Water & Sports Option Ticket Length too short

[EleanorMaeBerry]

Hi all!
I'm looking at buying a resort/ticket package directly through Disney, specifically with the 3 day base ticket to Disney with Water & Sports option for this year. It would be 6 days (3 park days, 3 water park days).

However, when I book a package online, it wants the ticket use date to start on my check-in date, which is no good because we arrive very late in the evening. Then, it only provides EXACTLY 6 days to use 6 tickets, but for us it's really only 5 days because we can't do anything on the check-in date.Grumble grumble.. I'd either have to skip a park, or only go to a park for half a day to use up a water park and theme park ticket on the same day.

What am I missing here? After I book the package, is there any way that I can change the start date of the tickets to start a day later? (hopefully easily, like over the phone).

To make it more frustrating, the tickets are more expensive on the check-in date, so if I call to push the dates forward a day (to a cheaper day), I'm assuming that I don't get a refund on the difference?

Also, this is just me complaining, but it's frustrating that they're not more flexible with allowing (for example) someone 7 days to use up 6 days worth of tickets.

 

[lanejudy]

How long is your resort stay? Onsite guests get "length of stay" OR the designated ticket expiration, whichever is longer. So I think your 3-day ticket with waterparks should be good for the length of your onsite stay.

That said, it's not a 6-day ticket, it's a 3-day theme park ticket with 3 additional entries to the waterparks/sports. Some people use multiple entries a day, others use them on separate days. But WDW considers it a "3-day" ticket not a "6-day" ticket.

A regular 3-day base ticket only has a 5-day use window. The waterparks & sports option extends it one day. If you buy your tickets separate from the package, you can choose a different start date - but if you move that start day prior to arrival it will expire sooner.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you want to start your tickets on a date that is different than your check-in date, you need to buy your tickets separately.

 

[Robo]

it's frustrating that they're not more flexible with allowing (for example) someone 7 days to use up 6 days worth of tickets.

If you are staying on-site with a "package" (room and tickets via the resort) you can do that, if you like.

 

[EleanorMaeBerry]

How long is your resort stay? Onsite guests get "length of stay" OR the designated ticket expiration, whichever is longer. So I think your 3-day ticket with waterparks should be good for the length of your onsite stay.

That said, it's not a 6-day ticket, it's a 3-day theme park ticket with 3 additional entries to the waterparks/sports. Some people use multiple entries a day, others use them on separate days. But WDW considers it a "3-day" ticket not a "6-day" ticket.

My resort stay is 7 nights, but it's a split stay. 3 nights at All Star and 4 nights at Animal Kingdom. I think that's part of the issue.

 

[EleanorMaeBerry]

If you are staying on-site with a "package" (room and tickets via the resort) you can do that, if you like.

Sorry, I'm not following. What can I do? Call Disney set up the package with a different start date?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My resort stay is 7 nights, but it's a split stay. 3 nights at All Star and 4 nights at Animal Kingdom. I think that's part of the issue.

Yes, that is the issue. If you were staying all 7 nights at All Star, you would have 7 days to use the park tickets and add-on options. You need to either purchase your tickets separately and choose your own start date or even consider staying somewhere else that first night since you are arriving so late and start your package with a 2-night stay at All Star on your second day so the tickets are activated on that second day. The least complicated thing to do is simply book the resorts as room-only and book the tickets separately so you can pick your own ticket start date.

 

[Robo]

Sorry, I'm not following. What can I do? Call Disney set up the package with a different start date?

First, I WOULD call Disney and explain your situation and "ask nicely" for what you'd like.
(After all, you ARE staying at WDW resorts.)

But, another way to extend your ticket "days" is...
If you upgrade to a 3-day Park Hopper PLUS ticket (for about $30 more, per ticket)
that will give you SIX days of use (instead of 5 days.)

 

[seashoreCM]

But, another way to extend your ticket "days" is...
If you upgrade to a 3-day Park Hopper PLUS ticket (for about $30 more, per ticket)
that will give you SIX days of use (instead of 5 days.)

She is already going to upgrade to (or buy outright) a 3 day Park Hopper Plus.

The 3 day 2020 PHP would cover it perfectly except that the system expect Day 1 of the ticket to fall on the check in evening. This leaves only 5 ticket usage days to cover the 6 full resort days in the middle. (Ignore the check out morning; that is OT here).

================

It might be desirable to make two or three phone calls to get the desired result. If you call and explain the situation and run into a snag then the process of explaining the situation in a second way makes the whole conversation convoluted and both you and the CM on the phone will start to lose the train of thought. By making another phone call you can start explaining the problem and even make a different suggested solution using different words while it is still a simple conversation. Or by making a third phone call you have the chance of getting a different phone CM who may give you a better resolution when you ask the exact same question as in the previous call.

Example:
After actually booking the package:
Phone call #1: dada dada Would you be able to adjust the start date of the ticket to be a day later (give the date after check in day)? dada dada and the phone CM launches into the discussion of splitting the first of the split stay into two yet smaller parts and can't give you the same room dada dada.
Phone call #2: dada dada Would you be able to adjust the ticket expiration to be length of stay and to be my final checkout date (give the checkout date of the second of the split stay)? dada dada.
Phone call #n: You have not yet been given a solution to your liking so you cancel the entire booking. Then do a little more number crunching and decide if a room only reservation and separate ticket purchase would be better.

I kind of think that the preceding solutions are really trivial to do except that some phone CMs might not have the expertise to plug them into the computer or have the permission to do so.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

She is already going to upgrade to (or buy outright) a 3 day Park Hopper Plus.

The 3 day 2020 PHP would cover it perfectly except that the system expect Day 1 of the ticket to fall on the check in evening. This leaves only 5 ticket usage days to cover the 6 full resort days in the middle. (Ignore the check out morning; that is OT here).

It might be desirable to make two or three phone calls to get the desired result. If you call and explain the situation and run into a snag then the process of explaining the situation in a second way makes the whole conversation convoluted and both you and the CM on the phone will start to lose the train of thought. By making another phone call you can start explaining the problem and even make a different suggested solution using different words while it is still a simple conversation. Or by making a third phone call you have the chance of getting a different phone CM who may give you a better resolution when you ask the exact same question as in the previous call.

Example:
After actually booking the package:
Phone call #1: dada dada Would you be able to adjust the start date of the ticket to be a day later (give the date after check in day)? dada dada and the phone CM launches into the discussion of splitting the first of the split stay into two yet smaller parts and can't give you the same room dada dada.
Phone call #2: dada dada Would you be able to adjust the ticket expiration to be length of stay and to be my final checkout date (give the checkout date of the second of the split stay)? dada dada.
Phone call #n: You have not yet been given a solution to your liking so you cancel the entire booking. Then do a little more number crunching and decide if a room only reservation and separate ticket purchase would be better.

I kind of think that the preceding solutions are really trivial to do except that some phone CMs might not have the expertise to plug them into the computer or have the permission to do so.

The bottom line is, it can't be done. Why make 2 or 3 phone calls when the "desired" result isn't possible? Tickets connected to a package start on the resort check-in date and then expire based on the ticket length and resort stay length (the split stay isn't helping in this case). There is no way to override or manipulate the start date or end date in conjunction with a package. OP either needs to check-in on the day they want to start using the tickets or buy the tickets separately.

 

[Robo]

Hope you find a positive solution.