Disney YES Program Open to non-groups

[Cierese]

There was a blurb on the website when I registered in February that stated that discount tickets are in exchange for attending an educational class. I had to check the box that I understood that. I believe this part has always been there:

"Participation in scheduled Disney Youth Education Series Program is required to utilize the Disney Youth Education Series discounted packages."

The part about voiding tickets may be new, but just the above, IMO, gives WDW the right to take action if there are no-shows.

As for the cancellations, that was my thinking, too. And I remember that checking a similar box. I didn't see anything on the website specifying what counted as an 'immediate family member' this time, but I know I have an email somewhere from them saying parents, grandparents and sibs only. If in doubt, it never hurts to ask someone who knows.

 

[drischar]

Good grief. If people are on the up and up, they have no worries. If they aren't then they brought it upon themselves when they bought tickets based on attending. I can't imagine why you are so concerned if you are planning to keep your committment.

disney isn't doing anything to people. people are reaping the benefits of their behavior. Making them out to be victims is ridiculous.

Exactly. "The lady doth protest too much"

 

[marko]

I know that Disney is no longer allowing random groups to form and sign up for the YES program, but does anyone know where I can find a legitimate group to join for a possible late December trip time frame? I thought there was a website that someone started that listed some groups?

 

[MKCP1984]

I am so excited that our class is full I guess that means it won't get cancelled

Good for you all!!! Our class just filled, too!!!! So, it's official -- Animation Magic, here we come!!

 

[MKCP1984]

As far as the YES ticket scammers: IMHO, they are not seeing the true value of the experience. Obviously the chance to learn anything from Disney is worthwhile. Yet the scammers see only dollar signs and a chance to exploit a good thing, possibly ruining the entire ticket program.

 

[ugadog99]

How do they let you know if a class doesn't meet the minimum number of participants? From what I understand, if the class is canceled, the tickets are still good, correct? This worries me because her class is our very last full park day. I'm afraid it will get canceled and we won't know about it. Does anyone know how close to the actual date a class can be canceled?

 

[talulabelle]

Please forgive me as i'm sure my ?'s have been answered previously on this thread, but I just found the thread, and scanned through it, but it is so long I couldn't find the specific answers I need.

1. We are thinking of doing an individual enrollment class in August (my kids would LOVE this!) - I looked into this earlier in the spring and I could swear that they used to offer up to 8 day packages, now I just see up to 5 day packages - is this the max number of days you can get tickets for?

2. I can't find anywhere how long the class is.

3. If I buy the 5 day premium package tickets with waterpark and park hopping...can we do parks for 5 days without visiting a waterpark and then on the 6th day go to a waterpark? Or can you only visit a waterpark within a 5 day span and must do it on the same day as a park or instead of a park?

TIA for any info - I just found out about this program and am very excited about it as the class will just be the icing on the cake for my kids vacation!

 

[drischar]

Please forgive me as i'm sure my ?'s have been answered previously on this thread, but I just found the thread, and scanned through it, but it is so long I couldn't find the specific answers I need.

1. We are thinking of doing an individual enrollment class in August (my kids would LOVE this!) - I looked into this earlier in the spring and I could swear that they used to offer up to 8 day packages, now I just see up to 5 day packages - is this the max number of days you can get tickets for?

2. I can't find anywhere how long the class is.

3. If I buy the 5 day premium package tickets with waterpark and park hopping...can we do parks for 5 days without visiting a waterpark and then on the 6th day go to a waterpark? Or can you only visit a waterpark within a 5 day span and must do it on the same day as a park or instead of a park?

TIA for any info - I just found out about this program and am very excited about it as the class will just be the icing on the cake for my kids vacation!

This will be brief because I am *supposed* to be cleaning my house

1.) You can still get 8 days. It will show up when you are actually going through the registration process.
2) About 3 hours. I think I read that on one of the class descriptions.
3) My understanding is that you will be allowed 5 park days (hopping if you want to) and then 5 additional waterparks (but not hopping)...if you go to 2 different waterparks on the same day then that is 2 of your waterpark admissions. Everything must be used with 14 days of your first day's admission. I've never done the waterpark tickets, but I think this is right.

There have been changes in the program administration starting mid-April. So if you had read some info prior to that, you may want to confirm it here and/or with the YES program directly.

HTH

 

[DIS_MERI]

Please forgive me as i'm sure my ?'s have been answered previously on this thread, but I just found the thread, and scanned through it, but it is so long I couldn't find the specific answers I need.

1. We are thinking of doing an individual enrollment class in August (my kids would LOVE this!) - I looked into this earlier in the spring and I could swear that they used to offer up to 8 day packages, now I just see up to 5 day packages - is this the max number of days you can get tickets for?

2. I can't find anywhere how long the class is.

3. If I buy the 5 day premium package tickets with waterpark and park hopping...can we do parks for 5 days without visiting a waterpark and then on the 6th day go to a waterpark? Or can you only visit a waterpark within a 5 day span and must do it on the same day as a park or instead of a park?

TIA for any info - I just found out about this program and am very excited about it as the class will just be the icing on the cake for my kids vacation!

1. The 8 day tickets show up in the actual registration.

2. Most classes are 3 hours.

3. You can use the tickets any time during the valid period (from 7 days before the arrival date you give to 7 days after the departure date you give). You can use all the waterpark visits before using any park visits or vice versa, a water park visit on the same day as a park visit, alternate waterpark and park days, etc.

 

[mill4023]

3. If I buy the 5 day premium package tickets with waterpark and park hopping...can we do parks for 5 days without visiting a waterpark and then on the 6th day go to a waterpark? Or can you only visit a waterpark within a 5 day span and must do it on the same day as a park or instead of a park?

Just to clarify since this can be confusing.
5 day tickets mean you can pick 5 days to visit the major theme parks. They don't have to be 5 days in a row. If you were there for a week, you could go to a major theme park Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday for instance.

In the case of YES tickets, when you register, you put in an arrival date and a departure date and the tickets are valid from 7 days before arrival until 7 days after departure. I guess they do that in case you end up changing your plans to come a few days earlier or stay a few days later. So your 5 days of theme parks can be used anytime within that time period.

With premium tickets, you get park hopping and water parks. Park hopping just allows you to go to more than one park on the same day. Without park hopping, once you enter a theme park, you can leave and come back, but you cannot enter a different theme park on the same day.

The water park options on the tickets are different. Instead of having "days" at a park, you have "visits". If you buy a 5 day premium ticket, you get 5 visits to the water parks or disney quest. You can use these anytime within the time period that your tickets are valid and these visits are not related to your theme park days. You can use more than one on the same day if you want.

So think of it this way: you get 5 theme park "days" and 5 water park/disney quest "visits". The two don't have anything to do with each other except for the fact that the number of "visits" you get is based on how many "days" you buy.
If you go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the evening, you've used 1 day.
If you go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and Blizzard Beach in the evening, you've used 1 day and 1 visit.
If you go to Blizzard Beach in the morning and Disney Quest in the evening, you've used 2 visits.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

Just to clarify since this can be confusing.
5 day tickets mean you can pick 5 days to visit the major theme parks. They don't have to be 5 days in a row. If you were there for a week, you could go to a major theme park Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday for instance.

In the case of YES tickets, when you register, you put in an arrival date and a departure date and the tickets are valid from 7 days before arrival until 7 days after departure. I guess they do that in case you end up changing your plans to come a few days earlier or stay a few days later. So your 5 days of theme parks can be used anytime within that time period.

With premium tickets, you get park hopping and water parks. Park hopping just allows you to go to more than one park on the same day. Without park hopping, once you enter a theme park, you can leave and come back, but you cannot enter a different theme park on the same day.

The water park options on the tickets are different. Instead of having "days" at a park, you have "visits". If you buy a 5 day premium ticket, you get 5 visits to the water parks or Disney quest. You can use these anytime within the time period that your tickets are valid and these visits are not related to your theme park days. You can use more than one on the same day if you want.

So think of it this way: you get 5 theme park "days" and 5 water park/Disney quest "visits". The two don't have anything to do with each other except for the fact that the number of "visits" you get is based on how many "days" you buy.
If you go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the evening, you've used 1 day.
If you go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and Blizzard Beach in the evening, you've used 1 day and 1 visit.
If you go to Blizzard Beach in the morning and Disney Quest in the evening, you've used 2 visits.

I just wanted to say that this was a wonderful explanation
May this should be reposted every few pages in BIG BOLD BRIGHT RED LETTERS.

As a matter a fact maybe I will go back and change it in the quote to big red letters.

 

[talulabelle]

Wow! Thanks for all the wonderful information! So these work differently than a regular Park hopper - so a 5 day ticket could be stretched out to 10 days of fun.
(Not that we will be staying that long - but it would be possible.)

Ok, so last question - What if I buy these, plan my whole trip around it, and the class doesn't fill and it is canceled. Are the YES program tickets canceled, and I would then need to buy regular park hoppers at the regular price? Or do they let you keep the tickets? This is a big concern for me as i am on a strict budget. Once my airfare is bought and is non-refundable - we will need to go - and I don't want to be hit with additional cost of tickets at the last minute. How far in advance would I know if it was canceled?

 

[5forDiz]

Wow! Thanks for all the wonderful information! So these work differently than a regular Park hopper - so a 5 day ticket could be stretched out to 10 days of fun.
(Not that we will be staying that long - but it would be possible.)



A Regular Park Hopper not purchased through Yes Program with Waterparks & more option added are the same as YES Park Hopper with Waterparks/Quest option ~except~ that YES ticket does not include Wide World of Sports Complex & I believe some sort of golf feature. You could also stretch a 5 day Regular Park Hopper with Waterparks & more option purchased online or at WDW into a 10 day ticket too.






Ok, so last question - What if I buy these, plan my whole trip around it, and the class doesn't fill and it is canceled. Are the YES program tickets canceled, and I would then need to buy regular park hoppers at the regular price? Or do they let you keep the tickets? This is a big concern for me as i am on a strict budget. Once my airfare is bought and is non-refundable - we will need to go - and I don't want to be hit with additional cost of tickets at the last minute. How far in advance would I know if it was canceled?


YES will try to see if it is possible to place you in an alternate class during your stay but if that is not possible the tickets are still valid because the cancellation is no fault of yours. I am not exactly sure how far in advance YES would tell you if a class is cancelled; I seem to remember something about a minimum of 1 week before date.

hope this helped some

 

[talulabelle]

hope this helped some

Yes, it does help. I am a little mad though about information I was given on our last trip to Disney. I specifically asked this question when we bought park hoppers with WP and more option and I was told on the phone by the cast member that i was buying a 7 day ticket and the "visits" to Waterparks HAD to be used in those seven days. So even though we were in Florida for 14 days that time, when we spent a whole day at a waterpark, I felt like a day of the parks was being wasted and we would usually go and use up a day by going to epcot for dinner or something (even though we would only be in the park for a couple hours). I would have bought a 4 day ticket and spread it out if I had known this. So The CM was wrong? We could have saved a couple of water parks visits for later in our stay? I can't remember if the tickets were dated.. They didn't have the no expiration option, so maybe he was right?

 

[mill4023]

Yes, it does help. I am a little mad though about information I was given on our last trip to Disney. I specifically asked this question when we bought park hoppers with WP and more option and I was told on the phone by the cast member that i was buying a 7 day ticket and the "visits" to Waterparks HAD to be used in those seven days. So even though we were in Florida for 14 days that time, when we spent a whole day at a waterpark, I felt like a day of the parks was being wasted and we would usually go and use up a day by going to epcot for dinner or something (even though we would only be in the park for a couple hours). I would have bought a 4 day ticket and spread it out if I had known this. So The CM was wrong? We could have saved a couple of water parks visits for later in our stay? I can't remember if the tickets were dated.. They didn't have the no expiration option, so maybe he was right?

For normal tickets, they are valid for 14 days after first use. So if you first use the ticket on June 10th, it's valid until(or through?) June 24th.

YES tickets are a little different because they are tied to the dates you put on the registration form. From 7 days before arrival to 7 days after departure. So if you're arriving June 10th and leaving June 20th, the tickets are valid from June 3rd to June 27th.

But in both cases, you can pick and choose when to use your park days and water park/disney quest visits anytime during the time your ticket is valid.

It doesn't specifically cover YES tickets, but for anyone who is confused about how regular tickets work, there's a sticky at the top of the Theme Parks and Attractions board.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684

 

[torinsmom]

If your class in canceled due to not enough participants, you get to keep and use your tickets. WDW won't penalize you for THEM canceling the class. I would think they would let you know well before the class and maybe give you the option of another class if there is space.

 

[talulabelle]

For normal tickets, they are valid for 14 days after first use. So if you first use the ticket on June 10th, it's valid until(or through?) June 24th.

YES tickets are a little different because they are tied to the dates you put on the registration form. From 7 days before arrival to 7 days after departure. So if you're arriving June 10th and leaving June 20th, the tickets are valid from June 3rd to June 27th.

But in both cases, you can pick and choose when to use your park days and water park/disney quest visits anytime during the time your ticket is valid.

It doesn't specifically cover YES tickets, but for anyone who is confused about how regular tickets work, there's a sticky at the top of the Theme Parks and Attractions board.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684

So even if I bought them with a 7 day package - I could have used a water park visit after we checked out of the hotel? On that trip we had a 7 day MYW package and stayed in the cabins. Then when we checked out, we drove to my brothers house (about a 1/2 hour away from Disney) and stayed there for a week. Had the cast member given me the correct info....I would have taken the kids to the waterparks when we were with my brother (we only used 2 visits during our stay at Disney- I would have had 5 days left). i also wouldn't have used up 2 park admission days on the evenings after we had been at the waterparks and could have used those on the days that I was with my brother. Grrrrrr.

 

[5forDiz]

So even if I bought them with a 7 day package - I could have used a water park visit after we checked out of the hotel? On that trip we had a 7 day MYW package and stayed in the cabins. Then when we checked out, we drove to my brothers house (about a 1/2 hour away from Disney) and stayed there for a week. Had the cast member given me the correct info....I would have taken the kids to the waterparks when we were with my brother (we only used 2 visits during our stay at Disney- I would have had 5 days left). i also wouldn't have used up 2 park admission days on the evenings after we had been at the waterparks and could have used those on the days that I was with my brother. Grrrrrr.

Hotel check out doesn't have anything to do with dates tickets are valid.

Unless something has changed you have 14 days from date you first 'activate/use' MYW ticket to make use of your park days & waterpark&more days.

If you still have your tickets, you have nothing to lose writing to Disney's Guest Services about your situation & include the ticket numbers; they are under no obligation whatsoever to do anything for you but you never know.

 

[GinnyEmma]

The yes tickets aren't tied to 14 days but to date of arrival and departure, I think.

 

[The6ofUs]

We've been with the Carolina Homeschooler group in the past and are going again this year in November. It's a very big group and they aren't restricted to certain classes. They set up many for all the grade levels, and they're confirmed before we go, so there aren't any cancellations once we arrive. We also get good discounts for the Cirque du Soliel show and there's a group class and tour for that, too.

I do know that class attendance has always been required. It seems that Disney is just making it clearer now what will happen if people don't follow the rules. Good for them.

The tickets are good from 7 days before the date you say you'll arrive, and 7 days after the date you say you'll leave (to take into account any last-minute changes, I guess), and you can't add days or the no-expire option, or make any other changes to the tickets (we tried to see if we could pay for the no-expiration one year and they wouldn't let us). It doesn't matter when you first use or activate the tickets - they're only good for the dates printed on the back.

Park days don't have to be consecutive, and the entries to the waterparks and other places can be used throughout the length of the ticket (each entry counts as one unless you're returning to the same waterpark or whatever in the same day - then it counts as one entry).

Some classes are better than others. We've liked the classes that let us go behind the scenes the best out of all of them. We have a lot of fun with the group. This year's dates are November 12-19. It'll be a lot cooler and we'll be there for the decorations and lights. I can't wait!