Question 1: I am pretty sure this has been discussed before, but I see slightly conflicting answers when I search for this topic in old threads. I purchased a 7-day park hopper from UT for my trip at the end of this month and intend to upgrade to an AP, since I know I will be back at least one more time in the next 12 months. I’m confused as to whether I need to actually use the pass before I can upgrade it in order to lock in my savings. I have dinner reservations in Disney Springs the evening I arrive in Orlando (super excited to try Raglan Road for the first time!) and I would love to swing by Guest Services while I’m there and upgrade my pass before my first park day to save the $20 parking fee. Has anyone actually tried this?
Question 2: I have a late flight out on my return day and so far have no set plans for that day. I could go back to one of the parks, but I am thinking that it would be fun to first have breakfast at one of the resorts on that final day. (I’m not a big fan of character meals, so those are probably not going to be worth the money to me.) I have eaten at Sanaa for lunch and loved it and plan to do that again this time, and I have lunch reservations at Kona Cafe on my MK day so I will get to explore the Polynesian a little bit for the first time. Any suggestions for either a must-eat breakfast or a must-visit resort? A must-eat breakfast that happens to also be inside a must-see resort would be even better!
I’d probably do Breakfast at Kona instead because: Tango Toast but failing that I’d maybe do the Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast. Captain’s Grill used to have a great breakfast but I don’t know when their rehab is going to be done… or if the new Ale and Compass will have a breakfast.
I thought the rule was that if you buy the ticket from Disney you can upgrade beforehand, but a ticket bought from a 3rd party seller must be used once to get the actual gate value of your ticket applied to the AP. I don’t know if you can do it ahead of time and just have the UT price applied or not.
Boma or Sanaa. Sanaa do a QS breakfast which you can then eat in the restaurant. If you time it right you could get a table by the windows. Good if you don’t necessarily want a big breakfast but still somewhere nice.
The Wave has both a buffet and a la carte. Once the initial rush is over, it is usually really quiet, in that we got a walk-up on 2nd or 3rd of Jan at around 10ish.
Lol- I can see now why you have read conflicting information about #1! If you upgrade before use I would expect to lose all savings. Do people sometimes get lucky and get the discount-yes- but that is rare. Actually, these days you may have to go to a couple of different CMs to get your savings. Know what price you expect to pay and if they say another price, thank them and go to another GS.
You said you are already going to Sanaa so what about a late breakfast at Boma? Or an early lunch at Homecoming?
I just spoke to a cast member this week about upgrading 7 day ph to 9 day ph. She was nice but followed the line about only being able to upgrade Disney purchased tickets before they are activated.
She said Undercover Tourist buys in bulk, and that has something to do with ability to upgrade before activation.
Since I had purchased from UT, she said I have to activate first.
So, as always, individual experience will vary, but I am not aware of anyone who purchased WDW tickets from a resale outfit who were able to upgrade before activation. But I would love to hear that it can be done.
I believe what she was speaking about was the ability to upgrade over the phone (which you can with Disney tickets before your trip and therefore make FPs for all days) and having to upgrade at Disney.
#1: We have upgraded UT tix to APs. I would use it first and then upgrade. I believe that is the only way to get the savings, though magic does happen. We did so in June and had no problem. it was a quick and easy process.
#2: I could easily recommend both Whispering Canyon Cafe (WL) and The Wave (Contempt). Both offer great selections and good value.
Thanks, everyone! This has been super helpful! Sounds like the safest bet is to go ahead and use my pass once before upgrading…I would lose out on a lot more than the $20 parking fee if I don’t get to take advantage of the savings from bridging my UT pass.
After taking a closer look at all the wonderful breakfast suggestions, I think I am going to go with Boma! The menu is super intriguing and the price for breakfast isn’t as steep as for dinner (which is one reason I didn’t make a point of trying it on my last trip). Super excited!
(Is it bad that I get almost as excited about my dining choices as I do about the rest of the trip…?)
I’m staying offsite, so no free parking for me until I get that AP…but that’s a really great suggestion! I didn’t even think about asking for a refund on the parking fee for that day. Thanks!
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