Ticket upgrade question

[photolover]

I could use some helps from the Disboards experts. I have tried to ask Disney this questions but didn't get a clear answer. Here they are:

1/ My family is going to stay on-site with FD for 8 days and I reserved a package with 10-day MYW base tickets due to little $ increase for the extra 2 days. Obviously we would have 2-day left on each tickets at the end of our vacation. I would like to know how much it would cost me to upgrade to NO Expiration for the last 2 days if it's possible at all. Would it be saving me money next time we return to Disney or should I just buy the 8-day base tickets now then buy whatever tickets I need later?

2/ We also have a little 3-yrs old in our group that we purchased her a 10-day ticket due to Free Dining requirement. However, it's very likely that she will not need the 10-day pass because my friend got some individual tickets that the child could use. I know the pass will be expire 14d AFTER FIRST USE. But if the pass never been used, does it mean it would not expire? Or we need to upgrade the pass to no-expiration? Or we can use the value of this pass to upgrade the other 2-day-remaining passes of other family members?

You can tell that I am confused.

 

[Hook's Girl]

1. It's roughly $150 plus tax to add No Expiration to a 10 day ticket, no matter how much is left or remaining.

2. A ticket will not expire if it is not used.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The cost to upgrade a 10-day MYW pass to no-expiry is $191.70, including tax. This is the price regardless of how many unused days remain on the pass. OTOH, the cost of a 2-day MYW base pass is $148.04/$124.61 (adult/child). So, it would cost you less to purchase 2-day passes in the future than it would cost you to preserve those 2 days right now. If those 10-day passes also included pluses or hopping, then it becomes a little more complicated. But yours are just base passes, so my advise would be to just let the remaining days expire.

For the 3yo's pass, you can leave it unused for a later date. Passes do not expire until 14 days following their first day of use. The child can use that pass any time up to the time when she turns 10yo. You cannot apply the value of that pass towards any upgrades for other passes.

 

[dancin Disney style]

1. It's roughly $150 plus tax to add No Expiration to a 10 day ticket, no matter how much is left or remaining.

2. A ticket will not expire if it is not used.

I agree. Many people have booked the FD in the past with a 1 day ticket and kept the ticket to put towards an AP upgrade for the following year.

 

[photolover]

Thank you very much for your replies. I just spoke to a Disney rep over the phone about dining plan and she transfered me to reservation line so I can ask the ticket upgrade questions. According to the Disney rep I spoke to, if my 10-day base ticket only have 2 unused days remain, it's gonna only cost me $20 to add no-expiration to those 2 unused days. Sounds too good to be true! I kept asking her again and again to make sure that she understood my questions, but she insists it's only $20. I wanted to believe her, but I am kinda trust our Disboards experts more. I hope someone has done it before can confirm if the Disney rep knows what she's talking about.

Many thanks in advance! You disboards guru are the best!

photolover

And yes, she also said that if the 3-yrs-old's 10d-base ticket unused, it's not gonna be expired. No-expiration upgrade is not required.

The cost to upgrade a 10-day MYW pass to no-expiry is $191.70, including tax. This is the price regardless of how many unused days remain on the pass. OTOH, the cost of a 2-day MYW base pass is $148.04/$124.61 (adult/child). So, it would cost you less to purchase 2-day passes in the future than it would cost you to preserve those 2 days right now. If those 10-day passes also included pluses or hopping, then it becomes a little more complicated. But yours are just base passes, so my advise would be to just let the remaining days expire.

For the 3yo's pass, you can leave it unused for a later date. Passes do not expire until 14 days following their first day of use. The child can use that pass any time up to the time when she turns 10yo. You cannot apply the value of that pass towards any upgrades for other passes.

 

[dacky041208]

Thank you very much for your replies. I just spoke to a Disney rep over the phone about dining plan and she transfered me to reservation line so I can ask the ticket upgrade questions. According to the Disney rep I spoke to, if my 10-day base ticket only have 2 unused days remain, it's gonna only cost me $20 to add no-expiration to those 2 unused days. Sounds too good to be true! I kept asking her again and again to make sure that she understood my questions, but she insists it's only $20. I wanted to believe her, but I am kinda trust our Disboards experts more. .

And the dis experts had it correct here. To add the no expiration option to a ticket, you need to add it for every day the ticket has/had, not just what is remaining. Otherwise, everyone would buy a 10 day ticket and just add the NE to whatever is left at the end. It can be so frustrating when the CMs steer you wrong.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

When you call Walt Disney World, unless you really know a direct number, you will get one of two offices.

The Disney Reservations Center (DRC) includes Walt Disney Travel Company (WDTC), Central Reservations Office (CRO), Disney Dining, and some other lesser known information lines. To the best of my knowledge the DRC locations are in the International Drive area, Tampa, Kansas City and Houston and Salt Lake City. There may be more. Some of the people working at the DRC call centers may never have been to either WDW or DL (or both).

The Main Switchboard (407-824-2222) is also where all calls to Disney Resorts go if you are dialing the phone number on the back of your reservations form. Also that is where calls go if you dial the Operator from your room, and possibly even calls to the Front Desk. The Main Switchboard people will, if asked, also identify themselves as Guest Services. They can put you through to any number on WDW.

At both DRC and MS they have access to a computer which has lots of Guest Information and it is very well organized. Actually, all CMs who have access to a terminal, or who even can access the "Cast Portal" from off-site, have access to this Guest Services information. I will often open an extra window when I am responding to people and go into the Portal for the latest official information.

The people at DRC and MS do not deal with upgrades, partially used tickets, or problems related to tickets. They do not know all the rules. The people at DRC can sell unused tickets; the people at MS don't deal with tickets at all.

The people who work in the ticket booths at the Parks or in Guest Relations at the Parks (and this includes TTC, the Water Parks, and GRO in DTD) deal with ticket upgrades and unusual problems on a daily basis. I would not say that someone you talked to on the phone lied to you, but just they were attempting to answer a question when they really did not have an answer.

 

[photolover]

Thank you MOD and all replied to my questions. I surely trusted your answers because I already have doubt with the answer I received from the Disney Rep. Luckily I have Disboards to ask the question, otherwise I will be shockingly surprise to hear the upgrade cost difference ($192 vs $20) when I got there. The $$$ no-expiration upgrade cost doesn't make sense to me though. I think it's a way for Disney to milk money from customers who have a few days left on the pass.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I think it's a way for Disney to milk money from customers who have a few days left on the pass.

Ignoring taxes, here is a simple example.

Let's say you buy a five day expiring park hopper; this is $260 or $52 per day.

If you buy a ten day no expiring hopper, which will cover two trips, you are paying $450 which is $45 per day as well as protection in case of a price increase between your two trips.

If you can use a no expire ticket to completely cover two or more trips you are way ahead of buying individula tickets.

And, BTW, if you add on the WPF&M option at $50, with an expiring ticket you get five minor park entries at a cost of $10 but with a non-expiring ticket not only do you get ten minor park entries at $5 each but you can continue to use them on future trips even after all the major park days have been used up.

 

[LSchrow]

The $$$ no-expiration upgrade cost doesn't make sense to me though. I think it's a way for Disney to milk money from customers who have a few days left on the pass.

actually, the few dollars for additional days is a reduced price option on the new MYW passes to encourage longer stays.
pre MYW passes, there was not simply a few dollar difference for additional days ~ everyone paid for non-expiring passes whether they used that option or not (with MYW passes, it is comparatively less expensive to take a 10 day trip vs 2 5-day trips. pre-MYW, you paid the same either way).