I made a HUGE mistake

[Lorelai]

I made a HUGE mistake in purchasing my family's tickets (and with our room rates too!).

We are planning a trip for April 20th through 28th 2007. But a surprise trip has come up for this April 30th through May 4th due to a business conference for my husband. Because we can only afford to go every few years, I instinctively booked the room & purchased tickets from Ticket Mania.

Then a few days later I realized that I could have purchased Annual Passes! I was in tears. This morning I read that tickets can be upgraded. Is this true? How do I do this? Can I do it with ticket Mania Tickets? Can anyone explain this to me?

***My husband thought that AP could only be used monthly (like from April 1, 2006 - April 1, 2007). I thought it went by the actual 365 days. Even if he's right, I would forego entering the parks on April 30th this year & wait for May 1, then just use it from May of 2006 through April 2007. Is that right?

Sorry to sound like a Doofus - but I really need to understand all of this. Thanks!

 

[wdwoldtimer]

The AP's run from the day of your first use to the following year. They don't go by the calendar year if that's what you meant. Not sure what a Ticket Mania ticket is, but I'm pretty sure multi-day passes can be upgraded/credited towards an annual pass. You can do that at guest relations.

 

[mytwotinks]

I am not sure about whether or not you can upgrade to an ap, I really really hope for your sake that you can. The good news is that if you can, your ap will be valid for 365 days and you can get a room discount with it a lot of times too!

 

[isyt]

You should be able to upgrade them at a guest relations booth. I just looked at my ap's and I think your dh is correct (never say they are right) that they are month to a month(apr-apr). Your second trip is within April so you should be ok. I know there is other experts thta can help!!!

 

[Lorelai]

The AP's run from the day of your first use to the following year. They don't go by the calendar year if that's what you meant. Not sure what a Ticket Mania ticket is, but I'm pretty sure multi-day passes can be upgraded/credited towards an annual pass. You can do that at guest relations.

So if we use the first day of our passes on April 30th of this year than we should be okay to use them again for April 20th through 28th of next year?

Ticket Maina is a web site that sells Disney tickets at a slight discount, it is like Maple Leaf tickets - if you have heard of that vendor. I just found out about these two sites last year through the AllEars website - which is another place for Disney Info Online.

Does anyone know if it matters where I purchased the tickets?

 

[Lorelai]

You should be able to upgrade them at a guest relations booth. I just looked at my ap's and I think your dh is correct (never say they are right) that they are month to a month(apr-apr). Your second trip is within April so you should be ok. I know there is other experts thta can help!!!

Hey there isyt - both of my parents are from Boonton, I am in Randolph - so hello neighbor!

Okay, then it is okay to use the APs for this April and next April too?

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Yes, if you use your AP's for the first time on Apr 30th of 2006, then you can use them any time up until Apr 29th of 2007.

I assume the tickets from Ticket Mania are just regular tickets...I can't imagine them being anything else and accepted at WDW. So you should be able to upgrade them assuming there's not some kind of weird restriction attached to them.

 

[SnackyStacky]

First - yes - your ticket mania tickets will be able to be upgraded. Simply go to any Guest Relations booth at the parks or Downtown Disney. Guest Relations is located at the main entrance of each park (including the Magic Kingdom), as well as locations at the International Gateway, Downtown Disney Marketplace, and Downtown Disney West Side. The Marketplace location is between Team Mickey and the Arribas Brothers glass shop. The West Side location is next to Wetzel's Pretzels. You will NOT be able to process the upgrade at your resort. This is because the resorts don't sell Annual Passes.

Second - your Annual Pass will be valid for 366 days from the date of activation. Since an upgrade can only be processed AT Walt Disney World itself, and since when purchasing an Annual Pass at Walt Disney World it is active at the time of purchase - your pass will be active for 366 days from the day you buy it. So if you process the upgrade on April 28, 2006 - your pass will be valid until April 28, 2007.

Also - when you upgrade, just double check the anniversary date on the back of your pass. Mine was misprinted (and some other DISers had the same problem) and the date was wrong. It's easier to fix if you spot it before you leave.

 

[Mommio]

Hello!

I purchased my AP in Downtown Disney on August 11, 2005. Printed on the back is the AP number which includes that date and then it states "Valid through 08/11/06".

Also, you might want to consider joining Disney's Dining Experience. It gives you a 20% discount at most restaurants and costs $50 or so to become a member. It paid for itself and saved us lots of $$$ when we did multiple trips last year.
www.disney.dining.experience@disney.com

 

[Lorelai]

Yes, if you use your AP's for the first time on Apr 30th of 2006, then you can use them any time up until Apr 29th of 2007.

I assume the tickets from Ticket Mania are just regular tickets...I can't imagine them being anything else and accepted at WDW. So you should be able to upgrade them assuming there's not some kind of weird restriction attached to them.

Yes, they are just regular Magic Your Way tickets purchased by the Ticket Mania people from Disney World in Orlando. We bought them on our last trip too & they are just regular tickets. Thank you.

 

[Lorelai]

First - yes - your ticket mania tickets will be able to be upgraded. Simply go to any Guest Relations booth at the parks or Downtown Disney. Guest Relations is located at the main entrance of each park (including the Magic Kingdom), as well as locations at the International Gateway, Downtown Disney Marketplace, and Downtown Disney West Side. The Marketplace location is between Team Mickey and the Arribas Brothers glass shop. The West Side location is next to Wetzel's Pretzels. You will NOT be able to process the upgrade at your resort. This is because the resorts don't sell Annual Passes.

Second - your Annual Pass will be valid for 366 days from the date of activation. Since an upgrade can only be processed AT Walt Disney World itself, and since when purchasing an Annual Pass at Walt Disney World it is active at the time of purchase - your pass will be active for 366 days from the day you buy it. So if you process the upgrade on April 28, 2006 - your pass will be valid until April 28, 2007.

Also - when you upgrade, just double check the anniversary date on the back of your pass. Mine was misprinted (and some other DISers had the same problem) and the date was wrong. It's easier to fix if you spot it before you leave.

Wow, thank you so much for the info. I am printing this post to bring with me in case I have any questions & forget the answers.

I am always amazed that there is so much detailed knowledge on the DIS. My husband just watches in amazement as I type in a question - and BOOM - an answer in like, less than an hour! I like to tease him that it's his own fault that I'm such a Disney addict - it was his suggestion that we go on our honeymoon, since I had never been before, and now I'm the one hooked!

Thanks again.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Just wait til you get the bill for all these questions....

 

[Lorelai]

he, he... I'd better go start answering some for "Earning My Ears" set then.

 

[cristbaby]

Hello!

I purchased my AP in Downtown Disney on August 11, 2005. Printed on the back is the AP number which includes that date and then it states "Valid through 08/11/06".

Also, you might want to consider joining Disney's Dining Experience. It gives you a 20% discount at most restaurants and costs $50 or so to become a member. It paid for itself and saved us lots of $$$ when we did multiple trips last year.
www.disney.dining.experience@disney.com

Disney Dining Experience is now $60.

 

[peter11435]

Actually if you first used your AP on April 30, 2006 it would work up until April 30, 2007. Thus the AP is actually good for 366 days.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Wow so I've been wasting a day every year....I should try to get a refund from Disney.

 

[Brian Noble]

OP: there is one problem with your plan, assuming I understood it correctly---if you upgrade MYW tickets, applying their value to an AP, the AP activation date will be the day the MYW ticket was first used, not the day the new AP was first used. (At least, I believe this is true. I thought mousesavers explained this, but I can't find it any longer.)

If I understand correctly then: if you go the same calendar dates every year, you can't buy an MYW, upgrade it to an AP at the end, and then use the AP for the next year's trip. The second trip has to be one week "earlier" in the calendar than the first one.

Allears has a good FAQ page on APs:
http://allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm#faq

 

[Lorelai]

OP: there is one problem with your plan, assuming I understood it correctly---if you upgrade MYW tickets, applying their value to an AP, the AP activation date will be the day the MYW ticket was first used, not the day the new AP was first used. (At least, I believe this is true. I thought mousesavers explained this, but I can't find it any longer.)

If I understand correctly then: if you go the same calendar dates every year, you can't buy an MYW, upgrade it to an AP at the end, and then use the AP for the next year's trip. The second trip has to be one week "earlier" in the calendar than the first one.

Allears has a good FAQ page on APs:
http://allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm#faq

I haven't used any yet. They are new - just purchased last week. I plan to upgrade to AP before we even use them for the first time. So if I upgrade on 4/30/06 then that will count as my start point and then I can use it from 4/20 - 4/28 of 2007. I think?

 

[Lorelai]

SnackyStacky -
You wouldn't happen to know the hours of the Downtown Disney Guest Relations, would you? We would need to go in the evening, probably after dinner. Thanks!

 

[Allison]

I haven't used any yet. They are new - just purchased last week. I plan to upgrade to AP before we even use them for the first time. So if I upgrade on 4/30/06 then that will count as my start point and then I can use it from 4/20 - 4/28 of 2007. I think?

You can use if from 4/30/06 to 4/30/07.