Upgrade to Annual Passes-HELP!

[DisneyDarling13]

I have a question and can't seem to get a good answer from anyone I speak to! My boyfriend and I are visiting WDW in September and staying at Coronado Springs...we are going for 2 weeks and will be staying on property for all 14 nights. The cap on a Hopper pass is 10 days (as I'm sure everyone knows). We do not want to go without the option of going into a park when we want (even though there is plenty to do outside of the parks). I priced out adding on an additional 4 day hopper to our reservation and the price difference was out of this world! For the 2 of us, it increased the price by more than $2000! A friend's mom is pretty Disney obsessed and she suggested Annual Passes. I thought that was a great idea, until I realized I wouldn't qualify for Free Dining or any other promotion because I wouldn't be booking a "Magic Your Way" package, just a room. She dug around a bit and told me my best bet would be to keep everything as is, a MYW package, with the 10 day Hopper (and Free Dining soon, too!) and AFTER I'm checked in and have everything "set in stone" to head to the concierge desk and then upgrade to Annual Passes (before going to any parks and tapping our Magic Bands). Will this work?? I do not want to lose Free Dining. Annual Passes would be beneficial because we are planning on going next May/June for Star Wars weekends, but won't be staying very long, maybe just 4 days.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Dasha Hermosilla]

I am no ticket expert so take this with a grain of salt.... I think you do want to use the tickets once and then upgrade.

Hopefully someone else will chime in who is an "expert".

 

[DisneyWisher]

I am no ticket expert so take this with a grain of salt.... I think you do want to use the tickets once and then upgrade.

Hopefully someone else will chime in who is an "expert".

Exactly you want to use it first. If you booked pre ticket price increase they will give you value of ticket not what you paid. If no free dining price out the room with an AP discount rate. See which works better for you. You have 14 days from first use to upgrade.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you booked before the most recent ticket price increase, upgrade after you enter a park.

If you booked very recently, after the ticket price increase, it won't make a difference.

There is no policy to dump dining after you upgrade to an AP. If a glitch happens and you discover that your dining was messed with, it can be and will be fixed.

 

[winthropf]

As others have said, use the ticket first. Also calculate what the price difference should be including tax. Not all cast members know how to price bridge to the current gate price and you want to make sure that is done, otherwise you will wind up paying more in total.

Also, hotels cannot do anything with annual passes, they do not have the ticket media. AP upgrades must be done at a park guest services, DTD guest services, or any park ticket window.

 

[DisneyDarling13]

Exactly you want to use it first. If you booked pre ticket price increase they will give you value of ticket not what you paid. If no free dining price out the room with an AP discount rate. See which works better for you. You have 14 days from first use to upgrade.

Thank you so much! When was the ticket increase? I booked on 3/14/14

 

[PSUGuy]

Related question, if I buy a 10 day hopper from UT, link it to my MB then link a bunch of FP+ to that, will the FP+ times/dates roll over to the AP when I upgrade? Looking to buy the Hooper soon, schedule FP+ times for our Oct 16 trip at which time I plan to go AP for this and other trips later.

Thanks,
Bill From PA

 

[jimandami]

Related question, if I buy a 10 day hopper from UT, link it to my MB then link a bunch of FP+ to that, will the FP+ times/dates roll over to the AP when I upgrade? Looking to buy the Hooper soon, schedule FP+ times for our Oct 16 trip at which time I plan to go AP for this and other trips later.

Thanks,
Bill From PA

You should not have problems with your FP+ reservations after you upgrade.

 

[kaybird]

I have a question and can't seem to get a good answer from anyone I speak to! My boyfriend and I are visiting WDW in September and staying at Coronado Springs...we are going for 2 weeks and will be staying on property for all 14 nights. The cap on a Hopper pass is 10 days (as I'm sure everyone knows). We do not want to go without the option of going into a park when we want (even though there is plenty to do outside of the parks). I priced out adding on an additional 4 day hopper to our reservation and the price difference was out of this world! For the 2 of us, it increased the price by more than $2000! A friend's mom is pretty Disney obsessed and she suggested Annual Passes. I thought that was a great idea, until I realized I wouldn't qualify for Free Dining or any other promotion because I wouldn't be booking a "Magic Your Way" package, just a room. She dug around a bit and told me my best bet would be to keep everything as is, a MYW package, with the 10 day Hopper (and Free Dining soon, too!) and AFTER I'm checked in and have everything "set in stone" to head to the concierge desk and then upgrade to Annual Passes (before going to any parks and tapping our Magic Bands). Will this work?? I do not want to lose Free Dining. Annual Passes would be beneficial because we are planning on going next May/June for Star Wars weekends, but won't be staying very long, maybe just 4 days.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

We have done this many times. You should be fine, just wait to upgrade til you get there, and have gone into the parks. Your dining and FP will remain in tact. Plus you can work a couple more trips in during the year!

 

[rani8600]

i wouldnt buy your ticket from UT if you plan on upgrading...there was a new policy on March 4 or 5 i believe that would makes you pay the different of what the travel agency paid not just the price of the 10 day to an AP...there is a thread about it.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3242768

 

[Robo]

i wouldnt buy your ticket from UT if you plan on upgrading...there was a new policy on March 4 or 5


1- i believe that would makes you pay the different of what the travel agency paid not just the price of the 10 day to an AP...there is a thread about it.

2- http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3242768

1- Sorry but that is incorrect info.


2-

The first post of that thread has been UPDATED to say…

************************* UPDATE TO THIS POST, MARCH 5, 2014 *************************

To readers who are just joining this thread, I would like to update what was originally posted below. The paragraph below appeared on allears.net, in their section on Upgrading Tickets. It has now been removed and a retraction has been written in its place.

Additionally,
UndercoverTourist has posted in this thread to reassure clients that there are no known changes to Disney's ticket upgrade policy.

UndercoverTourist has been fielding many emails from concerned purchasers, and they have responded quickly.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Sorry OP, but you are getting slightly bad info here too.

If you are talking about buying a package with the free dining plan, then buying tickets through an offsite place doesn't really make sense.

If you are not currently booked in a package with free dining, then when you change your tickets to AP's probably won't matter. If a discount comes out, then you'll be converting your package to new rates anyhow.

Beyond that however, the dining plan is not often a great deal in itself. Often the room % discounts are often a better deal. It depends a bit on your details though, so you kind of need to price it out.

Still one more thing that COULD be an option to consider is a split stay. Book part of your trip as a package, but maybe the last few days of your trip as a room only stay (maybe even at a different resort). If I was going for that long, I would most certainly consider a split stay with annual passes. You might also want to look into the business class rooms.

but upgrading your tickets won't impact your ADR's or FP+. Indeed, you are locked into your Table Service meals now- via credit card hold. If you do not cancel at least one day in advance, and don't show- you will be charged a no show fee.

 

[Robo]

Sorry OP, but you are getting slightly bad info here too.

If you are talking about buying a package with the free dining plan, then buying tickets through an offsite place doesn't really make sense.

The OP didn't mention buying UT tickets, AFAIK.
The OP (DisneyDarling13) asked about upgrading Resort Package tickets to AP's, and was given correct advice.

Another poster (PSUGuy) asked about upgrading UT tickets.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The OP didn't mention buying UT tickets, AFAIK.
The OP (DisneyDarling13) asked about upgrading Resort Package tickets to AP's, and was given correct advice.

Another poster (PSUGuy) asked about upgrading UT tickets.

Ugh! Yes, I got that.

But it was slightly - see my words use - bad advice in this thread (okay, irrelevant) because buying offsite tickets would not be relevant to OP. Also the part about using her tickets first is likely irrelevant if she rebooks her package. Which is what my message says quite clearly.

I was also going to mention the idea/option of getting an AP prior to her resort arrival, and booking her room vacation as one with the "AP discount plus dining" (if an AP discount comes out for her dates)...but I reread OP, and thought that might be more complicated than she's looking to do.

 

[Suellen]

If you are going to get AP's though you should price out the savings on the room with an AP. Since there are only two of you for dining... the 30% room discount may be more beneficial. Especially if you are staying for 14 days.

You would also be eligible for TIW which saves 20% on all your TS meals and includes alcohol if you would have a glass of wine with dinner.

I would definitely recommend pricing it all out before you decide free dining is the best deal.