Annuals pass

[jescal75]

I have read people saying they upgrade there passes to annual passes once at the park. Is there any difference between doing that and buying the annual pass from the start?

 

[Rubygoose]

If you're staying offsite, you can get a Magic Morning by getting a 3 or more day hopper and then upgrading to an AP after using your MM.

We got our 5 day hoppers for free from Air Miles and then upgraded to deluxe APs and only had to pay the difference.

 

[pharmama]

The other possible factor to consider is blackout days. If you are planning to buy a level of AP that has blackout days and your visit includes multiple blackout days, you can upgrade to the AP on after your have passed the blackout days (or on the last one since they still allow you in the park on the day you upgrade even if it is a blackout day).

Other than that, its usually like the PP said, they want to use Magic Morning and/or have some discounted/incentive way to get the regular tickets (such as the miles mentioned above).

 

[DizMe]

The block-out days, as pharmama said, make it a good idea to buy a regular pass and then upgrade if your trip happens to include a block-out day. You used to be able to buy block-out tickets for $40 if you had an annual pass, but that was recently eliminated and you now have to buy a whole 1-day park ticket for those. It's one reason I got a premium pass this year instead of a deluxe, and I'm still kind of miffed about it.

A downside to upgrading for some is that you can't use the monthly payment plan. They now have you pay the difference between your regular ticket and the annual pass upfront. If you live in CA and buy a pass directly (no upgrade), you can put money down--an amount that has to be at least equal to the cost of a 1-day, 1-park ticket--and divide the rest into 12 monthly payments with no interest. If you do this at the ticket booth, you can put down any amount you want. For instance, I put down $350 and did payments on the remainder. I'm not sure why they won't let you do that on an upgraded ticket. I think they used to, or at least I've read about others having done that in the past.

 

[dedwards]

We just returned from going set 28 thru 30th.

We purchased one day one day park tickets online. We would not be using early entrance but Sunday was a block out date we normally only go during the week so we get the cheapest Annual pass if we decide at some point to go on black out dates we can always upgrade then.

We exchanged our online tickets before going into the park Sunday they used our tickets as the down payment and let us do the payment plan option. And issued us black over ride passes we had to show the entire first day when entering either park.

To answer your question we did it to cover the blackout date which was our DD's birthday. Other also use tickets to get a magic morning.

 

[Speechphi]

The block-out days, as pharmama said, make it a good idea to buy a regular pass and then upgrade if your trip happens to include a block-out day. You used to be able to buy block-out tickets for $40 if you had an annual pass, but that was recently eliminated and you now have to buy a whole 1-day park ticket for those. It's one reason I got a premium pass this year instead of a deluxe, and I'm still kind of miffed about it.

A downside to upgrading for some is that you can't use the monthly payment plan. They now have you pay the difference between your regular ticket and the annual pass upfront. If you live in CA and buy a pass directly (no upgrade), you can put money down--an amount that has to be at least equal to the cost of a 1-day, 1-park ticket--and divide the rest into 12 monthly payments with no interest. If you do this at the ticket booth, you can put down any amount you want. For instance, I put down $350 and did payments on the remainder. I'm not sure why they won't let you do that on an upgraded ticket. I think they used to, or at least I've read about others having done that in the past.

I don't know where you got that info, but I just called (and chatted online) to two different cast members that both said the payment plan is still available if you upgrade at the gate...phew! We are going Dec 19 & upgrading two 2-day parkhoppers to premium APs...I would not be happy if I had to put down a grand to upgrade on that date!

 

[TheLanes]

I don't know where you got that info, but I just called (and chatted online) to two different cast members that both said the payment plan is still available if you upgrade at the gate...phew! We are going Dec 19 & upgrading two 2-day parkhoppers to premium APs...I would not be happy if I had to put down a grand to upgrade on that date!

You've heard correctly. We upgraded to APs later the day of buying a one day ticket and used that as the down payment for the payment plan. We bought the one day tickets the night before at the hotel to avoid ticket lines, allow entry on a blackout day, and to to get early hotel entry

 

[DizMe]

I don't know where you got that info, but I just called (and chatted online) to two different cast members that both said the payment plan is still available if you upgrade at the gate...phew! We are going Dec 19 & upgrading two 2-day parkhoppers to premium APs...I would not be happy if I had to put down a grand to upgrade on that date!

I got that information last month from the CM at the ticket booth where I wanted to do this. The CM directed me to the terms and conditions (found here https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/annual-passes/terms-conditions/) that state that the full amount of the difference is due the day you upgrade. I guess it isn't enforced by all of the CMs; you can also see that this information was recently updated so either the CMs who are allowing it don't know it has changed or it isn't regularly enforced.

Hopefully, it will work better for you than it did for me.

 

[dedwards]

I love CM's most the time but sometimes you get rogue CM's that make up their own rules. I would have called over a Lead, when you set up payments you are financing the full amount of the difference on contract. That CM was misinformed or misunderstood the rules.

 

[DizMe]

I love CM's most the time but sometimes you get rogue CM's that make up their own rules. I would have called over a Lead, when you set up payments you are financing the full amount of the difference on contract. That CM was misinformed or misunderstood the rules.

That WAS from the lead that was called over

 

[dedwards]

Well all I can say is I am sorry that happened to you. It is certainly not the policy. It is a shame when things like that happen.

 

[DizMe]

Well all I can say is I am sorry that happened to you. It is certainly not the policy. It is a shame when things like that happen.

The trouble is, I believe it IS the policy. I don't think it has been in effect very long an/or it appears that many CMs don't follow it. As I said in another thread, I don't see why they care. I just know that I was told 'no' by 2 CMs on Sept 11. If you look in the terms and conditions when upgrading, it does state that as of July 2, you must pay the difference in full the day you upgrade when upgrading from a PH to a pass. I hope that my experience was the exception and not the rule! Disney has a history of not enforcing some of their terms (like letting you in early every day of your stay if you stay on-site and previously overlooking the FP return time), so maybe I just got the unlucky ticket booth that day

 

[dedwards]

I just called yet again to ask about this and was assured again as long as you are in the zip-codes listed you can upgrade at the park and use the payment plan.

The part in the terms of conditions you point out the wording didn't change on that part.

Since so far you are the only one saying this, I have to assume you just went to the wrong window. Or at least hopefully for the sake of the many planning to do just that they will be able too. Seems like Disneyland would be pretty clear about a change like that there is a lot of people that would change their mind on a annual pass if they had to pay the full amount on the spot. Late 'fastpass' window is one thing but most budget out their trips way in advance to change a policy without being very clear things are now different is not like Disneyland. When they changed the policy to enforce the fastpass window they were very clear with many signs.

When I upgraded my tickets on the 28th of Sept. there was no mention at all of anything mater a fact the CM just assumed I was goign to do payments.

 

[Crisi83]

Would it be faster to do the upgrade? Or is it very long to buy the AP at the gate? The rest of my group has 3 day passes, but since i have a second trip planned in April 2015 I decided to get an AP.

 

[jescal75]

Thanks for the info...can anyone get an annual pass or do you have to live in CA

 

[She Taz]

Anyone can purchase an AP. The perk about being from California is that you can make monthly payments vice having to pay all at once.