Issues upgrading tickets to AP

[wdwrule]

I have the exact same situation. We are upgrading Disney free dining package tickets to an AP. I was under the impression we would only get the "discounted" price of the tix. Sounds like we should get bridged though which is good news! (On a side note , Mousesavers.com lists out the full ticket prices)

How much would it cost to upgrade/bridge package tickets to AP? Is there a link I could look it up? A newbie to this...

ETA: just saw Wood Nymph's response. I'll check disney website.

 

[ELSA711]

You only have to go to the Disney website and look at the current ticket prices. For example, if you currently have a five day park hopper and you want to upgrade to an annual pass, then you look at the current price for each of them. The amount of money you would pay to upgrade will be the difference between the current price of the first ticket and the current price of the second one.

Okay, great! Thanks. So it looks like I have a 9day park hopper option pricing at 459.00 online right now. I would pay the difference between that and the current AP price when I arrive?

 

[Robo]

Okay, great! Thanks. So it looks like I have a 9day park hopper option pricing at 459.00 online right now. I would pay the difference between that and the current AP price when I arrive?

Yes. (Plus 6.5% tax on that difference price.)

 

[ars0525]

When I upgraded my ticket I had bought from UT to an AP I ended up paying more cause the CM wouldn't bridge & wouldn't hear it. I went home, thought about it more (and asked here) & when I came back the next month I went to Guest Relations just to inquire. I was shocked when that CM realized the error immediately, apologized AND gave me a gift card back with the amount I had been overcharged. No hassle, no explaining, no complaining.

So now whenever I run into a CM that isn't willing to listen or do things I know should be done, I walk away & try another place.

 

[Minniekins]

If you bought them directly from Disney you could upgrade them but they would not price bridge for you... But I'd just buy them from UT or ParkSavers.

Thanks, Disney_Alli!

I have never had problems upgrading to an AP or adding days and having them properly bridged, I have done it several times. I was always prepared with the numbers but never had an issue, all went smoothly. DD did it as well on one of her trips, and it worked just fine for her too.

 

[StuckInKS]

Has anyone upgraded recently without issue? It seems at least on these boards that more people have issues than not. I'm not sure it's worth the aggravation if I have to battle with CMs on my vacation.

We did on June 2 without issue at Animal Kingdom guest relations. It was the exact price I calculated based on current AP price minus current gate price. We got ours in a Disney package before the price increase. Since the difference before/after the price increase for us was $300, I definitely would have noticed.

ETA: An easy way to determine the difference is to go to the Disney website and price out your current tickets (make sure to look at the very bottom, past the add-ons, to get the price WITH tax) and then price out your APs. Subtract AP price from ticket price to find the difference.

Also, our APs were given an expiration date that is 1 year from the day we upgraded (June 2) and NOT the day we first used the tickets (May 21). I mentioned to her that it was supposed to be from the day of first use and she said she knew that, but June 2 was the date the computer was giving her. I checked MDE about a week ago and they all say June 2. Don't know if this is a new policy, if we just got lucky or if we'll show up at a park on May 22, 2017 and not be able to get in.

 

[beesly]

Has anyone upgraded recently without issue? It seems at least on these boards that more people have issues than not. I'm not sure it's worth the aggravation if I have to battle with CMs on my vacation.

In April, I upgraded to an AP from 7-day PH tickets purchased from ParkSavers. I went to the GR office inside of DHS and was greeting by a CM in training. A supervisory CM walked him through the process of recognizing an "indicator" on my ticket that meant it needed to be price bridged before being upgraded. The price of the upgrade was exactly what I'd calculated it to be before I went on my trip.

 

[Rash]

So wait - I take the BEFORE TAX price of the AP and subtract the BEFORE TAX gate price of the ticket to get the difference, and then add the 6.5% tax to that amount to get the total, correct?

 

[Wood Nymph]

So wait - I take the BEFORE TAX price of the AP and subtract the BEFORE TAX gate price of the ticket to get the difference, and then add the 6.5% tax to that amount to get the total, correct?

No. It will be the difference between the price of the park hoppers with tax added and the price of the AP with tax added. You don't need to calculate the tax.

for example:
9 day park hopper with tax is $488.84
an annual pass with tax is $797.69

the upgrade cost would be $308.95

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

In April, I upgraded to an AP from 7-day PH tickets purchased from ParkSavers. I went to the GR office inside of DHS and was greeting by a CM in training. A supervisory CM walked him through the process of recognizing an "indicator" on my ticket that meant it needed to be price bridged before being upgraded. The price of the upgrade was exactly what I'd calculated it to be before I went on my trip.

That indicator is the "alphabet soup" I've talked about in these threads before. I don't know offhand which one ParkSavers tickets have - I'm guessing either IA or LR. They all get treated more or less the same.

Also, our APs were given an expiration date that is 1 year from the day we upgraded (June 2) and NOT the day we first used the tickets (May 21). I mentioned to her that it was supposed to be from the day of first use and she said she knew that, but June 2 was the date the computer was giving her. I checked MDE about a week ago and they all say June 2. Don't know if this is a new policy, if we just got lucky or if we'll show up at a park on May 22, 2017 and not be able to get in.

She didn't know that upgrading on level 96 would let her manually input an expiration date. You got a bit of pixie dust - the luck was that it didn't backdate to the day your ticket was issued, which happens sometimes.

 

[ELSA711]

Question - if I upgrade to the AP platinum pass and then on next years trip decide we want Water parks can I add on later to an AP or best to do it from day #1?

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

Question - if I upgrade to the AP platinum pass and then on next years trip decide we want Water parks can I add on later to an AP or best to do it from day #1?

You can upgrade any time during the year your pass is valid. But, the price is exactly the same as if you added it on day 1, and your expiration date remains the same.

If you only want one day at the water parks, a single day water park ticket is cheaper than the price difference between a Platinum pass and a Platinum Plus pass.

 

[Sandi]

Has anyone upgraded recently without issue? It seems at least on these boards that more people have issues than not. I'm not sure it's worth the aggravation if I have to battle with CMs on my vacation.

I upgraded my 4 day PH purchased from UT to an AP in May with no problem. I did my upgrade at DHS GS. I was helped by a CM who was on her first day "on stage" and had a marvelous supervisor who was with us the whole time. The supervisor was actually glad to have my request so that she could walk through the whole bridging, etc. with the CM she was training.

I've altered tickets purchased from UT on nearly all of my trips. We either have to add a day, add water parks, upgrade to AP, or something else. In my experience, DHS and EP GS seem to have the most knowledgeable CMs. MK has been the worst -- although I've never not gotten what I wanted at the price I'd pre-calculated. Were I to run into someone who refused to bridge, I'd just stop and try at a different venue later. Though I've not had to do that.

 

[Rash]

No. It will be the difference between the price of the park hoppers with tax added and the price of the AP with tax added. You don't need to calculate the tax.

for example:
9 day park hopper with tax is $488.84
an annual pass with tax is $797.69

the upgrade cost would be $308.95

Doesn't this response by Robo contradict that?

Yes. (Plus 6.5% tax on that difference price.)

ETA: Actually, did some math, and it doesn't matter - the result is the same no matter how you calculate it.

 

[Robo]

No. It will be the difference between the price of the park hoppers with tax added and the price of the AP with tax added. You don't need to calculate the tax.

for example:
9 day park hopper with tax is $488.84
an annual pass with tax is $797.69

the upgrade cost would be $308.95

You can do it that way.
Or, you can do the calculation on both prices without tax, then add the tax on the difference price.

The result is the same number.

ETA: Actually, did some math, and it doesn't matter - the result is the same no matter how you calculate it.

Yup.

 

[krsb09]

I'm really happy to hear that people have been successful going back to GS to get an incorrectly bridged ticket to AP refunded. I upgraded from a 10 day PH with WP&M last November, and I was overcharged by a couple hundred dollars because my discount ticket wasn't bridged. I'm STILL upset about that. Incidentally, my upgrade was also done at MK City Hall, and my CM asked his supervisor if he could bridge, and she said no. Has anyone successfully bridged recently at the GS in Disney Springs?

 

[Robo]

I'm really happy to hear that people have been successful going back to GS to get an incorrectly bridged ticket to AP refunded. I upgraded from a 10 day PH with WP&M last November, and
1. I was overcharged by a couple hundred dollars because my discount ticket wasn't bridged. I'm STILL upset about that. Incidentally, my upgrade was also done at MK City Hall, and my CM asked his supervisor if he could bridge, and she said no.

2. Has anyone successfully bridged recently at the GS in Disney Springs?

1. If you have yet not gotten this situation rectified, you can still do that with a trip to Guest Relations next trip.

If you want to get it corrected from home, call-
Ticketing Guest Services:
Outside Line: 407-566-4985 (option 5)
Hours: 8:30-16:30 ET Mon-Sat

2. Yes. And, there are two DS locations.

But, please understand that when you go ANYWHERE to upgrade, the CMs there
will simply be different all the time.
Shift changes, hires and fires, vacation relief, dinner breaks… all affect whom you find behind the desk or window.