GAD for tickets and upgrade

[DisneyDewdrop]

Hello,

I am planning on using my GAD vouchers for the 1 day ticket and then upgrading to an 8-day hopper. This will be the first time I go to Disney without tickets already purchased and this makes me nervous. I would like to ask if anyone has done the GAD ticket and upgrade option, and if so, could you please post to alleviate my anxiety over not having tickets when I arrive.

I will be flying into Orlando late afternoon and checking into Pop. I will be ready to go to a park by 6 p.m., but really only want to get my tickets. If I went to a park, say MK and brought my vouchers to the Will Call window, would I be able to use the GAD that late in the day for the theme park ticket? I really would prefer to have the tickets settled the day I arrive versus the next morning when I want to get into the line at rope drop. If I did get my tickets, can I upgrade to the 8-day hopper pass right then and there, or do I have to use the ticket first and then upgrade?

Also, once I get the 8-day hopper, can I return to the front desk at Pop and have them attach the tickets to the room keys even though I have already checked in?

Thanks for any assistance you may offer in answering my questions.

 

[TaraPA]

I did this 3 weks ago - and yes you can go to Will Call outside the park & get your 1-day ticket with your GAD voucher AND upgrade to the 8-day ticket right then & there. Earlier reports were stating that you had to get the GAD 1-day ticket outside & then enter the park with it, and then upgrade once inside the park. This was not the case for us at all, it was done at the same time, outside at Will Call, in less than 5 minutes! So you will NOT have to enter the park that 1st night, you can just get your tickets at Will Call & go back to Pop.

And yes, you can have them put your ticket on your KTTWC/room key.

 

[DisneyDewdrop]

Thank you Tara. I feel much better about utilizing my GAD for tickets. It will certainly be a money saver.

 

[seashoreCM]

Don't redeem the GAD voucher for a ticket the day before you really want to begin your park fun; the official rule is that you have to use the ticket that day.

You can redeem late in the evening and go in the park. If they don't let you do a one stop redeem and upgrade, you can come back the next day or so to upgrade if you forgot to when you left the park after the first day or evening.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/dispass.htm

 

[winterman]

The voucher says "one day 1 theme park ticket must be used on the same day as redemption." What is supposed to happen is that you turn in your voucher outside a park, use that ticket to enter the park that day, then at any time during the next 14 days you can upgrade it as you wish.

However, many people have reported on these boards that they were able to upgrade the ticket immediately, when they turned in the voucher. So it may pay to ask. But the rules say you have to use the ticket that day so you may not be able to upgrade until you get inside the park.

As for your last question, yes, the concierge desk can move your ticket to your KTTW.

 

[TaraPA]

I'm SO GLAD someone pointed that out - I had no idea that you had to use the GAD the same day!!!!! We did, we went right into MK after our upgrade, so it didn't cross my mind that you coudn't do that. So sorry I gave you wrong info, looks like you will have to go into a park that same night afterall.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this over to our GAD board.

 

[keishashadow]

is it safe to assume that the GAD tix can't be added to remainder of a non-expiring MYW tix that already had days used on a prior trip (longer than 14 days?)

 

[doconeill]

is it safe to assume that the GAD tix can't be added to remainder of a non-expiring MYW tix that already had days used on a prior trip (longer than 14 days?)

Totally safe...you can't combine tickets at all anyways (with one exception regarding water park tickets). In addition, you cannot modify a MYW ticket after 14 days of first use (even if it has No Expire - that does NOT extend the ability to modify the ticket).

No Expire tickets are never a good idea if they can't cover an entire trip, as you'd have to purchase another ticket which ends up costing you more.

I'd save the old MYW ticket and just upgrade the GAD ticket to what you need.

 

[keishashadow]

Totally safe...you can't combine tickets at all anyways (with one exception regarding water park tickets). In addition, you cannot modify a MYW ticket after 14 days of first use (even if it has No Expire - that does NOT extend the ability to modify the ticket).

No Expire tickets are never a good idea if they can't cover an entire trip, as you'd have to purchase another ticket which ends up costing you more.

I'd save the old MYW ticket and just upgrade the GAD ticket to what you need.

thanx, fyi, i crunched the numbers when i purchased a 10 day base no expire MYW tix (last summer, pre price increase & using upgradeable tix bought thru undercovertourist @ heavy discount), it wound up being less than 3 comparable sets of tix we'd need for our upcoming travel plans.

typically, i buy APs (@ discount) but our travel habits have changed over the past few years. We do split stays @ Universal for several days, enjoy spending a day @ the waterparks or offsite - seaworld, even swam with the manatees @ crystal river! & have been cruising more, so they're not cost effective.

im stretching the 10 day tix supplemented by special event party tix into 3 different trips, so i'll just use the GAD voucher we have coming for one day during our Oct trip.

i do have a one day tix (i had removed from room key) i had to buy for a FDP last dec on hand, will just hang onto it for upgrade or guests in our party.

 

[doconeill]

Right, a No Expire ticket would make sense if your travel habits are such that the ticket covers trips such that you don't need to purchase an additional ticket - i.e., two 5-day trips, or a 7-day and 3-day, or two 3-days and a 4-day, etc.

If you need to purchase even just a single additional day on a separate ticket, you end up paying more in the end.

However, there are some people who simply "chain" 10-day NE tickets continuously, so in those cases it probably wouldn't matter either, especially if they do lots of small trips.

 

[jessrose18]

I will be redeeming my gad tix at dhs next month I hope they let me upgrade right away as we are leaving the next morning and I wont have time to get to a ticket booth. We are going to one park day this trip and one park day in December and want to hop both trips. So I want to upgrade GAD ticket to a two day park hopper w/ no expiration right? If my logic is correct this would allow me to pay the 2 day no expiration fee (16/ticket) and then not have to pay hopping price again when we go for one day in December. Is this the best logic for this situation?

 

[doconeill]

I will be redeeming my gad tix at dhs next month I hope they let me upgrade right away as we are leaving the next morning and I wont have time to get to a ticket booth. We are going to one park day this trip and one park day in December and want to hop both trips. So I want to upgrade GAD ticket to a two day park hopper w/ no expiration right? If my logic is correct this would allow me to pay the 2 day no expiration fee (16/ticket) and then not have to pay hopping price again when we go for one day in December. Is this the best logic for this situation?

First, if they don't let you upgrade right at the will call window, no problem - you can do it at Guest Relations inside the park after you enter.

2-day NE costs $18 now as well.

If you actually NEED park hopping on both days, the numbers are (without tax):

Two 1-day park hoppers: $262

2-day park hopper, NE: $226

So you'd save $36, not including the $79 you'd save either way with the GAD voucher.

 

[jessrose18]

Thanks!

 

[jessrose18]

Thanks for the great ticket advice, I have one more question about a water park ticket loophole I have read about, that you can add wp tickets to your passes after use....
We are going to a water park on tuesday and buying one day passes, then going to use our GAD tix on Wed and upgrading them to two day hopper w/ no expiration can we give them our used water park ticket from the day before and get the wpand more option added for an additional $7 to our ticket (52 for option vs. 45 for single day tix)? Does this make sense? And if so would our additional wp day be good even after we use our other single day park ticket. Does the wp day stay on there until we use it, or expire after our park days are used. Thanks....

 

[doconeill]

This is a bit complex...in general, yes, you can combine a used water park ticket with a MYW ticket to get the WPFM option. You can only do this at the water parks, however. You can do it within 14 days of using the water park ticket (i.e. if you use it on a Sunday, you need to upgrade it no later than the second Saturday afterwards).

This would give you an extra WPFM admission, and if you have the No Expire option, it does not expire either - even if you've used all the park days.

So if you are going for the NE option, the $7 for an extra WPFM admission in the future is worth it.

 

[jessrose18]

thanks, that might be worth the extra trip the morning we leave to the wp for ticket upgrade...I appreciate your quick response

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Yes to all of the questions.

Go to a water park Tuesday and buy one-day water park tickets and use them
Exchange your GAD vouchers for one day theme park tickets Wednesday and use them.
Take both tickets to a water park ticket window on Thursday and upgrade to a one day with two fun visits ticket for about $7 plus tax.

Of course the ticket will expire on the second Tuesday after you have used the GAD ticket. Technically you will have a one day ticket with WPF&M (which gives two minor park entries) but a one day ticket can never get the No Expire option.You cannot

 

[doconeill]

jessrose is planning to get a 2-day ticket, so getting the NE is allowed...