WWYD - workin' the PAP through 2014

[Kidanifan08]

We (me, DW, DS6) will be at WDW 12/1-12/9. DS6 has a PAP which expires Jan 2013. Unfortunately, my wife and I have PAP's which expire on 12/4/12 We plan on going to the parks 12/5-12/8 (4 days), so we need some sort of ticket option. Fast forward through the next 2 years: we have a 10 day stay planned for 7/18/13 and anticipate a trip during the summer of 2014. Additionally, my wife has a conference in March, and she would like to go to the parks in the evenings for 2-3 nights while she is there.

So...I have been trying to figure out how to plan ticket purchases to take advantage of the PAP offer, and minimize cost. Here are some scenarios that I have come up with and I would appreciate any comments, criticisms or advice.

Here goes:

1. Buy three $399 PAP. Activate two on 12/4 and use again for 7/2013 trip (14 days usage). Activate DS6 ticket on 7/18/2013 and try to finish 2014 trip prior to 7/18/14. With this plan, DW can use PAP in March. We would have to purchase AP's or PAP's in 2014 for DW and I and hopefully at trip in 2015.

2. Buy 4 day MYW+PH for DW and I to finish trip this year. Then buy three $399 PAP for each of us to activate 7/18/13 and use for a trip in 2014. This plan does not cover tickets for DW in March, but I could get her a 7 day MYW+PH+NE. Or, sometimes the conferences have discounted or twilight tickets (which we don't know about at this time).

3. Buy four $399 PAP for DW and I and one $399 for DS. Activate two PAP on 12/4/12. Use those 4 days this year and 9 days of our 2013 trip (13 days usage). Activate two PAP on the last day of our 2013 trip which then could be used for out 2014 trip (anticipate total of 11 days usage). Activate DS's $399 PAP on first day of our 2013 trip and use it in 2014. This plan gives DW tickets for her March conference.

We do have two 1-day MYW tickets leftover from a package in 2011 and we plan to use the value to apply to the cost of one of the above scenarios. I haven't figured out a way to use these 1-day MYW tickets in the grand scheme of things, unless they could somehow be used for my DW's conference in March.

Any recommendations?

 

[ldo]

I would get enough $399 passes to cover your needs for now---so 3 passes. Activate 2 in dec and DS in July. $399 is worth it just for the cost for your wife for 4 day pass in Dec, plus 7 day pass in March--plus you get July covered. I would not overbuy for 2014--esp. if you are activating a PAP in July 2103 but don't really need it.
Also, do you REALLY need PAP for 2014? I ask b/c regular DVC annual passes are $425. So, if you MIGHT be able to get by with just an AP in 2014, I would wait on buying extra passes--as you might then be able to squeeze 2015 out of that pass. Also, who knows--maybe there will another "deal" next year.

 

[dcfromva]

We do have two 1-day MYW tickets leftover from a package in 2011 and we plan to use the value to apply to the cost of one of the above scenarios. I haven't figured out a way to use these 1-day MYW tickets in the grand scheme of things, unless they could somehow be used for my DW's conference in March.

Any recommendations?

Cheshire Figment would know the answer to this, but I thought if you upgraded a MYW ticket to an AP that it was backdated to the date of first use?

 

[Kidanifan08]

I would get enough $399 passes to cover your needs for now---so 3 passes. Activate 2 in dec and DS in July. $399 is worth it just for the cost for your wife for 4 day pass in Dec, plus 7 day pass in March--plus you get July covered. I would not overbuy for 2014--esp. if you are activating a PAP in July 2103 but don't really need it.
Also, do you REALLY need PAP for 2014? I ask b/c regular DVC annual passes are $425. So, if you MIGHT be able to get by with just an AP in 2014, I would wait on buying extra passes--as you might then be able to squeeze 2015 out of that pass. Also, who knows--maybe there will another "deal" next year.

We probably would use a PAP in 2014, since we will have an 8 and 9 yo boy with us who will want to go to BB and/or TL. The folks who we are traveling with are inn public education, so they cannot travel most of June. That leaves it a little tight to fit the trip in before the PAP's would expire in 2014. We may just wait and buy AP's and do the water parks a la carte.

Cheshire Figment would know the answer to this, but I thought if you upgraded a MYW ticket to an AP that it was backdated to the date of first use?

Thanks for the advice. I thought about seeking the input of Cheshire Figment! The 1-day MYW tickets have never been activated. We did this before w/ some tickets attached to a package. Somehow they were able to apply the ticket value to our purchase.

Regarding my number 3, I don't even know if they allow an individual to have two active PAP's.

 

[CarolMN]

The 1-day MYW tickets have never been activated. We did this before w/ some tickets attached to a package. Somehow they were able to apply the ticket value to our purchase.

The 1 day unused tickets can be applied to the purchase of another pass. However, AFAIK, they cannot be applied to the purchase of vouchers / exchange certificates. Also, no more than one unused ticket may be applied as a credit towards another ticket and this transaction may only be done on site.

Regarding my number 3, I don't even know if they allow an individual to have two active PAP's.

No, an individual may only have 1 active AP/PAP. If you have an active pass, you can call MS and purchase a voucher/exchange certificate. If those are for the special $399 DVC PAP, they must be exchanged prior to 1/1/2014.

 

[Kidanifan08]

The 1 day unused tickets can be applied to the purchase of another pass. However, AFAIK, they cannot be applied to the purchase of vouchers / exchange certificates. Also, no more than one unused ticket may be applied as a credit towards another ticket and this transaction may only be done on site.

No, an individual may only have 1 active AP/PAP. If you have an active pass, you can call MS and purchase a voucher/exchange certificate. If those are for the special $399 DVC PAP, they must be exchanged prior to 1/1/2014.

I was planning on applying the value of each of the unused 1-day MYW tickets to two $399 PAP's. In reading other threads, it sounds like I need to purchase DS6's $399 pass on line, rather than at the guest services, since purchases on site are automatically activated on the date of purchase.

I guess plan #3 is out. It looks like we will go with plan #1. Although I guess another option for DS in 2013 would be to get a 10-day PH + WP from UT for that 10 day trip and then just get new AP's for all 3 of us in 2014. That way we would not be forced to finish our 2014 trip before his $399 PAP expires on 7/18/2014.

Thanks for your input!