend one day each at the other parks and the remaining eleven or twelve days coming and going as you please at the two Universal parks. The per-day cost is roughly $15 to $18, which is a lot of entertainment bang for the buck.
If you have any doubts about whether you will enjoy the theme park experience, you can hedge your bets. You can upgrade any pass to a more expensive pass while you are still at the park. The price you pay will be exactly what you would have paid if you’d purchased the more expensive pass when you first arrived.
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