What is the cost to visit Universal Studios?

No matter where you live, Universal Studios is a wonderful place to visit.

Do you long for a glass of Butterbeer? Or a thrilling ride on the VelociCoaster. We can understand why you are craving a great theme park experience.

However, a vacation can feel expensive if you look at the cost of airfare, hotel, parking, and park tickets.

Let’s look at the cost of a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Studios Orlando and offer some tips on how you can reduce that expense.

Costs of Universal Studios

You should consider many aspects when planning a vacation to Universal Studios, especially if your family is far away.

Imagine, for instance, that you are heading to Universal Studios Orlando during the summer for a week. These are some of the most common expenses that you will encounter on your trip.

• 
  Accommodations.
  

• 
  Tickets to the theme parks.
  

• 
  Rent a car and park.
  

• 
  Souvenirs.
  

• 
  Food & drinks.
  

• 
  Miscellaneous.
  

These costs will vary depending on how many people are traveling together.

Splitting two rooms may be a good option if you have four people. This could increase your accommodation costs. If you have two or more children and parents, it is likely that you will all want to share one room.

What is the cost of a Universal ticket?

Prices for tickets can vary depending on where you are staying, when you visit and how long you stay.

• Universal Studios Orlando: One-day tickets for one adult to this Universal theme park in Florida start at $116.09. One-day tickets which grant access to both parks start at $174.66 per day.

• Universal Studios Hollywood: You’ll still have to pay varying prices depending on when and where you go. Single-day tickets start from $109.

All prices include after-tax

You can expect to pay more for tickets to Universal Studios during peak times because of the fluctuating price.

A one-day park-to-park ticket to Universal Studios Orlando in the winter holiday season costs $227.91, which is over $50 more than a ticket purchased during the low season.

Prices will increase if you are visiting more than once a day. While you’ll be paying more overall, the price per day will be lower.

This applies whether you visit Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Studios Orlando.

Flight prices for Universal Studios

Consider your budget if you are flying to Universal Studios Orlando instead of driving.

It can be quite affordable to fly to Orlando on low-cost airlines like Frontier and Spirit. However, extra fees will increase your overall cost.

We looked at flights from New York to LaGuardia to Orlando during peak season to visit Universal Studios Orlando for spring break.

We found flights that cost less than $100 round trip, but you will have to make a stopover in order to purchase add-ons like seat selection or checked luggage.

Similar cheap flights can be found to Universal Studios Hollywood. It is near several airports including Los Angeles International Airport. You’ll find plenty of routes no matter where your origin is.

Hotel prices for Universal Studios

Orlando is full of lodging options. Low-cost hotels are one option. Some of these hotels can be rented for as low as $30 per night.

You’ll find all the standard suspects when you look for hotels, including choices from:

Universal Studios parking costs

You’ll need to factor in parking costs if you decide to drive to Universal Studios instead of taking a rideshare or shuttle.

Universal Studios Orlando charges $30 for general parking. However, those who have a bus or other recreational vehicle will pay $40.

Parking charges in California will vary depending on when you arrive. General parking is $30 before 5 p.m. The price drops to $10 after 5 p.m.

Save money on a trip at Universal Studios

We have already discussed the high price of tickets to Universal Studios. There are many ways to save money on almost all aspects of a vacation to a theme park, no matter where you’re located.

Universal Studios Orlando offers many promotions that allow you to save money when purchasing multi-day tickets. You can get two days for free by purchasing two-day tickets at Universal Studios Orlando.

Chase Ultimate Rewards(r), which is available to anyone who holds an eligible Chase credit card, can be used to redeem for tickets to theme parks. You will receive a different redemption rate depending on which Chase Sapphire Reserve(r) you have. However, it could be as high at 1.5 cents per Point for Chase Ultimate Rewards(r).

You can save money by buying tickets through a third-party like Undercover Tourist. Although it isn’t a significant difference in price, every bit helps.

Redeem points for hotel and flight bookings is our next recommendation.

You can travel to Orlando with as few as possible by using flexible points currencies and airline transfer partners. These are our partners:

You can save money if you pay with cash by shopping online. Cashback Monitor, for example, will help you find the best shopping portals that offer the highest return on your spend.

Universal Studios costs, recapped

Planning a trip requires you to take into account all costs, including airfares and accommodations.

Take note of the fact that it may seem a bit expensive to make your Universal Studios vacation a reality.

(Top Photo courtesy of Universal Parks and Resorts).