Hi guys and gals,
Im a fan from the UK and have lurked around this site for a long time now, occasionally posting in the rumor threads.
Ive been travelling to Orlando with my daughter for years now, with daughter in school trips have always been in August, not this year. Daughter is busy this year so im biting the bullet and making a solo trip. I will be over for HHN, last week Sept first week Oct. This time of year will be new to me so if you dont mind i have a few questions for you all.
1. I usually book a 2/3 night stay at one of UOs hotels, mainly for express pass. Will I need it at this time of year? I also intend to utilize single rider. Any benefits for HHN if staying onsite?
2. I am planning to return the following April, would an Annual Pass be a better option? I usually get a 14 day pass. Am I right in thinking there are discounts on merch, food and HHN with AP?
3. If I did get AP can I purchase now and activate it at a later date?
4. HHNs, how does it work? Does the park close and re open, what are the the dates, times are there express options? Im really wet behind the ears with this so any advice would be great.
5. Do you ever have OU meets? be great go hook up with some fellow fans.
Any help greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Hello, mate!
OK, so for such a big trip, an AP is the way to go, for sure, no doubt about it. I know it's a tad bit more expensive for non-FL residents, but not by that much, and even at that price it's still totally worth it. Make sure to get a Preferred or Premier, which offer all the discounts. Do not get the Power Pass!
You'll be coming at a great time of the year, when the weather is nice, the crowds are fewer, and it's a low season, so that means hotels will be cheaper and it's HHN season! Even if your daughter can't come, I think you're still gonna be pretty happy with your trip :thumbs:
I'd get a Preferred AP, and then do the rest. Having an AP gives you discounts for the on-site hotels, saving you as much as $100 a night! Check it out, when you book a hotel, search the dates and see the prices. Then in the Code put
APH and compare :thumbs: (
Here's the booking site) Not to mention discounts on the HHN ticket, discounts on food and non-alcoholic drinks around the entire resort and that includes the restaurants in the hotels. You'll also have free parking in the Universal garages, so if you're ever renting a car that you will be parking in the main garage, you're saving like $15 each time ( I think it's $15? I haven't paid for parking in years, so I'm not sure
). If you're staying at a hotel, you'll still have to pay for parking, no way out of it. You can't leave a car in the main garages overnight. I'm not sure if you're even gonna rent a car, but those are some things to keep in mind.
Oh! And if you plan to come once a year, you can renew your AP for a lot less than you pay the first time! I think it's only around $170 when I renew my Preferred Pass. So worth it...
Ok, so to answer your questions more specifically:
1. At this time of the year, I don't think you'll
need Express, but it's good to have. Now, the Unlimited Express you have with your hotel keycard is only available during the daytime, and not for HHN. But, if you're coming the first few weeks of the event, it's not needed as the crowds are not that bad on the first few weeks. I think I read somewhere that if you stay on-site, you can get into HHN an hour early, but having an AP you'll be able to sign up to get in early during the first weekends of the event, which is when you're planning to come, so it works out in your favor either way :thumbs:
2. The AP (Preferred or Premier) is the way to go! You get all the discounts with APs! I'd go Preferred. I don't think Premier is justified, even if it gives you a free HHN ticket, because Premier is $140 more expensive, and you can get a multi-day HHN pass for like $60-80 with your AP discount. (
Here's the Non-FL Annual Pass page.)
3. If you get an AP, you can definitely activate it later. I've done this several times with friends. The 365 days that the pass will be valid begin the first time you go through the turnstiles at one of the parks. You might wanna check if you need to validate the pass within a certain time after purchase, though. I'm not too sure on this, and you don't wanna waste $259 or more, so I'd look into it.
4. For HHN, Universal closes at 5pm to prepare for the event, which starts at 6:30pm. If you have an AP you can get in early on certain days, if you sign up for it. You might also be able to get in early with your Uni hotel key card, but you'd need to ask the hotel that, since I've only read about it and never actually done it myself. If you have an HHN ticket, you can stay in the park and don't need to exit and re-enter. They have a designated holding area. When you're coming Express is not really needed. And one thing you might wanna look at, is a multi-day pass, which you can get at a great discount with your AP; even cheaper than a regular ticket for anyone else.
5. I'd love a OU meet-up! I know the idea is always thrown around, so keep checking the HHN forum :thumbs:
Good luck with everything! I'm sure you're gonna have an awesome trip!
