Disney Needs to Take Notes from Universal’s Annual Passholder Perks

Which resort has the better Annual Passholder program — Disney World or Universal Orlando?

If you visit the theme parks often, you might consider buying an annual pass to help balance the cost. But if you had to choose one resort over the other, which would you pick? Well, it has long been a common opinion that Universal Orlando offers its Passholders more. Is that true? Let’s break it down.

Will compare the following to Disney — Early Park Admission; UOAP Lounge; Discounts; Freebies; Exclusive Offerings; Parking; Express Pass

Early Park Admission

To kick off this list, Universal Orlando offers its Passholders Early Park Admission. This perk lets Annual Passholders enter a select theme park an hour early alongside hotel guests. That’s a big deal if you’re trying to beat the crowds to the rides!

Typically, Early Park Admission will include access to certain areas of the park, like Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. It’s a great way to hop on the most popular rides ASAP and get them out of the way. Unfortunately, Disney World does not offer a similar perk — Early Theme Park Entry in the Disney parks is only for hotel guests.

UOAP Lounge

In Toon Lagoon at Islands of Adventure, you’ll find the UOAP Lounge, where Passholders can hang out, enjoy Coca-Cola beverages, and shop exclusive merch. It’s typically open from 11AM-4PM.

Disney World doesn’t offer a year-round Annual Passholder lounge, but we have seen them offer limited-time lounges during Passholder Appreciation Month. The locations and perks available vary, but it’s not quite as cool as having the option all year long.

Discounts

Discounts for Universal Orlando Annual Passes will vary depending on your pass type, but they can include savings on separately ticketed events (like Halloween Horror Nights), VIP experiences, parking, merchandise, car rentals, dining, and tickets for your family and friends.

Disney World Passholders can get discounts on merchandise as well as select dining locations. Disney also frequently offers savings on hard-ticketed events, and theme park parking is free for all pass types.

Freebies

At Universal Orlando, you’ll often find specialty Passholder magnets and buttons throughout the year with different themes for IPs, snacks, or attractions.

Disney World similarly offers free magnets from time to time in the parks.

Exclusive Offers

If you check out the Universal Orlando Annual Passholder site, you can often find exclusive offers like specialty parade viewing, exclusive dining locations, specialty menu items, and specialty merchandise.

For Disney World, you’ll find these offerings listed in the Passholder Buzz section of the My Disney Experience app. Here you’ll sometimes see exclusive snacks, beverages, and merchandise.

Express Pass

One perk that’s exclusive to Universal Orlando is that those with the Premier Annual Pass get Universal Express Pass access after 4PM at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. This allows Express Pass entrance to each attraction once a day.

Disney World doesn’t offer anything similar to this — Annual Passholders have to pay full price for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, or Premier Pass, and they’re limited to booking Multi Pass and Single Pass selections 3 days in advance of their visit.

Value for Your Pass

And last but not least, we’ve got to talk about value for your pass! The most expensive pass option for Universal Orlando is the 3-Park Premier Pass for $1095 per person. Single-day, single-park tickets for Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure start at $119 per person, so if you were only visiting one park a day on the cheapest days, it would take you 10 visits to break even on the cost. (Volcano Bay tickets start at $80 so if you applied that same rule to that park specifically, it would take you 14 visits to break even.)

On the other hand, Disney World’s Incredi-Pass costs $1549 (the most expensive option) per person. The cheapest one-park, one-day tickets for Disney World are also $119 per day. This means that it would take you 14 visits to break even on your Disney World pass.

Ultimately, Universal Orlando seems to offer their Passholders more perks overall! But we’ll caution you — don’t make your Annual Pass decisions based entirely on the perks — choose the parks that you’re more likely to visit and enjoy.

Check out the video below to learn more about Annual Passes in Disney World.

And of course, keep following AllEars for more planning tips for theme parks!

Click Here for All the Details on Disney World’s Annual Passholder Program!

Which resort would you rather buy an Annual Pass for? Tell us in the comments!

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