Annual Passes - I need some help / advice :-)

[mickeysbuddy]

So we're heading to Florida on the 29th November this year.

We really want to go back and do Halloween Horror nights in October.
So I have a few questions about HHN and Annual passes for both packs.

Disney - Should I be upgrading to an Annual pass for my return visit? does it work out cheaper? Is there anything I should be concerned about when it comes to upgrading to an annual pass?

Universal - Same as above.

What is the process? Assuming on the first day at both parks you just turn up and go to guest services and see what the upgrade price works out? Is it an easy process?

[sky13]

You’ll need to crunch some numbers for yourself, but generally two trips in a year tend to make a Disney AP worth the cost. You also get the other perks with an AP like free parking, hotel room discounts, discounts at a number of food/merchandise outlets in WDW, and various other things like discounts on MNSSHP tickets and tours.

Some people here have mentioned a concern about FPs being lost if you upgrade to AP (as AP can only book 7 days of FP at one go unless staying on site) - not sure about this as I don’t remember losing FPs when I upgraded last year but also wasn’t paying very close attention then!

And yes you just turn up at Guest Services and say that you want to upgrade and they will work out the cost to upgrade. You can actually upgrade at any time as long as your ticket is still valid, but the AP will date from the first day of your ticket use (and not day of upgrade). You will also need to bring ID along - I brought my passport.

[mickeysbuddy]

Thanks for the info. I knew you didn't get the 30-day advance fast pass booking with the annual pass but hadn't considering the thought of losing existing fast passes.

The free parking sounds great, assuming you just show you annual pass as you enter the car park and they wave you through?

[sky13]

Originally Posted by mickeysbuddy

Thanks for the info. I knew you didn't get the 30-day advance fast pass booking with the annual pass but hadn't considering the thought of losing existing fast passes.

The free parking sounds great, assuming you just show you annual pass as you enter the car park and they wave you through?

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You might want to check about the fastpasses before upgrading, the CMs at Guest Services should be able to tell you more or at least hopefully provide a backup/solution/alternative.

I don't drive in WDW, but when I've been in my friend's car they just scan her magic band (she has an AP) and then wave her through at the carpark entry booths.

[Rescuer]

We upgraded at universal a couple of weeks ago.

Your 3 park tickets are worth $310.

We chose a power pass and 2 preferred passes as they were best for our other trips in terms of black out dates and it was $197. $34 for the power and $74 each for the Preferred. We are going back in April and July.
If you go to volcano bay you can only upgrade to a 3 park pass. We decided not to and upgraded to 2 park tickets only. Volcano bay is another $99pp.

The preferred pass gives you 10% off most food and merchandise so if you go for one of them do it at the start to make the most of your discounts.

[mickeysbuddy]

Thanks for the info :-)

[VS075]

Universal can be done at any point before your ticket expires. It can be done (as stated above) at Guest Services at the front of each park and it can also be done at the ticket desks of the Universal hotels.

We took our ID (as advised by Universal), but it didn't get checked when we upgraded, but maybe worth taking just in case.

It took less than 5 mins to upgrade to an Universal annual pass. We just wish we'd upgraded last year as we'd have got 3 x 14 days trip during a 365 day period - live and learn!

[mickeysbuddy]

Originally Posted by VS075

Universal can be done at any point before your ticket expires. It can be done (as stated above) at Guest Services at the front of each park and it can also be done at the ticket desks of the Universal hotels.

We took our ID (as advised by Universal), but it didn't get checked when we upgraded, but maybe worth taking just in case.

It took less than 5 mins to upgrade to an Universal annual pass. We just wish we'd upgraded last year as we'd have got 3 x 14 days trip during a 365 day period - live and learn!

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That's good to know, we're staying at the adventura for 7 days then the hard rock for 11 days.

Hadn't planned on using our universal 14-day ticket for the first 4/5 days. as we wanted it to last until the end of the holiday.

If the Aventura has a ticket desk, it means I could upgrade there and use the pass for the whole 18 days if I wanted. Probably won't need to as we have discovery cove, sea world & Busch gardens planned for the first couple of days.

[Rescuer]

We asked at RPR ticket desk when we first checked in but were told you couldn’t do it till your ticket was activated at the park. So we went straight from the turnstile to guest services in the park.

[VS075]

Originally Posted by Rescuer

We asked at RPR ticket desk when we first checked in but were told you couldn’t do it till your ticket was activated at the park. So we went straight from the turnstile to guest services in the park.

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I've also heard staff telling people they can't upgrade a 14 day ticket to an annual pass - I'd be assertive with the staff and ask them to try as Cabana Bay did this without any issues.