Who doesn’t like to save money? It’s a “Universal” thing! Pun intended. But like so many others you may get sticker shock from what you see when you look online trying to build a vacation and put the hotel, park tickets, extras in your cart and you haven’t even accounted for food, souvenirs, or merchandise yet. What should you do? Let’s run down some tips to help.
First off before we get into the official tips it should go without saying but be realistic with your costs. It’s by no means “cheap” to visit Universal but this is a world class theme park so now that we’ve established that let’s jump in.
Have you checked the dates you're visiting to see if there are promotions for tickets? Better yet, have you checked to see if the dates you are planning your trip would work with any of the annual passes? If you’re planning a trip during non peak times it may be an option to look at Seasonal Passes, especially if you’re coming from overseas and staying an extended time period! Just be sure to check blockout dates and restrictions on the pass types to see if that would work for you and your group!
Bring snacks to the park instead of buying food from every kiosk and vendor you pass. You’re going to be walking a lot and burning a lot of calories during a park day and those snacks are going to look super appealing but bring some snacks and save some money!
If I haven’t yet talked you into considering the annual passes maybe consider the discounts on on-site hotels that are available to passholders, depending on your dates these can be a huge cost saver! Another big benefit to certain tiers of annual passes are the discount on food and merchandise purchases. Again, be sure to check the benefits of each tier pass prior to purchasing to avoid any confusion. Universal has great customer service. If you find it to be confusing, give them a call.
Do you really need the photo packages? Most of us carry around a camera i.e. our phone anyway, so unless you want pictures of you on the ride don’t buy the photo packages. There are plenty of photo ops around the park and CityWalk that are Instagram worthy!
Order kids meals at restaurants - This isn’t just a hack for in the park but also works great at restaurants around CityWalk as well. However, in the parks many kids servings are the exact same as adult meals but marginally smaller and can save several dollars. Just like going to the grocery store, every dollar saved helps!
There are tons of other ways to save money during your trip to Universal Orlando Resort but these are some of my favorites that I’ve found to have the biggest impact on my budget. I’d love to hear what kind of tips and tricks you have and use to save some money so let me know!
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