Is the Universal Kids Resort Gold Annual Pass Worth It?
Universal Kids Resort announced its Gold Annual Pass yesterday, giving existing Silver Passholders the first chance to upgrade. Everyone else can buy one starting September 29.
The Gold Pass costs $199.99 per person, plus tax, and includes regular parking, 10% discounts on eligible food and merchandise, and no blockout dates.
The Silver Pass costs $129.99, while the one with complimentary parking will set you back $164.99. Current passholders can apply what they’ve already paid toward Gold, making the upgrade $70 or $35 per person, respectively. Upgrading does not restart your 12 months. Your expiration date stays the same.
I’ve already looked at whether the Silver Annual Pass is worth it. The Gold decision depends less on how often you’ll visit and more on when you can visit. It also depends on how many people are coming with you. Children have a way of affecting the total.
Before we get into our analysis, let’s compare the three passes.
| Feature | Silver | Silver with Parking | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blockout dates | Yes | Yes | None |
| Regular self-parking | Not included | Included | Included |
| Discounts | Not included | Not included | 10% off eligible food and merchandise |
Gold gets expensive when everyone needs one
I upgraded my Silver Pass with Parking yesterday. For $35, it was an easy decision. My family has no interest in visiting when the park is busy, so I didn’t upgrade their passes. I can use the discounts when we visit together and take photos of the park when I go alone. Everybody wins.
A family that needs access on Silver blockout dates might have a more difficult decision. Upgrading four regular Silver Passes would cost $280 before tax. If one adult has Silver with Parking and the other three have regular Silver, it’s $245: $35 for the driver and $70 for each additional passholder. Larger families can keep adding $70 to that total.
Monthly payments would make the decision easier. Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood offer FlexPay, but Universal Kids Resort does not. Several readers have told me they’d buy a UKR Annual Pass if they could pay monthly.
Will you visit on Silver blockout dates?
Gold removes Silver’s blockouts, which include many summer weekends, holidays, and school breaks. If those are the only times your family can visit, you need Gold. The cheaper pass isn’t much use when it’s blocked out every time you’re free.
If you can visit on quieter weekdays, paying extra to stand in longer lines on Saturdays sounds like an easy pass. Then you remember Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and Silver is blocked out. So is much of winter break. Spring break rolls around, the kids are home, and you can’t go then, either.
I realize I’ve now made the case for both passes, which doesn’t really help you make your decision. And that’s the problem. The answer depends on your family’s schedule and your tolerance for crowds, sure. But it also comes down to being able to go to a local theme park whenever you want.
What if you only want the discounts?
The 10% discounts are a nice perk, but buying more Gold Passes doesn’t increase the percentage. If your family visits together, one Gold Passholder can buy the food and merch for everyone. Four Gold Passes won’t give you a 40% discount on lunch.
So this math is for families who are happy visiting on Silver-eligible days and are considering Gold specifically for the discounts.
Suppose a family of four has one Silver Pass with Parking and three regular Silver Passes. Upgrading all four costs $245 before tax. To make that back through a 10% discount, they’d need to spend $2,450 before their passes expire. Upgrading just the adult with parking costs $35, which takes $350 to make up. That shouldn’t be hard for a family that regularly eats in the park and sometimes buys a toy or a shirt.
If your family has no parking pass, upgrading one regular Silver Pass costs $70. You’d need to spend $700 to cover that through discounts alone, but Gold also includes regular parking. At $20 plus tax per visit, parking could make the upgrade worthwhile well before you spend $700 on food and toys.
That one Gold Pass also lets the owner visit alone on a Silver blockout date. Taking photos and eating a snack without having to share is a great way to spend a morning.
So, is Gold worth it?
The discount math helps, but it won’t settle this for every family. Being able to visit on a day that fits your schedule has value, even if you won’t save enough on snacks and merchandise to cover the upgrade. Being able to avoid the busiest days has value, too.
If your family needs those blocked weekends and school breaks, Gold is absolutely worth it. If you regularly visit on weekdays during the school year, Silver is a great deal. In that case, I’d consider upgrading one adult (especially one who already has the Parking Pass) and leave the other passes alone.
That’s where I landed. My family can avoid the crowds, while I can go photograph a baby dinosaur, Shrek, and Purple Minion whenever I like.
Want to learn more about Universal Kids Resort and its seven themed lands? We’ve got you covered. Visit our Universal Kids Resort hub for everything available at the new Frisco theme park.
