Annual Pass and Dining Plan

[skier_pete]

Back to part of the OP question - it's only worth it for you to buy the AP if you intended to buy hoppers. Two trips with non-hopping are actually cheaper to buy the individual tickets. We just bought APs in December, though we don't normally hop, we did want to for that trip, and knew we were going back in October, so it worked for us.

As another poster stated, you can get the DDP for yourself and the parties in your room, and just buy the tickets for others separately...UNLESS you are going for a Free Dining program. Free Dining requires a purchase of a ticket...even for an AP-holder. We ended up NOT getting the TIW card because we had free dining on the first trip, and my calculations said the TIW card would be a wash for us. (It doesn't work at ALL restaurants, so you do have to look very closely to see if spending that $75 is worth it, or if you are better off with the DDP.)

 

[lam]

The non-UK packages are not released near as early as the UK packages.

What you are wanting is an AP ticketless package for 2011.

Or, if you want a free dining package, as long as they are offered in 2011, you probably will not be able to book that until much closer to when you want to travel. You may be 10 months away from booking.
And if they offer free dine packages, and if they are like this year, you will need to buy a 2-day park ticket for each guest on your reservation.

OK

thanks for that
We're looking at Oct 2011. Do Disney USA normally have free dining in October?If not, I may just purchase UK package but with PREMIUM Tickets (not Ultimates) and then not use them until ready to renew AP and use them toward cost of that or just use them another time as I assume no expiry??
Anyone know?

regards

lam

 

[vicki_c]

OK

thanks for that
We're looking at Oct 2011. Do Disney USA normally have free dining in October?If not, I may just purchase UK package but with PREMIUM Tickets (not Ultimates) and then not use them until ready to renew AP and use them toward cost of that or just use them another time as I assume no expiry??
Anyone know?

regards

lam

Unless UK tickets are different (and I don't know if they are), unused tickets don't expire. As for free dining in October, this year it runs through 10/2. Last year, they extended it further into October - not sure what dates - AFTER the original offer was extended, and they might have even extended it again after that. But you can't really count on that - the economy was the driver of that and it might not happen again.

 

[TDC Nala]

Free Dining requires a purchase of a ticket...even for an AP-holder.

Not only that but this year free dining requires a purchase of at least a two-day park ticket per person rather than a one-day.

TIW card would be a wash for us. (It doesn't work at ALL restaurants, so you do have to look very closely to see if spending that $75 is worth it, or if you are better off with the DDP.)

DDP is not accepted at ALL restaurants either. It's going to depend on which restaurants you want.

 

[disgranny]

I have an annual pass that expires on November 19,2010, and I will not renew it. I just booked a package with free dining for my husband, 2 teenage granddaughters and myself. Can I use my annual pass to get into the parks and not use the new ticket that will be issued upon check-in? That ticket will not expire until 14 days after I use it. That way I'll have a ticket whenever I go back next year.

 

[rosiep]

I have an annual pass that expires on November 19,2010, and I will not renew it. I just booked a package with free dining for my husband, 2 teenage granddaughters and myself. Can I use my annual pass to get into the parks and not use the new ticket that will be issued upon check-in? That ticket will not expire until 14 days after I use it. That way I'll have a ticket whenever I go back next year.

Yes.

 

[skier_pete]

I have an annual pass that expires on November 19,2010, and I will not renew it. I just booked a package with free dining for my husband, 2 teenage granddaughters and myself. Can I use my annual pass to get into the parks and not use the new ticket that will be issued upon check-in? That ticket will not expire until 14 days after I use it. That way I'll have a ticket whenever I go back next year.

Yes, you most certainly can do that. We had some free passes for MIL we used last december...we had to by a 1-day pass for her for the free dining...we held onto that ticket - and if she ever goes again she has a 1-day base ticket.

 

[TDC Nala]

You can hold that ticket as long as you want, it will not expire until after it is first used. If you've got a two-day ticket, the second day will expire 14 days after first use.

 

[SpaceAce]

In order to get the DDP, do I have to purchase the AP at the time of the reservation, or is it OK if I already have one in my posession?

How about the opposite - can I book the room, then decide to get an AP later and then add the DDP?

Thanks!

 

[TDC Nala]

You have to have the AP when you check in; you do not have to have it when you make the booking.

 

[SpaceAce]

thanks!

 

[princesscharming]

I'm bringing back this thread hoping for some clarity.

1. It looks like from what was previously said, if I'm the only AP holder in my room, I can get the others (husband and children) DDP along with me, without purchasing the MYW tickets. (If I have that wrong, please correct me.)

2. So did I read that everyone in the room has to have the DDP? So again, if I'm the only AP holder, can I just buy an AP for myself? For some? Or is it all or none?

3. Do AP holders have to purchase the regular DDP, or can they purchase the deluxe or quick service?

Thanks for the help.

 

[WeRblam]

I'm bringing back this thread hoping for some clarity.

1. It looks like from what was previously said, if I'm the only AP holder in my room, I can get the others (husband and children) DDP along with me, without purchasing the MYW tickets. (If I have that wrong, please correct me.)

2. So did I read that everyone in the room has to have the DDP? So again, if I'm the only AP holder, can I just buy an AP for myself? For some? Or is it all or none?

3. Do AP holders have to purchase the regular DDP, or can they purchase the deluxe or quick service?

Thanks for the help.

1. Yes, as long as 1 person has an AP, you can get the dining plan added to your room only reservation.
2. Yes, everyone on the reservation MUST be on the DDP when you choose to add it No exceptions..
3. You can purchase the regular or Deluxe dining plans. Not sure if you can purchase the quick service, it has never been offered to me. There is about a $30.00 per day (approx) difference per person between the regular and the Deluxe.

 

[aubriee]

1. Only one adult in the room has to have an AP in order to get the DDP for everyone. It will no longer be a room only ressie though. It becomes a ticketless pkg, that is subject to all the pkg rules (requires a $200.00 deposit, must be paid off by 45 days out, and fees may be charged for changes closer than 45 days out).

2. Everyone in the room must be on the same DDP though.

3. All three plans (basic DDP, DxDDP, and counter service) are available to AP holders.

The only time AP holders have to buy park tickets to get the DDP is if they are booking one of the pkg deals that are occasionlly offered (buy 4/get 3 nights free, free dining, PIN codes, etc). If paying rack rate or using an AP room discount then we no longer have to purchase park tickets for anyone listed in the room, but again adding the DDP does make it a pkg (just a ticketless pkg).

 

[lam]

Sorry I didn't get back to you all sooner.
I just want to say thank you all so much for your great help and advice.
This is a fab thread. It has made everything a bit clearer to me
and in these difficult times, we're trying to save what money we can, where we can without comprimising too much on quality and thats a hard one!!

regards

Lam

 

[griergirl2]

ok, bringing this one back up

Just to be clear, I don't have to book an AP room rate to add the dining plan with an AP correct? We are looking at booking a 40% off room rate and are looking at getting AP's, just want to make sure we could add dining as well. I understand that only one has to have the AP, which is nice since then the others in our room could just get their tickets as they please.

 

[Luv2Roam]

You won't really be adding dining to a room rate. You will need to book a ticketless dining package specific for AP-ers.

 

[paxsarah]

As I understand it, an AP ticketless package can't be booked in conjunction with a general public room-only discount - it can only be done with rack rate or an AP room discount.If the 40% off discount you're looking at is a general public discount, you can't book an AP ticketless package with it.

 

[griergirl2]

Thanks! That's what I needed to know. We want to stay at BLT so I don't want to wait for a possible AP discount...guess we'll have to decide what we want to do!

 

[brooke1]

Can I do this?

1. make a room only ressie add dining at anytime
2. at some point before vacation order two AP's

Here is my dilemma. I got myself out to CC debit and now pay for everything in cash. I would like to make at least two trips in 2011, so by the time May 2011 rolls around I could have it at least the first trip pd off and two annunal passes. But If I do a pkg it has to be pd within 45 day arrival.

If anybody has any other ideas please let me know.

Thanks
Brooke