Ticket question

[SusanMomOf2]

Hello Dissers. Here's my question. My parents are going with us to DW, but they probably won't go to the parks every day with us. I don't know if they will go 1, 2, 4, or all 9 days... I'm going to buy them tickets as we go... but will I receive a discount for multiple days? Say we buy a 1 day ticket for them, use it, and go to bed... wake up in the morning, decide they're not going that day, go without them... wake up the following morning and realize they want to go with us... do I buy them a 1 day ticket again or will I be allowed to turn their old ticket into a 2 day ticket, thus receiving some sort of discount?

I hope I didn't confuse anyone. I could really use some of the Dis' expertise on this.

Thanks!

 

[kaytieeldr]

No. If you buy a one-day ticket and use it, it has NO value the following day or any day after that - but you CAN upgrade it any time THAT day during park hours. If you buy a two-day ticket and use one day, then at any time (a) until park closing on the second day you use that ticket AND (b) within fourteen days of the first day you used it, you can upgrade it to a more-day ticket, or add any or all of the ticket options - hopper, water parks, non-expiring.

 

[AJKMOM]

If you buy the tickets in advance through a broker( best deal) or Disney (more expensive), you always get a better deal on the per-day cost the more days you purchase. When we bought our passes from TicketMania last year, it cost only a few dollars to go from 8 day to 9 day, and a few more dollars after that to get a 10 day pass.

In other words, a 2 day pass with be cheaper than 2 one day passes, etc.

Unless cost is not a concern, you should really discuss with them how many days they might go. You could even consider the non-expiring ones so they could be saved for another trip. When you price the tickets thru either Disney online or a ticket broker recommended here at the DIS, you will see what I mean. Beside the cost factor, if you have the tickets ahead of time, you don't need to stand in line at the ticket window either.

 

[seashoreCM]

You can add another day here, add another day there, to your original 1 day pass (so long as it hasn't been used more than 13 days ago). Doing that will cost less than buying new 1 day passes every day (much less by the fourth day), but "not quite as much less" compared with buying a 5 or more day pass in advance.

Generally non-expiration is not worth it unless the remains of the pass will completely cover some future vacation (or you need to leave early due to some emergency).

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/dispass.htm

 

[U2_rocks!]

We're sort of in the same boat with my parents coming with us next year. We are planning for them to be with us about 6 days (or half days), but they might just not feel like some of the days we expect them with us.

I'm planning to buy expiring, non-hopper tickets from Ticketmania before we go. Here are the relevant costs for each of them (including tax):

*****Gate price would be $71.36 per day*****

2-day: 145.58
3-day: 198.00
5-day: 208.00
6-day: 210.00

So if you are pretty sure they will come for at least 3 days, advance tickets are definitely a better deal - in fact, I'd buy a 5-day ticket b/c it's still less than buying 3 separate park entrances. If there is enough doubt, I'd buy day 1 & 2 at the gate and see how the trip is going. By then you've spent $142 and can possibly upgrade the tickets. You (and they) may not know how much park time they really want until they get there.

Still, there is value in having the tickets in hand and not having to line up at the gates, and it may be worth the cost/risk to buy a multi-day advance ticket, even if they only use 2 of the days (in that case you've lost $56 - 68, depending on which advance ticket you were going to buy).