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Located less than 5 miles from the film capital of the world, Hollywood, California, is a theme park that celebrates films and all that they have brought to our lives. Universal Studios Hollywood allows Guests to become immersed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the dangerous world of Jurassic Park, the cartoonish life of The Simpsons, and more!
Universal Studios Hollywood is not the largest theme park — which is simply due to the fact that it was built in a congested city of Los Angeles where space is limited and at a premium. Because it is a smaller park and located in a populous city, Universal Studios Hollywood is widely known as a “locals park” — which means that most of the people that visit the theme park will visit on a regular basis because they are a California resident and live close by.
Due to the fact that a large number of Guests who visit are locals, Annual Passes are very popular. Guests can save hundreds of dollars or more if they frequently visit the park. Let’s take a look at the Annual Pass offerings that are currently in place at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Annual Passes Available at Universal Studios Hollywood
There are a couple of ticket options for Guests who are interested in purchasing a Universal Hollywood Annual Pass.
Gold Annual Pass
The top Annual Pass currently available for sale is the Universal Hollywood Gold Pass. This pass gives Guests the most available dates — meaning the Gold Pass has the fewest amount of blackout dates — to visit the theme park and a number of other perks. With the Gold Pass, you will have over 325 dates available to visit the Park in a single year!
One of the biggest selling points is the price tag. Some theme park passes can cost upwards of $1,000, but the Universal Hollywood Gold Pass is only $249. Also, Guests can put $144 down and then just have monthly payments of less than $10!
Silver Annual Pass
For those who are on a little bit more of a budget, but still want to have year-round experiences at the Park, Universal Studios Hollywood has the Silver Annual Pass. The Silver Pass comes with more blackout dates — although you still have over 275 days to visit in a year — but also a lower price tag. A Guest who wishes to purchase the Silver Annual Pass only has to put down $119 and then there will be monthly payments of just $7!
Non-Permanent/Recurring Annual Passes
There are times when Universal Studios Hollywood offers more passes than just the Silver and Gold Annual Passes as ticket options. There have been two past Annual Passes that come and go on the Universal Hollywood website.
California Neighbor Pass
The California Neighbor Pass, when offered, is the cheapest of all of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Annual Passes. The Pass has the highest amount of blackout days — mainly weekends and dates surrounding holidays. However, there are still more than 200 days that California Neighbor Pass Members can visit the theme park, so if you are a California resident who lives close, you will definitely get your money’s worth!
When offered, the California Neighbor Pass will set Guests back $149 — which is a really great bargain for all of the days the Pass Member will be able to visit (and maybe snag a delicious Butterbeer).
It should be noted that the California Neighbor is only available to purchase if you are a . Proof of residency may be required — at least a California address — but providing proof of residency is not always asked.
Platinum Annual Pass
The Platinum Annual Pass is the top Annual Pass that is offered at Universal Hollywood. This pass is the most expensive — setting Guests back over $450 — however, it comes with a ton of great perks. The Platinum Annual Pass has zero blackouts days, meaning Guests can visit 365 days in a row if that’s what they love to do!
Another amazing perk that comes with the Platinum Annual Pass is that the Universal Express Pass is included every visit! The Universal Express Pass gives Guests front-of-the-line access for every ride once per visit. It also allows for Premium Seating at one of the seated shows at the Park.
While no blackout dates and the inclusion of Universal Express seem like more than enough reasons to buy the Platinum Annual Pass, there’s more! Every Guest who purchases a Platinum Annual Pass, when they are available, will receive one ticket to the popular spooky season event, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights.
Perks of a Universal Studios Annual Pass
In addition to a ton of days to visit, there are a lot of great perks that come with an Annual Pass.
Discounts
Both the Silver Annual and Gold Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Passes offer 10-15% discounts on food and merchandise at select locations on Universal CityWalk. Universal CityWalk has a ton of great restaurants and shopping locations, so the Pass Member discounts can add up quickly. However, it is important to ask the location you are at whether or not they will accept Annual Pass discounts. There are shopping locations not associated with the theme park, so discounts on merchandise are not guaranteed.
The Silver and Gold Annual Passes also offer Pass Member discounts on General Admission tickets for friends and family, as well as discounted tickets to Halloween Horror Nights.
Gold Annual Pass Members, in addition to their CityWalk discounts, will also receive a 15% discount on food and merchandise while in Universal Studios Hollywood. That means even more savings at more locations that add up to a ton!
Free Parking
For those who purchase the Gold Annual Pass, General Parking is free until 6 p.m. — which means that all you have to do is get to the theme park before 6 p.m. and show your Gold Annual Pass to the booth Team Member. The Team Member will ask you for your ID and print out your parking ticket.
What’s also nice about the Gold Annual Pass is that, if you would like to upgrade to Preferred Parking, all you have to do is pay the difference between General and Preferred Parking. That cost difference is typically around $15.
Buying a Universal Hollywood Annual Pass
When it comes to purchasing Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Passes, the best way to buy one is online. It is actually cheaper to purchase an Annual Pass online than if you were to purchase it at the theme park entrance.
When purchasing an Annual Pass online — as well as any other Park admission ticket — Guests must pick which day they would like to visit. Once you pick your initial theme park admission day, you are then free to visit any time your Annual Pass is valid after that.
Renewing an Annual Pass
There are a couple of different things that can happen when your Universal Annual Pass expires. For Guests who have paid for their Annual Passes in full, there is not a renewal process. A Guest that has paid in full for their Annual Pass will simply have to get a new Annual Pass when their current pass expires. At that point, they can either change the pass they have, keep the same type of pass, or even upgrade. They can also decide to change to Flex Payments if they would like.
For those who have an Annual Pass through Flex Pay, there is no need to renew your pass at all! When your Annual Pass is about to expire, Universal will email you saying that you will continue with your pass on a month-to-month basis. The email will tell you how much you will be paying monthly — which will be a little higher since you will not be making a down payment — but you can cancel at any time.
For Flex Pay Pass Members, you can also choose not to do monthly payments. If you decide to go that route, you will have to buy a new Annual Pass when you want one, and put down another down payment.
Are Annual Passes Worth It?
The biggest decision to make when purchasing a Universal Studios Annual Pass is the cost. Is it worth the price? In short, yes. In most cases, an Annual Pass will pay for itself in just a few visits to the theme park. It is especially worth it if you live close to Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Hollywood is not a large park, so it is not a park that Guests need to dedicate a whole day to if they do not wish to. Sometimes hopping down to the park to ride an attraction or two and grab a bite to eat are all that is needed to have a great time!
Whether or not you chose to buy a Universal Hollywood Annual Pass, one thing is for sure, any time at Universal Studios Hollywood is a fun time!
Are you a Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Pass Member? Do you love it? Let us know in the comments.
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