Another Theme Park Gotcha About This Page:

[JulietsStars]

I know I'm not the only one fed up with theme park gotcha's. I have a Disney example and now a Univseral one that I wasn't aware of until this morning.

We had planned on checking out Star Wars weekends this year, but frankly I was turned off by the "elitist" access that was now available to purchase. I believe it was called Ultimate Day VIP ($499 pp) and the Feel the Force Dining Event. It does seem that every year at Disney (and I'm sure other parks too) there are more and more add-ons.

Which brings me to Universal. Im taking my daughter (8) at the end of August for 2 days at Universal (both parks) and a day at SeaWorld. The plan was to get 2-day 1 park basic tickets. But I just saw that the new HP Diagon Alley was at Universal and NOT Islands of Adventure. So this means we would not be able to take the train that connects the two parks unless we purchased a 2-park per day ticket...which is more money. There is no way we can physically enjoy both parks in one day without being completely worn out.

We were also really excited to stay on-sight for the HP extras but found out its ONLY for a 4-night stay. Who the heck wants to visit Universal for 4 days??

So this is another one of those gotcha moments that throw me for a loop. Just like the MVMCP and the Mickeys Halloween party. Am I the only one getting a little miffed at these? Are there better options at Universal that I haven't run into?

[HiddenMickey]

If you want to do the Harry Potter package, yes it's four nights. But, you can do everything except the reserved breakfasts (which I hear you can get in on your own anyway) and a stuffed owl without the package if you just stay one or two nights. You get early entry, you get unlimited express passes (not at Cabana Bay).

If you want to do Hogwart's Express you will have to have a park hopper. You can still do everything else in each park each day if you'd prefer not to spend the extra for that ride. You can buy a two day park hopper tickets and still do the parks in two days, you don't have to cram it all in one day. It will give you more flexibility and allow you to ride the train from one park to the other.

I've been researching this, as I plan on a trip in December. Do you have any questions?

[revral]

I don't see how either is a "gotcha." The VIP Day & special dining event are add ons if you can afford to and want to spend the money for those you can. Certainly not a gotcha and I can't see how it's elitist. As for the train not being at IOA that's certainly not a gotcha. It's not like Universal hides it's location or tells you it's one park when it's actually in another. The train issue is a simple case of you having made an assumption and not having checked to make sure that assumption was actually a fact. I guess your options are add a third day for Universal, add the 2 parks/day feature to your tickets or go somewhere else for a few days if it bothers you that much.

[CinderAbby]

there are more and more add-ons.

I guess I don't understand how an add on - that you choose to do or not do - is a "gotcha". Disney is not forcing anyone to get the add ons. Like the new Frozen Premium Package. It includes parade viewing, guaranteed seats at the sing along, fireworks viewing and ice creams and desserts. Each and every component of that package is available to people in the park that doesn't have the package. Everyone can see the parade, sing along and fireworks. Everyone can even buy all the ice creams and cupcakes that are included for food. With the package though, I don't have to line up hours early for anything and I don't have to go searching for ice cream carts or the special locations selling the cupcakes - they'll already be there waiting for me. The package was an add on that I chose to take advantage of knowing full well I could get all of it just for having a park ticket. There's nothing "gotcha" about it - or any of the other events (Halloween, Christmas, SWW) - to me

[JulietsStars]

The gotcha's for the parties at Disney are that for those who do not know about the parties or plan a MK day on a night of the party are kicked out early. If you want to do both, you end up paying extra. The "extras" for the extra isnt worth it in my opinion.

The gotcha's for Universal is that if you want to do a full HP day, you MUST buy a 2-park one day pass which pigeon holes visitors into trying to do both parks.

Its a simple as that and doesn't deserve snarky responses.

[TinkerbellJenn99]

I don't think anyone was being snarky JulietsStars, I just think they were sharing their opinion which happens to disagree with yours. Sometimes the add-on options get over whelming and expensive - I can certainly agree with that - but at the end of the day they are just options. If you chose to do them great, if not, that's ok too. In respect to HP - it's part of a different park, just as Epcot is not part of Magic Kingdom, thus you have to have either a hopper or two tickets.

[HiddenMickey]

You are planning two days right? You can do one park each day and do Diagon Alley on your Universal day and Hogsmeade on your IOA day. The only thing you could not do is ride the train (unless you upgrade your tickets to hop).

[revral]

Originally Posted by TinkerbellJenn99

I don't think anyone was being snarky JulietsStars, I just think they were sharing their opinion which happens to disagree with yours. ...

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

The gotcha's for the parties at Disney are that for those who do not know about the parties or plan a MK day on a night of the party are kicked out early. If you want to do both, you end up paying extra. The "extras" for the extra isnt worth it in my opinion.

The gotcha's for Universal is that if you want to do a full HP day, you MUST buy a 2-park one day pass which pigeon holes visitors into trying to do both parks.

Its a simple as that and doesn't deserve snarky responses.

I'm not trying to be snarky. I just happen to have an opinion that's different from yours. I'm allowed my opinion, just as you are yours. I'm sorry you're so upset by this.

As for park hours Disney doesn't hide them or make it difficult to find them. The hours are available online, from any cm, on the times sheets available at the front desk of any Disney resort and at the parks and typically even bus drivers know the hours for the parks. If you or anyone else doesn't ask or do a little research that's on that person not Disney and no gotcha to it.

As for Universal they aren't hiding anything and the information is available. So again if you or anyone else doesn't ask or do a little research it's on that person not Universal and no gotcha to it.

[GingerJ]

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

The gotcha's for the parties at Disney are that for those who do not know about the parties or plan a MK day on a night of the party are kicked out early. If you want to do both, you end up paying extra. The "extras" for the extra isnt worth it in my opinion.

The gotcha's for Universal is that if you want to do a full HP day, you MUST buy a 2-park one day pass which pigeon holes visitors into trying to do both parks.

Its a simple as that and doesn't deserve snarky responses.

I definitely agree about Universal; if you're a real Harry Potter fan, you have to get the 2-park pass to get the full experience (riding the train), and it does add to the price.

I know what you meant, and I thought the posters could've phrased their responses a little better...but I'm sure they didn't intend to be mean or snarky.

Everyone please remember, we're all friends here and need to respect one another's opinions, Please consider how your post may sound to other people before you post it. Thanks!

[lura008]

The "must have" park to park option is one of the reasons we have decided not to do Universal this year. One day tickets are $136 x family of 4. Just something I can't justify. It was a huge let down for this to be "required"

[joelsmom]

Certainly, the park to park option becomes more like a requirement for Harry Potter fans, but I think all of us who have followed the expansion of HP to Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express definitely saw this coming. It is a shame that you will have to upgrade a base ticket to get the full HP experience, but it is what it is. All of us on these boards are theme park fans. As such, we are well aware that they aren't cheap. One of the greatest lessons I've had to learn going to different parks is to be prepared for a bit extra on top of our package price. We don't generally park hop at WDW, but I've learned that it needs to be part of my budget for Universal/IOA. OP, try not to let it get you down. Change is inevitable as expansion occurs. Roll with it. If you really can't afford the park to park ticket, maybe you should wait until you can. One thing's for sure. If you go feeling like you've been somehow cheated or gouged, you won't enjoy your time in the parks.

[DopeyGirl]

Originally Posted by joelsmom

OP, try not to let it get you down. Change is inevitable as expansion occurs. Roll with it. If you really can't afford the park to park ticket, maybe you should wait until you can. One thing's for sure. If you go feeling like you've been somehow cheated or gouged, you won't enjoy your time in the parks.

Very sound advice!

The reason for requiring the park-to-park access is that you are required to disembark the train on the other end of the line, re-queue and board again to ride back to your point of origin. It would be the same requirement if Disney had, say, a train that went between a point inside Epcot and a point inside of Hollywood Studios. If you are going from park to park, you have to have a Park Hopper. It's not a "gotcha" in any way, needing a park hopping ticket in order to park hop is just policy and the way it works.

Similarly, Disneyland requires folks to have a valid park ticket in order to ride the monorail. It runs between Downtown Disney and Tomorrowland so, because the only stop is within the park, you are required to scan your park ticket at the station gate in DTD (rather than at the turnstiles) in order to gain access to the monorail.

[aliceinwdw]

At the end of the day, it's just really smart planning on Universal's part with regard to getting us HP fans to not just one of their parks, but both -- and I'm certainly one of those future guests that realizes this as I plan (and save up!) accordingly.

As far as the "gotchas," maybe I wouldn't call the extras exactly that as they're not really surprises. They're pretty well-advertised add-ons -- because if they don't promote them, no one would buy them. However, being what they are, I can agree that feeling like you need to pay more for something that you wouldn't normally have to; i.e. the MK on a non-party night, is definitely disappointing, but, in all fairness, the party itself does provide a lot of entertainment in exchange for that cost. I, personally, love the parties but if you're going when it's party-season, having one or more MK days shortened would definitely put a damper on your trip.

So, just as the OP was voicing her concerns over such situations creating less than ideal conditions for her planning, those that do not agree are more than welcome to express how you feel for the "extras" that you don't mind paying for or planning around, but please let's all remember to do so politely.

[HiddenMickey]

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

We were also really excited to stay on-sight for the HP extras but found out its ONLY for a 4-night stay. Who the heck wants to visit Universal for 4 days??

I forgot to mention that my family is planning a trip to Universal, at HRH, for four nights with a least three days in the parks with a park hopper. BUT, we are also not doing Disney. To me, it IS too expensive to do both in one trip. I can't justify to myself adding the cost of even a one day ticket at Universal/IOA when I could be adding a day to my Disney tickets for $10-15 instead. So, we keep our Disney and our Universal/IOA trips separate. (We did add SeaWorld to our Universal trip once when the kids were younger).

Really it's a matter of what you really want for your vacation, what you can fit into your scheduled vacation time, and what you can afford. Sometimes you have to give up things you'd rather not or not take on extras to save. It's a fact of life.

Let us know what you end up deciding to do OP.

[TheMadonna3]

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

I know I'm not the only one fed up with theme park gotcha's. I have a Disney example and now a Univseral one that I wasn't aware of until this morning.

We had planned on checking out Star Wars weekends this year, but frankly I was turned off by the "elitist" access that was now available to purchase. I believe it was called Ultimate Day VIP ($499 pp) and the Feel the Force Dining Event. It does seem that every year at Disney (and I'm sure other parks too) there are more and more add-ons.

I think I can understand why you're upset, but the reason Disney did the Star Wars package was because guests demanded it. They wrote Disney and told them they'd be willing to pay more for certain guaranteed access. Disney responded and gave those people what they wanted. However, I think Disney has always been great about making sure that even those who don't purchase "add-ons" still get the full experience. I purchased the Feel the Force package (the $50 one, not the $400 one, that's nuts ) and I found my money to have been well spent. I was very glad that the option was given to me to purchase those things.

What I am on your side about, is the general public, without being subscribed to boards like this or getting Disney mail, had no idea. Disney has a lot of information out there that I don't think is communicated very well in an official manner. Since we're all avid Disney fans, we do a lot of research and then share that with each other. I think Disney may have gotten the hint and maybe that's why they don't advertise these events as heavily knowing word of mouth is their cheapest and most effective advertising.

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

Which brings me to Universal. Im taking my daughter (8) at the end of August for 2 days at Universal (both parks) and a day at SeaWorld. The plan was to get 2-day 1 park basic tickets. But I just saw that the new HP Diagon Alley was at Universal and NOT Islands of Adventure. So this means we would not be able to take the train that connects the two parks unless we purchased a 2-park per day ticket...which is more money. There is no way we can physically enjoy both parks in one day without being completely worn out.

I hear you, but again, every business has a strategy and this was theirs. If you want to see both parks, and get the full Harry Potter experience, it is going to come at a price. They know that people will want the experience and will cough up the cash to get it.

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

We were also really excited to stay on-sight for the HP extras but found out its ONLY for a 4-night stay. Who the heck wants to visit Universal for 4 days??

Exactly, and that's why they did it. By offering it for a 4 night stay that might make you reluctant to visit other competing parks in the area and spend more of your money with them.

Originally Posted by JulietsStars

So this is another one of those gotcha moments that throw me for a loop. Just like the MVMCP and the Mickeys Halloween party. Am I the only one getting a little miffed at these? Are there better options at Universal that I haven't run into?

I don't get miffed at them, but if I were a newbie and planned a day at MK, not knowing about these hard ticket events, and maybe I am staying off-property visiting multiple places in Orlando, and then I get to the MK ticket counter to find out the park closes at 7pm that day, I know I'd be livid.

If you've never been to these events, maybe you should try them. They're a lot of fun and offer a very unique experience. Maybe if you tried some of these "add-on" events it would change how you feel about them. I know I thought MNSSHP was just a Halloween party for little kids and since I had a little kid, I gave it a try. Now, *I'M* the one that's hooked. Even with annual passes, I still fork over the extra cash and enjoy some of the best evenings I've ever had at MK.

I would agree that it is "elitist" only if it were offered to certain populations, such as DVC members, but it's not. It's open to all who are willing to pay. I happen to be one of the many that are willing to open my wallet. If you're not that type, it's ok, but don't be upset by it. You can even plan around it by reducing your park ticket days, purchase a hard ticket add on since you can get into the park as early as 4pm and enjoy a wonderful full evening at MK with a unique experience and since it's a hard ticket event, it's never crowded