A tricky question about annual passholder resort discount

[Bete]

Can you get a AP discount for your whole stay if on your arrival day you are an annual passholder but by the time you leave/depart you are no longer an AP holder?

 

[peachgirl]

Yes. Disney seems to always go by the conditions that exist at the time you check-in regarding any discounts. Whatever is available at that time is applied to your entire stay whether it's an AP discount, code or seasonal rate.

 

[Piglette]

I'm curious about this question too. I know what peachgirl says is true for other discounts (e.g., Disney Club), but I'm confused about whether it's also available for the annual pass rate? For some reason, I thought that only a certain number of rooms per night were available at that rate and that if they're not offering the AP rate on any of your dates, you're out of luck.

For example, I was booking a trip and was only able to get the AP rate for the first 2 of 6 nights, so I had to do a split reservation to get the AP rate for the first 2 nights. If you get the AP rate based on when you check in, wouldn't I have gotten the AP rate for the whole stay?

Dazed and confused...

 

[peachgirl]

If you get the AP rate based on when you check in, wouldn't I have gotten the AP rate for the whole stay?

Only if there was availability for all the days of your stay. You don't get the AP rate for your entire stay just because the first day is available. You only qualify for the AP rate based on your check-in date. There still has to be availability for every day in order to actually get the discount.

The AP rate is done the same way any other discount is done. A certain number of rooms are made available for a certain time period. If all the rooms are booked for any day of your stay, you wouldn't be able to get the AP rate for those days even though you have a valid AP or are going to purchase one.

 

[Piglette]

Thanks, peachgirl! I think I get it now

 

[kdonnel]

I have used my Annual pass to stay at three different onsite hotels. Only at the AKL was I asked to produce the pass at check-in.

At the Poly and CSR I just checked in.

It seems that people without passes have a 66% chance of getting the rate without actually owning an annual pass.

 

[peachgirl]

It seems that people without passes have a 66% chance of getting the rate without actually owning an annual pass.

I agree, in my experience they have never asked me to show the AP pass.

However, I wouldn't suggest trying to check-in with an AP rate unless you actually own one. If your statistic was accurate, you'd have a 1 in 3 chance of getting hit with having to pay rack rate for your room. Nevermind the embarrassment of being "caught". Those aren't good enough odds for me!

 

[Pugsley]

Even if they do ask to see your pass I doubt they'd check the expiration date. But I think I'd want to get an answer directly from Disney on this, just to be safe.

 

[Disneefun]

I asked this same question for my trip this past May. Our AP expired three days after we were to check in and we didn't want to renew this year. I called Disney about this and got (surprise, surprise) 2 different answers in 2 different phone calls. The first one was that as long as it was active on the check in date, I would get the rate for the whole stay. Fine by me.

The second answer (from a supervisor) was that I would get the rate on a provisional basis at check in. i.e., the first three nights would be checked in at the AP rate. The remaining two nights would be granted the AP rate provisionally. I would need to renew the AP and then come back to the desk at some point and show the renewal in order to guarantee the rate. If I did not do this, I would be charged rack. This sounded screwy to me, but whatever -- I think this must be "technically" the policy as it sounded like she was reading from a book!

I never did get the two answers to agree, so we left mentally prepared to do battle with the front desk and/or change our ressies upon arrival and spend the last 2 nights off property. In the end it didn't matter bacause no one asked for the AP (I think only once in five years of being AP holders have we ever been asked, but still.... we like to be within the rules) and the rate was never questioned.

To make a long story short, I never did get an answer to the question, but it worked out for us.

JW