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Purchasing a Universal Orlando Annual Pass can be a significant investment, but staying at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel can be even pricier. Fortunately, Universal’s hotel discounts for Annual Passholders can help you save money. In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about taking advantage of these discounts and finding the best option for you.
Universal Orlando Hotels & Discounts for Annual Passholders
We’ll start this conversation with a little bit of background info if you are new to the idea of purchasing a Universal Orlando Annual Pass.
If you are an Annual Passholder, you may be eligible to save up to 40% on hotel stays at Universal’s hotels. As you might imagine, the discounts are greatest in the off-season and will be smaller or non-existent when the parks are busy.
If you are traveling when the discounts are maximized, purchasing an annual pass instead of a regular ticket may just save you money when it’s all said and done. For example, if you were already planning on buying a 4-day Park-to-Park admission ticket for yourself, you’ll be spending around $336.99. If, instead, you purchased a Power Annual Pass, you’d pay around $474.99 — roughly a $138 difference. Considering the on-site hotel room rates start at $250 to $300 per night, by cutting that price significantly with an Annual Pass discount, you can see how upgrading to an Annual Pass could cover the $138 difference and then some. Just be sure to check blockout dates before securing your reservation!
If you do end up with a Preferred Pass, there are other benefits, too, such as discounts on food and beverages, 50% off daytime parking, etc. You can see all the benefits by clicking here.
So that’s where this discussion comes in: You are a first-time visitor to Universal Orlando Resort. You’re thinking that it might be less expensive for you to purchase an annual pass and get the Universal hotel discount than buy a regular ticket and pay the hotel rack rate. So how do you check prices, what are the logistics for booking the hotel at the annual pass rate, and how do you pick up your pass and get checked in? That’s what we will dig into right now!
Booking Universal Orlando Hotels at Annual Passholder Rates
To see what kind of rates you can get at the on-site hotels with an annual pass discount, visit this page on UniversalOrlando.com and use the links provided to start checking.
IMPORTANT: You do not have to have an annual pass to make a reservation with the annual pass discount.
VERY IMPORTANT: You or someone registered tothe room must have an annual passduring your visitto secure the annual pass discount. More on this requirement later.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: You must book the annual pass discount rate in advance. You cannot book the regular rate and then, midway through your stay at the hotel, whip out your annual pass and get the discount applied to your stay.
DEAL BREAKER: Please remember that Loews requires at least one person 21 or older to be registered in your room, and that person must be present at check-in.
One more note about pricing out your on-site stay: as a general rule of thumb, the APH rates are available about three to six months in advance. So, if you search for your travel dates and an APH rate does not come up, that does not necessarily mean it will never be available – instead, it could just mean that the hotels haven’t published the APH rates yet for when you’re traveling. The best thing to do at this point is call the reservation department at 1-888-464-3617 and ask the agent about your dates.
Picking up your Universal Orlando Annual Pass
Annual Passes paid in full can be picked up at Resort Hotels with the Universal Vacation Planning Center team, and Annual Passes on FlexPay can be picked up by visiting Guest Services at the parks upon arrival.
Presenting Your Universal Orlando Annual Pass for Hotel Discounts During Your Stay
Passholders must present a valid Annual or Seasonal Pass and Photo ID at check-in to use their hotel discount benefit, limited to one room per pass.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: You must book the annual pass discount rate in advance. You cannot book the regular rate and then, midway through your stay at the hotel, buy an annual pass and get the discount applied to your stay.
Universal Orlando Annual Pass Activation Requirement
The 365 days of admission you receive with a Universal Orlando annual pass (minus blockout dates if applicable) begin the very first time you use your pass at one of the parks’ turnstiles — they do not begin when you purchase or pick up the pass. So, in theory, you could print your pass at the Will Call Kiosk, carry it around for a few weeks, and your 365 days of admission will not have begun. Then, after a few weeks, if you go to the parks and play, your 365 days will begin. Universal calls this “activating” your pass.
The catch here is that, per Universal policy, your annual pass benefits do not begin until your pass has been activated. That means if you pick up your pass but don’t take it through the turnstiles at least once, you cannot use your pass for complimentary self-parking, discounts on admission tickets and merchandise, etc. (You can see all the Universal Orlando annual pass benefits by clicking here.)
So how does this pertain to our discussion about hotel discounts and Annual Passes? If you pick up your pass at one of the hotels and then go to check-in, you obviously won’t have used it first to go into one of the parks — which means that the pass won’t be activated. Because it is unlikely that you would pay for an annual pass and never activate it, the front desk takes it on faith that, sooner or later during your stay, your pass will end up being activated, and you will qualify for the annual pass rate.
Conclusion
Wedefinitely recognize that this discussion can be a bit heavy. We’ve done ourbest to present all the necessary information so you can maximize your savings and have a smooth check-in process. Good luck with the numbers — wehope it all adds up in your favor!
Do you have a question about the information on this page or would you like to provide feedback? Please let us know by posting in our Orlando Informer Community on Facebook.
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