Question about upgrading to AP

[Stitch2007]

I got us 7 day park hopper passes, but I think we are going to upgrade to AP when we get to WDW as we have 1 possibly 2 more trips planned in the next year. I'm confused about the best way to upgrade. Do you use you tickets first and then upgrade or upgrade before using them?

[Drince88]

It doesn't make much difference which way you upgrade UNLESS you're going to want to purchase the Tables in Wonderland card, which is only available to annual passholders and Florida residents. The card gives you 20% off food AND DRINK at most table service restaurants on site (and a few counter service to boot!) If you want that card, then upgrade earlier rather than later.

[Stitch2007]

Do I have to have the ticket removed from my room key to upgrade?

[Drince88]

Do I have to have the ticket removed from my room key to upgrade?

I don't know. You can only do transactions regarding annual passes at the park ticket booths or downtown Disney (not at guest relations in the resorts - but they can handle all other ticketing transactions). I would THINK they could handle 'removing' it from your Key to the World card, but I sometimes get into trouble when I do that (think, that is)

[TinaMouse]

Here's a kicker, though. I went to upgrate my 10 day park hopper to an AP on the last trip. They said I had to do it at the end of the stay or else I lost all of my dining credits on my room key. I went back to the studios right before I got on Magical Express just to upgrade to the AP (which, by the way, was more than I expected it to be by about $50! OUCH!). I forgot that I hadn't used the last 6 snack credits and it was too late. There was nothing they could do. Just an FYI for everyone.....

[Drince88]

Wow, that's odd, Tina.
I'd expect there to be 3 (or 4 if you're doing a land/sea vacation) areas on the KTTW card - one for getting access to your hotel room (and stateroom), one for dining, and one for theme park admission. Odd that they'd wipe out the dining plan when they wipe out the theme park admission.

Couldn't you have still used someone elses card to get the snacks, though? (Since if I recall correctly, you were on the family trip) Also, I THINK (wow, there I go doing THAT again!) that you can get the admission removed to a different card at guest relations in your resort - if they allowed that, you could do that first, THEN upgrade to the AP with the stand-alone park admission.

[danyoung]

Odd that they'd wipe out the dining plan when they wipe out the theme park admission.

You might not be aware that there's really not a lot of coding on any given card. All it does is tie you in to the central database, where all of the information is stored. So when they "take away your park hopper pass", they're not really taking something off of your card. They're just changing the database to reflect that you no longer have the park hopper.

And since dining plans can only be used with packages including tickets, and since removing the park hopper ticket effectively dismantles the package deal, it makes sense that the dining credits would then go away. I know that AP holders can do a package that only has a 1-day ticket included to make it a package, so that they can indeed take advantage of a dining plan (that's what I did the one time I got a plan). I'm guessing that the WDW computer system just isn't tricky enough to convert a full park hopper into an annual pass AND include a 1-day ticket (so you could keep your package deal).

Did that make any sense?

[TinaMouse]

Well, that was the funny part, Cathy. When I asked at check-in, they said to go to Guest Relations. We went to the Studios first and I asked there where they said, "No, no, no. You have to do this at the end or else it will kill your dining credits." She even asked the manager who agreed. That was weird, I thought. Why can't I just have a paper ticket for my AP and the KTTW and the DDP on the room key? Well, they said I couldn't. This was the opposite info I got from my TA, too, but since I had a few hours at the end of the trip to "upgrade," it didn't matter.

So the morning I left, I went to the concierge at the hotel and they said I'd have to go to a park to upgrade. I was sure we were out of table and counter service credits, but I forgot to go to the resort store to buy snacks. When I went to the window, the girl (different one) said, "Did you use your meal credits? Because this will wipe them off of all cards associated with this reservation." Yes.....

Then, as we were finishing up, I said, "Oh--I forgot about the snack credits! Are those gone then? Any way to get them back?" "They're gone," she replied. I did ask if my DH or DS could get them off of theirs and she said they're ALL gone.

I thought that was mighty weird too, and not a good way to do it. It was ok since I was LITERALLY on the way to the airport, but if I didn't have time to schlep to a park (I chose Studios b/c it is the easiest in/out), it could've been an issue.

[Drince88]

Yea, it did make sense, Dan. So replace 'sections of the ticket' with tables in the database! But you're right - some people have seen recent evidence that the data-side of Disney isn't always the most sophisticated (online dining, anyone )

And Dan, FYI they HAVE changed the dining plan 'package' requirements (since you used it, I believe) so that they often have AP discounts with dining.

ETA: CLEARLY, they don't want people to upgrade to APs after getting dining plan perks!

[danyoung]

And Dan, FYI they HAVE changed the dining plan 'package' requirements (since you used it, I believe) so that they often have AP discounts with dining.

Can you clarify this a bit? Can I, an AP holder, get a discounted room, and still get free dining? Or is there a package where I can pay for the dining and still get the disounted room, and not have to buy any more tickets?

I'm still not sure I want to do the dining plan again, but it's nice to understand the options.

[Cheshire Figment]

Multiple answers here

An AP holder cannot get Free Dining with a discounted room. This is stacking discounts, which Disney will not do.

People have reported that when they were issued an AP at a Park Guest Relations it managed to kill the Dining Plan on their KTTW, and they had to go back to their Resort to get it straightened out. If the Desk Clerk at check-in is unwilling to remove the tickets from the KTTW, go to the Lobby Concierge and have it done there. If they say it cannot be done, ask for a Manager.

Once the tickets are on separate cards you can go to any Park (including water parks or TTC) Ticket Window or any Park (or DTD) Guest Relations Office to get the upgrade to AP. And if you do want the TiW Discount Card get the upgrade done at a GRO and they can sell you the TiW card at the same time.

Also, if the ticket was purchased at anything less than the Current Gate Price if it is used first you will then lock in the CGP as the value of the ticket; if you upgrade and it was unused you would only get Disney's original selling price as the value toward the upgrade.

[Drince88]

Can you clarify this a bit? Can I, an AP holder, get a discounted room, and still get free dining? Or is there a package where I can pay for the dining and still get the disounted room, and not have to buy any more tickets?

I'm still not sure I want to do the dining plan again, but it's nice to understand the options.

When they offer AP room-only discounts, they've also been offering a package where you can pay for dining, still get the discounted room, but not have to buy more tickets. Like this deal

ETA - and thanks Cheshire Figment. I always hold my breath a little when I see you post, hoping that I didn't say anything wrong! (For those that don't know him, he works at a ticket booth - he KNOWS this stuff!)

[danyoung]

Cathy, I saw that description of a deal on mousesavers, but I didn't see anywhere that it specified the discount. Do you have to go through small world to find out the numbers?

[tappenfeat]

Oh my! This thread just gave me a swirly headache!

Question: Does AAA sell annual passes or does Disney directly sell them? I was wondering if I could get a discount.

OR: Can I get an annual pass and use my AAA card for a discount if I bought them directly thru Disney?

Saving even more money sounds like a grand idea!

[Drince88]

Cathy, I saw that description of a deal on mousesavers, but I didn't see anywhere that it specified the discount. Do you have to go through small world to find out the numbers?

Since I've never been interested in the dining plan for myself, I haven't dug. But I was assuming (and we all know what that means!) that the room part of the discount was the same as the AP room only discount released at the same time. Basically, these rates (subject to availability) but with the dining plan full cost added on.

[Drince88]

Oh my! This thread just gave me a swirly headache!

Question: Does AAA sell annual passes or does Disney directly sell them? I was wondering if I could get a discount.

OR: Can I get an annual pass and use my AAA card for a discount if I bought them directly thru Disney?

Saving even more money sounds like a grand idea!

I don't know if AAA sells the annual passes or not. I don't believe they have a discount, if they do - and Disney doesn't offer a AAA discount on annual passes. I usually either by my AP online from Disney or at the Disney Store.

I HIGHLY recommend perusing MouseSavers, though. Mary does a really good job of documenting different discounts, providing guidance on places NOT to buy your tickets through - and if you subscribe to her newsletter, (like almost 1/4 million of your closest friends) some additional 'newsletter discounts' are available (but I think generally on MYW tickets and offsite hotels).

[TinaMouse]

Multiple answers here

An AP holder cannot get Free Dining with a discounted room. This is stacking discounts, which Disney will not do.

People have reported that when they were issued an AP at a Park Guest Relations it managed to kill the Dining Plan on their KTTW, and they had to go back to their Resort to get it straightened out. If the Desk Clerk at check-in is unwilling to remove the tickets from the KTTW, go to the Lobby Concierge and have it done there. If they say it cannot be done, ask for a Manager.

Once the tickets are on separate cards you can go to any Park (including water parks or TTC) Ticket Window or any Park (or DTD) Guest Relations Office to get the upgrade to AP. And if you do want the TiW Discount Card get the upgrade done at a GRO and they can sell you the TiW card at the same time.

Also, if the ticket was purchased at anything less than the Current Gate Price if it is used first you will then lock in the CGP as the value of the ticket; if you upgrade and it was unused you would only get Disney's original selling price as the value toward the upgrade.

Thanks, CF. That explains why I had to do it at the end and lost the last of the credits (MY fault; not theirs!!!).

[Cheshire Figment]

AAA does not sell Annual Passes. They sell vouchers which can be converted to Annual Passes at any Park (including water park or TTC) ticket window or any Park (or DTD) Guest Relations Office. They also sell vouchers for Florida Resident tickets; again these have to be converted to actual tickets.

The AAA selling prices tend to be about 5% less than Disney's prices.

To get the AAA prices you must purchase them at an AAA location or online at the AAA web site. You cannot purchase an AAA discounted price at the gate.

(Note that usually the non-resident MYW tickets sold at AAA offices are live tickets and do not require any special action as APs and Resident tickets do.)

[Drince88]

Good to know some AAA offices sell WDW Annual Passes. The comment about the voucher applies to pre-purchase from the Disney store as well as WDW online purchase.

[Mickey71]

AAA does not sell Annual Passes. They sell vouchers which can be converted to Annual Passes at any Park (including water park or TTC) ticket window or any Park (or DTD) Guest Relations Office. They also sell vouchers for Florida Resident tickets; again these have to be converted to actual tickets.

The AAA selling prices tend to be about 5% less than Disney's prices.

To get the AAA prices you must purchase them at an AAA location or online at the AAA web site. You cannot purchase an AAA discounted price at the gate.

(Note that usually the non-resident MYW tickets sold at AAA offices are live tickets and do not require any special action as APs and Resident tickets do.)

Whyyyyy can't I ever find anything on the AAA website? I don't see where I can order any tickets or APs... I get to the info page about it but never any prices or options other than to contact a local agent.... what am I missing?

[TinaMouse]

I can't either (most of the time). Just phone 'em.

[jengold29]

Whyyyyy can't I ever find anything on the AAA website? I don't see where I can order any tickets or APs... I get to the info page about it but never any prices or options other than to contact a local agent.... what am I missing?

Are you logged in to the AAA page?

When I load the site, I can click on travel (on the top bar) and then a window opens and in that window I can click on attraction tickets and that opens a list of theme parks/attractions.

Now I live in FL so this is the AAASouth website-- not sure if that makes a difference.

[h1story3]

Okay - I hope this isn't a repeat, but I tried the search and couldn't find anything so here I go.

We're heading to WDW next week, and want to upgrade our tickets to passes - I've read some crazy stuff about doing it before you enter the park vs. upgrading after you've started to use your tickets and I'm all confused.

The only reason this might matter is that one of our tickets is a no-expiration that's OLD(!) that's never been used.

Is there a difference?

[mom22gls]

Okay - I hope this isn't a repeat, but I tried the search and couldn't find anything so here I go.

We're heading to WDW next week, and want to upgrade our tickets to passes - I've read some crazy stuff about doing it before you enter the park vs. upgrading after you've started to use your tickets and I'm all confused.

The only reason this might matter is that one of our tickets is a no-expiration that's OLD(!) that's never been used.

Is there a difference?

I don't think so, but they will probably only apply the value of the old pass at the rate when you bought it. Really, all they do is apply what you already paid to the AP. You can upgrade your pass anytime before it expires, but, as noted, it makes more sense to do it earlier rather than later, to take advantage of the discounts. You can do it at guest services at any park, or at Downtown Disney, and, once you have an AP, you can buy the Tables in Wonderland card, which you can use to get discounts on your table service meals.

To the poster regarding the AAA site-they don't sell AP's, so they would not provide informaton on them. This site does include AP rates, just go to the WDW park page, and scroll down.

[Drince88]

Also, if the ticket was purchased at anything less than the Current Gate Price if it is used first you will then lock in the CGP as the value of the ticket; if you upgrade and it was unused you would only get Disney's original selling price as the value toward the upgrade.

Based on this (and I trust his info - he works at Disney ticket booths!) I would use the ticket first!

(Disneyland operates differently, so I always have to go back and check to verify which park does it which way!)