Can you explain upgrading tickets to annual ?

juless77 · 14 Oct 18, 11:27 AM

Can anyone explain how to upgrade a 14 day pass to an annual pass both Disney and universal please if you have bought it say from attraction direct or similar and is it very expensive ?

gismo1554 · 15 Oct 18, 09:01 AM

So I have only so far upgraded the Universal one so can tell you about that. We purchased through Virgin Holidays then once we'd picked up our physical ticket asked at the ticket counter in our hotel (staying at Universal Portifino Bay). They checked the price difference and it was about $60 for upgrade to a Seasonal pass (black out dates and no real discount on anythinng) $100 to go to the standard (50% off parking) and then $150 to go to the preferred. This was to go from a 3 park 14 day to a 3 park annual as we weren't allowed to downgrade to the 2 park (new rules supposidly).

On the Disney front I've been told its a similar process where they check the price based on what their system tells them the equivalent is in $'s then charge you the difference.

Nimbus · 15 Oct 18, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by juless77

Can anyone explain how to upgrade a 14 day pass to an annual pass both Disney and universal please if you have bought it say from attraction direct or similar and is it very expensive ?

How? You walk up to a ticket desk or Guest Services at one of the parks, take your tickets with you, and ask them to upgrade the tickets to Annual Passes. That's pretty much it.

Note that there are different types of annual passes, especially at Universal, so you'll need to ask for the specific type of Annual Pass you want. Although I guess the person behind the desk will give you some guidance on that.

As to whether it's expensive, well, you will be swapping your ticket for an Annual Pass and paying the difference in price. So the amount you pay should be the difference in price between how much you paid for the 14-day ticket and how much the Annual Pass costs. However, it does seem to be a bit random, partly because people have paid different amounts for their tickets and partly because of changes in the exchange rate (the UK 14-day tickets are bought in pounds but the Annual Passes are priced in dollars).

For Universal, it depends on which Annual Pass you choose. A 2-Park Seasonal Annual Pass actually costs slightly less than a 14-day ticket. So, in theory, it should cost you nothing to upgrade to this. Whereas to upgrade to the 3-Park Premier Pass will cost around $450 (more or less). The 3-Park Premier Pass is the highest priced Universal pass.

For Disney, if you aren't a DVC member, then you can either upgrade to the Platinum pass (no waterparks) or Platinum Plus pass (includes waterparks). It should cost around $420 to upgrade to the Platinum pass or $530 to upgrade to the Platinum Plus pass.

Prices to upgrade can, and do, vary though. So use the above as a rough estimate only.

juless77 · 15 Oct 18, 04:37 PM

thankyou that's very helpful

A&S&O · 22 Oct 18, 08:24 PM

It won't necessarily be the difference between what you paid and the AP. Disney will look up your ticket and give you the money that the retailer paid them for it.

Lots of threads about upgrading on this site.

Have an idea how much you want to pay.
People have reported wildly differing upgrade prices. If you don't like the price, try a different park, or even kiosk.

gavvy · 22 Oct 18, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by A&S&O

It won't necessarily be the difference between what you paid and the AP. Disney will look up your ticket and give you the money that the retailer paid them for it.

Lots of threads about upgrading on this site.

Have an idea how much you want to pay.
People have reported wildly differing upgrade prices. If you don't like the price, try a different park, or even kiosk.

Indeed

I believe the current way a CM calculates the price is to think of a number double it add the first number that comes into your head and times by 3- bingo that's the upgrade price.

Ok so I'm joking, but it still seems very random, given Disney is supposed to now know the price the vendor paid for the ticket, and no longer bridge the ticket- except it is just as random as before.