Upgrading to AP

[AMaloy314]

I'm sorry if I am repeating a question, but I can't get the search to work for this.

We got back a couple of weeks ago from WDW. I had purchased 5 PHP, but were only able to use 4 days due to hurricane Jeanne. Since we have a day left, I am, of course, trying to talk DH into another trip.

My questions are:

Can we still upgrade to AP passes even though we have used some of the days and it has been so long since we got back?

Where is the calculator that tells you what the break point is for saving between PHP and APs? I know that I have seen it, but I can't find it again.

Does anyone know if it would save us much money to do this, if I plan to buy another 4 days of passes?

I've also read that only one person in the party needs to have an AP to get the AP discounts. Is it more frugal to buy a child's AP and use that to get the discounts?

As you can tell, APs are totally a new concept to me. I never thought we'd go back within a year!

TIA
A

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by AMaloy314
I'm sorry if I am repeating a question, but I can't get the search to work for this.

We got back a couple of weeks ago from WDW. I had purchased 5 PHP, but were only able to use 4 days due to hurricane Jeanne. Since we have a day left, I am, of course, trying to talk DH into another trip.

My questions are:

Can we still upgrade to AP passes even though we have used some of the days and it has been so long since we got back?

No. To upgrade (which means the AP is backdated to the first use of the PHP pass and you get credit for the full price paid for the PHP), you would have had to do it within 7 days of the first use. If you used any of the plus options, you could only upgrade to a PAP - which is a considerably more expensive pass.

However, you can apply the remaining value of the used PHP pass to the purchase of a new AP. Your credit is roughly equal to the number of unused park days divided by the number of park days on the pass. No credit is given for unused plus options.

Where is the calculator that tells you what the break point is for saving between PHP and APs? I know that I have seen it, but I can't find it again.

Here is a link to a Break-Even Analysis:

http://allearsnet.com/pl/breakeven.php

Does anyone know if it would save us much money to do this, if I plan to buy another 4 days of passes?

Since you can only get a dollar credit towards an AP and only want 4 more park days, an AP isn't going to be a good value for you (unless you plan more trips that will occur within a year of your next trip). This will be especially true if you still have unused plus options on your 5 Day PHP tickets.

I've also read that only one person in the party needs to have an AP to get the AP discounts. Is it more frugal to buy a child's AP and use that to get the discounts?

Only one person needs to have an AP to get most AP discounts for the entire party. There are usually limits to party size for dining or recreational discounts. Opinions and experiences vary regarding the child AP question. For the room AP discount, the person reserving the room should be the AP holder and a child cannot legally reserve a room. Some report that the CMs have let this slide - you decide if you want to risk it.

As you can tell, APs are totally a new concept to me. I never thought we'd go back within a year!

TIA
A

Have fun on your trip - here are some more links with info on APs that you will find helpful:

AP Benefits and Discounts

Upgrading WDW Tickets Annual Passes Info & FAQ