Change in annual pass upgrade policy?

[SaeSawanoguchi]

Hi all,

Just back from Disney World and did the upgrade of my park tickets to an annual pass and ended up paying way more than expected.

Before I left I read the thread on Everything about WDW tickets and the section on upgrading.

My husband and I had a 7 day park hopper tickets with water park and more options each. We did use the water park entrance so we knew we would get the premium annual pass.

However, they didn't take the gate price when we upgraded out tickets and used the discounted price we bought them at through disney of $330.83 each. So we had to pay the difference.

We upgraded on the last day of our stay and when I got home I redid the math and couldn't figure it out with the gate price. When I called ticket services they said the math was correct and they use the discounted price we got the tickets at and not the gate price.

Did Disney World change the policy on upgrades? Or should I call back and try to get the correct numbers in for a bit of a refund?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[vicki_c]

You got bad information and you were overcharged.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell you how to go about correcting that and getting a refund - there was a similar post only a few weeks ago.

Edit: what is this "discounted" Disney price you are talking about, though? I originally assumed you bought them from a 3rd party ticket reseller. Where did your original tickets come from - that could possibly change the answer.

 

[SaeSawanoguchi]

The person on the phone kept calling it a "discount" ticket. I don't actually know why. I bought my whole package through Disney World directly.

 

[DebbieB]

Hi all,

Just back from Disney World and did the upgrade of my park tickets to an annual pass and ended up paying way more than expected.

Before I left I read the thread on Everything about WDW tickets and the section on upgrading.

My husband and I had a 7 day park hopper tickets with water park and more options each. We did use the water park entrance so we knew we would get the premium annual pass.

However, they didn't take the gate price when we upgraded out tickets and used the discounted price we bought them at through disney of $330.83 each. So we had to pay the difference.

We upgraded on the last day of our stay and when I got home I redid the math and couldn't figure it out with the gate price. When I called ticket services they said the math was correct and they use the discounted price we got the tickets at and not the gate price.

Did Disney World change the policy on upgrades? Or should I call back and try to get the correct numbers in for a bit of a refund?

Thanks for all the help!

You got them at a discount through Disney? What kind of discount was it?

Edit - just saw you answered that.

If you bought them with a package, how did you break out the price?

 

[chicagoshannon]

strange. IF you bought the ticket through Disney directly then the ticket wouldn't have been discounted (they don't discount tickets as far as I know unless it's military or YES program). Not sure how they screwed that up.

We have had issues the last couple of times when we upgraded our hopper tickets to annual passes. Most recently, at DHS, the CM had to go ask his supervisor for "special permission" to bridge our tickets "just this one time". It does appear they're trying really hard to NOT bridge the tickets. Although they had no problem bridging my FIL's 5 day hopper to a 6 day hopper.

 

[SaeSawanoguchi]

Yea I'm not available for special discounts so just bought a normal package through Disney.

I got the price break down from the receipt they gave me.

 

[jnfr2424]

strange. IF you bought the ticket through Disney directly then the ticket wouldn't have been discounted (they don't discount tickets as far as I know unless it's military or YES program). Not sure how they screwed that up.

We have had issues the last couple of times when we upgraded our hopper tickets to annual passes. Most recently, at DHS, the CM had to go ask his supervisor for "special permission" to bridge our tickets "just this one time". It does appear they're trying really hard to NOT bridge the tickets. Although they had no problem bridging my FIL's 5 day hopper to a 6 day hopper.

I had the same issue at Epcot GS in June I brought 7 day PH tickets from my job and it had the date April on it. When the AP was processed, the expiration date was stated April instead of June. The CM had to call to get it approved "this one time" and then he stated that because so many people are trying to outsmart the system

 

[alicia080979]

Is there anything in particular you should ask for/certain language to use when you are trying to upgrade to the AP? We are planning on getting annual passes next week when we go down but are going to upgrade our 9 day hopper pass to do so. We bought our package before the price increase. If I am doing my math right...I have that we should each be paying a $192.77 upgrade price. Does that sound right?
9 day PH $359.97 w/tax
AP $552.74 w/tax

 

[vicki_c]

When you buy a Disney package (room, tickets minimally),

1 - I don't think the invoice ever breaks down the ticket prices - but it's been a long time since I did a straight out room+ticket package - so I'm not sure how you would know what WDTC actually charged you for the tickets in your package total;

2 - there most likely is no discount on the tickets, just gate price unless you bought them prior to a ticket increase, in which case they would be the prior gate price.

So upgrading from regular tickets in a Disney package, I would still follow the "use them once" rule, but I don't see that there would be much of a discount to be obtained even in the best of cases.

It's really only when you buy them from a discounter, or if you had a deal like buy 4, get 3 free from Disney, that there would be much savings when upgrading.

So at this point, I'm not sure what kind of savings the OP would have ever been getting anyway.

But all that said - AFAIK, there has been no change in Disney's upgrade policies, just uninformed cast members doing the transactions. They are still supposed to bridge your ticket value to the current gate price before calculating the upgrade cost.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

You got bad information and you were overcharged.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell you how to go about correcting that and getting a refund - there was a similar post only a few weeks ago.

Edit: what is this "discounted" Disney price you are talking about, though? I originally assumed you bought them from a 3rd party ticket reseller. Where did your original tickets come from - that could possibly change the answer.

Maybe not!

There have been a LOT of rumors that the "bring it to gate" deal was going to end. It did not used to be this way and does not have to be this way.

If it is ending OP was charged correctly

 

[vicki_c]

Maybe not!

There have been a LOT of rumors that the "bring it to gate" deal was going to end. It did not used to be this way and does not have to be this way.

If it is ending OP was charged correctly

See my 2nd post where I said they may not have been charged wrong (in a roundabout way).

 

[seashoreCM]

The current rule is easy to compute.

"I had a X day park hopper and the posted price is X. I wished to upgrade to an annual pass whose posted price is Y. Therefore the amount I should pay to do the upgrade is Y minus X."

No other data or numbers are needed.

Nobody is outsmarting the system. Whoever said the word "outsmart" was wrong. The calculation as I stated it is correct until something different is publicized.

If you want to you can use the word "bridge", as in ,"the value of the original ticket is bridged to the current selling price prior to the upgrade maneuver."

Write back using snail mail, asking for a refund of the overcharge.

 

[bumbershoot]

When buying a package, the tickets would be the gate price at the time you bought the package. So if you booked it, and didn't change it, before the last ticket price increase, then there's a "discount", and it should be bridged to current gate price. If you booked it (or changed your package so you got current pricing) after the last price change, no bridging would be needed or appropriate.

To my understanding.

 

[SaeSawanoguchi]

Thank you for the responses. I will try sending them mail for refund.

 

[jnfr2424]

The current rule is easy to compute.

"I had a X day park hopper and the posted price is X. I wished to upgrade to an annual pass whose posted price is Y. Therefore the amount I should pay to do the upgrade is Y minus X."

No other data or numbers are needed.

Nobody is outsmarting the system. Whoever said the word "outsmart" was wrong. The calculation as I stated it is correct until something different is publicized.

If you want to you can use the word "bridge", as in ,"the value of the original ticket is bridged to the current selling price prior to the upgrade maneuver."

Write back using snail mail, asking for a refund of the overcharge.

I purchased a 7 day MYW PH tickets (It was buy 4 days get 3 days free) through my job which is an authorized Disney Retailer for $285.00.
I went on a solo trip in June just to upgrade my ticket and purchase TiW.
I used my ticket on June 3 to get into the park which would bring the ticket up to current pricing (which was a week before the ticket increase) which would be $301
If I use the formula that you presented:
Y= $499 - X= $301 = $198

Well I did not pay that as my upgrade to AP total came up to $249.34
This does not include the $75 for TiW as I purchased it as a separate transaction. Even If I had used a 4 day ticket or the discounted price that I originally paid for the ticket it still would not have come up to this price and I still don't know why I paid this much. I've sent countless emails, snail mails, phone calls and no one cannot answer why I was charged so much.

The only other issue I had with the ticket is the date stated 3/10/11 and the AP backed the date to April 2012 and I had to get the difference in time bridged to June - that's when the CM made the comment about some guests "outsmarting the system". Since they are wrong what would you suggest I try and do next???

 

[chartle]

I had the same issue at Epcot GS in June I brought 7 day PH tickets from my job and it had the date April on it. When the AP was processed, the expiration date was stated April instead of June. The CM had to call to get it approved "this one time" and then he stated that because so many people are trying to outsmart the system

This is just a CM that doesn't know their job.

There is no "just this one time" an AP that is upgraded from a MYW ticket starts not when you bought the ticket but when the ticket is first used.

Back to the OP what was the discount?

I have never heard of tickets being discounted on a package unless its something like the buy 4 get 3 deal. I calculated it yesterday and the "discount" per ticket was like $40 per ticket.

Every time I have priced out a package with and without tickets the price difference is the gate price of the ticket. They are making it sound like there is a discount when you buy tickets with a room as a package. Maybe there is some sort of internal cost for the tickets that you never see.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You are correct in that your upgrade cost should have been $210.87 including tax.

I would suggest make a photocopy of your ticket with the serial number and mail it to

Ticket Services
PO Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

telling them that you feel the person who did the transaction did not property bridge the price of your used seven day hopper to the Current Gate Price when it was issued. You can also comment that the CM had also put in an incorrect expiration date originally, which was subsequently corrected.

Ask the the erroneous overcharge be credited back to your account.

Do not say anything about how much you paid for the ticket, and ignore the marketing hype of buy four get three free, you bought a seven day ticket. And there is no need to say anything about the purchase of the TiW card.

From the serial number they can track back through all transaction related to the ticket.

 

[vicki_c]

CF / Mike - aren't you only answering jnfr2424's question though -- not the original poster?

I'm curious on your take on the OP's question - if you would agree with chartle & me, who were questioning what kind of discount there ever was in the first place, or what kind of savings the OP could be owed? I don't really see any that are obvious to me.

 

[seashoreCM]

CF / Mike - aren't you only answering jnfr2424's question though -- not the original poster?

I'm curious on your take on the OP's question - if you would agree with chartle & me, who were questioning what kind of discount there ever was in the first place, or what kind of savings the OP could be owed? I don't really see any that are obvious to me.

I don't know about any discounts associated with tickets purchased directly from Disney, either at a ticket booth or as part of a pakcage. But I would not be surprised if for accounting purposes a lesser amount was attributed to the ticket when there was a free meal plan or a room discount.

But all that should be irrelevant because only the gate price on the day of upgrade matters when upgrading partially used tickets.

Don't worry about "just this time". Ecpect and count on the CM to say "just this time" again the next time it happens and the next time too.

 

[chartle]

CF / Mike - aren't you only answering jnfr2424's question though -- not the original poster?

I'm curious on your take on the OP's question - if you would agree with chartle & me, who were questioning what kind of discount there ever was in the first place, or what kind of savings the OP could be owed? I don't really see any that are obvious to me.

I didn't just want to edit my PP, but without any codes or any discount I have shopped for rooms and packages at times.

If I do room only its the rack rate price of the room, if I add tickets its the rack rate price of the room plus the gate price of the tickets.

Every Discount I have seen, besides the buy 4 get 3 free deal, is either paying rack rate for the room and getting free dining or getting a percent off a room and maybe if you get a really good pin both.

So how does Disney think these tickets are worth $40 less than gate price? Unless they are really old, I don't think they increased that much with the last price increase.