Upgrading AP....Help!

Patpat15

DVCer
Joined
Aug 10, 2000
Messages
251
We bought two AP's prior to the DVC discount. If we want to get the discount I need to upgrade the regular AP to the AP plus, or whatever they call it. I don't mind doing that because we are going on two trips in the next 4 months for a total of 20 days and then we can use the water parks and PI.

Is it true that they will give you the discount if you upgrade the AP's

Has anyone done this and how much does it cost to upgrade?

And where do I have it done?

Thanks
 
Yes, you can do the upgrade.

The discounted PAP is actually about $5 less than a full-price AP. Most posts I've read indicated that Disney actually gave them the $5 refund during the upgrade process. :earseek:
 
Patpat15 said:
We bought two AP's ....(snip)....upgrade ...to the AP plus, or whatever they call it...........(snip)....And where do I have it done?

Thanks
At any of the major parks (Guest Relations windows) or at one of the Guest Relations offices at Downtown Disney - there's one in the MarketPlace section and one on the West Side, near the entrance to PI.

Best wishes -
 
We asked about upgrading our AP's on our visit in January. The AP's were purchased last May.

I was not allowed to upgrade- with or without the DVC discount. This was at Guest Services at MGM and they even checked with a supervisor when I challenged the policy.

There were several reports of members getting a refund with their upgrade just prior to our trip, but it seems that Disney may have put a stop to that.

It may still be worth asking about the upgrade - it might be allowed depending on the CM you ask.

We'll just have to wait until our next trip to renew and get the DVC discount.
 

That's crazy, Doc!!!

There's a part of me that was surprised to hear they were allowing (free) upgrades at the discounted rate, and people getting refunds was a real shock. But Disney has always allowed folks to upgrade tickets. I'm hoping maybe this is MYW confusion.

We're going to try it at the International Gateway in about 6 weeks. Hopefully the CMs there are used to dealing with DVC members and we won't have a problem.
 
Perhaps they will do it at the gateway!

I was all psyched about this until I read Doc's reply, bummer!
 
For what it's worth, I sent the following email to DVC after reading Doc's response above:

"My family has Annual Passes that were purchased before the DVC discount
went into effect. We will be returning to Walt Disney World in May...a few weeks before our current APs expire.

It is my understanding that we will be able to upgrade our current
Annual Passes to Premium Annual Passes, and that the DVC discount will be applied to the PAP cost during the upgrade process. The upgraded tickets will retain the current expiration date stated on our Annual Passes.

Can you please confirm whether my understanding is correct or not?"


A few minutes ago I received the following response:

"Based on information that you provided, yes this is the case. There may
be other circumstances regarding your tickets I am unaware of without seeing them. I would recommend contacting ticketing at 407-560-PASS for further assistance."


Not exactly a rock-solid endorsement, but given that I've seen many reports of folks being able to upgrade, it sounds like we should be OK. I can understand them not wanting to issue a firm response without being able to scan the tickets, but there's nothing unusual about our situation that wasn't explained in my inquiry. I'll carry a copy of this email with me just in case.

Hope that helps a little.
 
/
Disney certainly hasn't put a stop on upgrading the AP's. I upgraded mine at the end of February to a PAP and a few days later a friend of mine upgraded hers to a PAP. Both of us used the DVC discount when we upgraded.
Maybe they have a time limit on when you can upgrade? i.e. if the AP is less than 6 months, they'll let you upgrade and if it's over 6 months, they won't? Just a thought.

ETA: My AP was first activated in mid October and my friend's AP was first activated mid September.
 
Did you both need the DVC discount card? Although I am authorized on my wife's account I do not have a card. I will have the resort card with DVC member imprinted on it. Will that do or do I need a separate DVC discount card.
 
The only certainties in life: Death, taxes and inconsistent Disney Cast Members. :)

That said, the info on the DVC website does explicitly state that a member ID card must be presented to get the discount. If you don't have a card, you will have to have someone present who does have a card, and you will have to prove that you share a residence.

Has every Disney CM always asked to see the member ID before applying the discount? Probably not. But given the fact that the discount is about 25-30% off of the regular price of a pass, I bet the ID card is requested the vast majority of the time.
 
I really had to 'work' for my AP to PAP upgrade at the end of Jan. I had purchased an AP voucher for my Dec trip, just before DVC announced the discounts. I put a call through to my DVC guide and asked him if there was any way that I could upgrade my AP to PAP and get the PAP discount. He said that he didn't see why not, but referred me to ticket services for a more definite answer. I called 'ticket services' (sorry, don't remember what # I called, I think it was a general # and I asked for them) and was told that "yes", I could - and further told that I could still get the upgrade even if I had already activated the AP - which I then did in Dec., planning on upgrading in Jan. First night in Jan trip is MGM EMH - at the end of the evening, DH and I decide to stop at Guest Services while we wait for DS and do the upgrade. I talk to several CMs (a supervisor is also called over) and am told emphatically that this cannot be done unless I want to pay almost $200. difference. I decide to check with someone else.
Next morning, I stop at Gst Serv at Int'l Gateway on way to Segway Tour - CM not only tells me 'no way', but comments, "I see that this has been explained in full to you once already!" Yikes ! big brother was watching me and I was upset that they were making me feel like I was trying to do something wrong !! I put a call through to my guide (knew it wasn't his problem, was just looking for advice) - he is the BEST and called me back at lunch time with the name & # of a supervisor at Guest Services at MK that he has spoken with that would help me. I call her and she assures me that I can upgrade with the DVC discount and that she has attached the info onto my name in the system. OK, I think I'm set :rolleyes: - head back over to MGM that night and go to Gst Serv - what do you think ??!!! Yep, told again that it cannot be done - I stood my ground and insisted that the CM (who was trying his best to be helpful) contact the supervisor at MK GS - well, after another 20 - 30 minutes of phone calls and supervisor coming and going, he got it to go through - and paid me $5.00 ! My DH even said "Wow, was it worth all of that hassle?!" But I have another trip with the family in October and will definitely be going to PI and the water parks- besides, I get really stubborn when I've already been told something and know (thanks to the DIS) that others have already done it, too ! So this seems to me to be another instance of "it depends on who you talk to" as to what info you get at WDW - wish there was an easier way!
 
Patpat15 said:
Did you both need the DVC discount card? Although I am authorized on my wife's account I do not have a card. I will have the resort card with DVC member imprinted on it. Will that do or do I need a separate DVC discount card.


I don't know if she showed her card but I definately showed mine. I wasn't actually asked for it but, being the ultra-efficient person I am, I had my AP, DL, and DVC ready to hand directly to the CM.
And as TJKraz says in a later post, The only certainties in life: Death, taxes and inconsistent Disney Cast Members. That is oh, so true.
 















DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top