Upgrading to annual pass - worth it?

[CourtNut]

The DBF and I will be going on our first WDW vacation in 2 weeks We'll be at the parks for 5 days and have already purchased 5 day tickets through AAA.

We have just found out that my parents are planning a family trip to WDW in July We will be at the parks 7 days then.

Now that I'm looking through ticket options, I'm wondering if it would be better to upgrade our already purchased tickets to annual passes? I read the ticket thread, and from what I understand, this shouldn't be a problem?

We are definitely Disney newbies, however, and are still confused as to how we would go about upgrading our tickets, and what the benefits are of having annual passes. Or, is there a more cost beneficial option that I'm overlooking?

Any insight you could provide would be much appreciated!

 

[Robo]

Now that I'm looking through ticket options, I'm wondering if it would be better to upgrade our already purchased tickets to annual passes? I read the ticket thread, and from what I understand, this shouldn't be a problem?

Should be no problem at all.

We are definitely Disney newbies, however, and are still confused as to how we would go about upgrading our tickets, and what the benefits are of having annual passes. Or, is there a more cost beneficial option that I'm overlooking?

USE the current tickets you have now at least ONCE to go into a theme park,
then just go to any ticket booth or Guest Relations Window and tell them you want to upgrade to an AP.

You will be given the full gate price for the kind of ticket that you HAVE, and you would pay the difference price to get the AP.

There are various benefits to owning an AP, not the least of which is getting to go into a WDW park as many times as
you want for a period of a full year following the first date that you used your original ticket.

WDW Ticket PRICE LIST

 

[erincon23]

Hi -- I think it would definitely be worth it. Your five- day passes (if they were hoppers) were about $255 (we just bought 5 day AAA tickets), and a seven day ticket is a little more than that. That brings it to just about $500. The AP is a little less than that, but gives you free parking ($12/day), merchandise and (some) dining discounts, opportunities for passholder-only activities, and more! To upgrade, just take the ticket you already have to any ticket booth at one of the parks, and you'll just pay the difference (actually, it's the difference between what Disney sells the 5-day ticket for, not the slightly discounted AAA rate, I think -- I could be wrong, but that's what I got before) between your ticket and the AP rate. The only thing to check ahead of time is if your parents are planning to do your family trip during a free dining period, would you be able to get the free dining with the AP on their package. I'd call Disney about that before you upgrade if that's possibly the case with the parent trip.

- Erin

 

[Robo]

To upgrade, just take the ticket you already have to any ticket booth at one of the parks, and you'll just pay the difference (actually, it's the difference between what Disney sells the 5-day ticket for, not the slightly discounted AAA rate, I think -- I could be wrong, but that's what I got before)

You must first USE the discounted tickets to enter a theme park at least once BEFORE you upgrade in order to get the full gate price in the trade-up.

 

[CourtNut]

Awesome! Thanks for the information!

 

[BrettS]

I think it would definitely be worth it.

I agree... the price will be very close (or maybe even a little cheaper with the AP, depending on whether you get the hopper option on your tickets (the AP includes hopping) and you'll get extra benefits with the AP (plus, if you manage to come down again within the next year you won't have to pay anything for tickets)

To upgrade, just take the ticket you already have to any ticket booth at one of the parks, and you'll just pay the difference (actually, it's the difference between what Disney sells the 5-day ticket for, not the slightly discounted AAA rate, I think -- I could be wrong, but that's what I got before) between your ticket and the AP rate.

That's correct, but like Robo said, use the ticket to enter the park first.

The only thing to check ahead of time is if your parents are planning to do your family trip during a free dining period, would you be able to get the free dining with the AP on their package. I'd call Disney about that before you upgrade if that's possibly the case with the parent trip

You can still get free dining with an AP, but it makes things a little more complicated. With free dining, each person *must* purchase a park ticket, and everyone in the package *must* purchase the same park ticket (the same number of days and the same options). The best way to work around this is to simply get a 1 day base ticket for everyone as part of the package. You'll have an AP, so you won't use your 1 day ticket, but save it because unused tickets never expire. You'll be able to use it next year to renew your AP (if you decide to renew it) or you can upgrade it to include more days and other options the next time you go to disney. Your parents can take their one day tickets and immediately upgrade them to include the number of days and the options that they'll need for the trip. It won't cost them anything extra to do it this way (other than the cost of your 1 day ticket) and you'll still have the advantage of the AP.

Good luck and have fun