Our Experience at Universal Orlando’s Annual Passholder Appreciation Night
Universal Orlando’s Annual Passholder Appreciation Night, presented by Coca-Cola®, returned for two nights on August 16 and 17, offering exclusive access to favorite rides, attractions, character appearances, and more. This was the second year in a row that Universal has hosted an Annual Passholder night, with this years event being expanded from one night to two. We had the opportunity to attend the event on August 17, and had an AMAZING time! Now that we have had a day to rest and decompress, we wanted to put together our thoughts on the event for you!
Related: Universal Gaining Ground on Disney in Theme Park Attendance According to New Report
Strategically arriving at Universal Studios Florida around 7:15 PM, we aimed to avoid the initial rush of crowds. Parking was a breeze, and we quickly accessed the resort, although we were slightly disappointed to find that Valet was closed—understandable given the event’s popularity among passholders who often use Valet services as part of their perks.
Check-in was a breeze, and we were thrilled to see that the exclusive event magnet was being handed out right at check-in. This saved us from having to wait in line inside to pick one up later, which was a nice touch. As we made our way to the Music Plaza Stage area, we were greeted by a lively atmosphere with a DJ spinning tunes and plenty of selfie walls set up for some fun photo ops.
While we didn’t get a chance to try any of the snacks or food items available during the event, we did hear some chatter about dining locations being closed on the first night, which caused a bit of frustration for some guests. However, this seemed to have been resolved by the time we attended, as Mel’s Drive-In was open and serving guests during Passholder Night.
The famous Pizza Fries were available at Louie’s Italian Restaurant, although there was a bit of a line when we popped in and we did not want to wate precious time waiting for some. The Pizza Fries did not seem to be available via mobile order, which would have made snagging some a bit easier.
One of the biggest highlights of the evening was the low crowd levels, allowing us to enjoy several attractions with minimal wait times. We experienced Transformers as a walk-on, Revenge of the Mummy with just a 15-minute wait from locker to board, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts with a 5-minute wait outside the first pre-show, and Men in Black with no wait at all.
Although we were disappointed that the Kung Fu Panda section of DreamWorks Land was closed, we were delighted to see Donkey, Shrek, and Fiona making appearances for meet and greets. Universal adjusted last years procedures to not allow a stand-bye line for passholders that did not get a free event ticket, which seemed to have solved the crowd issue that passholders experienced last year.
The highlight of the night for us was definitely meeting Frank the Dog from Men in Black. If you didn’t catch him during the event, you can still see him at the Animal Actors On Location! show at Universal Studios Florida. We also spotted Woody and Winnie Woodpecker greeting guests outside the Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show building, which was a fun surprise.
To top off the evening, we caught the 9:30 PM showing of CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular . It was a fantastic way to break up the night and enjoy an amazing nighttime spectacular.
Related: Universal Orlando Shares First Look at Stardust Racers Coaster Coming to Epic Universe
Overall, we had an amazing time at UOAP Passholder Nights and hope Universal brings this event back again next year! The exclusive access, low crowds, and special character appearances made for a truly unforgettable experience.
Quick shopkeeping note: we were NOT sponsored by Universal Orlando for this event. This review is based on my personal experience attending the event as a fellow passholder who waited in the virtual queue to snag a spot along with everyone else.
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