Are "no expiration" park tickets a thing of the past?

[snackyx]

I must confess I haven't paid much attention to this, as we still had ten day/park hopper/no expiration tickets from years ago that we were using. Is the "no expiration" option gone? I know it had gotten wildly expensive to add--it was obvious Disney was phasing it out.

Other than the annual pass discount, and there any other park pass discounts/options for DVC members. We have been members since 1991, but our park habits have changed. We now use some our points to go to Aulani every year, but still make an Orlando visit once a year. However, numerous park visits are just not that crucial now. We would like to visit maybe 2-3 days per visit (which is typically a week), but I don't think there is any park pass option that works well for this. I understand Disney wants you in the parks as many days as possible, but that is not how we approach our visits now.

Any advice/suggestions?

 

[erionm]

As of Feb 22 2015, Disney no longer offers the No-Expire option on new tickets nor as an upgrade.

Other than savings on Annual Passes, there are no current discounts on daily theme park admission.

Typically, there are discounts available on select nights for Special Event (MNSSHP & MVMCP) tickets.

 

[smjj]

There is a active thread started by me on this forum that has many comments about this subject. Give it a look see..smjj

 

[snackyx]

There is a active thread started by me on this forum that has many comments about this subject. Give it a look see..smjj

Thanks for the tip...I did read the thread, and I am pretty much in the same boat as you. Actually still have a few days left from a 10 day NE we purchased a few years ago. I just don't like the fact that Disney is trying to shoehorn everyone into maximum park days, and if you only want to go 1-3 days/trip you are gonna pay! I believe there was some sort of a 4 day DVC pass that was available but that has been discontinued. This probably means even less park days, which, all things considered, is not a deal breaker. Our kids are now through college and we all get together over Thanksgiving every year at WDW--if management wants to get us into the parks they will have to offer a product that works for us.

 

[erionm]

I believe there was some sort of a 4 day DVC pass that was available but that has been discontinued.

It wasn't discontinued, it was a limited time offer.

Disney Vacation Club has unveiled a new ticket offer exclusively available to its members which surprisingly does not feature theme park Annual Passes.

For a limited time, members can purchase a four day pass to Walt Disney World for only $199. However there is fine print included in this offer. Most notably, the four theme park days must be redeemed for one day at each of the four Walt Disney World parks. Parks may not be repeated and all four visits must be completed within 14 days of first use.

Tickets will be available for purchase from September 10 through December 31, 2014. Tickets must be fully used by May 24, 2015. There are no blockout dates.

Disney Vacation Club member ID must be presented at the time of purchase. There is a limit of eight (8) tickets per household at this promotional rate.

The promtional ticket can later be used to upgrade to a Walt Disney World Annual Pass, however additional features may not be added. Among the excluded features are Park Hopping, Waterparks Fun & More and No Expiration.

The $199 incentive pricing represents savings of $95 off the current rate for a 4-day Base Ticket. However the mandate that each day of the pass be utilized at a different park is not normally included with standard Disney ticket purchases.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-pr.../2698-magic-your-way-ticket-offer-for-members

 

[disneynutz]

Thanks for the tip...I did read the thread, and I am pretty much in the same boat as you. Actually still have a few days left from a 10 day NE we purchased a few years ago. I just don't like the fact that Disney is trying to shoehorn everyone into maximum park days, and if you only want to go 1-3 days/trip you are gonna pay! I believe there was some sort of a 4 day DVC pass that was available but that has been discontinued. This probably means even less park days, which, all things considered, is not a deal breaker. Our kids are now through college and we all get together over Thanksgiving every year at WDW--if management wants to get us into the parks they will have to offer a product that works for us.

Unfortunately Disney greed has struck again. I enjoy the argument that they did us a favor because the NE option confused people so they discontinued the product.

Bill

 

[smjj]

Unfortunately Disney greed has struck again. I enjoy the argument that they did us a favor because the NE option confused people so they discontinued the product.

Bill

Yeah, I thought the same thing. As one who has been going now for many years and will continue to go, Disney has it all their way. They will stop or cut back on something and there will be a few complaints but these changes are lost in the fact that many will be first timers and not know how it use to be and what they missed. Others simply refuse to criticize Disney and give them a free pass no matter they do...smjj

 

[dismedvc]

Unfortunately Disney greed has struck again. I enjoy the argument that they did us a favor because the NE option confused people so they discontinued the product.

Bill

I wonder if the real reason for discontinuing the NE tickets is MDE does not handle NE tickets very well. Prior to MDE, if you owned multiple tickets, you controlled which ticket was used based on which ticket you inserted into the turnstile when you entered a park. However, now if you link a NE ticket to your profile, use a few days off that NE ticket for a short visit, then at a later date link an expiring ticket to your profile for a longer visit, since both tickets are on your MDE MB, how can you know/control which ticket is actually used when you enter the park? There is a feature in MDE to "deactivate" a card, but as was posted on another thread, that does not stop the NE ticket from being used on the MB (see below).

I received conflicting advice about how to use the promotional tickets if you already have other tickets in your account--e.g. non-expiring tickets. I bought the 4 day tickets for DSis and DNiece, who both already have non-expiring tickets. I was told by someone that if I deactvate the non-expiring tickets via MDE, then park entrances would be deducted from the 4 day ticket. Then after the 4 day ticket is used up, I could reactivate the non-expiring tickets. WRONG! Deactivating a ticket on MDE simply keeps the hard ticket from being used if it is lost or stolen; it does nothing to the actual entrance entitlements in MDE. You MUST take the time to go to Guest Relations to have the tickets "stacked" so that the one you want to use is on top (prioritized). Learned this the hard way. Got it fixed but it was a long and messy process.

Other comments in that thread discussed what a hassle it was to get multiple tickets on their MB "stacked" or "prioritized" correctly, and how it often took multiple trips to guest services before it was done correctly.
Also, I wonder how much money Disney made from NE tickets where all the days were never actually used because people misplaced the ticket, or just forgot about the remaining days. Now that NE tickets can be linked to your MDE profile, it seems much less likely days will go unused.

 

[disneynutz]

I wonder if the real reason for discontinuing the NE tickets is MDE does not handle NE tickets very well. Prior to MDE, if you owned multiple tickets, you controlled which ticket was used based on which ticket you inserted into the turnstile when you entered a park. However, now if you link a NE ticket to your profile, use a few days off that NE ticket for a short visit, then at a later date link an expiring ticket to your profile for a longer visit, since both tickets are on your MDE MB, how can you know/control which ticket is actually used when you enter the park? There is a feature in MDE to "deactivate" a card, but as was posted on another thread, that does not stop the NE ticket from being used on the MB (see below).

Also, I wonder how much money Disney made from NE tickets where all the days were never actually used because people misplaced the ticket, or just forgot about the remaining days. Now that NE tickets can be linked to your MDE profile, it seems much less likely days will go unused.

Disney needs to add the ability for guests to prioritize MDE media use, unfortunately they let go a few hundred programmers already.

My guess is that there are thousands of days never used on Disney tickets that expire 14 days after first use, that's why Disney set the 14 day limit.

Bill

 

[dismedvc]

My guess is that there are thousands of days never used on Disney tickets that expire 14 days after first use, that's why Disney set the 14 day limit.

Bill

However, guests know about those unused days when their trip ends, and the extra cost/revenue for those unused days is probably $10 a day, the price of an additional day on a 4 day or longer expiring ticket. The cost/revenue on a forgotten/lost NE ticket was over $70 per day, based on the latest price for a 10 day NE before they were discontinued.

 

[disneynutz]

However, guests know about those unused days when their trip ends, and the extra cost/revenue for those unused days is probably $10 a day, the price of an additional day on a 4 day or longer expiring ticket. The cost/revenue on a forgotten/lost NE ticket was over $70 per day, based on the latest price for a 10 day NE before they were discontinued.

If you think that Disney cares if you don't use all of your entitlements be it DDP, admission media, hard ticket events, I think that you are mistaken. IMO they set rules and restrictions to capitalize on human nature and they plan on guests leaving entitlements on the table.

Bill

 

[dismedvc]

If you think that Disney cares if you don't use all of your entitlements be it DDP, admission media, hard ticket events, I think that you are mistaken. IMO they set rules and restrictions to capitalize on human nature and they plan on guests leaving entitlements on the table.

Bill

I was actually agreeing with what you said above in my previous post. I do not think Disney cares if you do not use all you entitlements, and agree they actually prefer when guests leave entitlements on the table. I think one of the reasons they previously offered the NE option was that they factored in all the "free" revenue from unused days on those fairly expensive per day NE tickets. Now with MDE and the ability to permanently link NE tickets to your profile, far fewer days will go unused on NE tickets. I think the resulting loss of that "free" revenue, along with the fact that their crack IT system does not currently let guests prioritize their tickets, and the fact they did not want to spend money on programing to fix that issue so guests could better utilize their NE tickets, were probably greater reasons for the NE tickets being discontinued than the "official" reason they are giving in their generic response that it was done to avoid confusion.

 

[smjj]

Their "crack IT" department has been moving overseas for some time now and as a previous poster wrote they recently let many others go to continue with this process...smjj

 

[DebbieB]

I'm waiting for them to add expiration dates to unused tickets like they do at Disneyland. Here are the current rules for Disneyland tickets:

One-day tickets are valid now through December 31, 2016.

The first day of use of multi-day tickets must be on or before December 31, 2016. Multi-day tickets must be used within 13 days of first use or by January 13, 2017, whichever occurs first.

They are preventing "stockpiling" of tickets.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Just want to say I'm bummed about the nonexpireable tickets going away. We bought 8 of them 6 years ago for our family. The 10 day tickets. Cost a fortune at the time, but only one of our kids and grand daughter actually used them up in 2 years. Four of us still have four days left on ours since we only go to parks one day per visit to the resorts if at all and then do a minimum of 3 parks in a day. We have probably been to DW at least 7 or 8 times since we bought them but don't always go to parks. Our other daughter and her son have 9 days left on theirs because they haven't been back since the year we bought them and they are going over spring break. I figure that they are costing us about 50 or 60 a day by now based on the current price of park hopper tickets. The best deal we ever made. Of course that's exactly why Disney is doing away with them. Once they are gone we will buy one park hopper day pass just when we want to go to the parks. Frankly I would never go to the parks anymore but my husband still loves to go at least once. As DVC members we just love the resorts, ambiance and restaurants.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Yeah, I jumped on the N.E. tickets when I heard they were going away. We will have done 4, 3-day trips within a year after our trip in june. We recently found Spirit deals with airfare under $100 round trip, so we started doing the 3 day trip. 1 of them on our AP before it expired, one just a 1 day park visit with a party ticket (MNSSHP), and one with no parks. We are enjoying the "resort only" short trips, but 1 park day would be good.....so we bought a N.E. Between the Park Hopper, water park fun & more we're prepaying $75 a day for park access......and it will probably 5 years or more before we use them up..... Could be 10 years or more. No telling what a 1 day admission will cost then!