The guys at USH keep throwing those discounts out there in the hopes that somebody cares ....... haven't they gotten the clue that new and interesting attractions are what bring the crowds into theme parks - haven't they noticed that they have not had any major increases in attendance since Jurassic Park opened a few years ago? Haven't they noticed that after a bang-up opening that IOA is now slipping into the doldrums and can't even keep up with USO?

So after nobody cared about getting a whole year for free at USH, they're offering:

1. Free Admission (with one paid adult admission) for anybody wearing purple and gold (Laker's colors) until the end of June.

2. Free admission for any kid 15 or under (heck, don't some kids have a beard at 14?) when accompanied by a paying adult, good through the end of July .........

What's next - everybody gets in free for a donation of $20 to the "Save Barry Diller's Butt" campaign ............

Eisner must love looking out the telescope from his tower and seeing the mess(ier?) over there at Universal - these guys make him look like a genius everyday ..........

Yes, the discounts are tiresome.

But you can't claim nobody cared about the "Buy a Day, Get a Year" campaign. There are now 300,000 people holding annual passes to USH.


wordyone

Well, if they issued 300,000 "annual passes" during the, what was it, 4-5 months during which they ran the promotion, then their annual attendance of roughly 4 Million people must come mostly during the summer .............

Uh, isn't that when most theme parks get their attendance -- summer? Or do you think it's all in February?

Also, as someone who works at USH, I have never heard of the Lakers purple-and-gold promotion. In fact, I have never heard of any deal at Universal that is based on what you're wearing. Military ID, police/fire/paramedic status, kids-get-in-free... but never attire. I'm curious as to your source for this information.

I doubt they're any higher up than me.



JangoFett

JF - a couple of responses .......

(1) Sure, you expect parks like Paramount's Great Adventure or the Six Flags parks, the first of which is closed for almost 6 months a year or the second which is open weekends only during the non-summer months to make up to 80-90% of their revenues during the summer ........

But USH is a year-round flagship park for Vivendi/Universal and it just seems that 300,000 persons (which is only a little over 7% of 4 Million) over a 4-5 month period, especially when they are running a bunch of ads and promotions, seems very low .............

(2) Uh, the Lakers promotion is on the, uh ........... Universal Studios Hollywood web site .............

Originally posted by JangoFett
Uh, isn't that when most theme parks get their attendance -- summer? Or do you think it's all in February?

Also, as someone who works at USH, I have never heard of the Lakers purple-and-gold promotion. In fact, I have never heard of any deal at Universal that is based on what you're wearing. Military ID, police/fire/paramedic status, kids-get-in-free... but never attire. I'm curious as to your source for this information.


Directly from the USH website:



Universal Studios Hollywood Celebrates the Lakers Championship with Free Admission Offer for Lakers Fans

Wear purple and gold to Universal Studios Hollywood on weekdays through June 28, 2002 and you'll receive one free admission per one full-paid adult ticket. Offer not available through the online ticket store.

Read More

http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/hollywood/website/hot_deals.html

Originally posted by coronamouseman
Well, if they issued 300,000 "annual passes" during the, what was it, 4-5 months during which they ran the promotion, then their annual attendance of roughly 4 Million people must come mostly during the summer .............

You had to process your annual pass, so everyone who went didn't nessecarily get an annual pass.

coronamouseman , I still don't understand your math regarding the annual passes. It seems that you say:

1. 300,000 passes were given out during the winter and spring (a number that comes from wordyone , and which I do not dispute).

2. Every person who walked through the gates got an annual pass.

3. Ergo, 300,000 people walked through the gates in the winter and spring.

And you go on to say that 300,00 is only 7% of 4 million, which is USH's annual attendance.

However, NOT everyone who walked in the gates got a CAP.

The BDGY offer was based on a full-priced admission of $45. Any coupon or discount of any kind nullified this deal. A local could be convinced that it was better to pay $45 for 333 days than to pay $41 for 1 day.

But foreign guests, people from out of state and (get ready to gasp) locals who didn't like Universal that much and wouldn't be coming back within a year usually went for the instant one-day discount over the year pass.

As for the Lakers purple-and-gold discount, I will say again that I have never heard of it. A quick poll of my colleagues at Universal turned up unanimous agreement. I cannot vouch for a promotion that exists only our website.

In fact, since the Lakers won the championship on June 12, even if the deal began the very next day, it would only be valid June 13 & 14, June 17-21, amd June 24-28. That would make it a 12-day offer... surely the shortest "promotion" I have ever seen.

JF (and others)

(1) OK - makes sense that not all attendees became APs if special effort was required to get AP converted from admission ticket

(2) You're right - the Lakers promotion does go in the books as one of the shortest offers on record. Might have been a lot more effective if they actually had at least one or maybe even a couple of the Lakers themselves show up ..........

Or is that only through the website? Any shipping or other costs through the website? Are the lines at the gates long enough that it's worth it to buy tickets in advance?

Shannon, I will answer your questions with the understanding that I am not a resource for basic guest service information. The answer to all your questions can be found at www.UniversalStudios.com.

You asked if the kids-under-15-get-in-free-with-full-priced-adult offer is only available on the website. The answer is no, because, contrary to what we might think, not everyone has internet access, and we could face lawsuits from "poorer" guests who don't have the same access to discounts as "richer" guests.

That being said, the under-15 offer is only available to California residents.

There are no extra costs for buying anything on the website. I don't know about shipping.

It is now summer at a major theme park in a major tourist city. Most of the time, the lines are long enough to justify either buying the tickets in advance and picking them up at Will Call, arriving early enough that the ticket lines are short, or using a credit card (and no discounts) at the Express Ticket Machines, which often have a very short line, or no line at all.

I hope that answers your questions, Shannon.

JangoFett

To be quite honest.....

Often times the own employees are not aware of the discounts or coupons until a customer walks up and asks for it. The Lakers promotion also. It was not known about until the day it started at about 1pm when a guest asked for it. CHAOS.

The CAP promotion which is now over, was incredibly popular. If you have ever been to the park on weekends, you can look at the line and understand.

Now that summer is upon us... the majority of our park guests are revisits from passholders. You can look at that either way. Good for the park, or bad for the business. Thanks goodness for blackout days.

:D

It is the mark of a truly screwed up company if promotions are being advertised to the public and the employees are not informed about that promotion ...............

Dear Jangofett, Thanks for the information about the California discounts. Another question, what about hotels in the area. Does anyone have an option if it's worthwhile to stay at Hilton or the Sheraton since they are closest?

The Hilton and Sheraton are quite pricey for local hotels. Sure they are right on the hilltop, but for less you can go just a few minutes away to places like the Sportsman Lodge ( they even provide a Universal discount, just call 1800-universal and speak to a representative and they can tell you what the name of the discount is.. Etc... Terminator , Spiderman) then call and make reservations) Also The Beverly Garland Hotel is close.

Hope that helps...

Just a tip... make sure you get to USH early ticket lines tend to grow after 10am and stay pretty lenghty until about 1pm. Ticket machines are quick, if you are NOT using a discount. That applies to Kids 15 and under free.

EYE