Annual Pass / Free Dining / Renewal Question, Please Help!

[Mikeb1892]

If I book a package with free dining, I realize that it comes with theme park tickets. We already have annual passes, and I thought I read that I can apply the value of the tickets from the free dining package towards my AP renewal. Has anyone done this or know this to be true? Any complications or things to watch out for? Thanks!

 

[Robo]

If I book a package with free dining, I realize that it comes with theme park tickets. We already have annual passes, and I thought I read that I can apply the value of the tickets from the free dining package towards my AP renewal.

You can use the value of new unused MagicYourWay tickets to help pay for an AP renewal.
New unused MagicYourWay tickets will remain good until such time as you use them (for whatever purpose.)
This is also true of tickets required to be purchased as part of a resort package.

 

[ConnieB]

Yes, you can use them on a later visit. A few tips....

Be sure to ask that your Annual Passes be set as the first priority of tickets in your MDE (ask them to do this at check in). that way using your MB doesn't accidently use the package tickets for entry and instead uses the AP.

Be sure to do the math before renewing your AP.....obviously if you're going to visit shortly after your current APs expire, then it's worth renewing, but if there will be a two or more month gap it may be better financially and time wise to let your AP lapse and get a "new" AP instead of a renewal. For example...if your AP expires in March, but your next visit is not until June (or later).....it would be better to let it lapse and get a new AP. The renewal is about $100 savings, but even that discounted AP price prorates to $49 a month...so if your renewal is more than 2 months after your last visit, you've pretty much washed your savings....but your renewed pass will expire again in March....whereas a new pass will expire in June (or later).

 

[stampinot]

Don't the tickets with a package expire once your vacation dates expire? Or are they good until you use them?

 

[disfanforlife]

Yes, you can use them on a later visit. A few tips....

Be sure to ask that your Annual Passes be set as the first priority of tickets in your MDE (ask them to do this at check in). that way using your MB doesn't accidently use the package tickets for entry and instead uses the AP.

Be sure to do the math before renewing your AP.....obviously if you're going to visit shortly after your current APs expire, then it's worth renewing, but if there will be a two or more month gap it may be better financially and time wise to let your AP lapse and get a "new" AP instead of a renewal. For example...if your AP expires in March, but your next visit is not until June (or later).....it would be better to let it lapse and get a new AP. The renewal is about $100 savings, but even that discounted AP price prorates to $49 a month...so if your renewal is more than 2 months after your last visit, you've pretty much washed your savings....but your renewed pass will expire again in March....whereas a new pass will expire in June (or later).

Thanks for that info! I was trying to figure out something like thst for us! Our next trip is planned for November 2015. I made the ressie so that the trip ends the same day our AP expires. We plan to go again in March 2016. I wasn't sure if we should use new AP's or renew.

 

[tobikaye]

Don't the tickets with a package expire once your vacation dates expire? Or are they good until you use them?

As long as the tickets are not used at all during the trip, they are still valid unused tickets that can be used at a later date.

If it is a multi-day ticket, then it is good for 14 days from the date the first day of the ticket was used. (Unless it is one of the No Expiration ticket upgrades.)

 

[ConnieB]

Thanks for that info! I was trying to figure out something like thst for us! Our next trip is planned for November 2015. I made the ressie so that the trip ends the same day our AP expires. We plan to go again in March 2016. I wasn't sure if we should use new AP's or renew.

If your AP expires in November and your next trip isn't until March, I'd wait and buy a new AP not a renewal. That's 3+ months, so you will lose the advantage of the renewal discount by not using your AP for 3+ months. Also means that your AP will be good until March 2017 instead of expiring in November 2016....so depending on when your 2017/2018 visits will be that could also increase the "value" of getting a new AP.

 

[ConnieB]

As long as the tickets are not used at all during the trip, they are still valid unused tickets that can be used at a later date.

If it is a multi-day ticket, then it is good for 14 days from the date the first day of the ticket was used. (Unless it is one of the No Expiration ticket upgrades.)

Which is why it's important to have them set the AP as the primary ticket so that your package ticket doesn't get used. There are conflicting reports of whether the system is smart enough to use tickets by logical priority or if the newest tickets bump up to the top. But they can set it to use the tickets you want to use, so just confirm that your AP is first at check in.

 

[Robo]

1. Don't the tickets with a package expire once your vacation dates expire?

2. Or are they good until you use them?

1. Nope.
2. Yep.

 

[tobikaye]

Which is why it's important to have them set the AP as the primary ticket so that your package ticket doesn't get used. There are conflicting reports of whether the system is smart enough to use tickets by logical priority or if the newest tickets bump up to the top. But they can set it to use the tickets you want to use, so just confirm that your AP is first at check in.

Since the person I quoted was not asking specifically about AP, but just tickets in general, I did not feel it was important to push the issue of which ticket is first. Maybe this would have been a better general statement than an additional to my message.

 

[ConnieB]

Since the person I quoted was not asking specifically about AP, but just tickets in general, I did not feel it was important to push the issue of which ticket is first. Maybe this would have been a better general statement than an additional to my message.

But they were talking about package tickets, and if you're not using them (i.e. worried whether they will expire when your stay ends), then it doesn't matter if it's AP or just another set of tickets.....setting the priority is important to be sure that the right set of tickets are used. Some people have already bought tickets (before the price hike) and then when Free Dining comes out they'll need to buy a package with tickets....in the past the FD package requires at least a 2 day ticket...so they may choose to save those to upgrade later rather than spending more money for more days if they already have a longer ticket from pre-price hike days.

It's one of those things that if you don't make sure it works properly can have very expensive consequences.

 

[Mikeb1892]

You can use the value of new unused MagicYourWay tickets to help pay for an AP renewal.
New unused MagicYourWay tickets will remain good until such time as you use them (for whatever purpose.)
This is also true of tickets required to be purchased as part of a resort package.

What is the value of the tickets that come with Free Dining packages? Our stay would be for 6 nights.

 

[pooch]

What is the value of the tickets that come with Free Dining packages? Our stay would be for 6 nights.

that would depend on how many days of tickets you bought with the package. There is a minimum requirement, usually 2 or 3 days, but you can purchase as many days as you wish. So we'd need to know how many days you've purchased to determine the value.

 

[Mikeb1892]

that would depend on how many days of tickets you bought with the package. There is a minimum requirement, usually 2 or 3 days, but you can purchase as many days as you wish. So we'd need to know how many days you've purchased to determine the value.

We would be checking in on Sunday and checking out the following Saturday. Not sure if they count the days you check in/out? The package would be for 6 nights total, so I'm guessing 7 days?

 

[Robo]

What is the value of the tickets that come with Free Dining packages? Our stay would be for 6 nights.

The two-day tickets are the minimum required for booking certain resort "packages" (like Free Dining.)
Their value is the WDW gate price for a two-day ticket.
Likewise, for any number of days on a ticket.

We would be checking in on Sunday and checking out the following Saturday. Not sure if they count the days you check in/out? The package would be for 6 nights total, so I'm guessing 7 days?

You have a choice of the number of park day tickets that you buy (up to 10 days, total.)
Just check your MyDisneyExperience under tickets to see what you bought.

 

[Mikeb1892]

You have a choice of the number of park day tickets that you buy (up to 10 days, total.)

Ok, I understand now. And just to be sure, no matter how many days of tickets I purchase, as long as we use our AP and not the tickets from the FD package, the tickets will still have their value so we can apply them to our next AP, even if that won't be for 16 months?

 

[Disneylover99]

Ok, I understand now. And just to be sure, no matter how many days of tickets I purchase, as long as we use our AP and not the tickets from the FD package, the tickets will still have their value so we can apply them to our next AP, even if that won't be for 16 months?

Yes, they will still have their value.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

Note that If you plan a trip with more than 2 park days where you plan to upgrade to your AP, you'll only be able to make 2 days of FP+ selections prior to arrival.

 

[Robo]

Have a great trip!

 

[Mikeb1892]

Note that If you plan a trip with more than 2 park days where you plan to upgrade to your AP, you'll only be able to make 2 days of FP+ selections prior to arrival.

Can I purchase a voucher for an AP more than 60 days prior to our trip and use the credit from the tickets for that?

That way my AP doesn't start until we redeem the voucher, but we will still be able to make FP+ reservations.