Understanding Annual Passes

[Floridaglen]

This is only if you are staying off-site. All AP holders staying on-site can book for the length of stay. I am currently holding FPs 10 days in June and 5 days in Aug. Both trips I am staying on-site.

That's good to know, thanks

 

[mrsR123]

thanks for clearing that up!

These forums are fantastic!

Sorry, I went off to do other things, but it looks like folks have gotten you in the clear. Personally, I have bought UT tickets at a discount and spaced them out over time to be able to bridge later. Good luck planning, and have a great trip.

 

[AngiTN]

No one knows how long Disney will keep bridging, but it is a money saver when you buy from a Disney authorized ticket seller. I buy from Undercover Tourist. I bought a 5 day park hopper for $367.00 before prices went up, so that price is no longer available. WDW cost for same ticket is $435.59, so I saved $68.59. If I want to upgrade to a 7 day park hopper, I pay $31.95 extra, for a total of $398.95. WDW charges $467.54 for the 7 day park hopper, so I still save $68.59. If I want to upgrade to an AP, WDW (currently, no one knows how soon WDW will stop bridging) gives me $435.59 credit toward the cost of a new AP. So I still save $68.59.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/everything-about-wdw-tickets.1452684/
This is an old thread, but the advice is good and true. Cheshire Figment used to work in ticketing or guest relations, and explained all of this to us. He has gone to be with God, and is sorely missed.

Luckily there is another ticketing CM posting here and she's pretty good at clearing up recent questions regarding tickets, AP, etc.

As for the OP's question about why you wait to upgrade tickets to AP, there is no reason other than working in the time it takes to do it to your trip. No matter when you convert a ticket to an AP the AP's activation date is the date you first used the ticket you are upgrading. So you don't delay the activation date by waiting. Sometimes you may get a CM who doesn't understand how to do their job correctly and they give the ticket an activation date of the upgrade date but that is incorrect and can't be counted on.

 

[momtwoboys]

so some say 366 days some say 365? ughhh if I upgrade 7 day hoppers on april 17 2017, they should be good till ? or if i hold off a day and upgrade april 18 2017 then what day?? I keep reading its exactly 365. we need to stretch the days to work for 2018's april trip

 

[AngiTN]

I activated my AP last year on 5/20. It expired this year at the end of the day on 5/21. On 5/22 I needed a new AP to get in

2nd example
Took DD's ticket to the ticket window at AK on 12/17 to upgrade it to an AP, first day we arrived. Her AP expires on 12/8 this year. So on 12/19 she needs a new AP to get in

 

[erionm]

so some say 366 days some say 365? ughhh if I upgrade 7 day hoppers on april 17 2017, they should be good till ? or if i hold off a day and upgrade april 18 2017 then what day?? I keep reading its exactly 365. we need to stretch the days to work for 2018's april trip

The expiration date would depend on if you used the MYW ticket first.
If used at least once, the AP would expire 1 year from the date of first use.
If un-used, the AP would expire 1 year from the date you did the upgrade.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

so some say 366 days some say 365? ughhh if I upgrade 7 day hoppers on april 17 2017, they should be good till ? or if i hold off a day and upgrade april 18 2017 then what day?? I keep reading its exactly 365. we need to stretch the days to work for 2018's april trip

It doesn't matter when you upgrade. The date goes back to when you first used the ticket you are upgrading.

So if you purchase a ticket, use it for 4 days, then upgrade, your pass actually started 4 days ago.

 

[j2thomason]

I activated my AP last year on 5/20. It expired this year at the end of the day on 5/21. On 5/22 I needed a new AP to get in

2nd example
Took DD's ticket to the ticket window at AK on 12/17 to upgrade it to an AP, first day we arrived. Her AP expires on 12/8 this year. So on 12/19 she needs a new AP to get in

I did NOT use a previously purchased ticket to upgrade to an AP. I bought my voucher online and then activated it at MK. My expiration date is 365 days from my activation date.

 

[AngiTN]

so some say 366 days some say 365? ughhh if I upgrade 7 day hoppers on april 17 2017, they should be good till ? or if i hold off a day and upgrade april 18 2017 then what day?? I keep reading its exactly 365. we need to stretch the days to work for 2018's april trip

Remember, it's not what day you upgrade them it's what day you first use the ticket.

 

[momtwoboys]

our tickets are unused and will be when we upgrade just wanting to know if we upgrade on april 17 2017 will they expire april 17 2018 or the 18th. we can hold off a day using and upgrading by doing this april 18th if it makes a difference. seems some gain a day and others arent? or am I crazy? ha!

 

[AngiTN]

I did NOT use a previously purchased ticket to upgrade to an AP. I bought my voucher online and then activated it at MK. My expiration date is 365 days from my activation date.

That's what I did with mine. I didn't use an upgraded ticket. I bought my AP online March 2015. I went to the ticket counter on 5/19. My AP expired on 5/20 this year. On 5/21 I needed a new one to enter the park.

 

[AngiTN]

our tickets are unused and will be when we upgrade just wanting to know if we upgrade on april 17 2017 will they expire april 17 2018 or the 18th. we can hold off a day using and upgrading by doing this april 18th if it makes a difference. seems some gain a day and others arent? or am I crazy? ha!

If it's that tight of a window why are you upgrading the ticket before you need to? Just hold off and upgrade them on the day you plan to first use them. It's really not that complicated. But if you don't plan to use them on the 17th, why bother to upgrade them on the 17th? But in my experience with our AP, the last day you can get in the park with your AP would be 4/18. On 4/19 you'll need new park admission.

 

[momtwoboys]

gotcha! our dates for 2018 are april 13-20 trying to stretch thats all

 

[momtwoboys]

my point was yes we would not mind hitting a park on 17th but if we can gain a day the following years trip we would hold off and have first use day be the 18th. sorry if it sounds wacky.

 

[AngiTN]

seems some gain a day and others arent? or am I crazy? ha!

That may well be what is happening. It may be like using a ticket before upgrading. They are supposed to do X but the ticketing CM often do Y by mistake or even intentionally as a bit of pixie dust. No idea.
But the policy is AP activation date is the date the bridged ticket was first used for park admission and the AP should expire a full 366 days later.
But mistakes do happen, so you aren't crazy

 

[cigar95]

our tickets are unused and will be when we upgrade just wanting to know if we upgrade on april 17 2017 will they expire april 17 2018 or the 18th. we can hold off a day using and upgrading by doing this april 18th if it makes a difference. seems some gain a day and others arent? or am I crazy? ha!

"expire" is a bit of an ambiguous word, so I 'll phrase it differently.

Your pass is *valid* on its expiration date, but not on the next day.

So - you use your "regular ticket" on 4/17/17. Some time during your trip, you upgrade it to an annual. No matter which day you do the upgrade, your annual is treated as if it began on 4/17. The last day you can use it would be 4/17/18. Hence it's actually valid for 366 days - or 367 if your window includes 2/29.

To answer the possible next question - the last day you can upgrade a ticket to the annual is the day on which you use the last admission day. (If you have water parks on the ticket and use them, that could change your last upgrade day, but that adds a whole additional level of complication that I will avoid. . . ) So you buy a six day ticket, and then you can upgrade it up until the end of the operating day at the parks on your sixth day. If you really wanted to shave it close, I believe the park you are upgrading at still has to be open when you do the upgrade, but its possible that as long as any park is still open that day, you can do an upgrade.

 

[Lynzer4]

gotcha! our dates for 2018 are april 13-20 trying to stretch thats all

If you use the ticket you enter the park with on the 13 to upgrade to an AP your AP will have a start date of April 13, 2018 and will be good until April 14, 2019.

 

[AngiTN]

my point was yes we would not mind hitting a park on 17th but if we can gain a day the following years trip we would hold off and have first use day be the 18th. sorry if it sounds wacky.

No wacky but you would gain a day on the next years trip, no matter if they set them to expire on 365 or 366

 

[AngiTN]

So - you use your "regular ticket" on 4/17/17. Some time during your trip, you upgrade it to an annual. No matter which day you do the upgrade, your annual is treated as if it began on 4/17. The last day you can use it would be 4/17/18. Hence it's actually valid for 366 days - or 367 if your window includes 2/29.

Maybe they did ours wrong, which is possible for sure but ours all have 1 additional day on our passes. DH, DGDs and mine were done in May and I can confirm our flight days that far back so I just checked the dates to be sure I remembered right for DD's. We flew in to Disney on 12/17, went to AK that afternoon. I upgraded her ticket to an AP and her AP expires on 12/18/16, according to MDE. Which means she can enter the park on 12/18 with that AP but not 12/19

 

[momtwoboys]

If you use the ticket you enter the park with on the 13 to upgrade to an AP your AP will have a start date of April 13, 2018 and will be good until April 14, 2019.

we will be using 7 day hoppers april 17-24th 2017 and upgrading for april 13-20 2018. so 2018's trip wont be fully covered but trying to get it close enough