Upgrading park passes?

[michael's mom]

I recently learned that my husband's company has a partnership with WDW and we can buy park hoppers w/water park option at a discount. I spoke with member services at the resort today and they told me that they could transfer those passes on to our room keys so we will only have one card each to deal with.

Now, I remember reading her on the boards a few years ago that you can upgrade tickets at the front desk of the resort (such as adding non-expiring) etc. Has anyone done this? Do I do it before we use it, after we're done, or mid-stay?

I'm asking because the offer we have is to buy 4 PHWPM and get 3 free so we'll have 7 PH days and 7 fun days. We definitely won't be using all of those days. At most, we'll use 5 PH days during our stay and 1 water park visit (and DH will most likely go to DQ too).

I'd love to add the non-expiring to our tickets so we don't lose them but don't know how to go about this in the most affordable way possible.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[scbloom]

Most likely you will not be able to add option to these special tickets. Two years ago I got tickets through AAA that had a similar offer, and I could not modify the tickets.

Go ahead and try when you are at the World, and maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[michael's mom]

Most likely you will not be able to add option to these special tickets. Two years ago I got tickets through AAA that had a similar offer, and I could not modify the tickets.

Go ahead and try when you are at the World, and maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.

Were you able to transfer them over to your room key? I'm pretty sure these tickets will be purchased through WDW (but I'm not sure). I just found out about this offer this morning so haven't really researched it all the way through. We had the buy 4 get 3 deal through Disney and were able to add the non-expire (we still have 3 PH days left). Hmm....hopefully we'll be able to, but, if not, it still may be worth it

 

[ccgirl]

I've never had a problem upgrading the tix I had. But...ALWAYS use 1 day first. The reason for that is you will get the current gate price of the tickets toward the new ones. If you do not use they first, you will only get the price you paid for the tickets toward the upgraded tix. Make sense?

 

[michael's mom]

I've never had a problem upgrading the tix I had. But...ALWAYS use 1 day first. The reason for that is you will get the current gate price of the tickets toward the new ones. If you do not use they first, you will only get the price you paid for the tickets toward the upgraded tix. Make sense?

So, if I use 1 day first, and then upgrade the passes to non-expiring it'll be a better value?

 

[ccgirl]

So, if I use 1 day first, and then upgrade the passes to non-expiring it'll be a better value?

Absolutely. I'm just going to throw out fictional number here.

Say your original discounted passes cost $100.

Those same passes cost $125 non discounted.

The passes you want to upgrade to are $200.

If you use your discounted pass first they do an intermediate transaction and essentially give you $125 toward the $200 pass so you only pay $75, so you "save" $25.

If you do not use them first there is no intermediate step taken and they just give you what you paid toward the new ticket (100$) so it would cost you $100 to upgrade. You would "lose" the $25.

Make sense?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

If the tickets are discounted more than 10% from Gate price they may not be upgradeable.

You might want to look at the Everything About WDW Tickets locked sticky in the TPA&S Forum. Especially the items bolded in the list below.

Post and Contents

1. This Table of Contents
2. Magic Your Way (MYW) Ticket Basics Including Definitions
3. Annual Passes and Water Park Tickets
4. Tickets Available Only to Florida Residents
5. Tickets Not Available to the General Public
6. Upgrading MYW Tickets (Not to Annual Passes)
7. Upgrading Tickets to Annual Passes
8. Dealing With Tickets Issued Prior to 1 January 2005 (Pre-MYW)
9. Children and Adults
10. Special Events
11. Comprehensive MYW Ticket Example
12. Hotel Card (Key To The World (KTTW))
13. Lost Tickets
14. Finger Scans
15. Frequently Asked Ticket Questions.
15A. Hopping Rules
15B. WPF&M With No Expire
15C. No Expire Upgrades
15D. Upgrading an Unused Ticket
15E. Upgrading Special Tickets
15F. Checking on Old Tickets
15G. Renewing Annual Passes
15H. Upgrading a Completely Used Ticket
15I. Getting Park Tickets Before Package Start Date
16. 2010 Give A Day, Get A Day Promotion
17. Information on Disney's Armed Forces Salute 2010
18. Prices Effective August 2, 2009
19. Special Promotions and "Free" Tickets
19A. AP 15 Months for Price of 12 Renewal
19B. Florida Resident Four Day Dream Ticket
20. Ticket Purchase/Upgrade Locations and Telephones
21. Florida Resident Installment Purchases of Annual Passes

To get there directly, follow the link in my signature.

 

[michael's mom]

thanks! I'll check it out now

 

[michael's mom]

Okay, so I checked out that sticky. Definitely helpful.

If I am able to add the NE to my ticket, and it's a 7 day ticket, I pay the NE price for 7 days regardless of how many days are left? Or, do I pay to NE the days that I still have? I'm assuming it's all 7 days, otherwise why would anyone do NE to start their vacation.

If I'm reading other tables correctly is about $7.50 a day to add NE. It will be worth paying that price because of all the unused WP days we'll have left. (not to mention park days).

 

[vicki_c]

Yes, correct you pay it for all days. Adding NE on a 7 day ticket is $122, not $7.50 a day as you posted.

 

[michael's mom]

Yes, correct you pay it for all days. Adding NE on a 7 day ticket is $122, not $7.50 a day as you posted.

Really? I could swear I saw a grid that said a NE day was $7.50 more than a non NE day. Hmm. I just may have to rethink my plans then because that would not be worth it (well it would technically, but we definitely won't have an extra $366 on our vacation)

 

[vicki_c]

Really? I could swear I saw a grid that said a NE day was $7.50 more than a non NE day. Hmm. I just may have to rethink my plans then because that would not be worth it (well it would technically, but we definitely won't have an extra $366 on our vacation)

I know CF's ticket sticky has prices in it, but I just pulled the prices from Mousesavers. Check either place, I'm sure it will say the same:
http://www.mousesavers.com/wdwticketprices.html

NE is relatively expensive to add to your tickets, in some cases it can make sense and in many others it does not work out well economically. Adding it to use up multiple WP entries can be a workable plan though, provided you hang on to the tickets and don't lose them or anything. Using it to use up extra left over days often doesn't work out as well, because you might need more ticket days on a future trip than you have left on the NE ticket, and then buying new tickets drives your cost up a lot for that future trip (because of the way the ticket prices are so heavily front-loaded).

 

[michael's mom]

I know CF's ticket sticky has prices in it, but I just pulled the prices from Mousesavers. Check either place, I'm sure it will say the same:
http://www.mousesavers.com/wdwticketprices.html

NE is relatively expensive to add to your tickets, in some cases it can make sense and in many others it does not work out well economically. Adding it to use up multiple WP entries can be a workable plan though, provided you hang on to the tickets and don't lose them or anything. Using it to use up extra left over days often doesn't work out as well, because you might need more ticket days on a future trip than you have left on the NE ticket, and then buying new tickets drives your cost up a lot for that future trip (because of the way the ticket prices are so heavily front-loaded).

Well, our thing is, DH and I each have 3 hopper days left from our last trip because we took advantage of the NE option during the buy 4 get 3 promotion on rooms/tickets/dining. So with the left overs from this ticket, and our old tickets, we'd be all set for the next vacation. But, DS was only 2 the last time we were there so he doesn't have a KTTW card. I'm thinking I could add 3 days to his ticket before we leave if we do add the NE to it. That way, we'd each have matching tickets for our next trip. But, that all depends on the cost (and if I can find the other tickets).

Thanks for all the info. Now, off to stew it around in my brain. Good thing I have 8 months to figure it out

 

[seashoreCM]

If I'm reading other tables correctly is about $7.50 a day to add NE. It will be worth paying that price because of all the unused WP days we'll have left. (not to mention park days).

Non-expiring days after the third average about $35. apiece (day number six is somewhat less).

Adding non-expiration to preserve day number two (for a 2 day ticket) costs about ten dollars but since the day itself cost $85, the real cost of nonexpiring day two is about $95.

Someone correct me -- If a ticket is promotional and therefore not upgradeable, it should not be called Magic Your Way?

Companies like AAA would be deceiving the public if some of the time they sell non-upgradable tickets.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Someone correct me -- If a ticket is promotional and therefore not upgradeable, it should not be called Magic Your Way?

Companies like AAA would be deceiving the public if some of the time they sell non-upgradable tickets.

The special promotional tickets that AAA had last year were described in all AAA published literature as not being able to be upgraded other to an AP, and then no price bridging.