How do I best use an old hopper?

[Cyndo723]

Cast of Characters: Me, DD(16) both WDW vets and planning to go back, and DD's friend (also 16) WDW first timer and won't be back for a while. I purchased one day base tickets to get the free dining, and plan to upgrade the tickets for DD and myself to 10 day non-expiring hoppers. I have one unused 4day PHP ticket left over from last year. If we use 2 days of it for this year's trip, will it be tagged with a finger scan? If so, I won't be able to use it for any of my other family members later. Can I use the value of it to upgrade my ticket? I'm trying to figure out how to best use what I have. Any suggestions?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

1. No, it will not be tagged with a finger scan.

2. I would not suggest using the value toward a new ticket. They would give you the cost value toward the cost of a new ticket. Also, I think that if it were a PHP you would have to get a MYW Premium (Hopper and Pluses) and the PHP does not expire within 14 days from first use.

 

[seashoreCM]

Starting June 2005 old PHP's are using finger scans, effective with the next usage.

A (one) totallly unused (pre-2005) PHP may be traded up towards (one of) any kind of MYW ticket although no change, not even Disney dollars, is returned. For partially used hoppers, every feature that was exploited (usage more than 14 days ago means non-expiration) must be added to the MYW ticket you trade up to.

An old ticket and a new ticket should not be used during the same vacation unless the vacation is 3 or fewer days long or unless the new ticket is 10 days expiring and completely consumed.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/dispass.htm

 

[swilshire]

An old ticket and a new ticket should not be used during the same vacation unless the vacation is 3 or fewer days long or unless the new ticket is 10 days expiring and completely consumed.

Why? We have a day or two on very old passes and my plan was to use them up before starting to use our 10 day MYW. Since we have 1 day on mine and 2 days on DH's, we would never go for exactly that period of time, so at some point we would have to combine old and new.

Also, these are the very old ones where they stamped the date of use on each line. I assume we would trade these at guest services for newer ones with the magnetic strip. I kinda hate to give these up since they have our pictures on them and we were much younger then. Wonder if they would just mark them as used up and let us keep them for sentimental reasons?

Sheila

 

[Cyndo723]

It's the finger scan that's causing me problems. I had planned for DDF to use the old hopper along with the one day base ticket for this trip. We will only be there for 3 days this visit, so she would use the old ticket for 2 of her days. But she won't be going back, so the finger scan would make the old ticket useless for us for future trips. I was hoping not to spend any more than the one day base price for her admission, as she was an add-on to this trip, and I told her that since I had an old ticket, she would only have to pay for her airfare, and I would buy her (one day)ticket. We have free dining, so no food costs. She has to earn all of her own "play" money and can't afford a 3 day ticket, and this was a way that she could go with us for minimal out of pocket expense to me. Now if I have to upgrade her ticket to a 3 day hopper for this trip, I'll still have the old ticket unused. I'll also have to pay for the upgrade to 10 days for DD and I. It's the "out of pocket" for this trip that's beginning to add up.

 

[etwinchester]

I'm having a problem figuring out what to do with our old pass as well. We still have 3 days left on our daughters old 4-day Park Hopper Pass.

Our next trip will be for 2 weeks so I'm going to purchase a 10-day MYW pass. With the water parks and a trip to universal, we will either use all the days or have to purchase non-expire to save the couple of days remaining on the tickets.

Now, what do I do with the my daughters old pass. I didn't know how much credit you could get for the old 3 days towards a new pass, or if I should purchase her a 7 day pass, but then hers won't have the same amound of pluses as ours...

Too confused ...

 

[Cyndo723]

My other problem is that I already have 4 passes. 3 one day base (purchased to get the free dining) and the old one. If I upgrade, can I use the old pass and one of the new ones combined to upgrade to a 10 day?

 

[safetymom]

You can't combine tickets towards a new ticket.

 

[hercamore]

Hi cyndo,

The only part of your question I know is you cannot combine old passes to trade up to one new one.

hrec.

 

[Cyndo723]

How about this (I hope I don't get confused...)

Use the old park hopper to buy a 10 day hopping non-expiring ticket for me.
Buy a 10 day hopping non-expiring ticket for DD.
Upgrade DDF's to 3 day hopping (Price will be difference between one day base and new ticket ~$150)
Use the one day base tickets for DD and Me on the day we go to MK only.
Use the 10 day ticket for the other 2 days

Is this the best way to get the most for my money?

Would anyone know about how much credit I would get for an unused 4 day Park Hopper plus that I bought from Hotwire for ~$200?

 

[seashoreCM]

Why [not use up and old ticket and then buy a new one to finish the vacation]? We have a day or two on very old passes and my plan was to use them up before starting to use our 10 day MYW. Since we have 1 day on mine and 2 days on DH's, we would never go for exactly that period of time, so at some point we would have to combine old and new.

Also, these are the very old ones where they stamped the date of use on each line. I assume we would trade these at guest services for newer ones with the magnetic strip. I kinda hate to give these up since they have our pictures on them and we were much younger then. Wonder if they would just mark them as used up and let us keep them for sentimental reasons?

Slight correction: If you already purchased 10 day non-expiring tickets, it does not make any difference whether you use the old pass or the 10 day pass first. But for many vacations, a single longer expiring ticket that spans the entire vacation is a much better buy than using the old ticket and buying a shorter ticket for the rest of the vacation. Example: for a 6 day vacation, a 5 day ticket anticipating using up one day of an old pass saves you only three dollars over a 6 day ticket saving the old pass for further in the future. Whereas the old ticket used during a 3 day vacation saves you more than sixty dollars worth of new ticket. Conceding to the fact that old tickets need be used sometime, I consider as good use using them during a vacation when you have enough leftovers that you don[t need to buy any new tickets.

Caution: For a 9, 10, and perhaps an 8 day vacation it is a better buy to use neither the old pass nor a 10 day non-expiring pass and instead buying an expiring pass for that entire vacation. Otherwise the non-expiration cost spread out over the leftover days is a huge chunk of change.

It is not Disney's policy to give you back the old ticket (stamped Used or Void) for a souvenir but ask anyway before going ahead with the exchange or trade up.

Would anyone know about how much credit I would get for an unused 4 day Park Hopper plus that I bought from Hotwire for ~$200?

The last I was told, when trading towards a MYW ticket, your pre-2005 4 day Park Hopper is valued at its gate price as of date of its manufacture (printing). I would guess you would get $206. trade up value for it.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Have DD use 3 days of the PH
Have DDF use all 3 1 day tickets, each on a different day
Buy 1 10 day MYW for you (about $337 from Ticketmania with Mousesaver discount)

This means no park-hopping on this trip, which may not work for you.

After this trip, you will still have 7 days on your ticket and your DD will have 1 more day on her PH. She should hold onto the remaining day on the PH until she needs the extra day for some reason (best value would be a 1 day trip).

Good luck. -- Suzanne