2 AP questions... FP+ & upgrading to AP

[Cynister]

Hi there, I've never had an AP before so I'm not sure how this works. We're going to upgrade MYW tickets to an AP after we arrive on our trip. From reading the sticky post it seems I should do that only after I've used the tickets for 1 day to lock in the current gate price. However in that post it also hints that there may be some ticket offices that do AAA discounts when upgrading. If so does anyone know which offices & what the discount is?

Secondly, once I have my AP & return home I'll be booking the next trip for months later. I will be reserving a room onsite at a deluxe probably. In another post it referenced not being able to make FP+ reservations at the 60 day window with APs. FPs couldn't be reserved with an AP until you actually arrived & got tickets for that stay. Is that right?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If you upgrade your AP will be active the day you upgrade.

it's also incorrect that you can't make FPs. You don't even have to have an active AP to do that, if you buy a new AP or renewal they will give you a number to add to your MDX so you can make FPs. You cannot, however, use the AP to enter the park until you have activated it at WDW. If you are doing an upgrade in -park you will have an active AP.

Have never heard anything about there being AAA discounts on an AP. I was under the impression that Disney no longer had an agreement with AAA anyway.

 

[Ronda93]

I concur with the there's-no-discount-on-APs position.

The 30 vs 60 day window has to do with lodging. After you return home you could make FP reservations every day just for fun (don't). The furthest out you could do that is 30 days.

Once you make an onsite lodging reservation it would allow you to book 60 days out from the start of your stay on Disney property.

Any linked, unused tickets, not part of a package, let you make FP reservations 30 days out. APs included.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

After you return home you could make FP reservations every day just for fun (don't).

AP holders who do not have a resort reservation can have 7 days of FP+ reservations at the same time. they don't have to be consecutive but you must use/cancel one day (or have it expire) before making more.

If you have a resort reservation you can make them for the full length of the reservation.

 

[staceyeileen]

AAA South does offer discounts on APs.

 

[katallo]

AAA South does offer discounts on APs.

AAA MidAtlantic told us this as well. You have to go to their office to purchase.

I'm still trying to understand the savings involved with purchasing a ticket through Undercover Tourist (for example) and then upgrading. I think you are suppossed to purchase something like a 7 day park hopper no expiration(636.08), use one day and then upgrade to the AP. But, from what i"ve read the AP is basically the same price. 634.00. I think I need to re-read the other thread

 

[Ronda93]

I think it works like this...

An AP costs $675.21

7-Day Magic Your Way Ticket w/Park Hopper & No Expiration purchased from Disney costs $675.21

Discounted price of 7-Day Magic Your Way Ticket w/Park Hopper & No Expiration at Undercover Tourist $636.08

You purchase the discounted ticket. Use it. Then it can be used towards the purchase of the AP for the higher "gate" price of $675.21. You save $39.13 on the AP.

I'm pretty sure the AP will expire one year from the first use of the original park hopper.

 

[Robo]

I'm pretty sure the AP will expire one year from the first use of the original park hopper.

Yes, it would.

That's because you are UPGRADING a ticket that is already in use.
Upgrading to AP is a process of making the result as if the original ticket
had been an AP from the start.
So, the upgraded AP's anniversary date would be the first
day the original ticket was used.

 

[Dan Murphy]

AAA MidAtlantic told us this as well. You have to go to their office to purchase.

I'm still trying to understand the savings involved with purchasing a ticket through Undercover Tourist (for example) and then upgrading. I think you are suppossed to purchase something like a 7 day park hopper no expiration(636.08), use one day and then upgrade to the AP. But, from what i"ve read the AP is basically the same price. 634.00. I think I need to re-read the other thread

A 6-Day Park Hopper + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration is currently the most savings for a UT to AP upgrade.

 

[Cynister]

Thanks for this help. I do have a few follow-up questions though. Should I upgrade to an AP the day after I've used a day of park entry if I get the tickets at a discounted price in order to reset them to current gate price? Should I wait until the last day of my visit to upgrade to extend the 1yr AP?

Also, would this work...Let's say I visit in December & upgrade to an AP at that time. My next trip is the following May. I don't want to wait until I return from the December trip in order to book the May trip because May is a busy time of year. Therefore I book the May trip in November with no discount. After I return from the December trip with the new AP, can I then call & ask for the AP discount (assuming there is one) to be applied to the existing May reservation that was made without an AP? I've called after booking before to get a special offer applied & did not have a problem, I just don't know if that would apply to any newly obtained AP discounts.

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Thanks for this help. I do have a few follow-up questions though.

1. Should I upgrade to an AP the day after I've used a day of park entry if I get the tickets at a discounted price in order to reset them to current gate price?

2. Should I wait until the last day of my visit to upgrade to extend the 1yr AP?

Also, would this work...

Let's say I visit in December & upgrade to an AP at that time. My next trip is the following May. I don't want to wait until I return from the December trip in order to book the May trip because May is a busy time of year.

Therefore I book the May trip in November with no discount.

After I return from the December trip with the new AP, can I then call & ask for the AP discount (assuming there is one) to be applied to the existing May reservation that was made without an AP? I've called after booking before to get a special offer applied & did not have a problem, I just don't know if that would apply to any newly obtained AP discounts.

Thanks!

1. Yes.

2. It WON'T do that. As everyone explained, your AP will be back-dated to the first day
that you used the original ticket.

3. You do NOT need to HAVE an AP in order to BOOK an AP rate.
You only need to have (or buy) an AP when you actually USE that AP rate room.

 

[katallo]

A 6-Day Park Hopper + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration is currently the most savings for a UT to AP upgrade.

Thanks Dan. So I'll buy the 6 day, pp, wp no exp for 522.85, use it one day and upgrade to an AP the next day. They I will pay the difference between 522.89 and the AP of 675.21, correct? I'm assuming even with the waterparks on the original ticket I can purchase the basic AP without the waterparks.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks Dan. So I'll buy the 6 day, pp, wp no exp for 522.85, use it one day and upgrade to an AP the next day. They I will pay the difference between 522.89 and the AP of 675.21, correct? I'm assuming even with the waterparks on the original ticket I can purchase the basic AP without the waterparks.

Some of your thoughts are correct.

The UT ticket will cost 577.47. Use it once for park entry (do not use the water park option). It will then be bridged to 649.65. Then pay the difference to the AP, 675.21. You will then have a regular AP, and saved 72.18.

 

[njpyro]

Just FYI: it may have been a fluke or "pixie-dusting", but I used a 5day park hopper starting January 29th last year. On February 2nd, I bridged the ticket to an AP, and my current expiration date is February 2nd, 2015.

It may not happen to everyone, but you can't say it absolutely never happens.

 

[Fire14]

AP holders who do not have a resort reservation can have 7 days of FP+ reservations at the same time. they don't have to be consecutive but you must use/cancel one day (or have it expire) before making more.

If you have a resort reservation you can make them for the full length of the reservation.

I don't know how true the length of stay is: I was messing around and had made some f+ res for Jan. and when I went to do my feb ones for which I do have reservation for it said I had reached my max fp+. once I cancelled my Jan one it let me book rest of my fp.

 

[katallo]

Some of your thoughts are correct.

The UT ticket will cost 577.47. Use it once for park entry (do not use the water park option). It will then be bridged to 649.65. Then pay the difference to the AP, 675.21. You will then have a regular AP, and saved 72.18.

Thank you so much. The word "bridged" finally clicked with me. LOL I think we will purchase from UT and upgrade at Disney. Upgrading at Disney is always available correct? Not something Disney will discontinue?? Again Thank you!!

 

[LATJLP]

Just FYI: it may have been a fluke or "pixie-dusting", but I used a 5day park hopper starting January 29th last year. On February 2nd, I bridged the ticket to an AP, and my current expiration date is February 2nd, 2015.

It may not happen to everyone, but you can't say it absolutely never happens.

You got lucky and got a CM who did not do it correctly. We had 3 upgrades and all 3 of them had a different date, despite the fact that they had all been used on the same day and were upgraded together as well. We made the mistake of pointing it out (being naive and worried it meant something wouldn't work...first visit newbie)....and they were corrected....to the original date of use, lol. Didn't matter since we don't do a final trip that pushes that last use date, but one of those oops moments.

I wouldn't bank on this happening, but yeah, anything is possible at Disney.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thank you so much. The word "bridged" finally clicked with me. LOL I think we will purchase from UT and upgrade at Disney. Upgrading at Disney is always available correct? Not something Disney will discontinue?? Again Thank you!!

It is always available, unless Disney were to change it at some point. Nothing is in concrete at Disney. I would not foresee it changing, but it could.

When you do your upgrade, after at least one park entry, just make sure you know your math ahead of time, what was discussed in previous posts here. If the math does not work out, remind CM you are doing a bridge. If still not correct, ask for a supervisor.