Free Dinning - Upgrading to an AP

[10_Kyle_10]

Not too sure where to post this, please move if needed.

We'll be traveling for 8 nights in September on "Free Dinning" but recently decided we will want to upgrade to an AP once we get down to the parks. Question is, what is the best way to do this without losing free dinning? Also, what is the most optimal way of doing this?

I've read some advice on other website but I would like to hear from others who have successfully done it first hand. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Robo]

Not too sure where to post this, please move if needed.

We'll be traveling for 8 nights in September on "Free Dinning" but recently decided we will want to upgrade to an AP once we get down to the parks. Question is, what is the best way to do this without losing free dinning? Also, what is the most optimal way of doing this?

I've read some advice on other website but I would like to hear from others who have successfully done it first hand. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated.

You won't lose your free dining at all for this trip, as it will be paid for and operational for the original duration of your trip.

After you arrive at WDW, and have GONE INTO a theme park at least one time,
just go to any ticket booth or Guest Relations and tell the CM that you want to upgrade to an AP.

All members of your group who want to do the AP upgrade must be present and have a legal photo ID to show.

The cost to upgrade will be the difference in the cost of a NEW, unused ticket of the kind that you bought for this trip... and the cost of a new AP (plus tax.)

 

[10_Kyle_10]

You won't lose your free dining.

Thank you. So on our very first day, we can upgrade to AP's and we'll pay the whatever the difference is?

 

[Robo]

Thank you. So on our very first day, we can upgrade to AP's and we'll pay the whatever the difference is?

Re-check my earlier reply.

 

[tazleiten12]

I want to do the same thing. I also need to pick up my tickets 2 days before the package starts. Can i not pick them up and upgrade at the same time? What would be the benefit of using them first? I thought you only needed to use discount tickets first before upgrading, not ones purchased directly from Disney?

 

[Robo]

I want to do the same thing. I also need to pick up my tickets 2 days before the package starts.

1. Can i not pick them up and upgrade at the same time?
2. What would be the benefit of using them first?
3. I thought you only needed to use discount tickets first before upgrading, not ones purchased directly from Disney?

1. You can ASK.

2. If they quote you the correct price, do the upgrade.
If not, USE them at least one time BEFORE you upgrade.

3. Tickets purchased as part of a WDW Resort Package ARE considered to be
"discounted" and not considered as purchased directly from a Disney ticket location.
The package tickets are "internally sold" between Disney departments and the
price of the tickets "sold" to the resort division are sold at a discount from the gate price.

 

[tazleiten12]

Ok, Thanks for the info.

 

[ksinniger]

I highly recommend figuring out what your upgrade cost should be, and bringing it with you when you go to complete the transaction. It's not hard to figure out what the upgrade cost should be -- if your free dining tickets are 4 day park hoppers (for example), go onto the Disney website and see what the proce for those would be if you made a stand alone ticket purchase. Subtract that cost from the cost of an AP, and you have the price you should pay. When we did this last year (exact same situation -- upgrading free dining tickets to APs), the CM tried to charge us more, because she was using the actual price we paid for the ticket (which, as Robo noted, is a discounted price), not its value. We had to get a supervisor out to complete the transaction properly. If I hadn't already done the math, I wouldn't have known that she was actually overcharging us a couple hundred dollars.

 

[10_Kyle_10]

So just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly:

We have an 8 day park hopper right now. Once we arrive, we will enter the park using 1 day of the 8 day park hoppers meaning 7 days are remaining.

- Cost of Annual Pass per person: $696.51
- Cost of 7 Day Park Hopper per person: $424.94
- Total cost of the Upgraded AP per person: $271.57

Am I correct with the above math?

 

[Robo]

So just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly:

We have an 8 day park hopper right now. Once we arrive, we will enter the park using 1 day of the 8 day park hoppers meaning 7 days are remaining.

- Cost of Annual Pass per person: $696.51
- Cost of 7 Day Park Hopper per person: $424.94
- Total cost of the Upgraded AP per person: $271.57

Am I correct with the above math?

Sorry, but No.

You will get the FULL VALUE for your ORIGINAL 8-day ticket when you upgrade.
Disney compensates for any use of the original ticket by back-dating the AP to the
date when you first used your original ticket.

Corrected math:

- Cost of Annual Pass per person: $696.51
- Cost of 8 Day Park Hopper per person: $435.59
- Total cost of the Upgraded AP per person: $260.92

(Every $10.65 helps.)

 

[10_Kyle_10]

Sorry, but No.

You will get the FULL VALUE for your ORIGINAL 8-day ticket when you upgrade.
Disney compensates for any use of the original ticket by back-dating the AP to the
date when you first used your original ticket.

Corrected math:

- Cost of Annual Pass per person: $696.51
- Cost of 8 Day Park Hopper per person: $435.59
- Total cost of the Upgraded AP per person: $260.92

(Every $10.65 helps.)

Thanks Robo. Very helpful as always!