Another ticket question....

[hockeybabe]

Considering buying 10 day premiums at this years prices, and adding no expiration later. DD9 doesn't turn 10 till Dec., but if for some reason we don't get to go then, I need to know what I will be looking at.

So, if I pre-buy my tickets through a ticket broker, can I buy a child's ticket for my dd, now 9, and if we don't get to go this year before her b-day, will they upgrade it to an adult ticket? If so, would it be for this years prices, or at the price of tickets for the year we end up going?

Also, if I don't end up buying the no expiration now, can I add it later, or is that only for tickets bought via Disney?

TIA!

 

[bicker]

The real question is whether you can add no expiration later and still take advantage of the price you're paying now. That upgrade may be handled as a residual-value-applied-to-new-purchase, so whatever advantage you got from buying the ticket in advance would be lost.

Does anyone know which upgrade fall into that category? I learned this morning that added extra days onto a pass fall into that category. What about this situation -- adding the no expiration option? What about adding park hopping later?

 

[GoldenOldie]

You can continue to add no expiration to previously purchased unused MYW tickets (or within 14 days from first use) but you will pay the current price to do so.

In other words, you have a 10 day MYW you bought last September and when you go to WDW this June you want to add the no expiration to it. You can still do that but you will now pay $130 plus tax to do it instead of the $100 plus tax it would have cost you back in September. You will not be charged anything extra for the unused admissions, even though they are now proportionally higher than last year.

 

[seashoreCM]

So, if I pre-buy my tickets through a ticket broker, can I buy a child's ticket for my dd, now 9, and if we don't get to go this year before her b-day, will they upgrade it to an adult ticket?

Some tickets sold by some brokers are promotional (non-standard) and may not be modified in any way.

A totally unused standard child ticket will not be upgraded to adult at no charge, but may be transferred to a younger child prior to use.

If your DD commences using the child ticket after she has turned 10, she might get away but it is still cheating. If she does not consume the entire ticket in one sitting, upon the next visit the usage dates will not make sense with her age and an upgrade to adult will certainly be denied.

As far as I know, trading up the unused child MYW ticket is done on a gate price at time of purchase of what you have versus gate price at time of trade up for what you want. So you pay a 2005 to 2006 price differential in addition to the child to adult price differential.

For adding features to (upgrading) partially used MYW tickets (within 13 days after day of first use) purchased in 2005 and first used in 2006 there are three price differentials:
1. The advance purchase price versus gate price differential,
2. The 2005 versus 2006 price differential for what you had,
3. The current cost of the additional days or features.

In 2005 you were not charged for #1, and #2 did not exist. I am guessing that now you will not be charged for #1 but I am unsure about #2.

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

 

[bicker]

You will not be charged anything extra for the unused admissions, even though they are now proportionally higher than last year.

For adding features to (upgrading) partially used MYW tickets (within 13 days after day of first use) purchased in 2005 and first used in 2006 there are three price differentials:
1. The advance purchase price versus gate price differential,
2. The 2005 versus 2006 price differential for what you had,
3. The current cost of the additional days or features.

Hmmmm... these two are contradictory. Is there some nuance I'm missing?

 

[Evil Queen]

I was wondering something on these same lines.

Bought PAP's in Sept. when DS was 9. We make little trips throughout the year. After his b'day in March, I think I will just ask for the "free upgrade" after his birthday. I don't mind taking the time for the ticket exchange as long as it doesn't cost me.

I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[seashoreCM]

Bought PAP's in Sept. when DS was 9. We make little trips throughout the year. After his b'day in March, I think I will just ask for the "free upgrade" after his birthday.

A child may keep using his AP as-is, no need to stop at Guest Relations.

Is there some nuance I'm missing?

Is GoldenOldie absolutley positively sure that 2006 prices don't have to be paid on the unused days of a pass being traded up? Otherwise the price of adding features to a 2005 pass in 2006 are not yet known, hopefully someone will report on it soon. Technically when you upgrade (add to; expand) a pass first used less than 14 days ago, a re-issue takes place and in addition what was used out of the old pass is docked from the new pass (if you upgrade to 10 days a 7 day pass with 2 days used, you get back a 10 day pass with 2 days used and maybe with a different picture on the front). I don't know how things are going to be priced but I was guessing that the re-issued (10 day in this example) pass bears the price tag of the date it was re-issued while the old (7 day) pass is valued at the gate price as of its purchase date resulting in your being charged for #2 and #3 above. However they may do it differently and charge just (#3 above) the gate price of the new features such as $43. for hopping or $2. for expiring day number six.

If your child just had his 10'th birthday, adding non-expiration or other features to his pass first used less than 14 days ago is considered "during the same vacation" and no adult conversion is necessary or desirable at that time. Don't ask, don't tell. Upgrade to adult should take place at the start of the next vacation if at all. Trading up a used child pass to adult and also to obtain more days or features than what remained incurs price differential #4, child versus adult.

 

[hockeybabe]

Thanks for the info. What I will probably do is buy 10-day tickets with no expiry before 2006 ends, and buy dd's as an adult. I had an opportunity to buy at last years prices yesterday, but couldn't make it happen in time. I was a little concerned that Disney would change the way the MYW tickets work, like they did with the park hoppers, anyway, and didn't want to buy dd and adult ticket in case we did go this year. I just think that if I am going to spend $1800 on tickets, I would like to get the best price on them, and perhaps buy them in advance of the years I go, spreading out the costs of the trips better. Easier to budget $2000 a year than $3000+ each time we take a vacation

Thanks for all your help! Will probably ask other ticket questions at the end of the year before I buy Hope you're there for me!

 

[GoldenOldie]

...Is GoldenOldie absolutley positively sure that 2006 prices don't have to be paid on the unused days of a pass being traded up? Otherwise the price of adding features to a 2005 pass in 2006 are not yet known, hopefully someone will report on it soon.

As with all tickets sold previous to price increases in Disney World's 34 plus year history, they absolutely honor the admissions sold at previous price points without any additional charge.

The prices to add options are definitely known now. It now costs $40 +tx to add PH onto a ticket, $50 +tx to add Water Parks, and a scale of $10 to $135 +tx to add no expiration. These prices are the same no matter whether the MYW ticket was purchased in '05 or '06. You are not charged anything additional for the park admissions as long as you do not upgrade, just as you wouldn't be if you had say an unused 1984 4 day World Passport and went to use it now.

Remember too that with the advent of MYW tickets, Disney does not consider adding options to a base ticket as an upgrade. You are adding options to the same ticket you had before. It's only an upgrade when you increase the number of park admissions.

FYI, there's also a new price for Florida residents adding the PH to FL resident tickets: $20 +tx and $40 +tx for the Water Parks. Non expiration remains the same price scale for FL residents as for everyone else.

 

[bicker]

It's only an upgrade when you increase the number of park admissions.

This seems to be the crux of the issue. Is this a written policy?