Using GAD with MYW packages?

[SmileyJoyz]

Okay, I can't seem to find a sticky or thread addressing this question. I think I already know the answer, but I just want to make sure.

DH and I purchased a MYW package with the free DDP for this August. We purchased a package with only a 2-day base ticket since we each have a GAD certificate and 1 park hopper day each from the last time we went to WDW eight years ago (and two plus options!). I started reading some of the threads here and wondered if you can "upgrade" vacation package tickets with the GAD? Or is that available when you purchase a park hopper only, not attached to a vacation package?

I'm asking because if I could change my vacation package to a 3-day ticket and then apply the value of our GAD to it, then we'd save about $30 overall. Not a huge savings, I know, but a savings nonetheless.

Of course, I'm asking all of this and fully expecting the answer to be NO. But I just thought I'd ask.

On a similar note, I'm wondering what will happen when we go to redeem the GAD voucher at the park ticket window. Will they add it to our KTTW cards or just give us a separate ticket?

Thanks!

Joy

 

[seashoreCM]

Redeeming your GAD voucher for a ticket, the only outcome is a separate ticket card (a one day base ticket).

No problem if your entire vacation is for three days in the theme parks, not counting days or hours in water parks. You use the GAD ticket as soon as you get it and use your two day ticket that came with the dining package on the other two days.

For four or more days, using the GAD ticket and also other ticket cards for theme parks is wasteful. Instead redeem the GAD voucher for a ticket on day one and, once inside the park, upgrade it to cover all the theme park days. Save the other ticket(s) unused for the future. (No problem using water park fun off of an older ticket.)

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/dispass.htm

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

For four or more days, using the GAD ticket and also other ticket cards for theme parks is wasteful. Instead redeem the GAD voucher for a ticket on day one and, once inside the park, upgrade it to cover all the theme park days. Save the other ticket(s) unused for the future. (No problem using water park fun off of an older ticket.)

Right. Or use the GAD voucher to get fastpass cards for your group. The cost difference between a 3-day ticket and a 4-day ticket is only $6 per ticket. Additional days are only $3 each.

If you are only going for four days, you can use the 2-day tickets, old ticket for one day, and your GAD voucher for the fourth day. But I would either upgrade the two-day tickets to four days (cost about $73 per ticket), use the GAD voucher for FP cards and save the old ticket, or I would upgrade the GAD voucher to four days (cost about $155 per ticket) since it has to be used by December 15, and ave the two-day and old tickets for another trip.

 

[SmileyJoyz]

Thanks for the suggestions. While I understand the logic behind upgrading to a 4-day pass, it doesn't really make fiscal sense for us to do that. We have already paid $332 total for each of us to have the 2-day base ticket. To spend another $310 to upgrade to a 4-day pass basically doubles our costs for park tickets. Even though it would give us days to use in the future, as it is we have this 1-day park hopper left from 2002!! It's taken us 8 years to return to WDW; I'm sure we'll come back again at some point in our lives, but I really don't know when. We like to travel all around the world and tend not to repeat trips often. Some might say it's an investment for a future vacation, but I'd rather save it for another side trip.

The GAD fast pass does sound tempting, although we're hoping that the parks won't be too crowded in mid-August. Certainly (and hopefully!) not as crowded as they were when we went in June 1999! We went in Oct 2002 and it was beautifully quiet. We were able to just get off a ride and nearly get right back on again. Maybe it won't be that quiet because of the free DDP packages, but a girl can dream!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

By definition an upgrade is taking one ticket and adding cash (or similar) and ending up with one ticket with more entitlements. You cannot combine two tickets to get one ticket with more features.*

* The only exception to this rule is at the water parks where you can combine a one day water park ticket with a base or hopping MYW ticket and a payment to end up with a MYW ticket with the WPF&M option. Your payment will be the difference in price between the one day water park ticket and the cost of the WPF&M option plus tax on the difference.

 

[SmileyJoyz]

By definition an upgrade is taking one ticket and adding cash (or similar) and ending up with one ticket with more entitlements. You cannot combine two tickets to get one ticket with more features.*

I only wanted to know if I could use my GAD voucher to upgrade the tickets I bought with the MYW package from 2 days to 3 days (just adding a day, not adding features like PH, waterparks, or No Expire). But the way I'm reading everyone's responses, it sounds like you can only redeem your GAD voucher at a ticket office at one of the parks--and by that time we'll have already paid for our MYW vacation package.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

But the way I'm reading everyone's responses, it sounds like you can only redeem your GAD voucher at a ticket office at one of the parks--and by that time we'll have already paid for our MYW vacation package.

Correct. You have to redeem the voucher at one of the four main parks. You will not be able to combine your GAD ticket with your MYW ticket to end up with a single three-day MYW ticket, but you can do as you want and use the tickets individually.

 

[doconeill]

I only wanted to know if I could use my GAD voucher to upgrade the tickets I bought with the MYW package from 2 days to 3 days (just adding a day, not adding features like PH, waterparks, or No Expire). But the way I'm reading everyone's responses, it sounds like you can only redeem your GAD voucher at a ticket office at one of the parks--and by that time we'll have already paid for our MYW vacation package.

To put it simply, no, you cannot upgrade your 2-day ticket to a 3-day ticket by adding the GAD ticket - but the GAD ticket itself is a 1-day ticket, you can just use it as is for one park day, and the 2-day can be used for 2 more.

Note that this doesn't get you the most value, especially if you have future trips that you can save your package tickets for. Each additional day added to a ticket costs less than the previous one. At first its not much (the second day only saves you $2), but after the 4th day each only costs $3. But by using the GAD ticket for a 3rd day, you are using a $79 ticket for a $63 day.

 

[SmileyJoyz]

Note that this doesn't get you the most value, especially if you have future trips that you can save your package tickets for. Each additional day added to a ticket costs less than the previous one. At first its not much (the second day only saves you $2), but after the 4th day each only costs $3. But by using the GAD ticket for a 3rd day, you are using a $79 ticket for a $63 day.

True, but as I noted above we still have one-day left on an old park hopper from 2002; while we do love Disney and are very excited for this trip, we tend to plan a totally different trip each year (last year was Fiji & Australia) so I really have no clue when we'll be back. I honestly would have considered buying a multi-day pass with the GAD if we weren't doing the free DDP. But that alone will save us a ton of money and the minimum ticket you have to buy with that is a two-day pass.

 

[doconeill]

True, but as I noted above we still have one-day left on an old park hopper from 2002; while we do love Disney and are very excited for this trip, we tend to plan a totally different trip each year (last year was Fiji & Australia) so I really have no clue when we'll be back. I honestly would have considered buying a multi-day pass with the GAD if we weren't doing the free DDP. But that alone will save us a ton of money and the minimum ticket you have to buy with that is a two-day pass.

Absolutely...you can't get absolute full value for your remaining 1-day unless you were able to make a 1-day trip, which isn't often feasible for non-locals. It's generally a balance of save-now vs. save-overall.

At least with a shorter trip, the overall loss is minimized.