Annual pass changes coming........

[Dis5150]

Question: DD25 and I both have regular AP's that expire in February. We just returned from a trip 2 weeks ago that we did not purchase MM for. We are going again in November, then again in February. I have read on here that some have "upgraded" to the new AP to add the benefit of PP. That just applies to the rest of the length of your current AP, correct? So in my case, if DD25 or I "upgraded" next month, we would pay $86 to add PP to our current AP that expires in February? And would that include the photos from my trip 2 weeks ago, that are still available on MM (or PP, the two terms confuse me!)?

 

[JOE DELL]

I could be wrong, but I think our Fl Res AP will renew Gold.

If wishes were hopes and hopes were dreams....

I physically SAW a FL RES bring in an Annual Pass cert ordered online. It processed GOLD, not Plat...

So this is retroactive???

 

[MakiraMarlena]

does a Florida Resident AP have blackout dates?

Or are you saying that they are redeeming previously purchased passes without blackout dates for passes WITH blackout dates (at least for Florida residents)?

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

So this is retroactive???

Define retroactive?

It was a NEW pass. That means he would have had to activate brand new an Annual Pass. Annual Passes do not exist. When his certificate was fulfilled, it automatically went GOLD. This was 10/4, yesterday. You cannot activate a new Annual Pass. You have to activate to the new existing passes. (Renewals are a bit different, as for a possibly defined amount of time, you can essential be grandfathered in.) New passes are just that, new. So I don't know if that answers your question about retroactive or not. But if you purchased a FL RES AP online, and you come to get it activated, based on what I personally witnessed, you are walking away with a GOLD pass.

I do have a question as to whether the FL RES AP RENEWALS can apply the $100 difference towards the Platinum? As in, we would have normally saved $100 by renewing on time. However, can we just apply that $100 or so towards the Plat difference? In that case, we basically stay at the same $38 per month and get the same Plat non-block out entitlements? BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

if you have an ACTIVE pass, it will stay the same pass until it expires. My AP expires December 8. I will be using a regular AP under the prior setup until that date.

I'll renew it on December 8 and at that time I will have a new Gold pass (because I'm choosing to renew it as a Gold pass. I'm a DVC member, so I can do that)

If you have previously purchased an AP or a premium AP and you have not activated it, when you activate it you should get a Platinum pass (AP) or a Platinum plus (premium AP).

I don't have any idea what is being done with previously purchased Florida resident passes.

 

[JOE DELL]

Define retroactive?

It was a NEW pass. That means he would have had to activate brand new an Annual Pass. Annual Passes do not exist. When his certificate was fulfilled, it automatically went GOLD. This was 10/4, yesterday. You cannot activate a new Annual Pass. You have to activate to the new existing passes. (Renewals are a bit different, as for a possibly defined amount of time, you can essential be grandfathered in.) New passes are just that, new. So I don't know if that answers your question about retroactive or not. But if you purchased a FL RES AP online, and you come to get it activated, based on what I personally witnessed, you are walking away with a GOLD pass.

I do have a question as to whether the FL RES AP RENEWALS can apply the $100 difference towards the Platinum? As in, we would have normally saved $100 by renewing on time. However, can we just apply that $100 or so towards the Plat difference? In that case, we basically stay at the same $38 per month and get the same Plat non-block out entitlements? BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE?

I understand what your saying. I just renewed last week, so come next October when we renew again it will be a gold pass unless we upgrade, or am I on a gold pass now seeing as I renewed right before the price/plan change

 

[luvallprincesses]

Are we clear yet if the "Photopass Downloads" will work just like memory maker..."free" digital access to all photos the same way if MM were purchased separately? I would consider upgrading just one of our AP's for our November trip IF I can still have all of my Family and Friends members photos appearing, etc. because we are planning on doing a big share with 4 families to split the cost. Does anyone know the details on this yet?

 

[sophie832]

Sorry if this has been asked already, but we currently have Premier APs that we purchased at the old price. Do those now include Photopass downloads? Or would we have to "upgrade?" I know that the Premium APs don't include it unless you change over to the signature, but I was wondering about Premier APs. We already purchased Memory Maker for our upcoming trip, so it would be kind of a bummer to know we could've gotten the downloads free.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

@JOE DELL So you have a Fl Res AP. You will have it until it your anniversary. You have the same entitlements you always had. (Great time to renew for you) although you will not get the photos or some of the new benefits, but you will not get the block outs either. (On the same token, our anniversary is March 26, so we sail on thru Xmas/NYE -if we are insane- and even half of the spring break weeks. So not bad for us either!)

So no, you are NOT on a Gold Pass. However, if by chance you forget your ticket/mb and need them to issue one there at the park, or you lose it, they will be giving you a yellow Mickey AP media, because that's what the auto plaza will be looking for with the parking included. But your pass remains intact, and you have the only the same ticket you always have. You can hang tight for now, which is what we will be doing.

A lot can happen in a year...

 

[JOE DELL]

@JOE DELL So you have a Fl Res AP. You will have it until it your anniversary. You have the same entitlements you always had. (Great time to renew for you) although you will not get the photos or some of the new benefits, but you will not get the block outs either. (On the same token, our anniversary is March 26, so we sail on thru Xmas/NYE -if we are insane- and even half of the spring break weeks. So not bad for us either!)

So no, you are NOT on a Gold Pass. However, if by chance you forget your ticket/mb and need them to issue one there at the park, or you lose it, they will be giving you a yellow Mickey AP media, because that's what the auto plaza will be looking for with the parking included. But your pass remains intact, and you have the only the same ticket you always have. You can hang tight for now, which is what we will be doing.

A lot can happen in a year...

OK good, thank you. I was getting worried because we're going Christmas week and new years as well.

 

[DandDmom]

I understand. However, with Rivers of Color and evening Safari opening soon (AK will stay open later now), a new Soarin' program, new Pandora attractions (probably 2017 realistically), along with new Bay Launch SW and a sooner Season of the Force (rumored to be in January with new fireworks) and some new anniversary parades and shows opening in the next 2-3 yrs or so, I do think the parks will be HOT HOT, but it may just take a bit to get there. Whether you feel the investment between now and then is worthwhile to you, that of course is up to you.

FYI, to me, the Gold pass is basically the same as the AP for FL RES/DVC, only that the capacity weeks (Xmas/NYE and SB) are blocked. But we get all the photos we want, and believe me, as locals, we DO scan the photos. They are HILARIOUS. We just download them. To pay $1 more per month, sacrifice an incredibly chaotic week or two, and have that, its basically the same for us. We trade three weeks for all the photos we want with all our friends to download and post or print wherever we want.

I can't compare the PlatPlus with the Premium etc because we have never had it..

I can currently on the phone with Disney Tickets and they are telling me this is not the case. Can you confirm who you contacted for this?

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

does a Florida Resident AP have blackout dates?

Or are you saying that they are redeeming previously purchased passes without blackout dates for passes WITH blackout dates (at least for Florida residents)?

Well to a point, it sort of does appear that way. If prior to 10/4, your pass was not active, you are now automatically retrieving a GOLD PASS when you leave the window. If it makes you feel any better, there was a bit of a price savings. Basically, its as if that was always the pass you bought (but at whatever price you paid at the time.) When you go to ACTIVATE the AP certificate, you don't pay any money at the window. But that is the closest current product for the price you paid at the time. You can of course add whatever you want to it and bring it up to whatever the current level is for no block outs (you'd have to upgrade to Platinum). But as far as I know, if your pass was not active as of 10/4, even if you bought the cert online, you are fitting in to the new program. In the case of the price point for the former FL RES AP, that now puts you on par with the FL GOLD PASS, and that does indeed now have block out dates, but they only are the two weeks of Easter and the two weeks of Xmas/NYE. For FL RES, you would have to REALLY, REALLY want to go at that peak/capacity reaching time of year (especially NYE.)

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I can currently on the phone with Disney Tickets and they are telling me this is not the case. Can you confirm who you contacted for this?

Well, I don't know for sure where DVC fits in. But be weary, there is a LOT of confusion in all areas, phone or otherwise. If they are giving you the option to renew straight into Platinum, that is probably not the case for FL RES, which would surprise me because you pay the same as we do for the AP. But they may be giving more renewal benefits to DVC members. I need to get more information on DVC renewals specifically.

 

[Moushe]

Oh how cruel....was going back and forth all week about renewing FL resident seasonal passes and then finally decided this morning and....BAM!

But after researching, I think it will cost me about $3 more a month.

Old MONTHLY prices for a family of 4 = $97.19ish. This is for 3 FL seasonal and 1 FL annual.

New MONTHLY prices for a family of 4 = $100.80ish. This is for 4 silver passes.

(of course these prices are after a $112 per person downpayment.)

So yes $60 more a year to go from FL resident seasonal to silver. But now we can get all silvers as FREE PARKING.

All you FL seasonal pass folks, please let me know if I have this wrong!

FL Seasonal Pass holder here and from my calculations it really wont be much of an increase for us. the renewal rate increase comes out to $153 for 3 of us. My DH has a WDW transportation aversion, so we always drive to the parks. So at $20/day for parking the rate increase comes out to close to 8 days of parking. We will be visiting 10-12 days out of the year so it works out for us.

 

[lugnut33]

I'll gladly take them off your hand for what you paid for them

I bought resale and am averaged in at around $85 per point. I have definitely got my money out of them just through the vacations. If this doesn't tank the market I should be able to sell for around $80 per point.

 

[rfc0001]

But they will get that extra money from you the next year you want to go in December.

I'll plan on switching to Gold and avoiding blackouts the following year . Disney is forcing a lot of us to change our behavior, which is the underlying goal of these changes.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Sorry if this has been asked already, but we currently have Premier APs that we purchased at the old price. Do those now include Photopass downloads? Or would we have to "upgrade?" I know that the Premium APs don't include it unless you change over to the signature, but I was wondering about Premier APs. We already purchased Memory Maker for our upcoming trip, so it would be kind of a bummer to know we could've gotten the downloads free.

You have exactly what you have purchased. If you do not make any changes to your pass, it will remain with all the same previous entitlements you always had. If you would like to take advantage of some of the new products, you are certainly welcome to do so, but when you upgrade, you accept all the new program passes and prices with it. It may be worthwhile for you (or one of you) to add it for the downloads for the year, only you can make that judgement. But as far as I know, you have what you have for the life of your pass, if it is already active, unless you chose to make those changes and accept the price difference (if applicable.) That is how I understand it, anyway. However, someone else posted they were getting refunds for their Memory Makers. Also, Premier (DL and WDW?) is a bit out of my jurisdiction, so I can't be for sure on that one.

 

[lugnut33]

Don't know how true this is, but somebody over on the DVC boards is saying the Wall Street Journal is running a report that Disney is set to announce surge pricing for regular park tickets (aka tiered pricing, and same thing they do with dining).

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I have friends who have the Premier pass (the one that includes both Disneyland and WDW) and they said that they are already able to download photos.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'll plan on switching to Gold and avoiding blackouts the following year . Disney is forcing a lot of us to change our behavior, which is the underlying goal of these changes.

I agree. If it is anything like the situation to get on the ferry towards the end of Aug (which isn't even capacity time), I will definitely be avoiding it. The line to get on the monorail/ferry was the longest line we waited in all day, including 7DMT! I can't imagine it that week. On the other hand, Easter wasn't so bad, but it WAS hectic. You can still ride around the resorts and monorails, I guess, or use essential the equivalent of one day's ticket ($100) and go any time during the year. Guess those are the options. I also still haven't yet heard if our renewal savings will cover that $100. That might be worth it, and we wouldn't feel the difference?