Ticket Price Increases?

[Robo]

1. if I purchase a third party park hopper ticket (either from parksavers or undercover tourist), will I be able to upgrade these tickets to the Park Hopper Plus when we are at Disney?
2. Would it be the straight $15 per ticket,
3. or will it be a different amount, since these are discounted tickets?

1. Yes.
2. It can be, but that can be affected by WHEN the discounted ticket is purchased...
in relation to WHEN the upgrade is done...
in relation to ticket price increases.
There may or may not be a ticket price increase within the next 60 days... or not.
3. Take a look at the Upgrading Tickets post in the Ticket Sticky Post (HERE.)

 

[Audreykb]

1. Yes.
2. It can be, but that can be affected by WHEN the discounted ticket is purchased...
in relation to WHEN the upgrade is done...
in relation to ticket price increases.
There may or may not be a ticket price increase within the next 60 days... or not.
3. Take a look at the Upgrading Tickets post in the Ticket Sticky Post (HERE.)

Thank you so much Robo. Reading your reply and the upgrading tickets sticky post you sent me, it looks like the safer bet is to purchase the Park Hopper Plus now, rather than upgrading later. We will be using the tickets in April, after the price increase. I just wasn't sure if the weather will be warm enough to go to the water parks in April.

 

[Robo]

Thank you so much Robo. Reading your reply and the upgrading tickets sticky post you sent me, it looks like the safer bet is to purchase the Park Hopper Plus now, rather than upgrading later. We will be using the tickets in April, after the price increase. I just wasn't sure if the weather will be warm enough to go to the water parks in April.

Most likely the weather will be fine for the Water Parks.
Have fun!

 

[1437disney]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but do we usually have a warning when ticket prices will increase? TIA

 

[randumb0]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but do we usually have a warning when ticket prices will increase? TIA

You have to keep checking the forum. There will be a 24 - 48 hour notice

 

[konagal]

FWIW, I went ahead and purchased our tics last weekend with UT. Thanks to this board’s help on where to buy! A notice warning a price increase was coming is plastered across the top of the ticket page. Then Friday, I received an email from UT warning of a price increase. Several others report receiving the same email. I thought I might miss the 24-48 notice hour window.

 

[Robo]

FWIW, I went ahead and purchased our tics last weekend with UT. Thanks to this board’s help on where to buy! A notice warning a price increase was coming is plastered across the top of the ticket page. Then Friday, I received an email from UT warning of a price increase. Several others report receiving the same email. I thought I might miss the 24-48 notice hour window.

It's not a "24-48 hour notice window" for Undercover Tourist ticket prices.
It's for when WDW makes the increase info known.

It may help to know that Undercover Tourist uses their "announcements" that a ticket price increase is coming to sell more tickets.
(It's not a "bad thing" to do, but it is one of their yearly sales pushes.)

AND... when WDW does increase the ticket price, Undercover Tourist continues to sell at the "old price"
until their in-stock tickets are sold out.

 

[1437disney]

You have to keep checking the forum. There will be a 24 - 48 hour notice

FWIW, I went ahead and purchased our tics last weekend with UT. Thanks to this board’s help on where to buy! A notice warning a price increase was coming is plastered across the top of the ticket page. Then Friday, I received an email from UT warning of a price increase. Several others report receiving the same email. I thought I might miss the 24-48 notice hour window.

Thank you! I will be checking daily! I have to buy 10 - 10 day park hopper plus tickets, so any savings will help!

 

[Action City]

Thank you! I will be checking daily! I have to buy 10 - 10 day park hopper plus tickets, so any savings will help!

 

[fla4fun]

The date floating around the Internet as the rumored increase date is February 11th - based mostly on when they went up last year plus some promotions coming to an end just before that time. Hopefully they will give everyone a little warning, unlike what they did with the AP's a while back when they raised them on Sunday with no warning whatsoever (and I had just renewed the day before it happened, purely by luck - which is why it sticks in my mind).

Question that comes to mind though . . . with everyone talking about buying tickets from third parties like Undercover Tourist, do their tickets now expire the same as the ones purchased from Disney? I would assume so, but threads like this make me curious about things. I can't imagine trying to keep up with expiration dates on regular tickets - I do well to remember the expiration on my AP sometimes!

 

[sharonabe]

Question that comes to mind though . . . with everyone talking about buying tickets from third parties like Undercover Tourist, do their tickets now expire the same as the ones purchased from Disney?

It doesn't matter where you buy them; all tickets expire now. BUT you can always use the purchased price toward new tickets if they expire before you use them.

 

[Robo]

with everyone talking about buying tickets from third parties like Undercover Tourist, do their tickets now expire the same as the ones purchased from Disney?

What can make things more clear-
The discounter's tickets ARE the same tickets as purchased from Disney (even physically, except for a unique number code.)
Disney actually prints and ships tickets to the authorized resellers.
Disney sells the tickets to the resellers at a reduced price, and the resellers can decide at what price they wish to offer the tickets to the public.

 

[Babsy]

Robo,

The way I understand that it works:
If you purchase an AP, you get a voucher and the AP starts when you trade in that voucher and start using the AP. Is that still the way everything operates? Also, do AP vouchers have an expiry date like tickets or are they valid indefinitely until first use?

Thank you. I am looking at a potential trip next Feb/March and wondering if I can lock in the current rate for an AP or if I have to wait until later so the voucher won't expire.

 

[tlmadden73]

With tickets "expiring" now, buying ahead of a price increase still saves a few bucks if you plan on going in 2018 or 2019, but not like it used to .

I guess it all depends on how much prices will go up.

You have to evaluate if you really want to spend money now (hundreds, if not thousands) of dollars locked up in tickets just to save some money? I think you just need to evaluate what the price increases are rumored to be (how much % increase). There may be better things you can do with that money in the mean time.

So .. look at what your family can afford and if you can afford to lock up that money for a year or two and know it will probably only be a savings of 2-5% (based on past few increases) (which, still, adds up .. I am just saying to evaluate the lack of funds in your bank account to GET that savings).

I will say this though, having already paid off the ticket portion of a Disney trip years in advance make it "feel" a lot more affordable at the time you are going.

 

[Robo]

Robo,

The way I understand that it works:
If you purchase an AP, you get a voucher and the AP starts when you trade in that voucher and start using the AP. Is that still the way everything operates? Also, do AP vouchers have an expiry date like tickets or are they valid indefinitely until first use?

Thank you. I am looking at a potential trip next Feb/March and wondering if I can lock in the current rate for an AP or if I have to wait until later so the voucher won't expire.

AP vouchers (actually, they are called "AP certificates" by Disney) do not "activate" until after a guest physically goes to a ticket booth or Guest Relations and (guests over 18 years old) shows a legal photo ID, and THEN actually goes through the park gate (which can be on a later date than when the guest visited the booth to show ID.)
It is now part of the activation process that the AP does not start "counting down" until the guest first uses the AP at a park gate.
AP certificates have an expiration date (I prefer "use first by date") of Dec. 31, 2030.

 

[Babsy]

AP vouchers (actually, they are called "AP certificates" by Disney) do not "activate" until after a guest physically goes to a ticket booth or Guest Relations and (guests over 18 years old) shows a legal photo ID, and THEN actually goes through the park gate (which can be on a later date than when the guest visited the booth to show ID.)
It is now part of the activation process that the AP does not start "counting down" until the guest first uses the AP at a park gate.
AP certificates have an expiration date (I prefer "use first by date") of Dec. 31, 2030.

Perfect!!! Just what I needed to know.

You are an awesome font of knowledge and information. Thanks again!

 

[fla4fun]

What can make things more clear-
The discounter's tickets ARE the same tickets as purchased from Disney (even physically, except for a unique number code.)
Disney actually prints and ships tickets to the authorized resellers.
Disney sells the tickets to the resellers at a reduced price, and the resellers can decide at what price they wish to offer the tickets to the public.

I am aware the tickets are the same, but they are not issued at the same time - so I wondered if there was a possibility that someone could be buying UT tickets to save money but the tickets would have an earlier expiration date than tickets bought at the gate simply because the tickets were issued earlier. The UT tickets would be issued at the time UT purchases them, not at the time the guest purchases them from UT.

For example, if I am traveling next January and buy UT tickets now, would there be an issue with expiration that would not occur if I waited and bought tickets from Disney at the time of travel?

I know the "value" of the ticket can always be applied to a later sale, but then you lose any discount advantage from buying them somewhere else to start with.

 

[disnyfan4ever]

AP vouchers (actually, they are called "AP certificates" by Disney) do not "activate" until after a guest physically goes to a ticket booth or Guest Relations and (guests over 18 years old) shows a legal photo ID, and THEN actually goes through the park gate (which can be on a later date than when the guest visited the booth to show ID.)
It is now part of the activation process that the AP does not start "counting down" until the guest first uses the AP at a park gate.
AP certificates have an expiration date (I prefer "use first by date") of Dec. 31, 2030.

And a related question to this, I did find that you are able to book FP's 60 days out assuming you have a Disney resort reservation with an "AP Certificate", but I was unable to find an answer to my question as to if you are also able to log into the Annual Passholder section of your MDE so that you can use online booking if you want to make a resort room reservation with the AP discount.

 

[Robo]

And a related question to this, I did find that you are able to book FP's 60 days out assuming you have a Disney resort reservation with an "AP Certificate", but I was unable to find an answer to my question as to if you are also able to log into the Annual Passholder section of your MDE so that you can use online booking if you want to make a resort room reservation with the AP discount.

Anyone (even without a purchased AP certificate) can book an AP discounted rate WDW resort room.
The AP purchase is only needed after arrival at WDW.

To find out if there are any AP room rates upcoming, check on the "Disney Resorts" Forum (HERE) on the DISboards.
Then, call WDW for booking.

 

[LoKiHB]

I have what might be a silly question. Our last few trips have all been AP purchases, so maybe I'm missing something. We are taking my Sister's family with us in July. The rooms are booked through our DVC (we booked for them as well). They still need to buy park tickets. If they buy them today, there won't be any need to upgrade because of peak season or anything like that, is that correct? Is the seasonal pricing only for one day tickets?