Upgrading tickets to Gold Pass during blackouts

[minorthr]

My Gold pass expires Jan 31st and I was not planning on renewing. Now it looks like I will be in the area next year in April, Sept and Nov and thought it made sense to renew it now. However the week I'm there in april is a blackout week for gold passes.

If I purchase regular tickets for the blackout week, on the last day can I still upgrade it to a gold pass?

 

[Sandisw]

I have read that people have done this.

 

[crvetter]

Here are a couple threads talking about this

This one is asking someone if they recently did it:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...-and-get-the-dvc-price.3781389/#post-61316462
And here is one from March or so where it was said it was possible:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/weird-ap-question-can-i-do-this.3740033/

 

[CarolynFH]

I’ve read multiple reports on the Tickets sticky (on the Theme Parks board) about doing it successfully. Just have to do it before close of business on the last day.

 

[WIll C]

I'm going to be trying this in a couple of weeks. We have Christmas tickets and my wife needs to renew her AP (old Plat expired) and we want to get a Gold pass as I doubt we'll being going during another blackout period. I'm going to do it on the last day of our trip (Dec 26th) and see what happens. Worst case scenario is we get another Plat but I suspect we will get the Gold on our way out.

 

[princessmocha]

We did this a couple years ago. We were there right before Easter, on our last night right as we were leaving the park we stopped at guest services and upgraded to the Gold Pass. Our cast member just made sure to remind us that we couldn't use them until after the blackout period, which was fine as we were heading for home early in the morning. We had no trouble at all doing it. The first day of our Gold Pass did revert back to the first day we used our tickets.

 

[Henwen88]

Yes. Can use your regular tickets as needed that week, then when you are finished with the parks can upgrade to the Gold pass. Have done this over the Christmas/New Years blockouts.

 

[TarraLee]

If you upgrade to gold on the last day, does that start your AP year on that day?

We have a trip planned during Dec blackout, but won’t go back at Easter, so don’t want to buy plat passes. If I buy regular hoppers, and upgrade to gold on last day, my gold AP year starts that day, correct?

 

[crvetter]

If you upgrade to gold on the last day, does that start your AP year on that day?

We have a trip planned during Dec blackout, but won’t go back at Easter, so don’t want to buy plat passes. If I buy regular hoppers, and upgrade to gold on last day, my gold AP year starts that day, correct?

Your AP year starts the day of first use of the regular hopper not the day you upgrade.

 

[robinb]

My Gold pass expires Jan 31st and I was not planning on renewing. Now it looks like I will be in the area next year in April, Sept and Nov and thought it made sense to renew it now. However the week I'm there in april is a blackout week for gold passes.

If I purchase regular tickets for the blackout week, on the last day can I still upgrade it to a gold pass?

I have done this many times for my December/January trips. Simply purchase regular passes for the blackout week and upgrade to a Gold pass on either the first non-blackout day or on the way out of your last day if you're still within the blackout date. The only downside is that you won't get your AP benefits until you upgrade. Make sure the pass you buy is less than the cost of the Gold AP since they will apply the value of the pass to the cost of the AP and won't give a refund.

FWIW, you don't want to renew anyway since you'd be throwing away 2 months of your pass.

 

[robinb]

If you upgrade to gold on the last day, does that start your AP year on that day?

We have a trip planned during Dec blackout, but won’t go back at Easter, so don’t want to buy plat passes. If I buy regular hoppers, and upgrade to gold on last day, my gold AP year starts that day, correct?

Your AP is backdated to the date of the first use of the regular pass you are upgrading.

 

[TarraLee]

Your AP is backdated to the date of the first use of the regular pass you are upgrading.

Thanks! It will backdate to a black out day, but that won't matter since I'll have had the hopper that worked for those days. I don't have to upgrade it on a non black-out day do I?

 

[crvetter]

Thanks! It will backdate to a black out day, but that won't matter since I'll have had the hopper that worked for those days. I don't have to upgrade it on a non black-out day do I?

No you just need to upgrade it on the very last day of your original ticket before leaving the park. That day can be a black out it makes no difference.

 

[robinb]

Thanks! It will backdate to a black out day, but that won't matter since I'll have had the hopper that worked for those days. I don't have to upgrade it on a non black-out day do I?

You can upgrade any day, but if you upgrade on a blackout date you (1) can't go back into a park that day so don't do it before you're ready to leave and (2) you can't go into the parks for the remainder of the blackout dates so you don't want to do it too early.

No you just need to upgrade it on the very last day of your original ticket before leaving the park. That day can be a black out it makes no difference.

She should upgrade sooner *if* the blackout period ends before her original ticket and vacation runs out. She'll want the perks of the AP for as many days as possible.

She should upgrade either on the last day of her trip on the way out *or* the first non-blackout date whichever comes first.