GAD blackout date and upgrade question

[Mrs. Jumbo]

We registered for GAD, booked flights before program rules were published. July 4 is a black out date.. We arrive July 3 at 9:30PM. I have to figure out what options are there so we can get in a park on July 4.

July 3 MK closes 11PM. Our flight arrives 9:30PM. I plan to rent car, rush over to MK, exchange GAD vouchers for non-expire tickets. If my plan does not work then we will take M/E, no sense to rent car. Please help me figure out what to do.

1. July 3, do I go to MK Will Call to exchange/upgrade GAD vouchers? What time does it close if MK closes 11PM?

2. Assuming we get to Will Call on time, do they process our GAD vouchers at Will Call then give us new non-expire tickets at the same time? Are we then required to use 1-day entry to enter MK on July 3 even if it's almost closing time? That would waste 1 day of our non-expire ticket.

3. If above 1 & 2 does not work, what can I do to enter park on July 4 and still use the GAD vouchers? My family is 5, it's cost prohibitive to buy 2 types of tickets for our 4 day trip. We only have 1 day at each park. Please suggest something. Thanks!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I think Will Call will be open until the park closes. You will be cutting it close - you have to have everyone present with ID to redeem the vouchers. There is a Will Call at the TTC, but you would still most likely have to go to the MK to use the ticket, then upgrade it. I'm guessing MK closes the latest on the 3rd? If they have fireworks on the 3rd, I don't know if there is any chance MK would be at capacity that late at night. If the park closes for capacity, you wont be able to get in.

You must use the GAD voucher for admission on the date you redeem it. You will have to use a day on July 3 if you redeem on July 3. The only exception seems to be when upgrading to APs, since the APs would have an effective date of July 3 whether you actually used them that day or not.

Unless they change the rules, the CMs will not allow you to redeem the GAD vouchers for tickets on July 4. You would either need to redeem on the 3rd, assuming you arrive in time, or wait until the 5th.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I agree. Especially if you are upgrading to a NE ticket you must use your GAD ticket prior to any upgrade.

Since you will be arriving at 9:30, if your flight is on time, you will then have to get your luggage, rent a car, and get to the TTC in time to get your GAD ticket and then enter the MK to do the upgrade.

The only way you can get an immediate upgrade at the time you are redeeming your voucher is if you are getting a pass with a specific expiration date on it, such as an AP.

And on July 4 you would be able to use the voucher for Fastpass Exchange Cards or thye sculpt and pins, but you must have a multi-day ticket in hand to do that.

And unfortunately, the blockout dates were published with the initial rules.

 

[BrettS]

Like the PP said, you do need to actually enter the park on the day you redeem your GAD voucher, and burning a day on a no expire ticket at 10:00PM would be pretty expensive (although less than paying full prices for the ticket).

How long are you staying for? Would it be possible to get expiring tickets for this trip? If you were staying for at least 3 or 4 days then it would only cost you a few dollars to burn a day on an expiring ticket.

As far as doing it goes, Will Call or Guest Relations will be open up to (and after) the park closes, so you don't need to worry about that, but you do need to get there before park closing so you can enter the park with your GAD ticket.

 

[BrettS]

July 3 MK closes 11PM. Our flight arrives 9:30PM. I plan to rent car, rush over to MK, exchange GAD vouchers for non-expire tickets

...

for our 4 day trip.

I just reread your message, and in light of what you said, I have a couple of thoughts...

If your flight lands at 9:30 it's going to be cutting it *really* close to get off the plane, rent a car, get to TTC, take the monorail or ferry to the MK, get your ticket from will call and enter the park by 11:00. Not only that, but you'll have to add in the cost of a rental car, since you said you'd take the ME otherwise. By the time you do all that, especially if you really want the no expiration ticket I suspect that burning a day and renting a car is going to wipe out all your savings.

Assuming you're getting a 10 day no expiration ticket the cost is $481.38 (including tax) for an adult, or $48.19 a day. You can get a credit of $84.14 for your GAD voucher bringing your cost down to $397.24, but since you had to use a day on the 3rd you'd only wind up with 9 usable days and it would be $44.14 per day ($397.24).

Alternately you could go with a 5 day expiring ticket. You would pay $158.68 (including tax) for an adult to upgrade to the 5 day ticket. You'd burn one day when you did the upgrade and have 4 days left for your trip. Not counting the day you burned, you'd pay $39.67 per day ($158.68 / 4).

Neither of those options factor in the cost of the rental car, however, and assume that you can make it to the MK in time to do the upgrade, which I think is no better than 50/50. By the time you factor that in, I'm thinking that you might be better off using the GAD vouchers for fast passes and just purchasing your tickets on July 4th.

You could still do the 10 day NE for $481.38 each (or 48.19 per day) or a 4 day expiring ticket for $239.63 (or $59.91 per day). Counting the rental car, I think the cost would be pretty similar and you wouldn't have to worry about the stress of trying to get to the park that night. Plus July 4th is a pretty crazy busy time at Disney... the GAD fastpasses might be a good option for you anyway.

 

[mdrob214]

I agree. Especially if you are upgrading to a NE ticket you must use your GAD ticket prior to any upgrade.

Since you will be arriving at 9:30, if your flight is on time, you will then have to get your luggage, rent a car, and get to the TTC in time to get your GAD ticket and then enter the MK to do the upgrade.

The only way you can get an immediate upgrade at the time you are redeeming your voucher is if you are getting a pass with a specific expiration date on it, such as an AP.

And on July 4 you would be able to use the voucher for Fastpass Exchange Cards or thye sculpt and pins, but you must have a multi-day ticket in hand to do that.

And unfortunately, the blockout dates were published with the initial rules.

We plan to be in DHS on July 4th--hoping this is correct as we'd definitely like to skip the TSM Trample! Planning to get the GAD FP so we can head to RnR and ToT first.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We plan to be in DHS on July 4th--hoping this is correct as we'd definitely like to skip the TSM Trample! Planning to get the GAD FP so we can head to RnR and ToT first.

Several DISers reported that they were able to redeem for FPs during the spring break blackout period, and prior to the blackout dates, Cheshire Figment himself actually confirmed with the ticketing CMs that it would work and reported it here. There is a thread somewhere where he posts what he learned, but bottom line - you will be good to go on July 4 as long as the person redeeming the voucher has a multi-day ticket and everyone in your group has valid admission. Enjoy!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

During a blockout the GAD voucher cannot be redeemed for a ticket but can be redeemed for the Fastpass Eschange Cards and/or the hat sculpt with pins.

 

[doconeill]

If your flight lands at 9:30 it's going to be cutting it *really* close to get off the plane, rent a car, get to TTC, take the monorail or ferry to the MK, get your ticket from will call and enter the park by 11:00.

Note that there is also a Will Call at the TTC - however I don't know if it maintains the same hours.

 

[BrettS]

Note that there is also a Will Call at the TTC - however I don't know if it maintains the same hours.

From my experience the whole TTC closes sometime in the late afternoon or evening and any ticketing transactions need to be done at the MK.

In the case of the OP, though, even if she can get her GAD ticket at the TTC she's still gotta make it to the MK by closing in order to enter the park or the GAD ticket will expire.

 

[Mrs. Jumbo]

The only way you can get an immediate upgrade at the time you are redeeming your voucher is if you are getting a pass with a specific expiration date on it, such as an AP.
And unfortunately, the blockout dates were published with the initial rules.

On July 3, can I redeem vouchers for 5-day tickets with expiration? Does that count as immediate upgrade so we don't have to enter park same day that we redeem vouchers?
We hope to get non-expire tickets to use for 2 trips, looks like it won't work out. BrettS, I appreciate your detail comparisons.
Is MK Will Call different than TTC Will Call? I mean is there a Will Call next to MK so we can just walk over to MK turnstile after exchanging vouchers?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and great tips! Keep posting if you think of anything.

 

[doconeill]

On July 3, can I redeem vouchers for 5-day tickets with expiration? Does that count as immediate upgrade so we don't have to enter park same day that we redeem vouchers?
We hope to get non-expire tickets to use for 2 trips, looks like it won't work out. BrettS, I appreciate your detail comparisons.
Is MK Will Call different than TTC Will Call? I mean is there a Will Call next to MK so we can just walk over to MK turnstile after exchanging vouchers?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and great tips! Keep posting if you think of anything.

Unfortunately, any MYW ticket upgrade requires the GAD ticket to be used before upgrading. The ones CF was talking about are things like Annual Passes, etc. that will expire on a certain date based on when you activated them, regardless of whether you enter a park or not. Expiration on a MYW ticket doesn't start ticking until it gets used at a turnstile.

MK has its own Will Call outside the turnstiles to the right. Usually it is at the Guest Relations windows, but on busier days it can be in the small rotunda building nearby. Either way, its right there so you can walk in after getting the GAD ticket, then you can upgrade it at your convenience.

 

[BrettS]

On July 3, can I redeem vouchers for 5-day tickets with expiration? Does that count as immediate upgrade so we don't have to enter park same day that we redeem vouchers?

Unfortunately not, but because it only costs $3 to add a 5th day to an expiring ticket, versus each day being worth $48 (or more) on a non expiring ticket I was thinking that it would be a lot less costly to burn that extra day on an expiring ticket. It still doesn't solve your problem of having to get to the MK in time to redeem your voucher and enter the park.

What airline are you flying? A lot of airlines will let you get to the airport early and stand by to get on an earlier flight, although some do charge a fee for this. Maybe that's an option so you can get down a little earlier?

 

[mdrob214]

During a blockout the GAD voucher cannot be redeemed for a ticket but can be redeemed for the Fastpass Eschange Cards and/or the hat sculpt with pins.

Great news--thanks!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

On July 3, can I redeem vouchers for 5-day tickets with expiration? Does that count as immediate upgrade so we don't have to enter park same day that we redeem vouchers?
We hope to get non-expire tickets to use for 2 trips, looks like it won't work out. BrettS, I appreciate your detail comparisons.
Is MK Will Call different than TTC Will Call? I mean is there a Will Call next to MK so we can just walk over to MK turnstile after exchanging vouchers?

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and great tips! Keep posting if you think of anything.

The issue is not expiring vs. non-expiring tickets - you can upgrade your GAD to either kind, so if you want non-expiring tickets for two trips, that's fine. The issue is that the GAD ticket has to be used on the date redeemed.

The maximum number of days on a MYW ticket is ten. You will have to use one day on July 3. I don't know if having nine days left is enough for two trips for your family - if it is, you can upgrade to a 10-day MYW with no-expiration, realizing that one day will be used on the 3rd. A 10-day MYW ticket with no-expiration is about $36 more than a 9-day ticket with no-expiration, so you lose that amount of value because you have to burn a day on the 3rd. Add in the rental car cost, and it is maybe not such a great deal.

Another thought is to buy your tickets ahead of time. Undercover Tourist has 10-day MYW tickets with no-expiration for $462 for adults, compared to $481 at the gate. If you sign up for the mousesavers.com newsletter that comes out June 15, there will be a link to UCT with slightly cheaper prices. You won't have to rent a car or burn a day on the 3rd, and you can use the GAD vouchers for FP cards, which would be awesome on July 4. The cost will probably be similar since you won't have a rental car and won't waste a day, plus you won't be stressing so much.

Alternatively, you can buy a 4-day MYW ticket from Undercover Tourist for $233 for adults and not worry about the no-expiration part. Just buy tickets for this trip and use the vouchers for FPs. By way of comparison, the cost to upgrade the GAD voucher to a five-day ticket (since you will lose a day on the 3rd) is 158.68. Since there are five in your family, it would be cheaper to rent a car for the day so you can upgrade the vouchers, but I'm not sure you'll make it with your current flight schedule. Compare the cost savings of upgrading the GAD with the cost to get there.

You can also upgrade your tickets and add no-expiration if you want once you get there.

Brett's idea of going standby is also a good one, especially if there are no fees associated with the change. But you have to get everyone there on time for it to work.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Someone reported on another thread that July 2 hours have been extended until midnight with an additonal showing of MSEP. July 3 is still listed as closing at 11, but I'd keep checking the calendar in case they get extended as well.