Free Dining and Seasonal/Annual Passholders

[floracruise]

We are a family of 4 and we have FL Resident Seasonal Passes.
If Free Dining is offered in September, we may book a Resort for 3 nights.
If the rules are similar to the past rules, we'd have to do this in order to get Free Dining:

-book at least 3 nights
-purchase Four 1-day tickets

Is it true that, since we would not need to use our 1-Day tickets for park entry this fall (since we have the Seasonal Pass), that we could apply the VALUE of the four 1-Day tickets to a FUTURE Disney ticket/pass purchase? If so, would we have to make that purchase within a certain amount of time? (is there an expiration?)

For instance, could we apply the cost of the four 1-Day tickets to the following:

-Renewing our Seasonal Passes (they expire in January 2011)
or
-Buying multiple day tickets in 2011

Would love any advice! We would love to try out the Free Dining if it's offered, but want to make sure that it would be worthwhile to buy the four 1-day tickets, and I just don't know what the options are for us Passholders! Thanks!

 

[copper0426]

You are correct. You may use your one day passes to renew your existing passes when the expire. Just to let you know in order to get your renewal discount. This is the discount they give you when you renew you have to do that within a certain period of time from your passes expiring. I believe it is 30 days before or within 60 days after expiration.

You can put the one day passes toward any new purchase. We do this all the time. We just renewed our annual passes. With the discount for the one day passes and the renewal discount we saved about $300. There are three of us. It was almost like getting a free annual pass well not really, but I can pretend.

Since you never activate your one day pass, it does not expire.

Have fun and enjoy.


Diane

 

[disneyfan55]

Hopefully they keep it a 1 day pass purchase requirement. All of the last few offers have required a 4 or 5 day ticket purchase. Hopefully free dining will be like it has been in the past! Otherwise none (except the room only discouts) of the offers are good for AP holders. I guess if you are in need of a new AP, the longer pass can still be upgraded, but a lot more cost out of pocket.

 

[Glory49]

Being you have done this before with the 1 day base ticket before hopefully you can help me with this question. My husband & I will be renewing our AP's in July when at Disney. Between the two of us we have 6 1 day base tickets, can we apply all 6 1 day base tickets to renewing our two annual passes? I have called Disney and I keep getting different answers.

 

[Glory49]

You are correct. You may use your one day passes to renew your existing passes when the expire. Just to let you know in order to get your renewal discount. This is the discount they give you when you renew you have to do that within a certain period of time from your passes expiring. I believe it is 30 days before or within 60 days after expiration.

You can put the one day passes toward any new purchase. We do this all the time. We just renewed our annual passes. With the discount for the one day passes and the renewal discount we saved about $300. There are three of us. It was almost like getting a free annual pass well not really, but I can pretend.

Since you never activate your one day pass, it does not expire.

Have fun and enjoy.


Diane

Being you have done this with the 1 day tickets, I am hoping you can answer this question. My husband & I will be renewing our AP's in July when at Disney. Between the two of us we have 6 1 day base tickets, when renewing can we use the value of All 6 1 day base tickets towards renewing our AP's. Thank you.

Sorry double post

 

[disneyfan55]

Being you have done this with the 1 day tickets, I am hoping you can answer this question. My husband & I will be renewing our AP's in July when at Disney. Between the two of us we have 6 1 day base tickets, when renewing can we use the value of All 6 1 day base tickets towards renewing our AP's. Thank you.

Sorry double post

Only 1 ticket can be upgraded per purchase of an AP (or any other ticket) Make sure you use it first so you get the current face value of a 1 day pass towards the AP. I think as long as you renew by Aug, you will get the 15 months on the renewal as well.

 

[emmabelle]

Make sure you use it first so you get the current face value of a 1 day pass towards the AP.

At the risk of sounding stupid, I've never understood this part. I don't understand how Disney doesn't lose money? You use the 1 day ticket, so now it's gone, but then Disney gives you a credit for like $80 towards your new AP? I must not be thinking of this right?

 

[disneyfan55]

At the risk of sounding stupid, I've never understood this part. I don't understand how Disney doesn't lose money? You use the 1 day ticket, so now it's gone, but then Disney gives you a credit for like $80 towards your new AP? I must not be thinking of this right?

Yes, you use it but you must upgrade it within 14 days like any other ticket. You only 'use it' to get the current value applied. We walked in the gate with one day passes and right over to guest services and upgraded it. It's not an old used ticket, but a current one like any other ticket they sell. Rules now are that any ticket you purchase can be upgraded.

 

[emmabelle]

Yes, you use it but you must upgrade it within 14 days like any other ticket. You only 'use it' to get the current value applied. We walked in the gate with one day passes and right over to guest services and upgraded it. It's not an old used ticket, but a current one like any other ticket they sell. Rules now are that any ticket you purchase can be upgraded.

That's what I was wondering, if people usually put it through the turnstyle, then go and upgrade it right away. I was confused since it was a one day base. It just seemed different, then if it was a base ticket with a couple of days on it. It just seemed like the ticket would be used up. It makes more sense now.

 

[disneyfan55]

That's what I was wondering, if people usually put it through the turnstyle, then go and upgrade it right away. I was confused since it was a one day base. It just seemed different, then if it was a base ticket with a couple of days on it. It just seemed like the ticket would be used up. It makes more sense now.

Yes, it seems like that but that's WDW policy, you can upgrade any ticket to one with more days. I guess it's kind of like buying a 1 day and deciding you wanted to go more days, they give you the value to apply to any other ticket. (Years ago you could upgrade any used up ticket within a year of first use, have that value used toward the value of an AP-it was great. We did this quite a few times over the years ended in 2001 as far as the last time we were able to do it. The ticket would start from the first day of use still but the upgrade cost amout was less than buying a new multiday ticket )

 

[floracruise]

Thanks again for the replies to my original question. I wanted to make sure we wouldn't be losing money by buying four 1-day Passes just to get the Free Dining (if it happens) You all have helped me a lot!! Thanks!

SO: I conclude that since our Seasonal Pass expires in January, we can just hold onto our unused 1-Day Tickets (if we buy them in Sept to take advantage of Free Dining) and apply them to the Pass renewal sometime within 60 days of the expiration of our Pass. Or, we could use the unused tickets to buy Multiple Day Passes in 2011 (not annual/seasonal, if we decide not to renew)

The bummer is that the special 15-Month Pass (15 for the price of 12 months)renewal option that they are offering expires on August 31. I can't see any point of renewing our Pass early since I wouldn't want to lose the last few months on the Pass (UNLESS they allow your next 15 months to start at the expiration of your existing Seasonal Passes, which in our case would be in January 2011)- anyone know what the policy would be on that?

 

[got2lovedisney]

Last year the cast member at epcot credited my visa for the 1day base ticket I didn't need.

 

[floracruise]

Did you ask them to credit your Visa acount for the unused 1-Day Ticket at the ticket booth at Epcot? Was it a Disney Visa? That is very interesting! I guess it is worthwhile to ask at a ticket booth, just in case?!

 

[livndisney]

Only 1 ticket can be upgraded per purchase of an AP (or any other ticket) Make sure you use it first so you get the current face value of a 1 day pass towards the AP. I think as long as you renew by Aug, you will get the 15 months on the renewal as well.

We have never used the one day ticket prior to applying it to our annual pass renewals. We just go to GS in a park, hand them the one day ticket and they have given us the full current value of the one day ticket.