Universal Kids Resort just gave its Silver Passholders first dibs on something they’ve been asking for since the park opened: a pass with no blockout dates.
If you bought a Silver Annual Pass back in May just to get in on day one, today’s the day that pass starts paying off in a new way.
Universal Kids Resort announced its brand-new Gold Annual Pass today, and current Silver Passholders get first crack at it before anyone else. The Gold Pass costs $199.99 and includes 365 days of access to the park, free parking, and in-park discounts, a real upgrade from the Silver Pass, which does not include discounts and, more importantly, comes with blockout dates that keep it from covering the full year. Existing Silver Passholders can upgrade starting today and only pay the difference: $70 if you have the $129.99 Silver Pass without parking, or $35 if you already sprang for the $164.99 parking-included version. General on-sale for the Gold Pass, open to everyone, starts September 29.
Honestly, this is the move a lot of us figured was coming. When Universal launched the park back in May with just the one Silver tier, it read a little like a placeholder, especially with a name like “Silver” just begging for a “Gold” to show up eventually. Universal Kids Resort was already unusual for skipping the multi-year passholder freeze that Epic Universe went through in Orlando (that park didn’t open up to Annual Passholders for nearly a year), so a same-year pass upgrade tracks with how much faster Universal has been moving to build loyalty with this park’s local, repeat-visit audience.
And local repeat visits are really the whole model here. Universal Kids Resort is a 20-acre park built for families with kids ages 3 to 8, and unlike Epic Universe or the Orlando parks, it’s leaning on nearby Dallas-Fort Worth families who might come five or six times a year rather than tourists flying in once. A pass with no blockout dates, free parking, and built-in discounts is exactly the kind of thing that turns a one-time visit into a standing Saturday tradition, and that’s clearly the audience Universal is building toward with this move.
If you’re already a Silver Passholder, there’s basically no downside to upgrading now while the early-access window is open, since you’re only paying the price difference rather than buying a second pass outright. If you’re not a passholder yet and you’re anywhere near Frisco, this is worth watching closely, since the Gold Pass becomes available to everyone on September 29.
We’ll keep tracking pass and ticket news out of Universal Kids Resort as it develops, so check back with Theme Park Scope for updates, and follow us on social so you don’t miss the next drop.
Are you upgrading to the Gold Pass, or is the Silver Pass still doing the job for your family?
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