When you hold the title of Annual Passholder, you’re basically considered royalty at Universal Orlando Resort. Not only do UOAPs enjoy incredible theme park benefits year-round, they’re also given extra perks in the form of amped up discounts and special offerings during Passholder Appreciation Days each summer (did someone say exclusive menu items?)
Perhaps the most coveted part of Passholder Appreciation Days are Passholder Nights, where Passholders have the theme park all to themselves for an after-hours party. In fact, they’re so popular that they were brought back for not just one, but two nights in 2024! As someone who has worked closely with our Passholders in the past, I always had severe FOMO when Passholder Nights came around — I mean, the thought of getting some extra time in the theme park with low wait times and great company is enough to give any fan butterflies. That’s why I was so excited to be invited to the event at Universal Studios Florida last year, and now I’m here to share my experience with you!
After checking in at the front of the park, grabbing my Passholder Nights-exclusive magnet and donning my special green UOAP wristband, I made a quick stop to hydrate and pick up a snack at the VISA Everywhere Lounge, located across from Guest Services. While the lounge is usually only open to select VISA cardholders during park hours, it was open to all UOAPs during Passholder Nights! Not only did I enjoy the much-needed air conditioning, I also grabbed a freebie Passholder Nights sticker sheet, which might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Currently rocking the “Love Love Love” sticker proudly on my laptop.
For our first ride of the evening, I had the urge to do something big… really big… like ride a roller coaster on the moon! We stopped at Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon and were on the ride in just 10 minutes. It gave me the inspiration to write this thank you note…
Thank you, UOAPs, for giving a new meaning to the phrase “welcome home, you’ve arrived” every time you step through the park gates.
Because I’m a Universal Rewards Cardmember, I also had access to the exclusive VIP Lounge that overlooked the Music Plaza Stage and Gramercy Park. I had an amazing view of the sunset and all of the UOAPs enjoying the event, and even ran into a certain yellow, banana-loving celebrity (IYKYK).
Because I just couldn’t stand to see everyone in the Music Plaza having fun without me anymore, we headed down there to check out the Coca-Cola Zone. Here, they had some light refreshments (including a bar with Passholder Night-exclusive Cherry Limeade), a live DJ, and — my personal favorite part — photo ops! I grabbed a photo with the Passholder Night neon sign, and I even got a picture with my husband thanks to a roaming selfie station. This was extra special to me because we always forget to get photos together, so this was the perfect opportunity to commemorate our date night!
As we walked further into the theme park, I learned there was also a Passholder Nights Instagram story filter. I added a selfie to my story so my friends could be extremely jealous of how much fun I was having.
By this point, it was officially snack time. Pizza Fries are specifically called out on the T-shirt I was wearing as a favorite UOAP food, so it seemed wrong for me not to get them. At Louie’s Italian Restaurant, I grabbed these and a Gelato Sandwich. Please take a moment to appreciate this Pizza Fries cheese pull, and I apologize in advance for making you hungry.
As an animal lover, the opportunity to meet the actors from Animal Actors on Location! was the offering I couldn’t stop anticipating all night. I’m happy to report that I made a new bestie named Dusty. Yes, Dusty the skunk. His trainer instructed me to only pet his back, not his head, which was a boundary I gladly abided by.
CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular has quickly grown to be my favorite show at Universal (and by quickly, I mean it shot to the top of the list the first time I saw it) so I was incredibly happy that there was a special showing for event-goers! It was a full house, and the energy in the crowd was top-notch. It was awesome watching the show surrounded by mega Universal fans like me, who know a thing or two about fine cinema like “Shrek” and “Trolls.”
The way I cannot leave Universal Studios Florida without riding MEN IN BLACK: Alien Attack is a phenomenon that must be studied — especially when the wait time is nonexistent. Normally, I achieve a pretty decent score, never falling below Cosmically Average. On this night, though, I think the pressure of riding with a vehicle full of skilled UOAPs got to my head — not to mention the competition for the red button bonus was fierce. While I’m too embarrassed to reveal my score, let’s just say it was only five digits (yes, I’m hanging my head in shame right now). Big props to the Passholder behind me that racked up over 700,000 points — I hope to defend the galaxy as well as you one day!
I ran into so many characters throughout the night — here are some frame-worthy shots with Bart and Lisa Simpson, Megatron (who left me nervously looking over my shoulder for the rest of the event), and Gwen!
As the night came to a close, I stopped by Five and Dime to pick up my Back to the Future-themed UOAP button. This button was offered during the day, too, but the feeling of strutting into the store and having the button bestowed upon me without having to wait in line can’t be beat.
When it was officially time to head home and I thought the fun was over, I spotted Woody and Winnie Woodpecker bidding us farewell — and it gets better, because they were dressed in their Halloween costumes. I was fangirling *so* hard because seeing them in the park these days is very rare, so this was just the cherry on top of a fantastic night!
All in all, I had the best time at Passholder Nights! I got to eat my favorite food, meet my favorite characters, ride my favorite rides and see my favorite show — all while being surrounded by Universal lovers just like me. I felt the UOAP love the entire night, from the moment we arrived at the Toll Plaza to when we got on the highway to go home, which left me with so many warm and fuzzy feelings inside. If you’re considering joining the Annual Passholder family and attending Passholder Nights next year, here’s your sign to move this up to your must-do list!
Did you attend Passholder Nights last year? Are you attending this year? Let us know in the comments below!