How Much Does A Trip To Universal Studios Cost?

When you picture your trip to Universal Orlando, you likely envision casting spells in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, gathering up your courage to take on the VelociCoaster (WORTH IT!), sipping a margarita or two at Margaritaville, and relaxing by the pool at your lovely Resort hotel.

That’s the fun part! Of course, something must be done before you go that’s… well, it’s a little less fun: we’re talking about vacation budget NUMBER CRUNCHING.

But here’s the thing: it’s gotta be done. So we want to help by looking at how much a trip to Universal Orlando Resort costs. After all, things like this are more fun with friends, right?

We’re going to start off by sharing the typical recommended amount to visit Universal Orlando: it’s about $200 per person, per day in 2023. Further, though, we’ve put this article together to help you come up with the average cost to go to Universal Studios in 2023, which includes your Universal Orlando tickets, hotel room, and daily meals, so you can know where that money is going. And perhaps this will help you consider the areas where you’d like to save a little, and where you’d like to splurge a little.

So let’s go one by one, tackling what to include in your budget for Universal Orlando:

Universal Orlando Tickets

Universal Orlando theme park tickets are date-based, meaning the specific date or start date you choose will affect the final price you pay. That’s why you’ll see a range presented for ticket costs below. You can search the prices for specific dates on the Universal Orlando Resort website to narrow down your number.

You can choose a ticket option like One Park Per Day, and can extend that option by the amount of days you wish to visit. But remember: if riding the Hogwarts Express is a non-negotiable for your trip, then you MUST purchase a Park-to-Park ticket (which grants entrance into BOTH Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure on the same day).

A One Park Per Day ticket will not grant access to Hogwarts Express, as the train connects Hogsmeade Station (at Islands of Adventure) with King’s Cross Station (at Universal Studios).

Without further ado…

For one adult, your ticket will cost:

One Park Per Day: $109-159
Park-to-Park (2 parks, 1 day): $164-214
Two parks, Two days: $108-148 per day
Two days, Park-to-Park: $276 ($138 per day) – $351 ($175 per day)

For one child (ages 3 to 9), your ticket will cost:

One Park Per Day: $104-154
Park-to-Park (2 parks, 1 day): $159-209
Two parks, Two days: $103-144 per day
Two days, Park-to-Park: $266 ($133 per day) – $341 ($170 per day)

For a family of 4 (factored at each kid over age 10), tickets will cost:

One Park Per Day: $436-636
Park-to-Park (2 parks, 1 day): $656-856
Two parks, Two days: $864 – 1191 ($432 – $595 per day)
Two days, Park-to-Park: $1104 – $1404

Something additional you may want to consider is Universal Express Pass.

As Universal’s website explains, “When you add Universal Express access to your theme park admission, you get to skip the regular lines at most of your favorite rides and attractions. So you can fit way more fun into your day.”

Universal Orlando offers two variants of the Express Pass for their main theme parks, each of which is also variably priced based on seasonal crowd levels. The Universal Express pass allows guests to “skip the lines” one time per participating ride and ranges from $89.99 to $349.99 per person. There’s also the Universal Express Unlimited option, which ranges from $99.99 to $379.99 per person and allows unlimited skips of the line at participating rides.

Because this purchase is completely optional, we aren’t including it in our trip total. But we want to give you access to the Express Pass information in case it’s something you’d like to include in your budget.

Is the Universal Orlando Express Pass Worth It? Everything You Need to Know

Universal Orlando Hotel

Universal Orlando Resort offers four different hotel tiers — Value, Prime Value, Preferred, and Premier — to suit different budgets.

Resort amenities and guests benefits vary accordingly.

Value Hotels

Endless Summer Resort offers two Value Hotels: Surfside Inn and Dockside Inn.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn & Suites: start at $96/night
Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn & Suites: start at $96/night

Prime Value Hotels

The Prime Value Resorts are Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Aventura Hotel.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Cabana Bay Beach Resort: starts at $140/night
Aventura Hotel: starts at $140/night

Preferred Hotel

Universal Orlando’s Preferred Hotel is Loews Sapphire Falls Resort.

Loews Sapphire Falls Resort starts at $210 per night for 2 guests in a room.

Premier Hotels

The three Premier Hotels are Loews Royal Pacific Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.

Here’s a look at starting rates for 2 guests in a room:

Loews Royal Pacific Hotel: starts at $325/night
Hard Rock Hotel: starts at $372/night
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel: starts at $388/night

In regards to our mention of Universal Exress Pass above, we want to add that guests of Universal Orlando’s Premier tier resorts (the Hard Rock Hotel, the Royal Pacific Resort, and the Portofino Bay Hotel) are given complimentary use of Express Pass lines as part of their stay.

BTW, if you’re staying at a Universal Resort hotel and plan to stay on property for your entire trip, you can get everywhere you need to buy using Universal’s free transportation for hotel guests!

Universal Orlando Dining

WOO HOO! Who doesn’t like thinking about where and what to EAT during vacation?

For a family of four, we recommend planning for at least $60 for a quick service type meal (such as the new Minion Cafe in Universal Studios or the Three Broomsticks in Islands of Adventure), and around $100 for a sit-down meal (such as The Cowfish or Finnegan’s Bar & Grill).

All-American Bacon Double Cheeseburgooshi at The Cowfish

The recommendations above are based on pricing for adults and children (ages 3 to 9), factoring in, on average, about $20.00 per adult per meal, and about $15.00 per child, per meal (assuming you’ll eat a bit more frequently at quick service restaurants than sit-down style).

P.S. Don’t forget to factor in some extra to try some popular snacks, like Butterbeer in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

How much does it cost for a family of 4 to go to Universal Studios?

Okay, now it’s time to put it all together! You’ll see below that our little mock traveling group is comprised of four adults (which can be four full-on grown-ups or two adults with two kids above age 10 or above).

They’ve chosen Park-to-Park tickets for two days, which comes to $1,104 plus tax (at starting rates).

They’re staying at a Prime Value Resort, Cabana Bay, for 4 nights at starting rates with 4 guests occupying the room (allowing for some time to, say, relax by the pool for a day or explore Universal CityWalk).

Using our estimates above, meals for four days will run around $800.00.

And we’ve also factored in $500 of extra spending money… that’s where those Butterbeers I mentioned earlier come in, along with souvenirs or maybe some additional activities like Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf.

Before we present the total, here’s the above in bullets for you:

• Cabana Bay Beach Resort 4 night stay = $860 plus tax
• 2 days Park-to-Park for four adults = $1,104 plus tax
• Meals for four days = $800
• Extra spending money = $500

This brings the total cost for one family of four staying four nights at Cabana Bay Beach Resort and visiting the parks to $3264.00 at starting rates. Higher rates (factoring some behind-the-scene math factoring in seasonal pricing for tickets and hotel) bring the total closer to roughly $3880.00.

And there you have it! Now all you have to do is factor in how you’ll get to Universal Orlando, and then it’s time to get back to the fun part of planning: picking your must-ride attractions, your must-eat foods, and exactly how much stomach space you want to allow for one more Butterbeer. 😉 ENJOY!