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View Full Version : Upgrading from a 3-day park hopper to an AP on 7/17?



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stinkerbell
05-14-2005, 08:15 PM
First of all.....I live in Oregon and don't go to Disneyland every week, so buying an AP is a big deal for me (I had a DAP a few years ago). I'm trying to figure out the best deal for myself....with your help, of course. ;)

I'll be going to Disneyland July 15th-July 19th this summer. The 16th and 17th are black-out dates.

I was thinking of buying a 3-day park hopper for $139 and upgrading to a Deluxe AP on the third day (17th), because I've read here time and again that you can buy a DAP on a black-out date.

A DAP is $209.

Questions:

1. What can I expect to re-coup from my original $139 3-day park hopper when I upgrade?

2. Is it one-third of the $139? Or way less?

3. Should I just buy the PAP for $329 and not worry about it? (We'll be down again in December for 5+ days, so I'll get some use out of it, plus the discounts, but the days we'll be there are not DAP black out days, so I don't necessarily need a PAP.)

4. Also, when you buy an AP, when is the expiration? For example, if I purchase on 7/17/05, is the expiration 7/17/06? Or a day sooner? (I'm thinking about 2006....will I want to come down next July to play? And if I do, will I want to buy single day passes when my AP expires? Ugh!)

My husband is reading over my shoulder and complaining right now.....:~D

Help! My brain is fried.

Pirate Princess
05-14-2005, 08:18 PM
I was told you get the whole 139 toward the AP.. is this wrong??

melmel
05-14-2005, 08:23 PM
All $139 of your $139 3-day park hopper will be substracted from the price of the DAP. So, $209 - $139 equals the additional amount that you'll pay additonally for your AP.

Honestly, what I would recommend is, because July 17th is going to be a max capacity day, is to go to City Hall and ask for an extention for your stub so that you can apply them towards an AP for the next day (July 18), because the lines for the AP Center will be all up and around the flagpole for sure, and the lines at the ticket booths will be out of the security gates.

I did this when I got my AP-- all the ticket booths had closed for the day, so I went to City Hall, explained my situation, and they stapled a little slip to my ticket stub, which I then pocketed, and brought back the next week to exchange it for a DAP. The little slip makes the amount on the ticket stub good for 365 calendar days.

The expiration date is 365 days after you go to the AP center. So, yours would be July 17, 2006 (July 18, 2006 if you take my recommendation!).

stinkerbell
05-14-2005, 08:33 PM
Wowza! I'm blown away. I thought for sure that since I was going to upgrade on the third day of a three day pass, that I'd only get 1/3 of the value of the pass toward the upgrade. That was always my understanding! :eek: That's like going for two days free, isn't it? :D

melmel
05-14-2005, 08:36 PM
Wowza! I'm blown away. I thought for sure that since I was going to upgrade on the third day of a three day pass, that I'd only get 1/3 of the value of the pass toward the upgrade. That was always my understanding! :eek: That's like going for two days free, isn't it? :D
No, it's like getting in without having to pay the blockout date fee.

So, you're saving $30/person/day. A blockout ticket is $30.

I mean, think of it like you're putting a down payment on an AP on the first day. You just get some special perks first off. :D

MammaSilva
05-14-2005, 08:37 PM
Actually the information melmel gave you is correct with one exception. They will make your pass expire on the first day you used the hopper, unless you get lucky and the CM messes up. You save the 60 bucks that you'd spend on blackout passes (not to mention the nightmare of waiting in yet another line)

melmel
05-14-2005, 08:39 PM
Actually the information melmel gave you is correct with one exception. They will make your pass expire on the first day you used the hopper, unless you get lucky and the CM messes up. You save the 60 bucks that you'd spend on blackout passes (not to mention the nightmare of waiting in yet another line)
Then I guess my CM messed up, because that's exactly what I did. :D :D :D I got my AP set for one year from the date I showed up at the AP center. :)

And she wouldn't save just $60, but $120, because she's got two people (at least!) and two blockout dates (7/16 and 7/17)

stinkerbell
05-14-2005, 08:48 PM
I've been kicking myself for a while....we were there in late December, I should have upgraded the last day we were there (the whole week was blacked out) and then I wouldn't have these questions NOW. :D

It's not like I didn't know I was going next December....we've known it for five years (we always go on our kids' fifth bdays).

OMG, now I'm really really kicking myself. Ugh!!

Thank you! I seriously thought it was going to be a third or less of my hopper ticket value!!! I was just going to buy the PAP to avoid the problems, period!! Ya'll just saved me $100!!!

melmel
05-14-2005, 08:50 PM
Ya'll just saved me $100!!!
Here to help!!

*snickers*

'Course, in the long run, it probably comes out of my paycheck. :p

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
05-14-2005, 09:45 PM
Your DAP will start the day you upgrade it. I would do it on a day that is not a black out day, just to be safe. You may want to leave the park and not be able to get back in, if you get a picky CM.
If you paid $139 for the hopper, then you will get $139 credited towards the cost of your DAP. I know this for a fact, I did it last year in May.

SCUBAbe
05-14-2005, 09:52 PM
when i upgraded my 3 day park hopper my AP was set to expire on the first day I used my parkhopper...not the day I upgraded to the AP..:)...the entire amount of the hopper was put towards the AP.....this was in December..:)

stinkerbell
05-14-2005, 10:01 PM
Oooooh, perhaps I'll buy a 4 day pass then....and upgrade on Monday the 18th to be sure. Ugh. The black out thing scares me.

Actually, I'm not planning to leave the park on the 17th--not sure I'd be able to get back in, no matter what. ;)

But I would hate for the first line I stand in on the 17th to be the AP processing line. :D

Thank you, everyone!!! It makes a difference to read accounts by people who have actually done it themselves!!!

melmel
05-14-2005, 10:08 PM
Oooooh, perhaps I'll buy a 4 day pass then....and upgrade on Monday the 18th to be sure. Ugh. The black out thing scares me.

Actually, I'm not planning to leave the park on the 17th--not sure I'd be able to get back in, no matter what. ;)

But I would hate for the first line I stand in on the 17th to be the AP processing line. :D

Thank you, everyone!!! It makes a difference to read accounts by people who have actually done it themselves!!!
You COULD buy the four day pass... or just buy the three day, and go to City Hall and ask for an extension on being able to redeem your tickets for AP because the line is too long!! Then just show up bright an early on the 18th, head to the ticket window with your stubs, and exchange them for APs, then head inside, still early (probably by 9 am!) and get your AP business all taken care of at the AP center.

stinkerbell
05-14-2005, 10:13 PM
You COULD buy the four day pass... or just buy the three day, and go to City Hall and ask for an extension on being able to redeem your tickets for AP because the line is too long!! Then just show up bright an early on the 18th, head to the ticket window with your stubs, and exchange them for APs, then head inside, still early (probably by 9 am!) and get your AP business all taken care of at the AP center.

I would try that.....and then it wouldn't work for me. You have to understand....I have the worst luck on Earth. If there's one single cranky person out of 4000 CMs at Disneyland? That's the one I'll ask to help me at City Hall. :D And then I'll show up on the 18th with no ticket and no AP. ;) That is seriously my life.

Edited to add: melmel, what you're proposing is soooo reasonable, though!! I much prefer your scenario. :D

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
05-14-2005, 10:16 PM
I would try that.....and then it wouldn't work for me. You have to understand....I have the worst luck on Earth. If there's one single cranky person out of 4000 CMs at Disneyland? That's the one I'll ask to help me at City Hall. :D And then I'll show up on the 18th with no ticket and no AP. ;) That is seriously my life.

That would be me too!

When we upgraded our hoppers to APs, they went back to the first day we used our AP, May 18th. Well the Sat that we upgraded them, happened to be blackout day. We left DL to go to DCA to see the Electrical Parade and guess what, the CM told us it was a black out day! We explained to him what had happened and he said, no these were issued on May 18th, 5 days earlier! FINALLY we got him to understand, but he was reluctant to let us in!

mkcbunny
05-14-2005, 10:55 PM
Your DAP will start the day you upgrade it.
I just upgraded yesterday [5/13] and they dated my AP from the first day that I entered the park on my 3-day ParkHopper, which was the 11th--not the day I upgraded. My new AP is valid "through May 11, 2006," so it included the 11th next year, but it did not start on the day I upgraded it. I got the Deluxe Pass, no parking.

Also, if you are already in their database from a previous year, it saves you time because you don't have to fill out address info [assuming it's the same] AND you can use your on-file photo if you want to. So it doesn't matter how you look when you go to the AP center to upgrade. :)

Ditto the comments on how busy the AP center is. It was not bad right at gate opening, but then you have to wait half an hour 'til official opening and miss the advantages of being in the park early. We went around 4 p.m. when it was not too bad, but when you go, it will be mobbed. No reason not to go for the 4-day and upgrade after the madness [other than your schedule, of course]; your paid price will be deducted from the AP price, so your total paid will not change either way.

Pirate Princess
05-15-2005, 06:25 AM
Uh oh. I will be upgrading on a black out day!!! What do I do?
I will be upgrading on a Fri (which is a black-out day for the pass I want) and since I will be switching parks throughout the day for elect. parade and fantasmic) the AP office will be closed by the time I'm done park hopping. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Can anyone help please?
Thank you,
Heather
(P.S. I 'm really broke so buying an extra day hopper is not appealing.)

Pirate Princess
05-15-2005, 06:28 AM
Oops. Nevermind! I want the Southern California Annual Passport instead... not the Southern California Annual Passport Select.
I'm all good.

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
05-15-2005, 08:06 AM
I just upgraded yesterday [5/13] and they dated my AP from the first day that I entered the park on my 3-day ParkHopper, which was the 11th--not the day I upgraded. My new AP is valid "through May 11, 2006," so it included the 11th next year, but it did not start on the day I upgraded it. I got the Deluxe Pass, no parking.

Also, if you are already in their database from a previous year, it saves you time because you don't have to fill out address info [assuming it's the same] AND you can use your on-file photo if you want to. So it doesn't matter how you look when you go to the AP center to upgrade. :)

Ditto the comments on how busy the AP center is. It was not bad right at gate opening, but then you have to wait half an hour 'til official opening and miss the advantages of being in the park early. We went around 4 p.m. when it was not too bad, but when you go, it will be mobbed. No reason not to go for the 4-day and upgrade after the madness [other than your schedule, of course]; your paid price will be deducted from the AP price, so your total paid will not change either way.

I meant to say that they will start it the first day you entered the park. I need to go back and edit that! SORRY!

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
05-15-2005, 08:09 AM
Uh oh. I will be upgrading on a black out day!!! What do I do?
I will be upgrading on a Fri (which is a black-out day for the pass I want) and since I will be switching parks throughout the day for elect. parade and fantasmic) the AP office will be closed by the time I'm done park hopping. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Can anyone help please?
Thank you,
Heather
(P.S. I 'm really broke so buying an extra day hopper is not appealing.)


DO it last. Find out the latest they are open. DCA usually closes early so get your butt back to DL before the AP center closes. You can do it and try to get back and forth, but we did have trouble. The CM was like, umm today is a blackout day for Deluxe. We told him how we had just been in DL and got the APs that day. Thankfully my son, who was in the stroller, HAD to have a hand stamp when we left and when we showed him that, he believed us, but it was iffy if we would get in or not.

Darkbeer
05-15-2005, 08:48 AM
Let me clarify a few things.....

The rules are clear, the AP expiration date should be 1 year from the first day of your visit on your ParkHopper. But the CM processing the AP needs to manually override the computer, and sometimes they forget to do that. If that is the case, you got a couple of extra days for free. But do NOT expect it, I think it is happening less often now.

If you want to buy a ParkHopper to avoid Blockout Days, and get an Early Entry and ESPN Zone Game Card, remember a couple of things, the ParkHopper has a 2 week shelf life, and that the cost of the ParkHopper MUST be less than the cost of the AP your are planning to upgrade to. If you are getting Parking as part of your AP, bring your Paid Parking Receipt, you will get credit for one day's parking fee.

You should upgrade on your last day, after you have finished entering the parks for the last time. The AP Processing Center, now located at the Bank on Main Street, remains open to park closing, if not later. If you have any problems, go to City Hall, they should help you get an "extension".

Maus
05-15-2005, 08:59 AM
Darkbeer, when you say DL ParkHoppers have a two-week shelf life does that mean they are not consecutive days? If so, that means in July I will have two unused days remaining on a four-day ParkHopper. I then have two weeks from the first use to use them? And can a person other than my daughter use the leftover days? Or are they coded with her name somehow?


When I booked my stay with the WD Travel Co. a year ago the package included a four-day ParkHopper. I had intended that my husband use it but his health precludes this. My daughter, who holds a Deluxe AP, will now use it for her two blackout days and two days will be left over. It would be great if my husband could use one of the days later in the week.

Darkbeer
05-15-2005, 09:20 AM
Darkbeer, when you say DL ParkHoppers have a two-week shelf life does that mean they are not consecutive days? If so, that means in July I will have two unused days remaining on a four-day ParkHopper. I then have two weeks from the first use to use them? And can a person other than my daughter use the leftover days? Or are they coded with her name somehow?


When I booked my stay with the WD Travel Co. a year ago the package included a four-day ParkHopper. I had intended that my husband use it but his health precludes this. My daughter, who holds a Deluxe AP, will now use it for her two blackout days and two days will be left over. It would be great if my husband could use one of the days later in the week.



ParkHoppers do not have to be used on consecutive days, for example...

Monday - Disneyland - First day of the 5 day ParkHopper

Tuesday - Disneyland - Second Day

Wednesday - Knott's and the Chicken Dinner Restuarant

Thursday - Drive to San Diego, go to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, check out downtown and Baja California

Sunday - drive back to Anaheim

Monday - Lay by the Hotel Pool area, go to Medieval Times for Dinner.

Tuesday - Disneyland - Third Day

Wednesday - Universal Studios Hollywood

Thursday - Drive to Northern San Diego County and visit the Indian Casinos

Friday - Disneyland - Fourth Day

Saturday - Head to the beach, and the Block of Orange

Sunday - Disneyland, last day the Park Hopper is valid, then upgrade to an Deluxe AP that night.

Note: A ParkHopper is designed for ONE person, and is not supposed to be transferred to another person. (Though it is hardly checked and verified, the rules are clear).

experiment626
05-15-2005, 10:13 AM
The expiration date is 365 days after you go to the AP center. So, yours would be July 17, 2006 (July 18, 2006 if you take my recommendation!).
365 days from the day the hopper was used is how it is suppose to be. So that means the experation would be 7/15/06.

stinkerbell
05-15-2005, 11:05 AM
OMG, thank you all so much! I still don't know what I'm going to do yet, but the info on this thread is much clearer than previous threads on the subject....it helps when people have recently been through the process!

Thank you! :)

Does anyone have an extremely recent and accurate listing of the AP benefits? The ticketing pages at disneyland.com don't have specifics anymore and I've searched the site endlessly. I'm still waffling between the DAP and the PAP. It would be great to get the 10% off here and there, but unless I know exactly where, I'm not sold on the benefits of the PAP. For example, character breakfasts, World of Disney, the places I spend the most money.....