Heading in Orlando in July with 2 other co-workers for a conference. One of them I've gone many times. The other will be a first and she is a Harry Potter freak. She needs, is and no matter what going. So I look up ticket prices to get a sense, maybe to tag along. 1 day - 2 park (which is necessary) ticket. $222.59 U.S. - convert that to Canadian $309.40! Just to get in the door! So we had a chat today. She probably still going. But not impressed with price I found cause she figured $100-$125. Other one unlikely. Me still undecided. Would like to be a good co-worker. Certainly I have "wasted" that type of money before but on things I justified (similar to her justification) But man I am struggling with that price tag.
Yeah, Universal really gets you by charging you that price for entrance to "two" parks. Its basically one very large park, but since they separate gates and are only connected by the Hogwarts Express, they get away with charging people double. But I will say that if you are huge Harry Potter fan, its worth the price (at least on the Island of Adventure side). They do a very good job of making the HP areas totally immersive, with lots of little details only fans of the books will get. They are also good parks if you like thrill rides and motion simulator rides. I am not a huge fan of motion simulators, which is why i generally prefer the WDW rides. But Universal is still great fun. The times we go, I just bite the bullet on those prices.
CAA/AAA often have discounts. MUCH cheaper per day to buy multi-day tickets if you have more time. Sometimes conferences offer discounted tickets with entry later in the day.
