10 Day Non-Expiring Ticket or NOT???

[DJmommy]

Just can't decide what to do about this. It seems like such a good idea to buy the Non-Expiring Tickets for this trip, however we would only have 4 days left for our next trip and the next trip would most likely not be until 3 years from now. What if I really need a 5 day ticket or a 6 day ticket next trip, then I will be forced to buy a one or two day ticket for outrageous money.

Tell me what you all have been doing and how you rationalized what you did. I have most details of the trip ironed out but I just keep waffling back and forth on this issue. Do I pay nearly $400 out next month to save about the same amount of money 3 years from now? ( assuming ticket price increases ).

I think part of the reason I want to buy the NON- Expiring tickets is so that I can possibly justify another trip maybe sooner as it would be easier to convince DH that it won't cost so much if the tickets are already paid for. I can't be the only one out here who thinks like this, can I???

 

[laurabelle]

We bought these tix with the plusses in July and we'll actually get 4 trips out of them since we're going back to do MNSSHP & MVMCP (don't need to use the park hoppers those days) and we don't go inside the parks everyday. Then again, we go pretty frequently, so we do other things outside the parks. After my trips in Oct. and Dec. I'll still have 2 park days and 2 plusses left...another trip!
You're right, it is easier to justify another trip if you don't have to come up with money for more tix. I don't think that's a bad thing!

 

[cwnhokie]

If you decide you need more days on your next trip. I believe you will be allowed to apply dollar credit for the tickets you already have for a longer ticket. We got 10 MYW hoppers with no expiration in May and we are going back in Feb. I am trying to decide if I should get APs this trip, probably should have gotten them last trip, but oh well, live and learn.

 

[RAD]

When figuring out what ticket to purchase I always look at what the per day cost of each ticket is and go with whatever is the cheapest, which is usally the largest number of days. I'm saving on the per day cost and you know Disney tickets usually always go up in price, not down.

 

[seashoreCM]

Nine, ten, and often eight day vacations should be done with expiring passes.

It becomes a tossup or you can even lose with your 10 day non-expiring if on your second vacation you need to buy a new ticket to finish up with.

BUt you will almost alwasy win if you buy an all new ticket for the second vacation if the first leftovers are not enough, and use both the first leftovers and second leftovers to completely cover a third vacation.

If you buy the water park fun option and set aside one (or 2) day(s) for Disney Quest, water parks, MNSSHP, etc. only there will be one (or 2) more park day(s) left on the ticket for the next trip.

Math Masters degree needed for this, suggestion only: The cost per day of the first vacation is based on the cost of the minimum expiring pass you would have needed. The cost per day of the second vacation is based on the remaining amount you paid for the non-expiring ticket which includes the entire cost of non-expiration. Example: 10 day pass, 6 days used. A 6 day expiring pass with hopping instead costs $246. or $41. per day (for the first vacation). A 10 day non-expiring pass with hopping costs $367. or $121. more (or $30. per day for 4 days) for the second vacation. Great for a 4 day vacation where an all new pass costs $234.. But if your second vacation was 6 days, a new 2 day pass with hopping costs $164. Adding in the $121. investment in the leftover 10 day pass, the total ticket budget is more than a new 6 day expiring pass ($285. vs. $246.). Want to go to Universal for the fifth day and Sea World for the sixth?

Math Ph.D. needed for this, suggestion only. If you bought Water Parks Fun & More, exclude the $48. costs when computing the cost per (theme park) day. (revised) If you used one WPF&M admission (plus) on your first vacation, $24. is absorbed on your first vacation. If you used two or more on your first vacation, the entire $48. is so absorbed. The part of the $48. cost of WPF&M not absorbed on the first vacation is divided among the WPF&MA's left over. Also split the non-expiration this way: two points per leftover day, one point per leftover WPF&MA. Say you have four days and two WPF&MA's left over. The $107. non-expiration becomes ten points or $11. per point. Since you paid $121. more for 10 day non-expiring versus 6 day expiring, the cost over and above the $107. non-expiration is $14. or $4. per day. Adding in the two points makes your investment in leftover days $26. apiece. Your investment in the leftover WPF&MA's is just the point apiece or $11. apiece.

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

 

[JulieEck]

We are going in December and will have 4 days at the parks. We decided to get the 10 day non-exp, park hopping with plus (the whole 9 yards) because it's only $409 more dollars (total for us) to buy that than a 4 day base ticket. We will only use 4 days and non of the plusses, but for $409 more, we'll have 6 more days of parks plus 5 options for each of us. You can't beat that!!! That's basically 11 more days at $18.59/day! (This is based on 2 adults only - for kids it's even less!) We figure we'll use the plus options for water parks when we go back and it's warmer and we would only do one water park for a day and not do a park that day. I'm guessing we'll get at least 2 more trips out of these tickets!!! I know my math may be a little funny to some, but I'm an accountant and I like to make the numbers look good to me. It also helps sometimes for getting dh to go along with things!

The no expiration really means forever so it doesn't matter if it's next year or ten years before you go back. And like a PP said, ticket prices are only going to go up, not down. I also like the idea someone had of buying new tickets for the 2nd trip if you need more than 4 days worth, then using both of the leftovers for a 3rd trip. Anything to guarantee more Disney trips makes sense in my book!!!

Get the most you can afford now and enjoy it later! Have fun!!

 

[DJmommy]

Thanks for all the input - you gave me even more to consider.

If I bought the 10 day NON-Expiring passes I would definately buy into the Water Parks option since it is only like $65 more for the 3 of us. Since we are going in December we were not considering using any of the extra options on this trip unless the weather is unseasonably warm one day, so we would most likely have all FIVE to use for future trips. This would leave 4 days of Park Hoppers and 5 days for Water Parks, DQ or PI. Our next trip, realistically will probably not be until 2008 and would probably be for 6 nights. We could use the remaining 4 days Park Hoppers and use 2 days for water parks and still have 3 water park days left over the trip beyond 2008.

I think, just knowing myself and how I 2nd guess myself over and over, that if I don't buy the NON-Expiring tickets this time - it would really bother me having to shell out all that money for the next trip, so I am pretty sure I will be buying the No Expiration option this time around. Will probably purchase thru Ticketmania.

Should I buy now or wait to see what the next Mousesaver's discount is?

How much do the 10 day Premium Non-Expiring Tickets vary from month to month? I would hate to wait, then end up paying more after Oct. 15.

 

[tinkpinkbrandy]

For a 10 day ticket non-expiration is $55. For a 2 day ticket non-expiration is $10. Can you buy the ten day ticket and use 8 days and then have two days left and add the expiration on to the ticket for $10? I know this is really confusing. Hope you all understand the question, I barely do.

 

[riaesq]

I think non-exp is $100 on a 10-day. And, if you upgrade, you must buy the same options for every day on the ticket, regardless of how many are left. (So you'd still have to pay $100 for 2 days of non-exp, in your scenario). The ticketmania deal with mousesavers is a pretty good one.

 

[GoldenOldie]

For a 10 day ticket non-expiration is $55. For a 2 day ticket non-expiration is $10. Can you buy the ten day ticket and use 8 days and then have two days left and add the expiration on to the ticket for $10? I know this is really confusing. Hope you all understand the question, I barely do.

Adding non expiration to a 10 day ticket costs $100 plus tax. It's a 7 day that would cost $55 plus tax to add it.

It doesn't matter how many unused days you have left on the ticket when you add the non expiration option, the charge is always based on the original number of days that were on that ticket, not what's remaining.

 

[lark]

Nine, ten, and often eight day vacations should be done with expiring passes.

It becomes a tossup or you can even lose with your 10 day non-expiring if on your second vacation you need to buy a new ticket to finish up with.

BUt you will almost alwasy win if you buy an all new ticket for the second vacation if the first leftovers are not enough, and use both the first leftovers and second leftovers to completely cover a third vacation.

If you buy the water park fun option and set aside one (or 2) day(s) for Disney Quest, water parks, MNSSHP, etc. only there will be one (or 2) more park day(s) left on the ticket for the next trip.

Math Masters degree needed for this, suggestion only: The cost per day of the first vacation is based on the cost of the minimum expiring pass you would have needed. The cost per day of the second vacation is based on the remaining amount you paid for the non-expiring ticket which includes the entire cost of non-expiration. Example: 10 day pass, 6 days used. A 6 day expiring pass with hopping instead costs $246. or $41. per day (for the first vacation). A 10 day non-expiring pass with hopping costs $367. or $121. more (or $30. per day for 4 days) for the second vacation. Great for a 4 day vacation where an all new pass costs $234.. But if your second vacation was 6 days, a new 2 day pass with hopping costs $164. Adding in the $121. investment in the leftover 10 day pass, the total ticket budget is more than a new 6 day expiring pass ($285. vs. $246.). Want to go to Universal for the fifth day and Sea World for the sixth?

Math Ph.D. needed for this, suggestion only. If you bought Water Parks Fun & More, exclude the $48. costs when computing the cost per (theme park) day. (revised) If you used one WPF&M admission (plus) on your first vacation, $24. is absorbed on your first vacation. If you used two or more on your first vacation, the entire $48. is so absorbed. The part of the $48. cost of WPF&M not absorbed on the first vacation is divided among the WPF&MA's left over. Also split the non-expiration this way: two points per leftover day, one point per leftover WPF&MA. Say you have four days and two WPF&MA's left over. The $107. non-expiration becomes ten points or $11. per point. Since you paid $121. more for 10 day non-expiring versus 6 day expiring, the cost over and above the $107. non-expiration is $14. or $4. per day. Adding in the two points makes your investment in leftover days $26. apiece. Your investment in the leftover WPF&MA's is just the point apiece or $11. apiece.

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

Now THAT is my kind of post.

 

[Goofy DS]

We have purchased a package for 5 days in Dec. all bought and paid for.
Then I got the idea that DW and I (no kids) could go back in May for my birthday and take another long 5 day weekend. So....when we go in Dec, we are going to upgrade 2 of our 5 day tickets to the 10 day no expires.

After all of the math is done, it will save us about $250 or so vs buying 2
5 day packages.