Can you Upgrade MYW to DVC AP????

[DJmommy]

Hi,

We are brand new to DVC and I am trying to plan our first trip home in August this year, but we are really undecided on which tickets to buy. We are unsure whether we will be back within 12 months to get the best value out of the AP, plus on this 7 day trip we were only planning on going to the parks 5 days.

Here is the big question...if we purchase 10 day MYW Park hoppers with no Expiration and we come back within the 12 months, can we upgrade the MYW tickets to the DVC discounted AP's at that time, say 11 months from first use?

I am pretty sure the answer is no, because I think you have to do any upgrades within 14 days of first using the tickets, but I read something to the contrary on All Ears, so I am coming to all the experts here for your wisdom on all things Disney.

In regards to the differences between the AP's and MYW, I think I would love the freedom of being able to come and go each day to a park and not feel like you have to get your moneys worth out of that days ticket like I usually feel with the MYW tickets. Is that freedom of the AP worth it if we were only to use the AP for 6 days out of this trip and we didn't come back another time?

However, the other part of me somehow just knows that if we were to buy the AP's now, somehow, someway we would probably end up fitting in another trip next summer to get the better value out of it.

Gosh, I am just so undecided. Please give me some feedback here. I did promise my DH that we were not going to go commando once we bought into DVC, knowing that whatever we miss this trip will be there the next time around. Maybe just buying the 10 day MYW tickets is the way to go, that way we would definately have some total non-park days.

Help me before my head explodes, please.

TIA,
Jacqueline

 

[castleri]

If you do upgrade from MYW tickets to AP I think they will expire one year from the first day you used the MYW tickets not from the date of the upgrade.
I don't know about the 14 day rule as to non-expiring tickets. With the ones that expire it has to be done by 14 days from first use because they expire after 14 days.

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip).....Here is the big question...if we purchase 10 day MYW Park hoppers with no Expiration and we come back within the 12 months, can we upgrade the MYW tickets to the DVC discounted AP's at that time, say 11 months from first use?

No, you can't upgrade unless you do it within 14 days of the first use of the MYW tickets.

It used to be possible to turn in partially used tickets and get a prorated dollar credit to use towards the purchase of a new AP. Disney no longer allows that. However, since MYW tickets are very heavily front end loaded, getting a dollar credit is no longer in your best interest anyway. On a 10 day ticket, the last few days can be worth as little as $7 or $8 each. Much better to use the remaining days for admission.

In regards to the differences between the AP's and MYW, I think I would love the freedom of being able to come and go each day to a park and not feel like you have to get your moneys worth out of that days ticket like I usually feel with the MYW tickets. Is that freedom of the AP worth it if we were only to use the AP for 6 days out of this trip and we didn't come back another time?

A 6 day MYW PH ticket (expires) is 263.06
A 10 Day MYW PH & no-expiration is 435.59
A DVC discounted AP is $355.71

All prices are for adult tickets and include tax. The MYW prices are the advance price (not gate).

So the questions are:

1. Is it worth it to pay $92.36 per ticket more to have the "freedom feeling" and the option to come back within a year? If not, then:

2. Is it worth it to have 4 park days "in the bank" for a future trip? If your next trip will also require 6 park days, then at that time you will have to decide if you want to buy a 2 day ticket, another no-expiration 10 day ticket or some other length/type.

However, the other part of me somehow just knows that if we were to buy the AP's now, somehow, someway we would probably end up fitting in another trip next summer to get the better value out of it.

LOL - that can be an argument for or against the AP. You know, spend more to save some? I have trouble convincing my DH that buying something on sale (that I want, but don't need) is saving money.

Gosh, I am just so undecided. Please give me some feedback here. I did promise my DH that we were not going to go commando once we bought into DVC, knowing that whatever we miss this trip will be there the next time around. Maybe just buying the 10 day MYW tickets is the way to go, that way we would definately have some total non-park days.

Help me before my head explodes, please.

TIA,
Jacqueline

If my trips were typically 5 nights/6 days I'd probably go with the 10 day no expiration ticket, but add the waterpark option. Then I'd only go into the major parks 5 days and have one waterpark day. That ticket (adv adult, incl tax) is $478.19 or $239.10 each for two 5 night trips (next trip would have tickets already paid for). You'd also have some waterpark options leftover (they don't expire either) to use for the years that you do get an AP - those PAPs are expensive, even the DVC-discounted ones!

Hope you figure it out before your head explodes, LOL

 

[goofydad99]

Good luck with your decision. This was a hard decision for us as well. We too are trying not to go commando anymore. We are trying to relax more at the resort. Anyway, I wasn't going to buy our 3 children aps because I didn't think we would be back in time to get more than one trip out of them. Dh and I have them but we have already used 14 days. Anyway, he had me buy them. Guess what? We now have an October trip in the works. I like the pp suggestion about buying the 10 day w/o exp and water park option. It is a very good suggestion!

Goofydad's Wife

 

[DJmommy]

Thank you Carol for your thoughts. I think that we are going to purchase the MYW tickets and we should definately be able to get 2 trips out of them. We are planning on purchasing the water park option just to use as you said.


If by chance that we decided to plan another trip for next August while we are still there (not sure how we are going to handle the heat), would we be able to get a refund on the MYW no expiring park hopper with the water park option as these will actually cost more than the DVC AP's? We would not be using any of the water park days on this ticket as we still have water park days left on our last MYW no exp. tickets we purchased two years ago. I am assuming that we would just be able to exchange it for the regular AP, is this right? Will they actually give you a refund if this is the case? I just want to keep my options open.

Does any of this make sense, or am I making it way more complicated than it should be?

 

[CarolMN]

Thank you Carol for your thoughts. I think that we are going to purchase the MYW tickets and we should definately be able to get 2 trips out of them. We are planning on purchasing the water park option just to use as you said.


If by chance that we decided to plan another trip for next August while we are still there (not sure how we are going to handle the heat), would we be able to get a refund on the MYW no expiring park hopper with the water park option as these will actually cost more than the DVC AP's? We would not be using any of the water park days on this ticket as we still have water park days left on our last MYW no exp. tickets we purchased two years ago. I am assuming that we would just be able to exchange it for the regular AP, is this right? Will they actually give you a refund if this is the case? I just want to keep my options open.

Does any of this make sense, or am I making it way more complicated than it should be?

My understanding is that Disney's policy is not to give refunds - but maybe you would get lucky and a CM would decide to give you one. I wouldn't count on it

If you just want to keep your options open until you get there, buy the 10 Day Premium MYW PH that expires. It costs $313.11, which is less than the DVC discounted AP. If you end up wanting the no expiration 10 day Premium MYW ticket, you can add on the no expiration option at any guest relations booth (for $165.08 per adult ticket).

But if you leave WDW without either adding the no-expiration option or upgrading to an AP, you will be out LOTS OF $$, so you do have to decide eventually, LOL.

HTH.

 

[whithouston]

You don't have to do it within 14 days of first use. That is what I was told by numerous Guest Services Cast Members, but I quickly learned that they didn't know what they were talking about. I called WDW Ticketing and Research and they told me to mail in my tickets and that they would upgrade them. I just had to pay the difference. Hope this helps!!