Black Out Date Ticket Purchase - Upgrade to Gold Pass

[jmcdonnell04]

I need your help and I have read the Ticket Sticky notes, etc. Let me spell out what I am trying to accomplish and see if this possible. Recently as in 3 weeks ago, I booked a trip to Disneyworld to see the Osborne Lights one last time and booked a 1 BR at SS. Was hoping for a Premium Pass discount but was surprised the AP price hike and now our trip is during the blackout dates.

1. Purchase a 5-Day Magic Your Way Pass for $ 400 and go to the parks for those 5 days.
2. Once I go thru the gate on the 5th day, I go to the Guest Services and upgrade my ticket to a Gold AP
3. I will pay the difference in prices. $ 549 Gold Pass minus $ 400 ticket price so I pay $ 149 + tax.

I have read that I may not go through the gate on the 5th day that I need to have something left on the ticket to upgrade -- Is that true? I would then purchase a 6 day ticket (only $ 10 more) so I would get 5 complete days during the blackout.

Any advise that I have this correct?

 

[supersnoop]

I have read that I may not go through the gate on the 5th day that I need to have something left on the ticket to upgrade -- Is that true?

No, that's not correct. You must have valid admission remaining on the ticket, and admission is valid through the end of your last ticketed day. So, you can upgrade on your last day.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I need your help and I have read the Ticket Sticky notes, etc. Let me spell out what I am trying to accomplish and see if this possible. Recently as in 3 weeks ago, I booked a trip to Disneyworld to see the Osborne Lights one last time and booked a 1 BR at SS. Was hoping for a Premium Pass discount but was surprised the AP price hike and now our trip is during the blackout dates.

1. Purchase a 5-Day Magic Your Way Pass for $ 400 and go to the parks for those 5 days.
2. Once I go thru the gate on the 5th day, I go to the Guest Services and upgrade my ticket to a Gold AP
3. I will pay the difference in prices. $ 549 Gold Pass minus $ 400 ticket price so I pay $ 149 + tax.

I have read that I may not go through the gate on the 5th day that I need to have something left on the ticket to upgrade -- Is that true? I would then purchase a 6 day ticket (only $ 10 more) so I would get 5 complete days during the blackout.

Any advise that I have this correct?

Has it been confirmed that you can use a MYW ticket during a block out day at WDW then upgrade to the Gold pass? In the past, if you used a WP admission on a MYW ticket, you had to upgrade to an AP that included water parks. -- Suzanne

 

[jmcdonnell04]

If WP stands for Water Park admission, that will not be a problem. No WP will be purchased or used. We just would like the AP with park-hopping and the GOLD is $ 100 cheaper than the Premium.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If WP stands for Water Park admission, that will not be a problem. No WP will be purchased or used. We just would like the AP with park-hopping and the GOLD is $ 100 cheaper than the Premium.

What SuzanneSLO is saying (and I think I thought the same) is that you are using a ticket during a blackout time and want to upgrade to a ticket that includes the blackout time. It would be similar to having a ticket with water parks and more and trying to upgrade to a ticket that did not have water parks included. They may require to upgrade to a Platinum ticket since that includes the black out days that you just attended. If the first day the ticket (or the second or third or fourth) was used was during the blackout period, you have to start your new ticket on the first day you used it - a day during the blackout period - so you can't get the Gold ticket.

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Thank you, I understand now. Could I just hope that Guest Services don't know what they are doing and try to slip this by them?

 

[SuzanneSLO]

What SuzanneSLO is saying (and I think I thought the same) is that you are using a ticket during a blackout time and want to upgrade to a ticket that includes the blackout time. It would be similar to having a ticket with water parks and more and trying to upgrade to a ticket that did not have water parks included. They may require to upgrade to a Platinum ticket since that includes the black out days that you just attended. If the first day the ticket (or the second or third or fourth) was used was during the blackout period, you have to start your new ticket on the first day you used it - a day during the blackout period - so you can't get the Gold ticket.

Yes. What (s)he said!

And note that this is not what has happened at DL with block out dates. But I'm not sure if anyone knows how upgrades will be handled at WDW if the MYW ticket was used during a blockout date. -- Suzanne

 

[Deb & Bill]

Or you might just have to suck it up this time and not schedule any more trips during the black out period and buy the Gold Pass for the next trip.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

DL has allowed this for a long time. And I've read that FL residents have been able to do this at WDW in the past with passes that had blackout dates. There doesn't seem to be any real reason to assume that it couldn't be done still.

 

[Brian Noble]

Because no one has had first-hand experience, this might be a good time to write (not call) Disney: wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Or you might just have to suck it up this time and not schedule any more trips during the black out period and buy the Gold Pass for the next trip.

Deb & Bill, I appreciate your first response and explanation and I will contact guest communications and ask and post on the Disboards to hopefully help other DVC members.

I do want to make one point, my trip was booked first and blackout dates came out later.

 

[CarolMN]

Might be a good idea to ask this on the Theme Parks Board. Or do a search there. I seem to recall reading about this on that board. There are a few ticketing CMs that read & post on TP&A.

 

[jmcdonnell04]

Thank you CarolMN, I have sent an email to guest relations and I will check out the Theme parks board.

 

[Priskillet]

Last week when I booked my room, I specifically asked Member Services this question. WE are there dec 18-30 I told her we are purchasing 10 day park hoppers, I said on like the 7th day I want to upgrade those tickets to Gold Annual Passes. May I? even thought I know I cannot use then because the black out dates are when we are there, so can I upgrade but still use my regular tickets? she said yes put me on hold then came back reiterated exactly what I asked and told me it was fine and acceptable to do this. And when I cancelled my other reservation package (before we bought into dvc) I asked same things and was told yes then too. So please if anyone hears anything else let us know!

 

[supersnoop]

Thank you CarolMN, I have sent an email to guest relations and I will check out the Theme parks board.

Regardless of the fact that we repeatedly get terribly inaccurate responses to phone calls and emails, I think this is a bad idea. "Hi, can I get around this new restriction you've put in place?" Only actual experience will confirm the ability to upgrade in this scenario, and asking the question only allows Disney to ask themselves the same question; i.e. "how do we close this loophole."

 

[ljcrochet]

I know in the past that florida residents used to be able to upgrade their park tickets to season passes. My FIL has upgraded his tickets twice while with me to seasonal AP during trips that were blacked out otherwise he would have just bought the seasonal AP in the first place.

Last week when I booked my room, I specifically asked Member Services this question. WE are there dec 18-30 I told her we are purchasing 10 day park hoppers, I said on like the 7th day I want to upgrade those tickets to Gold Annual Passes. May I? even thought I know I cannot use then because the black out dates are when we are there, so can I upgrade but still use my regular tickets? she said yes put me on hold then came back reiterated exactly what I asked and told me it was fine and acceptable to do this. And when I cancelled my other reservation package (before we bought into dvc) I asked same things and was told yes then too. So please if anyone hears anything else let us know!

Priskillle- If i'm understanding you question, no matter what MS told you, once you upgrade your tickets, the old tickets are gone. So if you upgrade on Dec 28, you no longer have a 10 ticket instead an AP with the blackout dates.

 

[Priskillet]

Ugh YOU ARE RIGHT! I never looked at it from that angle. Darnnnn. Well looks I need to budget in another 100 :-(

 

[thepops]

Ugh YOU ARE RIGHT! I never looked at it from that angle. Darnnnn. Well looks I need to budget in another 100 :-(

Well, it depends... if in your stay from the 18th-30th, you plan to have some non park days, so that you wouldn't go over your 10 day pass, then you could upgrade to the gold pass on your 10th day (after you got into the park).

 

[freediverdude]

One problem I could see happening with this is that you better make sure that you don't need to exit and enter the park again that same day, because your new Gold pass will not let you back into the park once you exit.

 

[Priskillet]

Well, it depends... if in your stay from the 18th-30th, you plan to have some non park days, so that you wouldn't go over your 10 day pass, then you could upgrade to the gold pass on your 10th day (after you got into the park).

We are planning Universal Studios Day(s) Now this makes sense ^^ but from my understanding you cannot upgrade the pass unless you still have a valid park day left. Meaning I would have to upgrade on day 9 with one more day left. I could do that and plan only 9 park days with the day 10 possibly being voided out? Kinda take a chance. Or I could just upgrade to the no black out one. Ugh decisions....its a $400 difference for my fam of 4.