Please, any AP holders, I need help...

[janets]

I posted this on the Codes and Discounts board but no one has answered...

I need some advice or real world experience here.

We're going to WDW 11/5-11/12 and yesterday I found a great airfare for Easter week ($165/pp rt) so I booked it. That means that we'll have enough days to warrant an AP. Since we're new DVC members, I can buy the APs at a discount so that makes it even more attractive.

Since we already had our November trip booked and we want to save our points for our trip in Nov 2006, we'll be staying at a Mod in April. We are 2 adults and 2 kids bet 3-9. In order to buy the dining plan, I need to buy tickets. I have read several posts over the months saying to just buy the 1 day MYW basic ticket for all members of your party and use them against your AP renewal.

However, has anyone actually DONE this? I spoke with CRO twice yesterday and once to AAA and all told me that 1 day MYW basic tickets expire 14 days after you check in and you cannot buy a non expiration option for them. In order to apply ticket costs to my AP renewal, I would have to do one of the following:

1. Buy 2 day MYW tickets w/ non expiration options and hold them until my APs are due for renewal in Nov 2006 or:

2. Buy the 1 day MYW basic tickets and on the last day of our trip, advance renew my APs, applying the value of the tickets against the renewal. I'm told my renewal date will still be Nov.

Both of these require a large outlay of cash, either upfront (almost $500 for the 4 2-day tickets) or in advance (renewing early). And of course, I can only apply the adult ticket values to an adult renewal and the kids' to a child's renewal.

So anyone have any real world experience or advice? I guess in reality, if I have the AP and use the DDE, and end up getting an AP rate on the room, I might be able to break even with the food cost of the dining plan, but that would only be if we didn't order anywhere near the food allowed on the plan.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can respond.

 

[Dory41]

Bumping for an answer.

I've also read that as long as the pass is not used, it is good indefinitely and can be applied to future ticket purchases. I also double checked w/ my DU TA who said that they do not expire. The responses that you've gotten from CRO and AAA have gotten me a bit worried

 

[janets]

and the person I spoke with was pretty adament that the "Policy" is that you can "upgrade" your 1 day ticket to any other ticket w/in 14 days from it's purchase (which would be the day you check into your resort and it's put on your KTTW card). Therefore, while you can hold it indefinitely for use as long as you don't put it through the turnstiles at any park, you would have a problem applying the cost of that 1 day ticket to any other ticket (including an AP) if you waited longer than 14 days from purchase.

However, he did say that when I get to the parks in November '06 (that would be the time for our AP renewals) I should go to Guest Services and explain what I had and what I was hoping to do. Apparently, they have the capability to "override" the system and perhaps either let me apply the value to a renewal, apply it to a new AP or some other way of getting the money out of the ticket. If not, then I will either use the 1 day pass and buy a new AP 1 day later or just renew and waste 1 day.

That's why I'm hoping that someone has actually done this with the ticket and can confirm that they had no problem FURTHER THAN 14 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE. I told him that I expected that this was going to be a big issue, since so many AP holders were doing this in order to take advantage of the free dining program going on this fall. Perhaps since none of them have actually gone yet and haven't had to renew, nothing has come to Guest Services notice. I'm hoping that by the time I actually go and have to do this (next Easter Break) it will all be settled, but I hate to be blindsided by this kind of stuff and frankly, I'll have to budget for about $230 more in order to purchase the 1 day passes.

Anyone else with any info?

 

[jcemom]

I'm curious to see if there's ever a definitive answer to this one. I know many AP holders (myself included) booked a package with free dining and only one day base tickets for September. If I can't use my ticket later on, that's fine, but it would be nice if I could. Everything I've read says...and this is directly from the Disney site..."Theme Park admission is valid for 14 days from first use, unless the No Expiration option is also purchased." The operative word here is USE. It doesn't say from check in, or from purchase, but from USE. If I don't use that one day ticket then it should be valid forever.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Package tickets are now COMPLETELY independent of the package. They are no longer tied to your resort stay - like the Ultimate Park Hopper tickets were.

The Cast Member you spoke to was wrong. In order to get an accurate answer, you'd need to speak to one of the folks in Guest Services, Guest Relations, or a ticket window cast member. These are the ONLY people that can process an upgrade, so they're the ones that are versed in the policies for upgrading.

As long as that ticket doesn't hit a turnstile (which would void the ticket for upgrades anyway, since you would only have a 1 day ticket) - it is a valid piece of admission. As such, you can receive credit towards an upgrade.

 

[jcemom]

Thanks Dan! So, I thought you were able to upgrade the 1 day pass at the resort if you needed to...now you can't do that any more? (I have an AP, DH and DS don't, so their tickets need to be upgraded.) I'll need to plan on upgrading them at our first park then, right? TIA

 

[SnackyStacky]

Thanks Dan! So, I thought you were able to upgrade the 1 day pass at the resort if you needed to...now you can't do that any more? (I have an AP, DH and DS don't, so their tickets need to be upgraded.) I'll need to plan on upgrading them at our first park then, right? TIA

Ah ha ha jcemom....

This is where Disney really likes to confuse their guests.

Guest Services and Guest Relations are NOT the same thing. Guest Services is located at the resorts, and Guest Relations are at the park. Why? I dunno.

But - Guest Services is the resort, and yes - they can do the upgrade for you.

 

[jcemom]

Thank you!

 

[janets]

Package tickets are now COMPLETELY independent of the package. They are no longer tied to your resort stay - like the Ultimate Park Hopper tickets were.

The Cast Member you spoke to was wrong. In order to get an accurate answer, you'd need to speak to one of the folks in Guest Services, Guest Relations, or a ticket window cast member. These are the ONLY people that can process an upgrade, so they're the ones that are versed in the policies for upgrading.

As long as that ticket doesn't hit a turnstile (which would void the ticket for upgrades anyway, since you would only have a 1 day ticket) - it is a valid piece of admission. As such, you can receive credit towards an upgrade.

After talking for quite some time with a CM at CRO, I was transferred to someone in Guest Services. He told me that while the 1 day MYW Base Ticket, if not activated, is essentially good forever (you could use that ticket at any time for a 1 day admission), your ability to use it to upgrade to another type of ticket (whether a longer stay or an AP) is limited to the first 14 days after you purchase it (which would be your check in date). The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket.

That said, he did tell me that when we got to the park at the time my AP was due for renewal, I should go to the Guest Services counter at any of the parks and tell them what I wanted to do. They have the ability to basically "override" the system and might be able to give me the value of the 1 day towards my renewal or at the worst, a new AP purchase.

Since the free dining has not yet gone into effect, the bulk of the AP holders who are purchasing the 1 day ticket in order to take advantage of the meal plan have not yet faced the situation of attempting to apply the ticket cost against a renewal. That's why I put this post out, in the hopes of finding someone who might have purchased one back in the spring and now are ready to renew their passes.

While I have some time to go before I face this dilemma, I hate to be caught off guard when it comes to that amount of money. The 1 day tickets for my family will cost me about $230 and I would hate to find that I couldn't get that value back. Worst case, I will simply use the 1 day passes and give up 1 day on my AP renewal pass.

 

[SnackyStacky]

After talking for quite some time with a CM at CRO, I was transferred to someone in Guest Services. He told me that while the 1 day MYW Base Ticket, if not activated, is essentially good forever (you could use that ticket at any time for a 1 day admission), your ability to use it to upgrade to another type of ticket (whether a longer stay or an AP) is limited to the first 14 days after you purchase it (which would be your check in date). The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket.

That said, he did tell me that when we got to the park at the time my AP was due for renewal, I should go to the Guest Services counter at any of the parks and tell them what I wanted to do. They have the ability to basically "override" the system and might be able to give me the value of the 1 day towards my renewal or at the worst, a new AP purchase.

Since the free dining has not yet gone into effect, the bulk of the AP holders now are purchasing the 1 day ticket in order to take advantage of the meal plan have not yet faced the situation of attempting to apply the ticket cost against a renewal. That's why I put this post out, in the hopes of finding someone who might have purchased one back in the spring and now are ready to renew their passes.

While I have some time to go before I face this dilemma, I hate to be caught off guard when it comes to that amount of money. The 1 day tickets for my family will cost me about $230 and I would hate to find that I couldn't get that value back. Worst case, I will simply use the 1 day passes and give up 1 day on my AP renewal pass.

CRO Guest Services and on property guest services are completely different entities.

I'm not saying that I'm right - but before you take the word of the CRO people, speak to those at the parks.

In fact, I will contact Guest Relations (at the parks) and find out about this for you.

Reason I'm so doubting is because if you make a dining reservation for 8 am at one of the parks - the CRO/Dining folks will SWEAR to you - up and down - left and right - that there is NO transportation and you will have to provide your own. But that's not the case. Busses will start running one hour before the earliest ADR time.

 

[janets]

I'd be forever grateful. I have gotten so many answers that I'm going nuts here at work and getting nothing done.

I totally agree that as long as I don't activate the 1 day pass it's good forever. But they keep telling me that you have to use it towards an upgrade w/in the first 14 days. That doesn't make sense if it's not "active" until it goes through the turnstiles and then it's used and you can't use it against an upgrade because you've used it!

I feel like a hamster in that spinny wheel. I'll keep checking back to see if you managed to reach someone with the proper information.

Thanks again!

 

[GoldenOldie]

After talking for quite some time with a CM at CRO, I was transferred to someone in Guest Services. He told me that while the 1 day MYW Base Ticket, if not activated, is essentially good forever (you could use that ticket at any time for a 1 day admission), your ability to use it to upgrade to another type of ticket (whether a longer stay or an AP) is limited to the first 14 days after you purchase it (which would be your check in date). The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket.

The first part - MYW Base Ticket if not activated, is essentially good forever - is quite true.

The second part - your ability to use it to upgrade to another type of ticket (whether a longer stay or an AP) is limited to the first 14 days after you purchase it - is absolutely not true if the 1 day ticket has not been used. There is no expiration on the 1 day MYW base ticket...period. It expires when used and until then, retains 100% of its value.

The third part - The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket - was also completely untrue. I'd go into the old rules for you but it's a moot point other than to point out the inaccuracies of the CM you spoke to.

...That said, he did tell me that when we got to the park at the time my AP was due for renewal, I should go to the Guest Services counter at any of the parks and tell them what I wanted to do. They have the ability to basically "override" the system and might be able to give me the value of the 1 day towards my renewal or at the worst, a new AP purchase.

The CM him/herself does not have the authority to do that. Their supervisor does.

I feel very badly for people like you who call Disney to get the correct information and are still told fallacies. Unfortunately *NONE* of the people you speak to on the phone deal with these policies on a day-to-day basis. Picture your boss at your job fielding a telephone call from someone asking specific questions on something that you do every day but the boss has never done. Unfortunately, that's what you get when you call Disney. Because someone is adament about something does not mean he is right.

Your 1 day tickets will be able to be applied to your AP renewal any time you want to do it so long as the ticket remians unused. It can only be done at a Guest Relations location at the parks or at DTD. Lobby Concierge (the old Guest Services) at the resorts cannot do this transaction.

Oh, BTW, another error by them: you can't renew your AP when it still has over 6 months left on it.

 

[SnackyStacky]

The first part - MYW Base Ticket if not activated, is essentially good forever - is quite true.

The second part - your ability to use it to upgrade to another type of ticket (whether a longer stay or an AP) is limited to the first 14 days after you purchase it - is absolutely not true if the 1 day ticket has not been used. There is no expiration on the 1 day MYW base ticket...period. It expires when used and until then, retains 100% of its value.

The third part - The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket - was also completely untrue. I'd go into the old rules for you but it's a moot point other than to point out the inaccuracies of the CM you spoke to.

The CM him/herself does not have the authority to do that. Their supervisor does.

I feel very badly for people like you who call Disney to get the correct information and are still told fallacies. Unfortunately *NONE* of the people you speak to on the phone deal with these policies on a day-to-day basis. Picture your boss at your job fielding a telephone call from someone asking specific questions on something that you do every day but the boss has never done. Unfortunately, that's what you get when you call Disney. Because someone is adament about something does not mean he is right.

Your 1 day tickets will be able to be applied to your AP renewal any time you want to do it so long as the ticket remians unused. It can only be done at a Guest Relations location at the parks or at DTD. Lobby Concierge (the old Guest Services) at the resorts cannot do this transaction.

Oh, BTW, another error by them: you can't renew your AP when it still has over 6 months left on it.

Shoot - I missed that jcemom was upgrading to an AP. Sorry jcemom!!!!

And once again, I bow to the goddess of Disney admission.

 

[janets]

The third part - The old park hopper passes allowed you to upgrade within the first 5 days; after that, you could not use any of its value against another ticket - was also completely untrue. I'd go into the old rules for you but it's a moot point other than to point out the inaccuracies of the CM you spoke to.

Golden, thanks for all of this info. Your comment about my boss getting a call asking for info on something that I do every day but he never does hit home.

As for the part above, does this apply only if you never use any of the days on the pass or regardless? As I mentioned, we have a 5 day park hopper with 4 days left on it. Can I use any of its value against my son's AP purchase or renewal? Since one day has been used, I wanted to know if I could still do that.

So the reality is that not one single person I spoke with had any correct information...how awful is that? When you consider that people are paying thousands of dollars for their vacation, buying annual passes, taking advantage of a dining plan, etc., you'd hope that you were getting accurate information from the people who are supposed to have the answers. I particularly found your comment that you cannot renew an AP outside of 6 months from expiration particularly interesting. I clearly told them that my APs would be activated in November and I was trying to work this situation out for the following April. That would put it at 7 months from renewal and, according to your information, not able to be renewed.

Well, I'm going to rely on your information and if we decide to purchase the meal plan in April, I'll buy the 1 day tickets for all of us. Then, when November rolls around and we have our APs up for renewal, I will confidently walk up to Guest Relations at the park and hand them over, along with my DVC card, and expect all of the value to be applied to my renewals.

Thanks to all of you for this important lesson on the failure of WDW's CM training. No wonder I check the boards multiple times a day...because the information here is always better than what I get "direct from the horse's mouth."

 

[jcemom]

Shoot - I missed that jcemom was upgrading to an AP. Sorry jcemom!!!!

And once again, I bow to the goddess of Disney admission.

No, you were correct. I'm not upgrading DH's and DS's tickets to APs. I already have an AP and wanted to save my ticket for some time in the future. I'll need to upgrade their tickets to 6 day MYW w/plusses.

 

[SnackyStacky]

No, you were correct. I'm not upgrading DH's and DS's tickets to APs. I already have an AP and wanted to save my ticket for some time in the future. I'll need to upgrade their tickets to 6 day MYW w/plusses.

Woo hoo!

I think I need more sleep.

 

[GoldenOldie]

...does this apply only if you never use any of the days on the pass or regardless? As I mentioned, we have a 5 day park hopper with 4 days left on it. Can I use any of its value against my son's AP purchase or renewal? Since one day has been used, I wanted to know if I could still do that.

You will be able to apply the dollar value of the unused major park admissions towards the purchase of the AP. As an FYI in case I'm missing something in your statement, you can only apply the value of one ticket towards the AP. You could not apply the old ticket with four days left and the 1 day MYW ticket towards a single AP.

So the reality is that not one single person I spoke with had any correct information...how awful is that?

I don't how many of you listened to late night radio in the 70's and 80's but there was a personality named Larry Glick who used to do the all night show on WBZ, a 50,000 watt clear channel station out of Boston. That station covered about 38 states at night. Whenever someone called Larry with a question, he would always reply "I can answer any questions you throw at me. It may not be the right answer but it's an answer." Sometimes I think that after leaving radio, Larry must have gone to work for Disney.

Well, I'm going to rely on your information and if we decide to purchase the meal plan in April, I'll buy the 1 day tickets for all of us. Then, when November rolls around and we have our APs up for renewal, I will confidently walk up to Guest Relations at the park and hand them over, along with my DVC card, and expect all of the value to be applied to my renewals.

Well, I'm not saying that I'm never wrong but I'll stake my track record against Disney's any time. Unlike them, I never guess at the policy. If I don't know, I say so and then I find it out what it is.

Thanks to all of you for this important lesson on the failure of WDW's CM training. No wonder I check the boards multiple times a day...because the information here is always better than what I get "direct from the horse's mouth."

It's not always a lack of training problem, it's the lack of experience. Sometimes they read a two paragraph memo at corporate and think they know everything there is to know about the policy.

 

[SnackyStacky]

One last thing to add...

I did speak to someone in Guest Relations. The reason that you were given the answer that you were given is because Disney now requires you to physically be in front of a Guest Relations cast member with your ticket in hand.

People were getting incorrect information over the phone, and presenting Guest Relations with that information - demanding what they'd been told.

Stick with GoldenOldie's info. Her track record is impeccable.