Doctor, esquire, lord, lady… in life, there are many great titles that can be bestowed upon us. But for me, the greatest honor of all was becoming Nicole Wills, UOAP. Sure, being a lawyer is great, but does it get you year-round access to soft pretzels and roller coasters? Didn’t think so.
Joking aside, getting an Annual Pass to Universal Orlando Resort opens up the door to SO many sweet (and savory) benefits. I’m talking exclusive seasonal perks, discounts, special merchandise, access to an exclusive in-park lounge — and the unbeatable ability to pop into the parks to play whenever you want, of course!
If you’re on the fence about whether to become an Annual Passholder, wonder no more. I’ve compiled all of the best perks of a Universal Orlando Annual Pass for you in this article; let’s dive in!
Types of Passes
Before you start enjoying the (many!) benefits of being a Universal Orlando Passholder, you’ll have to pick which pass is right for you. There are four to choose from: the Seasonal Pass, the Power Pass, the Preferred Pass and the Premier Pass. Each comes in a 2-park or 3-park variety:
- 2-park passes include Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure.
- 3-park passes include Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay.
Each Pass has a different price point, blockout dates, FlexPay options and additional perks, all of which can help you narrow things down. Click here to explore all of the features and benefits.
PRO TIP: If you’re a Florida resident, you can score reduced pricing for all of the Pass options! Click here to compare.
No matter which Pass you choose, you’ll get to take advantage of some pretty awesome perks. Most obviously, you can…
Explore the Parks (Almost) All Year Long
If you’re considering an Annual Pass, it’s safe to assume that you like to visit Universal Orlando Resort. (And may I say you have wonderful taste for that!) With an Annual Pass you can enjoy theme park admission all year long. Well, almost all year — the Seasonal Pass and Power Pass do have Blockout Dates, and Volcano Bay is occasionally blocked for the the 3-Park Preferred Pass. Still, that leaves hundreds of other days to have fun!
From seasonal events like the Holidays at Universal and Universal Mardi Gras: International Flavor of Carnaval, to Passholder Appreciation Days, to the simple joy of riding a coaster or two after work, getting to visit Universal Orlando whenever you want is hard to beat. Plus, you never have to stress about knocking out all of your must-dos in a single visit!
PRO TIP: Premier and Preferred Passholders can enjoy Early Park Admission on select days, which grants access to select attractions up to an hour before scheduled opening.
Access to the Coolest Place in the Park
Located in Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure, the UOAP Lounge is your go-to stop for all things passholdery. Remember that exclusive merchandise I mentioned earlier? You can shop for it here — including that famous classic blue UOAP lanyard to let all your fellow APs know you’re in.
Have any UOAP-related questions? Or maybe it’s time to renew (or upgrade!) your Pass? With the Concierge Services offered at the UOAP Lounge, you can take care of this and more. Grab a soda, charge your phone, kick back and enjoy feelin’ fancy.
Enjoy Special Event Perks
Team Holidays vs. Team HHN? Choose Team UOAP and you’ll always come out ahead! Passholders enjoy special perks during some of Universal Orlando’s most popular events, including Mardi Gras and the always-fun Passholder Appreciation Days that take place each fall. When you have a Pass, you can:
- Ride a Mardi Gras Parade Float. On select event nights, you can sign up to have the opportunity to ride a parade float, throw beads and let the good times roll! Passholders also receive a discount on the Mardi Gras Float Ride and Dine Experience. If you’d rather watch than ride, take advantage of Passholder-only viewing areas in front of Mel’s Drive-In on select dates.
- Feel the Love. Each fall, Universal Orlando dedicates a stretch of days to celebrating UOAPs with even more perks, discounts and exclusive opportunities. Passholder Appreciation Days also come with an exclusive menu of items available at food and dining locations throughout the resort.
- Save on Screams. Passholders can save on separately ticketed events like Halloween Horror Nights! You’ll also find Passholder-exclusive merchandise for this event during the spooky season.
- Upgrade Your Holiday. You can snack on Passholder exclusive food and beverage offerings during the merriest season, and you’ll receive early access to the Holiday Tribute Store so you can nab that UOAP exclusive holiday merchandise. Just like Mardi Gras, you can also view Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s from the Passholder-only viewing area.
Grab Free Goodies
Something about me is I will never turn down a trinket, tchotchke or any other variety of whimsical item. That’s why nabbing my specialty UOAP Magnet was a top priority when I became a Passholder! These free magnets are the perfect way to show off your Passholder pride, whether it’s smack in the middle of your fridge or constantly flexing down the highway on your bumper. When available, you can pick them up at the UOAP Lounge in Islands of Adventure or Five and Dime in Universal Studios Florida, along with other seasonal giveaways like buttons and lanyards.
PRO TIP: Keep an eye out for UOAP Magnets themed to Mardi Gras, the Holidays and other fun seasonal happenings.
Score Special Discounts
The only thing better than a day trip to Universal Orlando? A staycation, obviously! Throughout the year, Passholders can save up to 40 percent off room rates at select hotels; at the time of publication, these hotels include Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. Plus, you secure discounts at resort restaurants, by the pools and more.
And the discounts don’t stop with the hotels! You can flex your UOAP benefits when you…
- Save on Parking, Spend on Churros. Premier and Preferred Passholders receive free self-parking at Universal CityWalk after their first visit, and Power Passholders get 50 percent off!
- Dine and Shop Your Heart Out. Preferred Passholders get 10 percent off dining and merchandise, and Premier Passholders get 15 percent off.
- Bring the Family. Need to buy Multi-Day theme park tickets for your friends or family? Seasonal Passholders get 10 percent off, and all other Passholders save 15 percent!
- Go VIP Mode. All Passholders can save 10 percent on VIP experiences. That means guided tours, priority access to all attractions, behind-the-scenes experiences and more!
Believe it or not, that’s only a quick summary of some of the coolest discounts that come with your shiny Annual Pass. You can browse the full list here.
The Premier Perks
You can’t go wrong with any of the Universal Orlando Pass options, but the Premier Pass deserves some special attention. It comes with some seriously swoon-worthy perks that make it well worth the higher price tag, including:
- Unlimited Admission. That’s right, there are no blockout dates if you opt for the Premier Pass! That means you can go to Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay (weather permitting) any time you want, all year long.
- Universal Express Pass After 4 p.m. Dying to squeeze in one more ride before you head home, but short on time? With a Premier Pass, you get a free Universal Express Pass after 4 p.m. to help make it happen. (One time per participating attraction.)
- Free Valet. Want to feel like a celebrity when you arrive at Universal Orlando Resort? Premier Passholders can roll up in style with free valet parking and free Prime self-parking after their first visit. (If you’re headed to Volcano Bay, I still recommend self-parking since you’ll have to take the shuttle.)
- Scream for Free. Nothing scary about this perk: Premier Passholders receive one free Halloween Horror Nights ticket for select nights of the event!
Are you a Universal Orlando Passholder? Did I leave out any of your favorite perks? Let us know in the comments!
2 Comments
Premier pass for us is really not worth the money. We were told we would get free lanards at UOPA and when we went there to get it, we were told to go to guest services who told us to go to UOAP, we ended buying it. When I paid for out passes we never got emials so we missed out on alot of perks like appreciation days- garage sale and we we brought up to guest services they checked and said everything was fine. (still no emails) I called another time to ask question and told the gentlman I was not getting emails and he told me I was not set up and he set me up. I think premier pass holders should have the ability to sign up for appreciation days and garage sale etc… 1 hour earlier than other passes. Perks are useless if you cannot take advantage of them. We do really like that the employees at Universal are great and know how to give great customer service.
Hi Daniel. We are sorry to hear of any disappointment. We recommend sending a PM to the Universal Orlando Resort Facebook Page and asking for a Team Member for further assistance.