Buying Park Tickets at Disney or TicketMania

[jxgallan]

Hi everyone, this is our first trip to Disney and it took me a long time to make a decision on 7 day pass or AP but I finally decided on the 7 day pass with an option to upgrade to an AP within the first 7 days of our arrival.

Can anyone tell me if I can upgrade if I buy my tickets from Ticketmania or do I have to buy them from Disney in order to take advantage of the upgrade to AP?

Many thanks.

 

[tjkraz]

You can upgrade the TicketMania passes, but you will only receive the wholesale value toward your upgrade. Brokers like TicketMania buy passes in bulk from WDW and apply their own markup. Disney can scan the pass and find out the original wholesale value, and this is the amount they will apply to the upgrade. It's typically 10-15% less than the price that you pay.

Also, if you use any of the Plus options, you will only be allowed to upgrade to a Premium Annual Pass.

 

[CarolMN]

Agree with tjkraz. If you think you are going to upgrade, don't buy from anyone besides Disney. You'll just end up paying more for the AP (because as already posted, you'll only get credit for the wholesale value of the 7 day pass). If you upgrade from a Disney bought pass, you get credit for the enitre purchase price, including the tax.

Best wishes -

Upgrading WDW Passes

 

[ZIPBAGS]

Who and What is Ticketmania? And are they cheaper than buying in advance from Disney online? I am looking for a 4-day hopper.

 

[tjkraz]

www.ticketmania.com

You can sign up for a newsletter at www.mousesavers.com which often has additional discounts on tickets via Ticketmania.

However, I don't think I've seen any third-party vendors that sell park hoppers without the Plus options. If you want a 4-day Park Hopper Plus, I'd definitely shop around. If you just want the 4-day Park Hopper, your only options may be direct from Disney and some AAA offices sell them as well.

 

[DemonLlama]

I'm currently comparing prices for a 7 Day PHP (even though I don't want the plusses, I'm stuck). I've actaully got a thread on the budget board comparing my finds right now.

Here are the places I've found that are discounted:

www.discountorlandovacation.com

www.mapleleaftickets.com

www.floridaorlandotickets.net

www.ticketmania.com

www.hotwiresavingsclub.com

The Hotwire is the lowest in price so far, but requires a 30 day free trial membership that I will either pay for or cancel in a month. But their shipping and handling is free, as is Ticketmania. The others above have differing S&H, from $4.95 up to $10 on the order. So shop wisely.