Bridging Parksavers tickets to AP - is this correct?

[IsThatYouTigger]

Congratulations. That confirms a few things - that one can upgrade to a certificate, that the the need to use a ticket first is no longer the case (if it ever was), and that bridging is known by more than one ticketing CM.

I'll repeat a caution I have given in the past, that International Program CMs at the GR desk near Innoventions tend to be less experienced, and hence may be more likely to have issues with bridging. This may be the one exception to The Robo Rule, which states that no location is better or worse than any other in terms of the chances of encountering a CM who isn't well-versed on the bridging process.

I left the GR desk near Innoventions crying (years ago in my early 20's) when I tried to change a 3 day Florida resident ticket to a Seasonal Florida Resident pass. I had checked into being able to do that on my first or second day to match my now husbands pass and was told it would not be a problem. I went into GR on my way out of Epcot on day 3 of my ticket (which was a seasonal pass blackout day) and was told I couldn't do it because it was a blackout day. I said that I was leaving and had been told it would not be a problem. This Cast Member was so rude and so unlike anything I had ever experienced at Disney before. He was the definition of 'on a power trip'. I don't know that I was aware enough to place it on the International Program CM's but he was young and from another country...probably my age and oh just so mean! I was young and not one to go against authority so I didn't ask to speak to a supervisor and literally left with tears in my eyes. I left so upset and thought I was told this was OKAY! I then went to a ticket booth outside of Epcot and it was done happily and so kindly within 5 minutes. This was long before I was on Disboards...I learned the hard way through first hand experience to seek out different cast members because they aren't all as seasoned as you would expect. But, wow, that sentence brought back terrible memories!!! Makes me sad to hear this can still happen!

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I left the GR desk near Innoventions crying (years ago in my early 20's) when I tried to change a 3 day Florida resident ticket to a Seasonal Florida Resident pass. I had checked into being able to do that on my first or second day to match my now husbands pass and was told it would not be a problem. I went into GR on my way out of Epcot on day 3 of my ticket (which was a seasonal pass blackout day) and was told I couldn't do it because it was a blackout day. I said that I was leaving and had been told it would not be a problem. This Cast Member was so rude and so unlike anything I had ever experienced at Disney before. He was the definition of 'on a power trip'. I don't know that I was aware enough to place it on the International Program CM's but he was young and from another country...probably my age and oh just so mean! I was young and not one to go against authority so I didn't ask to speak to a supervisor and literally left with tears in my eyes. I left so upset and thought I was told this was OKAY! I then went to a ticket booth outside of Epcot and it was done happily and so kindly within 5 minutes. This was long before I was on Disboards...I learned the hard way through first hand experience to seek out different cast members because they aren't all as seasoned as you would expect. But, wow, that sentence brought back terrible memories!!! Makes me sad to hear this can still happen!

It makes me very angry to hear about things like this happening, even if they were well before my time. I'm sorry you had that experience. I'm glad the people in the ticket booths could make things right for you.

 

[Robo]

I purchased a ParkSaver 7 day Park Hopper ticket at the current sale price and am planning on using it in February. If ticket prices go up during my visit, can I wait and bridge the ticket after the price increase or will the price of the tickets on the first day of use be locked in?

It makes no difference when you upgrade the tickets.
Once you DO upgrade, the tickets that you then have will be usable throughout that trip (or for a year with an AP,) regardless of what you paid for them.

Totally made-up Example:
Ticket that you want costs $450 on Friday the 3rd.
A price increase happens two days later (on Sunday the 5th) so that same ticket now costs $475.

If you were to upgrade on Friday the 3rd, your ticket is now still usable on Sunday the 5th and beyond.

It makes no difference what a ticket costs when you buy it (or upgrade it.)
Once you own it, it can then be used for park entry for its usable life.

 

[hodad]

Thanks for the explanation. I'm still wondering, however, about the following hypothetical situation:

I purchase a 5-day ticket from 3rd party for $100.
On the day I arrive, the ticket sells for $150.
Two days later, the ticket sells for $170.
If I upgrade to an AP on the fourth day, do I pay the cost of the AP - $170 or the cost of the AP - $150?

 

[Robo]

When you upgrade with price-bridging, the CURRENT price at the gate (that day) for the ticket that you HAVE is subtracted from the CURRENT price at the gate (that day) for the ticket that you WANT. Then, you pay that difference price.

So, if the cost of the ticket that you HAVE goes up, you can bet that the cost of the ticket that you WANT (the AP, in this case) has also gone up.

 

[hodad]

if the cost of the ticket that you HAVE goes up, you can bet that the cost of the ticket that you WANT (the AP, in this case) has also gone up.

Good point; it's likely that all tickets will go up at the same time, cancelling out any benefit of waiting to bridge. Well, except this past February, that is. I wonder how price increases will play out over the next 12 months.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

Good point; it's likely that all tickets will go up at the same time, cancelling out any benefit of waiting to bridge. Well, except this past February, that is. I wonder how price increases will play out over the next 12 months.

If you buy tickets that are cheaper than current gate price, and then the gate price goes up, you get more benefit from price bridging, not less. Even if tickets and APs were to go up at the same time, you still save the difference between what you bought and what it's worth at gate.

 

[Rash]

If you buy tickets that are cheaper than current gate price, and then the gate price goes up, you get more benefit from price bridging, not less. Even if tickets and APs were to go up at the same time, you still save the difference between what you bought and what it's worth at gate.

Actually that's only true if the price of the discounted ticket goes up. Otherwise if the difference between gate price and AP price stays the same even after a price increase, there is no increase in savings. At least that's what I am able to deduce at 7:58 am before my coffee. Apologize if I'm wrong.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

Actually that's only true if the price of the discounted ticket goes up. Otherwise if the difference between gate price and AP price stays the same even after a price increase, there is no increase in savings. At least that's what I am able to deduce at 7:58 am before my coffee. Apologize if I'm wrong.

Examples with made up numbers:
- You buy a ticket for $350 which is worth $400 at the gate, and you want to upgrade it to an AP that costs $500.
- Then prices go up and your ticket is now worth $450 at the gate, but now the AP you want costs $550.
- You're not any worse off than you already were - you're still paying $100 for your upgrade. But, your original ticket is worth even more than what you paid for it at a discount.

OR
- You buy a ticket for $350 which is worth $400 at the gate, and you want to upgrade it to an AP that costs $500.
- Then AP prices go up, but regular ticket prices don't, so your $350 ticket is still worth $400 at the gate, but now the gate price on your AP is $550.
- You're still paying the price increase on the AP, but you didn't lose your original $50 discount, so you're still better off than if you just showed up and bought the AP straight out.

OR
- You buy a ticket for $350 which is worth $400 at the gate, and you want to upgrade it to an AP that costs $500.
- Then prices on regular tickets, but not APs, go up and your ticket is now worth $450 at the gate, but the AP still costs $500.
- This is the best possible situation for the 'you' in this scenario! Your original ticket is worth even more than what you paid for it at a discount, AND the price difference between the ticket and the AP has been reduced.

There's no situation in here where it's worse for you that you bought the original ticket at a discount, even if the price difference between the ticket and the AP changes.

 

[Rash]

I think this can be summed up this way:

- Regardless of if you are upgrading or not, if the price of a discounted ticket that you have already purchased goes up, then obviously you have saved some money. If you buy a product and the next day the price goes up, you saved some money by buying when you did. This is independent of upgrading.

- When upgrading, if the price difference between the current gate price of a ticket/AP you are upgrading to and the current gate price of the ticket you have already purchased goes up before you upgrade, you will pay more than before the prices changed. If that difference goes down, then you will pay less than before the prices changed. This is independent of the price of the discounted ticket.

There's no situation in here where it's worse for you that you bought the original ticket at a discount, even if the price difference between the ticket and the AP changes.

If my discounted ticket price doesn't change from what I paid, but the upgrade price difference goes up before I get a chance to upgrade, then I am worse off than if I didn't wait.

 

[AngiTN]

Ticket prices will go down when pigs fly

If my discounted ticket price doesn't change from what I paid, but the upgrade price difference goes up before I get a chance to upgrade, then I am worse off than if I didn't wait.

How? Can you show an example? I'm not figuring one out in my head

 

[wdwrule]

Question......I'm a COMPLETE newbie at third party tickets, AP's, etc. We've been to WDW the past 10 years, one trip per year with MYW 8 day PH passes, most of the time memory maker, most of the time "free" dining which we're ready to ditch dining anyways (family of 4 "Disney adults"). I stumbled upon this thread and it got me thinking of "bookend" trips.

So if I have this right, I could purchase ParkSavers 7-day hopper pass for $390 that I wouldn't use until July 2017. Then, during that July 2017 trip, I'd go to a ticket booth to upgrade that pass to an AP. I know prices will change by then but.....if AP costs $800 and my ParkSavers ticket is equivalent to $490 at the gate during July 2017 trip, would I just owe $310 to upgrade to AP? ($800-$490=$310). Trying to figure out, too, if it would be worth it since we'd be back June 2018 but most likely not in between. And if that's the case I guess we'd let them expire after our June 2018 trip and then maybe start all over....kind of a "wash, rinse, repeat".

 

[Rash]

Ticket prices will go down when pigs fly

How? Can you show an example? I'm not figuring one out in my head

I buy a discounted ticket for $300. At that time the gate price of the ticket is $400, and the gate price of an AP is $500. So the cost to upgrade to an AP would be $100. Suppose I don't upgrade right away, and the gate price of the ticket and AP go up to $450 and $600 respectively. Now the cost to upgrade would be $150.

 

[AngiTN]

I buy a discounted ticket for $300. At that time the gate price of the ticket is $400, and the gate price of an AP is $500. So the cost to upgrade to an AP would be $100. Suppose I don't upgrade right away, and the gate price of the ticket and AP go up to $450 and $600 respectively. Now the cost to upgrade would be $150.

Yea, but money wasn't lost. You'll still keep the discount that was gained when you bought the $300 ticket. Because whatever the current gate price is of the ticket you bought is the amount of credit you are given when you upgrade. So if that ticket you paid $300 now has a gate price of $450 you get $450 towards your AP, not $300. Had you not bought that $300 ticket you'd pay $600 for your AP, instead of total of $450 ($300 ticket + $150 upgrade)
No?

 

[AngiTN]

Question......I'm a COMPLETE newbie at third party tickets, AP's, etc. We've been to WDW the past 10 years, one trip per year with MYW 8 day PH passes, most of the time memory maker, most of the time "free" dining which we're ready to ditch dining anyways (family of 4 "Disney adults"). I stumbled upon this thread and it got me thinking of "bookend" trips.

So if I have this right, I could purchase ParkSavers 7-day hopper pass for $390 that I wouldn't use until July 2017. Then, during that July 2017 trip, I'd go to a ticket booth to upgrade that pass to an AP. I know prices will change by then but.....if AP costs $800 and my ParkSavers ticket is equivalent to $490 at the gate during July 2017 trip, would I just owe $310 to upgrade to AP? ($800-$490=$310). Trying to figure out, too, if it would be worth it since we'd be back June 2018 but most likely not in between. And if that's the case I guess we'd let them expire after our June 2018 trip and then maybe start all over....kind of a "wash, rinse, repeat".

Yes, this is exactly what MANY guests do. If they can book end those trips so the 2nd trip is over before the AP expires. Then they forgo the renewal discount and just wait to get a new AP when their next trip comes up a year later.

 

[wdwrule]

Yes, this is exactly what MANY guests do. If they can book end those trips so the 2nd trip is over before the AP expires. Then they forgo the renewal discount and just wait to get a new AP when their next trip comes up a year later.

Perfect thanks so much!!!!

 

[MEFacct]

This is simply a success story.

We purchased 8 ParkSavers 7 day Park Hoppers (7 days for the price of 4) for a savings of about $700. I linked them to MDE as soon as I received the codes. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom on our first day (June 26, approximately 6:00 pm), I went directly to Guest Relations BEFORE I went through the gate. I was only upgrading 4 of the tickets, but the rest of our party insisted on waiting with us. I was worried that this would cost them precious play time and a Space Mountain Fastpass since I had read stories of the process taking hours to get it right. The guest ahead of us was finishing as we walked up, so there was virtually no wait. The CM, Megan (or Meghan) could not have been better. I told her that I wanted to bridge our park hoppers and upgrade to DVC Gold Passes. (I had rehearsed in my head a thousand times). I had done the math ahead of time and it was kindly confirmed by Ravenclawtrekkie on another thread. Megan asked for my DL and DVC member card. I do not remember her even asking for my husband’s DL. She also asked for each of our Magic Bands and my CC. As she was doing the computer work, DH asked about the cost and I told him to the penny what the total should be (AP price - 7 day PH gate price). Megan glanced at me and handed me the receipt to sign and didn’t bother repeating the total. I had to fill out the little slip with the address and names as we wanted the passes listed. She gave me the discount cards and guide told us we were good to go.

It took a total of maybe 10 minutes – just enough time for everyone to use the restroom. We went straight through the gates and all was good.

I read many threads like this one to make sure I knew what I was doing. I wouldn't even have thought about the upgrade to AP if it wasn't for DISboards. I was originally directed here while researching ParkSavers. And now I know that I can purchase the discount tickets and bridge to an AP certificate for a later year. Just keeps getting better.

 

[cigar95]

Well done, and congratulations.

. . . . I told her that I wanted to bridge our park hoppers and upgrade to DVC Gold Passes. (I had rehearsed in my head a thousand times). . . .

Did the term "bridge" seem to be familiar to your CM? Although I've upgraded tickets a number of times and only had a problem once, I've never been sure if that terminology is a Disney thing or a DISboards/Mike Tuchman thing.
So I've never been sure just what the "magic words" would be if I needed to persuade/convince a reluctant CM to perform the bridging.

 

[MEFacct]

Well done, and congratulations.
Did the term "bridge" seem to be familiar to your CM? Although I've upgraded tickets a number of times and only had a problem once, I've never been sure if that terminology is a Disney thing or a DISboards/Mike Tuchman thing.
So I've never been sure just what the "magic words" would be if I needed to persuade/convince a reluctant CM to perform the bridging.

Those were my exact words and she seemed to know exactly what I wanted. There was no convincing or additional explanation needed. This was the first time I had made a transaction anything like this (if it wasn't obvious). I had been prepared to walk away if there was any hesitation or signs of confusion. I am really glad I didn't have to.

I do wish I knew of a way to commend her for such an efficient transaction.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Those were my exact words and she seemed to know exactly what I wanted. There was no convincing or additional explanation needed. This was the first time I had made a transaction anything like this (if it wasn't obvious). I had been prepared to walk away if there was any hesitation or signs of confusion. I am really glad I didn't have to.

I do wish I knew of a way to commend her for such an efficient transaction.

You can email the guest services department with the date, time and name (even if you're unsure of spelling) and say you were impressed with her efficiency and service.