Buying an extra Disney ticket just in case

Walt Disney World
#1

So… there is a small chance my younger (adult) son may be able to join us for our trip in late October. My Fastpass day is this coming Sunday and unfortunately, he won’t know by then if he can make the trip or not. I would hate to find out he can come and not be able to get FPs for him. (I know I have issues with my ADRs :frowning:)

Anyway - I am thinking about purchasing for him the same park ticket that the rest of us have. That way I can include him in the FPP selections this Sunday. (If he can come, there is space in the resort reservations/rooms for him to be added so that’s not an issue.) If he can’t come, I was thinking we could use the extra ticket for the extra FPPs. Ya, I know, it’s expensive ($530 on Undercover Tourists) but at least it’s something to justify buying the extra ticket and it not being a total waste of a lot of money? He’s been in China for work on a one year contract and we haven’t seen him since Christmas. He’s going to be back home about a week before we leave but is waiting for news on a new job so can’t commit to coming with us.

If he doesn’t come, I know that the extra magic band has to be scanned in at the park entrance for the FPP to be valid in that park that day, but I figured (as others have reported) my other son could enter the park with his own MB, then exit and reenter scanning in the extra MB?

Do you think I am nuts? Note that the price of the “Flexible Date” ticket is $650 on UT but that’s even more money and it would have to be used by Dec 2020 and I honestly don’t think we’d be back that soon – so I don’t see that as a good choice.

What do you think the odds are of me being able to find overlapping single FPPs for my son if I wait until/if I have confirmation he can come?

#2

There might be a snafu in that plan. I’m not sure if it works the same just for tickets as it does for MBs, but with MBs at least, if you don’t tap in with a MB, you can’t use the MB inside the park for things like FPPs.

It is possible they might do the same with the ticket. If you enter the park without the ticket having been scanned, they can treat it like a stolen ticket and so you won’t be able to use the FPPs on it.

I think to get around this, you’d have to get into the park with your own ticket, then have someone LEAVE the park and now enter again using the other ticket as if it is their own so it shows in the system properly.

#3

@ryan1, I think that was the plan. ^^^

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#4

Oh. I don’t have time to read! Who do you think I am?

(I actually noticed that right after I hit send. First time I read through the post, my eyes must have skipped that paragraph! Ahem.)

Sorry about that. :slight_smile:

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#5

In regards to this, it is likely possible the ticket will still be valid behind the Dec. 2020 date…but you will have to pay the difference in ticket price. So, if the ticket goes unused, keep it and then when you arrive in, say, 2021, you can go to the WDW ticket counter and have the ticket “updated” to the current price and just pay the price difference.

Here is an excerpt from Disney’s own website:

image

#6

Hmmm ryan1…interesting… but does the any date ticket truly NOT expire at the end of 2020? This would probably be a better option if my son can’t come…

#7

The any date ticket PRICE expires, essentially. So if you use it by Dec. 2020, regardless of what current ticket prices are, you will get in with that ticket. But AFTER Dec. 2020, you have to “re-activate” the ticket by paying the price difference. (Well, I think technically it would be the VALUE difference, since it would be the difference in what the value of the ticket was when you bought it versus what it is now, but I think using price is just easier/safer to think about even if not entirely accurate).

So, let’s say you paid $600 for a ticket that, at the time you bought it, would cost $650 at the gate.

Now, you end up going in 2021. The same ticket would NOW cost at the gate $750 (let’s say). So, you pay the difference of $100 and to re-activate the ticket.

That’s my understanding of things. You might call Disney to confirm this would be the case.

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#8

Actually the FP will work without an entry scan but the MDE profile will likely be locked in the overnight sweep. It’s debatable how many FP you have to scan without a valid entry before this lock will occur. But I would not do this! I would just bank that ticket and use the value to buy ticket for the next trip.

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#9

Nope. Not the case!

Yes this!

#10

The odds are decent except for attractions like SDMT, SDD,FOP. You might even get some pixie dust from guest services if you explained the situation. They could give you a few anytime FP for those hard to get ones if you are not able to overlap.

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#11

Since the difference in price will be based on Disney prices, not UT’s prices, should I just buy the ticket on the Disney site for simplicity sake?

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#12

Can you add/remove people from Disney packages for free? What if you added him to your current package (including tix, DP, etc) in order to book his FP+. Then if he doesn’t come, you could remove him. Then if he does come, you could buy UT tix and still remove him from the package.

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#13

Well, if you buy it from UT, you at least retain the savings.

In my example, if you paid $600 for a ticket that Disney sells for $650, then you saved $50. You don’t lose that savings if you reactivate the ticket. (At least, in theory. Disney has the right to change things, of course, which is why I think you should call Disney to confirm.)

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#14

melcourt, I didn’t buy a package. I bought 6 day PH tickets and 2 nights at AoA thru UT and then rented DVC points for 5 nights - so I don’t think that would work…

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#15

I would. Purchase with discounted GCs for a bit of savings now via Disney

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#16

Unless the ticket expires. I think when it’s an expired ticket they give you the price you paid. The loophole around this is to use the ticket once before upgrading but you won’t be able to do that if it’s expired.

#17

If you’re right, you’re no worse off than if you bought through Disney. But if they don’t use actual price, but instead use Disney’s price, then you save.

There was some talk about this a few months ago, and it sounded like they look at the ticket’s value, not actual price paid. But I can’t guarantee that! :slight_smile:

#18

Also tickets purchased directly through Disney can often be upgraded, modified, etc over the phone. Third party tickets must be handled in person at guest services. I am not 100% sure How expired tickets would be handled.

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#19

According to Disney’s website, expired tickets must be handled at guest services or the ticket window.

#20

This actually happened to me when we went in April this year. My DD invited a friend, we purchased park tickets for her, got FPP and then she said she couldn’t come, and ultimately didn’t come. I called Disney and notified them that she wouldn’t be coming and they gave me a confirmation number of some sort, which I was able to bring to GS at the front of the park and I got a Disney gift card for the value of the park ticket. I don’t know how it would work with purchasing a ticket through a third party, but it’s worth a shot, rather than trying to game the system and getting burned.

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