Free dining package vs. purchasing seperatly

[phoj69]

Sorry for the title spelling error. LOL

I will be traveling to Disney twice this year once in September under the free dining package that was a present and once on a split stay in December. I have a question regarding the December trip. Currently I am staying at AKL for the first half and POP under the second half using the free dining. my first question is can I upgrade my September tickets to an AP when I get Disney? Wasn't sure with it being on a free dining package? Second is I did the math for the POP resort stay and the pricing for the package is more expensive then the regular room rate plus buying tickets separately? Now I know it includes the free dining but thinking if I buy the AP in September and use a bounce back for December and not take the free dining I will have a couple of hundred dollars in savings I can use for food and I will get an AP which I an then use next year some time on a trip.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm not 100% sure but I think after you have used your tickets to get in the gate you can upgrade to an AP. As far as free dining vs. room only, it depends on your eating habits. Personally, free dining is not free for me since I don't eat a lot and enjoy the freedom to eat QS when I want and TS when I want. I have an AP, I take advantage of AP discounts for rooms and bought a TIW card (it paid for itself withing 3 days) so I get food discounts and merchandise discounts with the AP. The best thing to do is just run the numbers, look up some menus on line and figure appox. cost for food and room only discount and compare to cost of "free dining". (nothing is free).

 

[dmunsil]

My first question is can I upgrade my September tickets to an AP when I get Disney?

Yes. Tickets bought with a package can be upgraded. For best results, use your tickets at least once before doing the upgrade, and calculate in advance what the price difference should be. They should quote you a price that is the difference between the current gate price of the AP and the current gate price of your package ticket. Don't take it for granted that the CM will give you the right price. Upgrades are apparently slightly tricky to process and many CMs make mistakes.

 

[phoj69]

thanks for the info, follow up question. 1)Is there a reason you need to use the tickets once before upgrading? 2) If I do upgrade to the AP is the price the difference between the AP and what I had paid for on my current tickets?

 

[dmunsil]

thanks for the info, follow up question. 1)Is there a reason you need to use the tickets once before upgrading? 2) If I do upgrade to the AP is the price the difference between the AP and what I had paid for on my current tickets?

Tickets that were bought with a package are considered "wholesale" tickets, just like tickets bought from a third-party like Undercover Tourist or AAA. Disney internally sells the tickets from the ticketing division to the travel sales division at their wholesale price, and that wholesale price is what the computer will show as the tickets' purchase price. If you upgrade unused ticket, the computer will show the price difference between the current AP price and the wholesale price as the upgrade cost. With partially-used tickets, the CM is supposed to "bridge" the ticket price to the current gate price, then calculate the difference. Some CMs don't bridge the price, either because they don't know how or can't be bothered.

The price you should be quoted is the difference between the gate price (i.e. full retail price) of your current tickets (with tax) and the gate price of the AP you are buying (with tax). You can look those prices up many places on the internet, including Disney's own site (except for the Premier Passport, which for no apparent reason is not listed on Disney's site).

For example, if you wanted to upgrade a 6-day adult Park Hopper to a Premium Annual Pass:

6-day adult Park Hopper gate price: $414.29
Premium Annual Pass gate price: $829.64
Difference: $415.35

You would want to write down or print out that calculation, and if you are quoted a price that's different, show them your calculations and ask them why you got different numbers. If they can't explain why you aren't getting that price (or fix the upgrade), you may have to ask for a supervisor or go to a different ticket booth or guest services window.

 

[lovesdumbo]

use a bounce back for December

I wouldn't count on getting a bounce back in September for your December trip. The bounce back offer will most likely be for free dining NEXT YEAR.

Did you check the new room only discounts that came out today? I would check those for December and then if/when they come out with AP room discounts for December check those too. You don't have to have an AP in hand to book an AP room-you just need it to check in.

 

[amylevan]

I wouldn't count on getting a bounce back in September for your December trip. The bounce back offer will most likely be for free dining NEXT YEAR.

Did you check the new room only discounts that came out today? I would check those for December and then if/when they come out with AP room discounts for December check those too. You don't have to have an AP in hand to book an AP room-you just need it to check in.

This. Check the room only and AP discounts for your december dates.

 

[Heatherj726]

Sorry for the title spelling error. LOL

I will be traveling to Disney twice this year once in September under the free dining package that was a present and once on a split stay in December. I have a question regarding the December trip. Currently I am staying at AKL for the first half and POP under the second half using the free dining. my first question is can I upgrade my September tickets to an AP when I get Disney? Wasn't sure with it being on a free dining package? Second is I did the math for the POP resort stay and the pricing for the package is more expensive then the regular room rate plus buying tickets separately? Now I know it includes the free dining but thinking if I buy the AP in September and use a bounce back for December and not take the free dining I will have a couple of hundred dollars in savings I can use for food and I will get an AP which I an then use next year some time on a trip.

DO you have any idea when they had announced/released the free dining program? We're looking to book our trip for September 2016 but are hoping for the free plan.