Ticket question please

[Bertie131]

I will be visiting WDW in 2014 for the first time as a DVC member. In the past, I have always purchased the Magic Your Way packages. So, I have researched and found better prices for tickets at Undercover Tourist than at WDW directly, but am wondering about buying tickets ahead. With the package, I had insurance, so if something happened, I got my money back. What do you DVC'ers do? Buy tickets ahead and hope the trip goes as planned or buy tickets at the gate? If you do buy at the gate, can you buy--say--a 5 day ticket with park hopper? Thanks!

 

[jimim]

I will be visiting WDW in 2014 for the first time as a DVC member. In the past, I have always purchased the Magic Your Way packages. So, I have researched and found better prices for tickets at Undercover Tourist than at WDW directly, but am wondering about buying tickets ahead. With the package, I had insurance, so if something happened, I got my money back. What do you DVC'ers do? Buy tickets ahead and hope the trip goes as planned or buy tickets at the gate? If you do buy at the gate, can you buy--say--a 5 day ticket with park hopper? Thanks!

U can buy whatever u want at the gate for full price. We r pass holders so usually wait for our trip down to get them cause of the discount but then just keep renewing. If u aren't sure the trip will pan out buy when u get there but also keep a close eye on ur stay date so ur points do t end up in holding.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Bertie131]

I wish the annual pass would work out for us, but since we can't make it to orlando more than once a year, the price isn't worth it.

 

[chalee94]

What do you DVC'ers do? Buy tickets ahead and hope the trip goes as planned or buy tickets at the gate?

i buy ahead of time to save a few bucks. if the trip does not go as planned, i still have a DVC contract that runs to 2042 so i'll be back to wdw at some point.

i typically buy a 10 day no-expire hopper and use a few days each trip (generally a trip per year). last year i did the $399 PAP since it was a great deal and planned a couple of extra trips using my non-DVC timeshare to stay offsite (still get free parking with the PAP but my week in a 2BR villa runs as little as $196 for 7 nights.)

 

[DVC Grandpa]

i buy ahead of time to save a few bucks. if the trip does not go as planned, i still have a DVC contract that runs to 2042 so i'll be back to wdw at some point.

i typically buy a 10 day no-expire hopper and use a few days each trip (generally a trip per year). last year i did the $399 PAP since it was a great deal and planned a couple of extra trips using my non-DVC timeshare to stay offsite (still get free parking with the PAP but my week in a 2BR villa runs as little as $196 for 7 nights.)

Do they still offer the no-expire option? T thought they stopped that option.

Can someone purchase a discounter ticket (AAA or any another) prior to there trip and then once at Disney exchange it for the discounted AP?

 

[erionm]

From Post #2 in the Everything About WDW Tickets Sticky:

Expiration of Tickets

All ticket entitlements, including Park Hopper and WPF&M options, will expire 14 days after first use of any part of the ticket. It does not matter if first use is a major theme park, or, if you have the WPF&M option, first use is one of the minor parks. Note this is based on the first time the ticket is used.

As long as the ticket has not been run through any turnstile it is considered unused and is valid forever.

If your first use, for example, is a Sunday, all entitlements will expire at midnight of the second Saturday following.However, Disney does allow the purchase of a No Expire option which may be added to any base ticket. The price of this option currently varies between $30.00 for a two day ticket and $275.00 for a ten day ticket. Purchase of this option affects all entitlements, including other options. Unused entitlements will never expire.

 

[erionm]

Do they still offer the no-expire option? T thought they stopped that option.

The no-expire option is still available, but not if you purchase tickets from disneyworld.com. It's available on MYW tickets purchased by phone or on-property. Tickets sold by UT and other authorized reseller have the No-Expire option available.

Can someone purchase a discounter ticket (AAA or any another) prior to there trip and then once at Disney exchange it for the discounted AP?

Most MYW tickets purchased from an authorized reseller can be upgraded to an Annual Pass. You should use the MYW ticket to enter a Theme Park prior to performing the upgrade so that the tickets will be price bridged to current gate prices.

See Posts 7, 15 and 18 in the Everything About WDW Tickets Sticky.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

The no-expire option is still available, but not if you purchase tickets from disneyworld.com. It's available on MYW tickets purchased by phone or on-property. Tickets sold by UT and other authorized reseller have the No-Expire option available.



Most MYW tickets purchased from an authorized reseller can be upgraded to an Annual Pass. You should use the MYW ticket to enter a Theme Park prior to performing the upgrade so that the tickets will be price bridged to current gate prices.

See Posts 7, 15 and 18 in the Everything About WDW Tickets Sticky.

Does that exchange include to the Vacation Club discounted Annual Pass?

 

[bumbershoot]

Does that exchange include to the Vacation Club discounted Annual Pass?

Yes you can upgrade a ticket to the DVC AP. So just make sure the cost of the ticket you are buying does not exceed the DVC AP you are buying, because the policy is no refunds.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I wish the annual pass would work out for us, but since we can't make it to orlando more than once a year, the price isn't worth it.

What you might want to try is to book your stays about 11 or 11.5 months apart. That way you can use the AP.

For example, we bought the discounted PAP last October 10 and used it for our trip. This year our trip ends on Oct 9. So, both trips on one ticket.

 

[disneynutz]

We buy our non-expire tickets from UT years in advance. I think that we have enough for vacations through 2020.

Bill

 

[Sur]

We buy our non-expire tickets from UT years in advance. I think that we have enough for vacations through 2020.

Bill

May I ask how many park days/visit this is for you? How do you work through all the water parks days (use some per trip also, have waterpark only trips)? Curious how others do their trips.

 

[carissa1970]

We just bought 10 day park hopper with water parks and more, no expire, from UT. We are going in July as DVC members, first time ever to WDW. We are only staying 5 days, planning on parks for 2 days and water park for 1 day. Relaxing and visiting other resorts for the other days. We will still have 8 park days and 9 water park days left for the next trip. Probably won't be back for 2 years, so this made the most sense for us. (And I know someone will think we are crazy, only 2 days in the parks, but we are going after a DCL cruise, plus we are Disneyland experts. We just want to see the "different" stuff.)

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[disneynutz]

May I ask how many park days/visit this is for you? How do you work through all the water parks days (use some per trip also, have waterpark only trips)? Curious how others do their trips.

We don't do the water parks. I know that our last order for 10 day non expire tickets was over $4000. We also have several AP exchange certificates so we have admission media for beyond 2020.

Some years we do AP's, then a couple of years of tickets and days. We bought the DVC Premium AP deal so this year we will stay for 25 days over 2 vacations. We will come and go to the parks as we feel like it.

When we do ticket stays we spend more time at the resort and free areas.

Bill

 

[myxdvz]

We buy our non-expire tickets from UT years in advance. I think that we have enough for vacations through 2020.

Bill

See I can't do this - coz I lose things! If I do end up doing this, I'd have to put them in the safety deposit box, if I remember!

 

[kkolbusz1]

So when i looked, the price is only $20 difference? Does that seem right?

 

[vicki_c]

So when i looked, the price is only $20 difference? Does that seem right?

Yes. Discounts seem to range from $30 at the high end to maybe $12 for smaller tickets. You can't save very much per ticket from any legit reseller. But it can add up.

 

[ccigliano]

I wish the annual pass would work out for us, but since we can't make it to orlando more than once a year, the price isn't worth it.

Bertie - that's not necessarily true. We usually purchase an annual pass every other year. We visit in December before the Christmas rush. So we buy our annual pass the second week of December and make sure we come back right after Thanksgiving or the first week of December to following year. This way we get at least the two trips out of the pass and always find the opportunity to come back during the year we have the pass anyway. Besides if you don't have enough points to visit more than once per year, you can always use the AP to get discounted room rates at all the resorts. Just wanted to be sure you were aware.

 

[myzel]

If you are checking UT's prices against gate prices, UT includes tax and shipping Disney does not include tax. Plus check the mouse savers UT ticket prices for best discount.

 

[Bertie131]

Thanks Guys! Lots of good info. I think I really like the idea of the no expiration option. Undercover Tourist here I come!