Annual Pass Vouchers -- HELP!

[Svenson]

I wasn't sure where to post this question, but I know a lot of Budget Boarders have Annual Passes (as we do), so here it goes--

We have recently obtained two Children's Annual Pass vouchers that were purchased several years ago but remain unused. (The actual name is "Annual Passport Child Certificate, from back when they were only $174 -- currently $314) I think they should still be valid, as when I've done searches here on the DIS it seems everyone agrees that the vouchers never expire until you exchange them for the real Annual Pass.

So here's the question. On the back of the ticket it states "...admission to and use of attractions within the Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot Center, and The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park." Obviously these were made before Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. So I called WDW (3 times) to find out if these vouchers will be exchanged for a current Annual Pass valid at all FOUR theme parks. Here is what I got for answers:

Call #1 -- 407-WDISNEY (Main WDW Number) -- "I THINK you will have no problem at all exchanging these for the current Annual Pass valid at all FOUR theme parks."

Call #2 -- 407-566-4985 (Ticket Services) -- "You will not be able to use these passes at all as they were bought under someone else's name and are not transferable. " [Note there is no name on the voucher, but she said it would be somehow coded in the computer.]

Call #3 -- 407-******* (Passholder Hotline--I think I'd get in trouble for posting the number) -- "Your passes would only be valid at the first three parks. To upgrade and add the fourth park would be $44.73 for each child."

So which one do I believe? Or does someone else have a FOURTH number to call to speak to someone who really and truly knows the answer to this question?

This is so aggravating. In trying to budget for next year's passes, we don't know whether our kids will be:
A) totally free, or
B) we'll have to pay $90 to upgrade them, or
C) we'll have to spring for $669 for new passes!

UUUGGGHHH! Please help!

 

[Shells9]

My personal guess (for what it's worth, lol!) would be the answer from call number #3. It is my understanding that the passes are good for what Disney offers at the time of purchase. Animal Kingdom was not open then, so it would not be included.

How they got the cost figured is beyond me, though.

Keep us updated -- I am curious as to how this is resolved.

 

[Tina]

I think they will be valid for all 4 parks. Originally, when AK first opened, Disney said that previously purchased tix would not be valid for AK. But after public outcry, they changed their tune. Now, unless they've changed it again, any old tix are valid for all existing WDW parks.

 

[Lori-n-NY]

I took my parents with me last Oct and they had a paper ticket for 5 days into MK and Epcot. It was last used in 1990. At guest services they exchange the unused days and gave them a new park hopper pass with the 4 remaining days on it. I do not know what it would have cost to upgrade to a AP but they just kept the same amount of unused days and there was no cost to them. We were at AK when they exchanged the old tickets. And we went into AK about 5 minutes later and there was no problem.

I would think you could use them at all 4 parks. Are the passes being used for a child 9 or under? If you have to upgrade to an adult AP they you will have to pay the difference. Not sure how they would figure that out...could be the difference of current child to adult cost or could be the difference of what you paid to current cost.

Too bad you can not get a straight answer.

Lori

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I think this is a question for Golden Oldie.

 

[Svenson]

Oh dear, it looks like we still don't have a clear answer. So far the voting appears to be:

Call #1 [FREE] -- 2 DIS votes (my personal favorite)

Call #2 [$669] -- 0 DIS votes (thank goodness)

Call #3 [$90] -- 1 DIS vote

And a vote for "Golden Oldie" to come in a settle this issue once and for all (please, oh please).

Thanks to all of you for your help! I'll keep my fingers crossed!

 

[hyzdufan]

I vote for #1, because we had 2 5-day world hoppers from 1986 that only had the two parks on there and they gave us hoppers that worked everywhere. For your sake, I hope I'm right.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Originally posted by Svenson
I wasn't sure where to post this question, but I know a lot of Budget Boarders have Annual Passes (as we do), so here it goes--

We have recently obtained two Children's Annual Pass vouchers that were purchased several years ago but remain unused. (The actual name is "Annual Passport Child Certificate, from back when they were only $174 -- currently $314) I think they should still be valid, as when I've done searches here on the DIS it seems everyone agrees that the vouchers never expire until you exchange them for the real Annual Pass.

They are valid in the sense that you will never lose the money you paid for them. The purchase price tells me that they were originally bought in the early 90's. Disney policy says that that would make the then 3 year old now in the 10-13 age range. So the pass cannot be used as is for who it was intended. Therefore, a credit for the dollar value towards a new ticket is the usual recourse. An unused child ticket must be upgraded to an adult ticket. It is not done for free.

So here's the question. On the back of the ticket it states "...admission to and use of attractions within the Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot Center, and The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park." Obviously these were made before Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. So I called WDW (3 times) to find out if these vouchers will be exchanged for a current Annual Pass valid at all FOUR theme parks. Here is what I got for answers:

Call #1 -- 407-WDISNEY (Main WDW Number) -- "I THINK you will have no problem at all exchanging these for the current Annual Pass valid at all FOUR theme parks."

That is a valid response in that the ATS computer can not issue a park-hopping AP that is restricted from AK. That is not a ticket option in their system. All ATS tickets that are park hopping automatically gain the AK to their options when they are issued.


Call #2 -- 407-566-4985 (Ticket Services) -- "You will not be able to use these passes at all as they were bought under someone else's name and are not transferable. " [Note there is no name on the voucher, but she said it would be somehow coded in the computer.]

That is not true at all. Vouchers never have names associated with them. I don't even think that even WDW really assumes that vouchers are not transferrable. It is only partially used tickets that are not transferrable.

Call #3 -- 407-******* (Passholder Hotline--I think I'd get in trouble for posting the number) -- "Your passes would only be valid at the first three parks. To upgrade and add the fourth park would be $44.73 for each child."

The Passholder Line is answered by CRO. Does that give you an inkling as to the reliability of the answer? What that CM described certainly sounds like the situation that would have existed at the time of the opening of the AK so at one time during 1998 this might have been valid, but here again, the ATS computer doesn't know of any three park park hoping tickets so it isn't valid now.


So which one do I believe? Or does someone else have a FOURTH number to call to speak to someone who really and truly knows the answer to this question?

This is so aggravating. In trying to budget for next year's passes, we don't know whether our kids will be:
A) totally free, or

Probably not because according to Disney policy, the children who the pass was originally bought for would no longer be children's ages and therefore can't use a children's AP for access to the Theme Parks. OTOH, you could come up with a CM who won't even check the dates and just issue you two AP's. Figuring out exactly where Disney's Carousel of Policy is going to stop is never easy.

B) we'll have to pay $90 to upgrade them, or

I wouldn't even consider this as a possibility.

C) we'll have to spring for $669 for new passes!

Definitely not. At the very least, the two passes are worth $174 each towards an upgrade. At the most, the passes are worth 2 children's APs.

If I had to venture an opinion on what may happen, I'd say if you get a sympathetic supervisor (you will be dealing with a supervisor on this...trust me ), you may get away with getting two children's APs for the vouchers. If you don't, then your worst case is you will get a $174 credit for each voucher towards another AP or other ticket.

The only answer that will really matter to you is the one you get by the CM/supervisor when you go to do the transaction at Guest Relations. Good luck and let us all know how you made out.

 

[Svenson]

Oh Golden Oldie, you are such an incredible fountain of knowledge! Thank you, thank you for sharing your wisdom with all of us.

I apologize for not making my original post clearer. These were not originally purchased for my children. My kids are only 2 and 4, so they will fit into the "child" category for several more years. (Yes, we are taking one last big trip this spring -- a month before my youngest turns 3, ending her "freebie" years.)

So since upgrading to an Adult is not an issue, and restricting us from AK is not even a ticket option, maybe ... just maybe we'll be blessed with a kind CM and a year of Disney magic for both kids. (Of course we all know that the "free" Annual Passes cost us so much more in the end, because then we feel justified to take multiple trips throughout the year. )

Thank you to ALL of you who responded. I will let you know how it works out (though we won't be using them for several months at least.)

 

[tiberius]

GoldenOldie,

I love your "Disney's Carousel of Policy" reference!

 

[DMRick]

My kids are only 2 and 4, so they will fit into the "child" category for several more years.

I think because they were purchased and no time used on them (since they are still vouchers) you will only get the cost of them put towards new children or adult tickets, which means you might take a bit of a lose (since they would have cost less back when purchased). Since it will be obvious they weren't meant for your age of children. If they are 10 year old..they will see that you didn't buy them for your kids...the kids they were bought for would now be adults, and since the vouchers, unlike tickets had not been used, they would only give you (I believe) the amount they would have cost, towards another ticket).
For instance, I can't buy tickets now on spec, for future grandchildren that might not be born for 12 years. They would have to be born and use the voucher within the time frame that they would still be considered children..then Disney would upgrade it to an adult for them.

Don't know if you understood that, but it's clear for me LOL!
Doris