Warning: I was NOT allowed to upgrade MYW tickets with dining plan!

[CanBeGrumpy]

Short version: Booked trip with free dining. Included only one day MYW tickets since I was planning to upgrade to annual passes. (Did this last year without a hitch) Was told that since tickets were part of a package, I could NOT upgrade as it would ruin our hotel reservation and, in essence, kick us out of our room. We could only upgrade AFTER the package was over. Umm, how am I supposed to get into the parks during our stay???

Luckily, this was only a short trip, so we went to the parks one day, used up all our dining credits at resort and downtown Disney restaurants, spent the other days at the pool, and went home. We were planning several more trips in 2007 that now will not happen. I am totally soured on Disney (temporarily, I hope) and don't plan on visiting for a while. I was willing to give them major $$$$ to upgrade those tickets, not to mention the thousands we would have spent all next year, and they couldn't do it.

So, if you have planned to do what I was going to do, you better call and get the whole story before you wait in line at Guest Relations only to be told "no can do". I was so disappointed. I did write in a complaint, they did call me, but I don't even think I want to take them up on their "make-it-all-better" offer. I just want nothing to do with them for a while.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm sure you could have upgraded the tickets; adding extra days, adding no-expiry, adding the hopper option and even adding the water parks option. Your package required a pass purchase, an AP didn't count. You didn't want to upgrade your ticket you wanted to cancel your pass and then purchase an AP. I'm surprised you were allowed to do this last year. I guess this loophole got closed. What you want to do is no different than just being allowed to purchase an AP instead of a MYW ticket.

People who want to use an AP just keep the one day pass and use it for a future visit.

Short version: Booked trip with free dining. Included only one day MYW tickets since I was planning to upgrade to annual passes. (Did this last year without a hitch) Was told that since tickets were part of a package, I could NOT upgrade as it would ruin our hotel reservation and, in essence, kick us out of our room. We could only upgrade AFTER the package was over. Umm, how am I supposed to get into the parks during our stay???

Luckily, this was only a short trip, so we went to the parks one day, used up all our dining credits at resort and downtown Disney restaurants, spent the other days at the pool, and went home. We were planning several more trips in 2007 that now will not happen. I am totally soured on Disney (temporarily, I hope) and don't plan on visiting for a while. I was willing to give them major $$$$ to upgrade those tickets, not to mention the thousands we would have spent all next year, and they couldn't do it.

So, if you have planned to do what I was going to do, you better call and get the whole story before you wait in line at Guest Relations only to be told "no can do". I was so disappointed. I did write in a complaint, they did call me, but I don't even think I want to take them up on their "make-it-all-better" offer. I just want nothing to do with them for a while.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Actually I can see Disney's point with this especially during free dining.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

I'm sure you could have upgraded the tickets; adding extra days, adding no-expiry, adding the hopper option and even adding the water parks option. Your package required a pass purchase, an AP didn't count. You didn't want to upgrade your ticket you wanted to cancel your pass and then purchase an AP. I'm surprised you were allowed to do this last year. I guess this loophole got closed. What you want to do is no different than just being allowed to purchase an AP instead of a MYW ticket.

People who want to use an AP just keep the one day pass and use it for a future visit.

I know a lot of people on this board did this last year, and it worked out fine. I guess what you wrote is correct, but what is the harm in letting someone cash in their ticket toward a more expensive ticket? I was basically right there at the window ready to give them around $1000, and they said no. And, they said I could do it after the package was over, so they do, indeed, let people apply the cost of the MYW tickets toward APs, just not if you want to do it in the middle of your current package deal. I just don't understand the logic behind the new way of doing things. Oh well, I guess it's nice to still have my $1000 in my pocket!

 

[dodukes]

I am not sure but I would have gone to another window, I do not know how the guy at hte window would even know you were on free dining, either way you should have tried again, we jsut went for the pin event and i had booked a packaged with free dining and a 1 day myw. First morning went to epcot and asked the guy at guest services that we wanted to upgrade our one day tickets to seasonal pass, no problem we both did it at a tune of $170.40. I expect to do the same with my mom next weekend, she needs to upgrade her ticket too and i wil just save mine for next years upgrade. I think he was wrong and no its not cheating disney, you are allowed to upgrade you tickets as you wish, package or not.

 

[n2mm]

Short version: Booked trip with free dining. Included only one day MYW tickets since I was planning to upgrade to annual passes. (Did this last year without a hitch) Was told that since tickets were part of a package, I could NOT upgrade as it would ruin our hotel reservation and, in essence, kick us out of our room. We could only upgrade AFTER the package was over. Umm, how am I supposed to get into the parks during our stay???

Luckily, this was only a short trip, so we went to the parks one day, used up all our dining credits at resort and downtown Disney restaurants, spent the other days at the pool, and went home. We were planning several more trips in 2007 that now will not happen. I am totally soured on Disney (temporarily, I hope) and don't plan on visiting for a while. I was willing to give them major $$$$ to upgrade those tickets, not to mention the thousands we would have spent all next year, and they couldn't do it.

So, if you have planned to do what I was going to do, you better call and get the whole story before you wait in line at Guest Relations only to be told "no can do". I was so disappointed. I did write in a complaint, they did call me, but I don't even think I want to take them up on their "make-it-all-better" offer. I just want nothing to do with them for a while.

That is crazy...I too would've tried another guest relations. BTW, which guest relations location did you go to?

You really weren't upgrading, what you were doing was buying an AP and applying the value of the ticket to the cost. We were there during the free DDP last month, but did not use our one day tickets as neither of us needed to renew yet. The CM can certainly take the ticket off of your card and use it. We changed resorts and when we did the CM took my one day ticket off of one card and put it on the new resort ID card. That is too bad that happened to you. I would be curious to see if anyone else had the same problem.

 

[tmli]

Sept 8 at Epcot we were told the exact same thing. BF was trying to upgrade his (I already have an AP--so will upgrade my ticket next year)....I argued this saying um then how do we get in while we are here. She said the issue was something to do with their two systems being different and sometimes the ressie was getting lost and the free dining being lost.

With persistance by me she offered to call the resort and speak to them...they noted the reservation with something?? so that if when she did it the ressie was lost they would be aware and be able to fix it.

So we upgraded, went to dinner and the ressie was fine. OP is right....this is what they are telling people. They did say after the ressie was complete it would be no problems.

Edited to add....they also could not remove the one day ticket from my room key til after the ressie was ended.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

That is crazy...I too would've tried another guest relations. BTW, which guest relations location did you go to?

You really weren't upgrading, what you were doing was buying an AP and applying the value of the ticket to the cost. We were there during the free DDP last month, but did not use our one day tickets as neither of us needed to renew yet. The CM can certainly take the ticket off of your card and use it. We changed resorts and when we did the CM took my one day ticket off of one card and put it on the new resort ID card. That is too bad that happened to you. I would be curious to see if anyone else had the same problem.

We were at Epcot, and both the guest relations outside the entrance, and guest relations inside the park told me the same thing. Not only that, the person who called me back about my complaint told me the same thing---no changing your ticket until the END of your package. I was completely surprised, as last year I had the same experience that Dodukes describes above. I walked up to the ticket window, they put the 1 day MYW ticket price toward the price of an AP, I paid the difference, and I walked away with APs! Not so this year! It was so bizarre. I'm still in a state of confusion over the whole thing!

 

[bicker]

It sure smacks of one of those "services curtailed or changed due to abuse" scenarios, but I cannot put my finger on what the abuse is in this case.

 

[tmli]

I really think its a computer issue that when one system removes the ticket from the card (ressie) that it could negatively impact the other system. In our case it didn't...so I don't know if it has in some instances or not.

 

[BillSears]

I upgraded my 8 day MYW with Park Hoppers to an AP on Sept 9th at the EPCOT guest relations. The card had on it my room key and free dining credits plus the MYW ticket. They had no problem with removing the MYW ticket part and leaving the room key and dining credits on the card.

Maybe it's because I went to guest relations before I used the card for admission?

 

[dodukes]

I too did it on Sept 8th so I'm not sure who you dealt with but I did it early like at 8am....also i dont get into details of my ticket i simply say that i would like to upgrade my one day to seasonal pass....i would be upset if they did that and would ask for a manger ,there is nothing worng with what you are doing and its not cheating or abusing the system as someone suggested, every other guest package ddp or not is able to do this....so then what you cant upgrade you tickets after you use it and LEAVE the park, so your stuck at point A again....

 

[tmli]

We also went prior to using it for admission. Eventually we did do the upgrade, so it could be done. Not sure why they thought it would cause an issue.

If you try to do this and are told no I would just persist....it worked for us.

 

[tmli]

I would say that either its a case of a rule that is not being enforced by everyone....or it is an issue that a couple cm's had and tried to make their "own rule"....seems to me that the problem was at Epcot. I won't spell out the name of the CM I dealt with but it started with a K.

 

[dodukes]

I dont remember who we dealt with but it as that same morning at epcot so im guessing thats its a matter of CM cuz we were at the same place and had two outcomes...

 

[PureTcrazy]

We have a party of 12 leaving in a week, 3 of us have AP's so we did the 1 day tix package too and were planning on upgrading the others to AP's when we got there. Please tell me that this is an exception, not some new rule

 

[LakeAriel]

Someone on these boards shared a letter in August from guest relations. The woman said you can separate the MYW ticket from your room ticket and gift it. In late August I took both my daughter and my one day ticket to guest relations and applied the value to my other daughter and son in laws ticket as I was instructed was OK to do..(we had AP's)
This is indeed confusng

 

[kaytieeldr]

It sure smacks of one of those "services curtailed or changed due to abuse" scenarios, but I cannot put my finger on what the abuse is in this case.

The closest I can think of is that a package requires the purchase of a Magic Your Way pass, that you can't book a package to include an Annual Pass.

If anybody runs into this same issue in the future - what about upgrading the MYW pass to the number of days you plan to spend in parks up front (aka at Guest Relations) then apply it to an AP at the end of your stay/end of the package? Would that work?

 

[dodukes]

Not necesarily because our seasonal pass runs us only $237, if we go for 3-4 days its prob gonna costs more than that or just about and they are not gonna give me an annual for the price of 3-4 days i cant imagine, this has never been a problem before, so i cant imagine, i think its prob a few confused cm's...

 

[ElizabethB]

We were at WDW in free dining about three weeks ago. I used my one-day MYW ticket as a credit toward an annual pass renewal. I went to the Guest Relations window at MK. They handled it without any problem. They told me only Guest Relations at the parks can do this. It can't be done at the hotel concierge/guest relations desks.

Hope that is helpful.