Can you get a DP if you are an AP holder?

Cynister

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Joined
May 28, 2009
We are going to do a few short trips to Disney in a row over the course of a year. We figured it was better if we got an AP that year as it would probably save on money. I was just on the Disney site pricing out different hotels but i'm noticing I can't add a dining plan if I don't add tickets. Does that mean the DP aren't available for AP holders? How does this work?
 
We are going to do a few short trips to Disney in a row over the course of a year. We figured it was better if we got an AP that year as it would probably save on money. I was just on the Disney site pricing out different hotels but i'm noticing I can't add a dining plan if I don't add tickets. Does that mean the DP aren't available for AP holders? How does this work?

you can add dining as a ticket less package once the AP discounts are released and you apply the discount to your room. this has to be done 48 hours or more prior to arrival I believe.

You can also purchase a TIW card which may work well/better for you.
 
Yes, you can book a ticketless package that includes a paid dining plan when you have an AP. You'll need to book it specifically with the AP room rate or AP discounted room rate. All the rules of a package apply - deposit, final payment date, change and cancellation penalties. It has to be booked no later than 3 days before arrival. To take advantage of a free dining offer even AP holders would have to purchase 2 day tickets.
 
If you want to participate in the free dining promotion, you'd need to buy 2 day tickets. There is no option for ticketless packages on the free dining promotions.
 


This seems to imply that if there is no AP rate for the desired dates then the dining plan cannot be added?
 
This seems to imply that if there is no AP rate for the desired dates then the dining plan cannot be added?

Not without changing to a package and buying tickets.

I think you can only get the ticketless package where the AP discount is applied.
 


They can still do an AP ticketless package there just isn't a discount on anything.

This. You can still get a room without a discount and purchase the DP. And you can purchase the dining plan for as many guests as there are in the room regardless of their ticket situation.
 
I should clarify what our plans were & maybe you all can tell me what can be done & what our best options might be.

I do not currently have an AP. The plan was to book or next trip in January 2015 for a visit in May just using our Disney CC discount. When booking, we'd just book the hotel & DP, no tickets & therefore no AP discount when booking. Then when we'd get there in may, pick up the AP & get the tickets then.

This would allow us to use the AP for our May 2015, December 2015, & May 2016 trips.

Any guidance would be appreciated.
 
I should clarify what our plans were & maybe you all can tell me what can be done & what our best options might be. I do not currently have an AP. The plan was to book or next trip in January 2015 for a visit in May just using our Disney CC discount. When booking, we'd just book the hotel & DP, no tickets & therefore no AP discount when booking. Then when we'd get there in may, pick up the AP & get the tickets then. This would allow us to use the AP for our May 2015, December 2015, & May 2016 trips. Any guidance would be appreciated.

Well, you can't book just a regular rate room with a dining plan. Only AP, DVC, and military members are able to book rooms and dining plans together. Whatever your booking would have to be one of these to not put tickets on the package.

You can book an AP package with or without an AP discount without physically having the AP. You'll need to,show,them your AP within 24 hours of checking in, so you could get there, check in, get your AP, and show,the front desk. You could also just book a regular package with tickets and dining, apply a public discount, and upgrade your tickets to APs when you get there.
 
Agree with the above. Unless you fall into one of the few exceptions (DVC booking through Member Services, annual passholder, or military) you must purchase a room and tickets as part of a package to get DDP.

If you want to book an annual passholder package then book it, you don't need the AP in hand to book it. You are supposed to have the AP when you check in.

If you change a room-only reservation to a package in order to get DDP (with the exception of DVC, all reservations that include DDP are packages, whether they include tickets or not) then you would have to cancel the room-only and rebook as a ticketless package. They can't just change the room-only to a package. And they can't do it when you have already arrived - it has to be done at least 3 days before arrival.

And you can purchase the dining plan for as many guests as there are in the room regardless of their ticket situation.

In fact, you have to. All guests registered on the same room reservation must have the same dining plan. They just don't require that all guests in an AP holder's room also have an AP.
 
A few more questions please?

If I book it as an AP reservation but I don't have the AP yet, they won't be asking for some confirmation of an AP when I book? If I do this would the AP start when I book or when I got there? The difference being that I'm booking in Jan & arriving in May.

Also, in the other scenario...if I book with a public discount pkg then upgrade to an AP when I got there, about how much would it cost to upgrade? Would the AP start date be the day I upgraded or sometime before when I booked?

Thanks
 
No, you do not have to have the AP when you book. They say you must present an active AP at the resort within 24 hours of checking in.

If you're booking your resort online you may need to have an AP linked in order to access any AP discount rates. But you can still call and book the AP rate.

An annual pass is active on the date you purchase it, not on the date you first use it. It will carry an expiration date that is a year from the date you first bought it. If you purchase it ahead of time but you want it to start being active when you arrive, you can get a voucher, and trade that in for the actual annual pass when you get there.
 
No, you do not have to have the AP when you book. They say you must present an active AP at the resort within 24 hours of checking in.

If you're booking your resort online you may need to have an AP linked in order to access any AP discount rates. But you can still call and book the AP rate.

An annual pass is active on the date you purchase it, not on the date you first use it. It will carry an expiration date that is a year from the date you first bought it. If you purchase it ahead of time but you want it to start being active when you arrive, you can get a voucher, and trade that in for the actual annual pass when you get there.

So you have 24 hours once checked in to show the AP? That is exactly what I needed to know! I am looking at getting tickets through UT and upgrading to AP once I'm there but want to add DDP to our room (either using a discounted room rate or AP rate, which ever is better when we go - October, so I know there will be discounts based on previous years.) I just didn't know if we had to show AP when we checked in or if because we linked tickets to our MB if it would be a problem. We were working out this scenario where we got there, went straight to a park, upgraded then came back and checked in but if we have 24 hours that is so much easier!
 
So you have 24 hours once checked in to show the AP? That is exactly what I needed to know! I am looking at getting tickets through UT and upgrading to AP once I'm there but want to add DDP to our room (either using a discounted room rate or AP rate, which ever is better when we go - October, so I know there will be discounts based on previous years.) I just didn't know if we had to show AP when we checked in or if because we linked tickets to our MB if it would be a problem. We were working out this scenario where we got there, went straight to a park, upgraded then came back and checked in but if we have 24 hours that is so much easier!

October is usually free dining period. We went last September during free dining. We booked a MYW package (resort room and park hopper tickets), got the free dining plan. Than, once there, we upgraded our tickets to annual passes. This worked well since we got free dining, and our annual passes didn't start until we upgraded them at the parks.

The way it works to upgrade tickets to annual passes: Just go to the guest service building at MK, and they will charge you the difference between what you paid, and what the annual pass price is. So, you get 100% of what you paid for your tickets subtracted from the annual pass cost.

Is it possible for you to wait to book until free dining promo comes out? Just double check your dates to see if they are usually included in free dining.

http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/
 
I'm not sure where you can find blackout dates history. I do know that 2013 had Columbus day weekend blacked out. The promotion was announced on 8/1/13 for Oct dates. Not sure if you can wait that long, or be flexible with your dates. If you are staying Mod or Value, Free dining is almost always the best discount.
 

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