Upgraded an AP to a PAP lately?

[amymouse]

Has anyone upgraded their AP to a PAP lately?

I get conflicting explanations from all the CMs I've asked. Some say I will be charged the entire difference in price, no matter how much time I have left on my pass. Others have said that it will be prorated.

If you have done this lately, or think you have the scoop, please enlighten me!

 

[GoldenOldie]

It depends on when you do it. If you upgrade it within the first month of having an AP, you will be charged the entire price difference between the AP and the PAP.

If you do it more than a month after you start your AP, you will have the upgrade treated like every other ticket upgrade. You will get a credit for the remaining unused portion of the AP that you can apply to the purchase of a new PAP that will run for 12 months from the upgrade.

Part of the CM's confusion may come from Disney's previous AP upgrade policy of charging you a prorated amount of the price difference between the two for the remaining months left on your AP.

Example of what they used to do: Difference between AP and PAP cost is $127.82 or $10.65 per month ($127.82 divided by 12). If your AP had 3 months left on it and you wanted to upgrade, they would charge you $31.95 and your pass would still expire in three months. Then they suddenly stopped handling the AP upgrades like this about around the beginning of 2002.

Side note: It still may be possible to find a CM who can and will process the upgrade the old way. I have heard of a few cases where it was the method used when someone had it done in the past year. Just be prepared for most of them to tell you it can't be done that way.

 

[wdwguide]

Ah, I miss the good old days when you could get a whole summer worth of water park visits for $20 or so...

 

[amymouse]

Thank you for your very clear explanation. Those are two of the ways that the various CMs have explained the process to me. I've done the math, and in my case I come out virtually the same no matter which method they chose.

My lingering uneasiness comes from the CMs who were very convinced (for unknown reasons) that I will have to buy a completely NEW pass with the upgrade that will be good for one year. The only part being prorated is my credit for my existing pass!

So, I'm still a little curious to hear from folks who "stood in line" lately to hear if they ran into any probs.

Thank you again GoldenOldie. You explanation does lower my anxiety level.

 

[wdwguide]

Originally posted by amymouse

My lingering uneasiness comes from the CMs who were very convinced (for unknown reasons) that I will have to buy a completely NEW pass with the upgrade that will be good for one year. The only part being prorated is my credit for my existing pass!

So, I'm still a little curious to hear from folks who "stood in line" lately to hear if they ran into any probs.

That is the procedure the CMs will follow in 90% of all cases. They will calculate the remaining value of the existing pass and apply that as a credit towards a brand new PAP. The fewer days remain on the original AP, the less likely the CM is to make an exception to that procedure.
I was able to get an exception granted on my passes in 2001 and 2002 (with about three or four months remaining), but it was such a pain to find a CM willing to do that that I just didn't worry about it this year.

 

[Mic]

OK, I'm guilty of standing in line the first week of June to be told I could not have my passes pro-rated, despite being told that was how it would be handled over the phone prior to my trip. I did the happy math based on the prorated theory(@$123 divided by 12 multiplied by months remaining on AP, which in my case was 4 months), and budgeted for that. I was first told I could only apply what was left on the AP to a new PAP(wwaaayyy too much money to spend), then allowed to convert the AP to a PAP for the entire difference of @$123 per pass(we had 4 adult and 2 child's passes). After having spent an hour at the guest relations window at MK with my family whining and the line behind me getting longer, I paid the entire difference for the upgrade. My AP was up for renewal in 3 days anyway, and I had to purchase a new PAP for DH as well, but I am still kicking myself for not just purchasing seperate DQ/waterpark annual passes for the kids(that would have been good until June 2004) instead of upgrading the existing AP's. In the heat and under so much pressure , I was just thinking that I really did not need 4 more passes to keep up with! Unless you plan to use the PAP for entrance to PI, then a seperate annual pass for DQ and the waterparks may be the best way to go.

 

[amymouse]

Yep, that's similar to my own "fallback" plan.

I spent almost an hour on the phone back in June trying to get a definite answer about this. It was a very confusing call, but eventually I came out with the answer that I was hoping for. I have the names of the CMs from guest services at MK that the CM at CRO spoke to about it. Since that is the actual park where I will be attempting my upgrade I am HOPING that all goes smoothly.

But if it doesn't, I will probably just buy a PI annual pass. It will cost about the same as what the pro rated PAP should have cost, and I believe that it will meet my needs.

I am bringing my sister who will have a UPH through the FTP, so I originally wanted my pass to match her's just for the conveniece. But she has said that she probably doesn't want to try any of the waterparks. Since my next trip will be January, it's unlikely that I will go to a water park then, either.

So, no matter which way this goes down, my budget should remain about the same. But it will be interesting to see what happens. Fantasy in the Sky may not be the only fireworks at the MK that day!

Thanks so much for the input!

 

[bobcat]

I asked about upgrading my AP to a PAP in July and they gave me two choices, renew early with a new PAP and pay the renewal price or pay the difference between an AP and a PAP for the rest of my AP. Since neither fit into the budget I declined the offer.