Tickets and Annual Pass Questions - Please add your ticket questions to this thread

[Robo]

If I bought the tickets from Disney I could upgrade over the phone.

Sorry, but I don't know if that has been verified for tickets that have expired.

 

[donalds friend]

So I just found out the hard way that tickets have to be used in the year of purchase as I bought mine last Feb. I didn't see this anywhere on the order form when buying my tickets from UT, nor was this printed on the tickets I received. I just noticed my tickets were no longer linked to MDE and reservation for end of March. For me, not being able to book FPs is a deal breaker, esp during Spring Break season. I have no intentions of standing in lines for 3 hours. And if I would have known these tickets expired, I would have never have purchased them from UT.

I know this is an expensive option, but could you buy new tickets from Disney so you can make fp reservations. Then when you get to Disney upgrade your UT tickets to current Disney tickets for a future trip? I'm not sure if this would work, just throwing ideas out there. Not sure exactly what type of tickets you could upgrade them to that would fit future needs.

 

[Robo]

I know this is an expensive option,
1. but could you buy new tickets from Disney so you can make fp reservations.
2. Then when you get to Disney upgrade your UT tickets to current Disney tickets for a future trip?

1. Yes, it would work.
2. That would be one plan, but I'm not so sure that converting to "Disney" tickets (that might also expire before another future WDW)
would offer any advantage to being able to be "upgraded/traded-in" when the guest was not physically at WDW.
I'm not sure that we know that Disney will "upgrade/trade-in" expired tickets, even purchased directly from them, if the guest is not physically at WDW.

"Expiring tickets" are a rather new thing, and we don't know all of the rules about trading them in after expiration.

 

[lanejudy]

If I bought the tickets from Disney I could upgrade over the phone. Since I bought from UT, the tickets can only be upgraded at the gate. There was no mention at all on the order form or the tickets I received that these expired at a certain point in time.

Until the new date-based “Theme Park Tickets” were introduced this past fall, no tickets were upgradeable by phone; all had to be in-person. So there was nothing regarding upgrades that UT could have warned about a year ago.

All MYW tickets have had an expiration for at least a couple of years now - since early 2017 I believe. Even if purchased directly from WDW. If your hard tickets do not note any expiration date, are you sure they were purchased last year? Unused older tickets are still good as-is. MDE is glitchy. I would call WDW to check.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[donalds friend]

Wouldn't be that big of a problem if it weren't for the fact that fp has to be made before you get to the park if you want to ride the headliners I love Disney and I'll probably go as long as I'm physically able to, but it seems with each trip there is more to worry about. I would have probably gone on a last minute trip in the fall while my kids were out of school for the hurricane, but I didn't because I knew there would not be fp available for the best rides and dining would difficult as well.

 

[Cosmic Ryan]

To be safer, (like many things you want to change on a Disney reservation)
buy the AP first,
THEN remove the tickets part of your reservation.

Good advice. Is this definitely possible to do though? I did go into the Change Reservation section of MDE and there is no option for me to remove Park tickets from the reservation, only to change the number of days. Am I just missing it or will this require a call to Disney?

 

[Robo]

Good advice. Is this definitely possible to do though? I did go into the Change Reservation section of MDE and there is no option for me to remove Park tickets from the reservation, only to change the number of days. Am I just missing it or will this require a call to Disney?

Call.
Likely you (they) will need to book a new Room Only, then cancel the original package.

(And again, buy the APs before you cancel your package.)

 

[PolyRob]

Just got off the phone with Undercover tourist because I thought I could buy over the phone than the website (you can't by the way). I have plans on going to Disney in May, but of course life happens and I want to make sure that if something happens and the trip has to be cancelled I can change my tickets. Getting flexible dates is much more expensive and they still have to be used within the year. She did say I could change them but it would have to be in person...which I knew; however, I would be unable to make fastpass reservations with those tickets until I got to Disney. So I'm trying to decide if it would be best to order tickets straight from Disney. From my understanding you don't have to be at Disney to change ticket dates in person. Am I correct?

How far out would you know if you were still able to travel... 30+ days? Disney ticket prices will probably go up, but a way "around" this would be to book a ticket and room package with Disney direct. You would then have tickets that you can book FP+ with at 60 days outs. If you know the trip is still good to go around day 50/40 (anything before 30 and final payment) you can buy UT tickets, link them in MDE, call Disney and drop the tickets from the package and have a "basic package." You would have to see if the price difference between the old package rate tickets and new UT tickets makes it worth it.

 

[donalds friend]

I'm pretty sure I won't have to cancel, but I just have a cautious side to me just in case something happens like if someone gets sick or something. I have always booked room only and never needed to cancel. It just gives me peace of mind. I also like to save money too. I will probably order UT tickets and just chance it. Especially since Robo said we don't know if direct from disney tickets can be modified on the phone. It's just unfortunate you can't get fast passes with unused tickets. I understand needing to pay more if not used in the right time period, but that can be taken care of at the gate by not letting one in the turn styles.

 

[dankil13]

I know this is an expensive option, but could you buy new tickets from Disney so you can make fp reservations. Then when you get to Disney upgrade your UT tickets to current Disney tickets for a future trip? I'm not sure if this would work, just throwing ideas out there. Not sure exactly what type of tickets you could upgrade them to that would fit future needs.

This is the route I will likely take. I called ticket services and they stated any tickets I received thru the upgrade could be applied to a later trip (and upgraded over the phone if needed to at a later date). One thing I didn't ask is if the tickets are transferable, because I wasn't aware of at the time that my brother is going in Aug and would need the same tickets. But worse case scenario I have tickets for our next trip in 2 years or so. Another other option is using airline points and flying down/back next weekend, but my window opens this Wed.

 

[donalds friend]

Would it really need to be in that window? I think you can upgrade unused expired tickets. Do you have a friend going to Disney that you could trust to do it for you?

 

[frank430316]

Visit any guest relations/services or ticket booth, whichever has the shorter line.

Just to be clear, should I use the app to upgrade, then get the card from a ticket booth, or do the entire transaction at guest relations?

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Just to be clear, should I use the app to upgrade, then get the card from a ticket booth, or do the entire transaction at guest relations?

Thanks!

Not much difference, but if you CAN do the upgrade in the app, you’ll be sure that you won’t encounter a CM who is untrained in upgrade procedures.

 

[DarX]

Just to be clear, should I use the app to upgrade, then get the card from a ticket booth, or do the entire transaction at guest relations?

Thanks!

I’m still unclear WHY I had to go the Guest Relations after upgrading in the app. The app never tells you that. All I know is I had valid passes in MDE and the next day I didn’t. When I called they told me I had to activate them at a ticket booth. When I went to the ticket booth she had to ask a supervisor how to activate them. I’m not sure if it’s because they were Florida resident passes or not. When I asked the supervisor she didn’t know why either.

 

[dankil13]

This is the route I will likely take. I called ticket services and they stated any tickets I received thru the upgrade could be applied to a later trip (and upgraded over the phone if needed to at a later date). One thing I didn't ask is if the tickets are transferable, because I wasn't aware of at the time that my brother is going in Aug and would need the same tickets. But worse case scenario I have tickets for our next trip in 2 years or so. Another other option is using airline points and flying down/back next weekend, but my window opens this Wed.

One of the owners from UT reached out to me this afternoon to help resolve this issue with Disney. He was very helpful and apologetic for the response I received yesterday when I called.

 

[jessrose18]

We have a 5 night package booked with 5 day base tickets through Disney. After our tickets first use can one member of our party/room upgrade to a hopper ticket but not the others on the room package? TIA.

 

[Robo]

We have a 5 night package booked with 5 day base tickets through Disney.
After our tickets first use can one member of our party/room upgrade to a hopper ticket but not the others on the room package? TIA.

Yes.
But, you don 't even need to wait until after you use the tickets.
You can upgrade (or not) individual resort package tickets as soon as you arrive on check-in day.

 

[hgcrnp]

One of the owners from UT reached out to me this afternoon to help resolve this issue with Disney. He was very helpful and apologetic for the response I received yesterday when I called.

I had emailed UT today after reading your post here and I think maybe on the FB DVC group. Everyone on there was telling me that my tickets I bought in Oct 2018 would not work for November 2019 but I was very confused since they had a 12/31/2019 expiration when I bought them. UT tells me I should be fine to use them but I'm afraid come FP time I will have issues. Did your tickets have any sort of expiration date on them when you bought them?

 

[jjan]

I'm really sorry to ask this as it may have been asked before and is buried in this huge thread... Usually I get discounted tickets through UT, buying whatever ticket gives the largest savings from the gate price (without buying the Plus Option) and then my plan is to upgrade to an Annual Pass either through the app if that will allow it or once onsite. What is new to me is that UT has 2 options: Flexible Date Tickets and the Select Your Start Date tickets. For my dates (beginning of May), the largest savings seem to be 10-Day Disney Flexible Date Ticket with Park Hopper Option at a savings of $76 OR 10-Day Disney Theme Park Ticket with Park Hopper Option (date based) at a savings of $70. Is there any reason to choose one over the other except for the savings? Can they both be upgraded in the same manner? TIA!

 

[Robo]

I'm really sorry to ask this as it may have been asked before and is buried in this huge thread... Usually I get discounted tickets through UT, buying whatever ticket gives the largest savings from the gate price (without buying the Plus Option) and then my plan is to upgrade to an Annual Pass either through the app if that will allow it or once onsite. What is new to me is that UT has 2 options: Flexible Date Tickets and the Select Your Start Date tickets. For my dates (beginning of May), the largest savings seem to be 10-Day Disney Flexible Date Ticket with Park Hopper Option at a savings of $76 OR 10-Day Disney Theme Park Ticket with Park Hopper Option (date based) at a savings of $70.
1. Is there any reason to choose one over the other except for the savings?
2. Can they both be upgraded in the same manner? TIA!

1. Buy the one with the flexible start-date and larger savings.
2. Yes.