best place to buy attraction tickets

[Frank Rafferty]

There will be a few of us going on holiday in May and would I would like to know the best place to buy attraction tickets.

I have had a look a look at a few sites and noticed that when I do the currency conversion and allow for international delivery cost by Fed Ex, then the cost is a lot cheaper than the sites that advertise in £'s and not $'s. A 5 day hopper plus is around £180 in the uk while in dollars it is £150 when purchased online and delivered oversees.

I have noticed that some sites have 'uk citizen' and 'us citizen'. Do US Citizens get cheaper prices or is it just that companies in the UK are a bit greedy.

Thanks in Anticipation

Frank

[Carla]

Frank the UK prices are all based on a conversion rate. Until recently the pound/dollar rate was pretty poor. The UK companies have to buy from US suppliers and run the risk of the dollar suddenly gaining in strength again against the pound. Last March/April it was US$1.35 to the pound and the UK prices were very good, now it is about US$1.58 to the pound which makes the US prices look extremely attractive. UK ticket companies rarely change their prices on a day to day basis, depending on the current exchange rate, because they run the risk of losing too much.

There are also companies which will deliver directly to the villa for you, at a time to suit you and at no charge whatsoever, which means that there is no chance of you leaving your tickets behind in the UK, and/or losing them, which has happened before!!

[steph_goodrum]

Frank
I would also add, as you obviously have net access check the websites for the latest special offers as well. We have returned today from a break ( that must be the biggest misnoma in the villa owners language - our 16 yr old can't wait to get back to school to tell her friends how at 11 am on boxing day she was outside helping her dad concrete a BBq area in her pj's at our home). Before we went we checked the Sea World website at www.seaworld.com and found they are offering an annual Fun Card for just $49.95, this has no blackout dates and allows unlimited admission till the 31st Dec. this year, (you have to pay for parking). You can buy them online and print out an e-voucher which you exchange at the gate for a proper card with photo id on it. When they issued the cards they actually say Bronze passport which is the option listed at the gate (along with silver, gold, platinum) but the gate price is around £65 + tax. But the gate price of 1 day is $48.95 + tax so you can see the saving.
If you intend to swim at Discovery Cove and Disney, don't be persuaded to buy the 4 park flex tickets as you probably won't get the value in a couple of weeks. Your Discovery Cove ticket allows 7 days unlimited admission to Sea World (so you don't need that option or a separate pass, and if you have Disney hopper passes they allow either 2 or 4 visits to water parks or Disney Quest and you will find it nearly impossible to fit in your schedule (not forgetting you'll have a private pool if you rent a villa and most likely a larger community pool.
So you only really need the Universal/IOA portion and will probably be better getting a separate pass for them. If you belong to the AA in the UK you can ring them and ask for a AAA "show your card and save" card which they will send to you within a couple of weeks, which gives you the same benefits as being a AAA member. One of their offers at the moment is a "2 park annual pass" - no blackout dates and free parking for just $109.95 + tax instead of the gate price of $159.95, at the gates a 2 day/2park pass costs $94.95 + tax so a considerable saving especially if their are a few in your party. if you go to www.aaasouth.com and click on "show your card and save" it will show you some of the savings you can make.
The other advantage of having an annual pass is that you can be much more relaxed about your scheduling when going to the parks, if the weather turns hot or wet and you have a 1 day pass you tend to stay there if, for example you want to see a parade, but if you have an annual pass you can go and do something alternative more appropriate for the conditions and just go in another day for a couple of hours to see a particular show or ride.

[fiona]

The renewal for the Univeral annual is $99.99 plus tax at AAA, but you can buy from Universal at same price! Must renew within 30 days and offer expires 31 Jan.

[florida4sun]

You can order your tickets from the Orlando Villas USA ticket page. The problem is by law we cannot mail them accross the water. We can however hold them for and deliver them to your accomodation. You can of course collect and pay them at our office too.


quote:Originally posted by Frank Rafferty

There will be a few of us going on holiday in May and would I would like to know the best place to buy attraction tickets.

I have had a look a look at a few sites and noticed that when I do the currency conversion and allow for international delivery cost by Fed Ex, then the cost is a lot cheaper than the sites that advertise in £'s and not $'s. A 5 day hopper plus is around £180 in the uk while in dollars it is £150 when purchased online and delivered oversees.

I have noticed that some sites have "uk citizen" and "us citizen". Do US Citizens get cheaper prices or is it just that companies in the UK are a bit greedy.

Thanks in Anticipation

Frank