Thanks Dave! Not all of my party will qualify for DVC discount, so what is the non-DVC rate? Also, what do you mean by using the MYW ticket before upgrade? How will that get me the best price? Sorry if these are silly questions by the way. I really appreciate your help!
Sometimes Disney's rules seem backwards, but it's the way things work.
If you take them an unused ticket (i.e., you've never scanned it to go into a park), the transaction will be treated as an "exchange." They will give you credit for what
they were paid for the ticket. If you bought the ticket directly from a Disney ticket window or as part of a Disney package, you'll get the same amount you paid. If, however, you bought your ticket from a commercial discount ticket broker -- like UndercoverTourist.com, one of the places along I-95, or the Orlando Wal-Mart, for example -- you'll get credit for an amount
less than what you paid. (The ticket broker made a small profit, too. You'll lose whatever that amount was.) Also, if ticket prices have gone up since you originally purchased the ticket, you still only get that original amount Disney was paid.
On the other hand, if the ticket has been used, things don't work the same. Even if it means walking through the turnstyle at Magic Kingdom and immediately into Guest Relations to make the exchange, your ticket is now subject to an entirely different set of rules. In this case, the transaction is considered an "upgrade." Because the ticket "in use," they'll first convert it to an intermediate ticket, bringing it to the price they are charging that day for the same ticket. They don't even deduct anything for the days you've used. So, to ensure you get the most value out of your existing ticket (the highest amount of credit toward the cost of your new ticket), always use the ticket you want to upgrade first.
Now, there are some rules to consider when you do this. The one-through-ten day tickets you buy at the ticket windows, over the phone, or get on your room key as part of a package are called "Magic Your Way" tickets. MYW tickets can only be changed within 14 days of their first use. If you hold onto the ticket for 10 years without using it, you can still make changes to it. Once the ticket goes through a turnstyle, though, the clock starts ticking. This is true even if you've purchased the no expiration option. So, any time in those 14 days, you can add days to the ticket (up to a max of 10 total -- used + unused), you can add options like park hopping or water parks, or you can convert it to an annual pass. After the 14 days are up, the ticket is what the ticket is. You can no longer make any of these changes or upgrades.
If you're converting to an annual pass, the date on the annual pass will be back-dated to the date you first used the MYW ticket. (This is why they don't deduct any value for day's you used on the ticket before exchanging.)
If you have a MYW ticket that includes the Water Park Fun and More option, this ticket can be upgraded to an Annual Pass or Premium Annual Pass if you have not used it at any of the WPF&M attractions (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, Wide World of Sports). If you have used a WPF&M admission, the ticket can only be upgraded to a Premium Annual Pass.
The current gate price for an adult annual pass (without any discounts) is $469 plus 6.5% sales tax = $499.49. The cost for the non-DVC upgrade would therefore be $203.42.
