Annual Pass & DDE

[LisaAP]

My husband and I will be having our first trip home to SSR starting on February 4th. We are planning on taking advantage of the DVC discount and purchase annual passes as we will be coming back in October for food and wine. We are also now contemplating the Disney Dining Experience. Originally, I was planning on just buying our annual passes when we arrived, but I am unsure as to whether or not I can also buy the DDE at that time or if that has to be done in advance. I read that it can take 3-6 weeks to process the DDE order, so I am concerned that I will not have the card before we leave for our trip in less than 2 weeks. Also, it says that the DDE expires 1 year from the date of purchase. If that is the case then I would want to buy it as close to my current trip as possible so that we may be able to use it around the same time next year if we decide to go back. Thanks in advance. Everyone is always able to provide such valuable information!!

 

[DebbieB]

You can call before you leave and they will have a temporary card waiting for you at Epcot Guest Services (front entrance). The DDE office is only open Monday to Friday and I believe the temporary will be ready after 4:00pm.

 

[CherCrazy]

You may want to check the restaurants that you are going to eat at before you buy the DDE. Some of the restaurants offer DVC or annual pass discounts for meals so you may not need the DDE. We also found that the true savings is buying the Disney Dining Plan in advance. For $38 per person per day you get some incredible dining!


BTW - you can buy your annual passes with the DVC discount at the gates of the parks now, not just at Guest Services. Real easy.

 

[LisaS]

If you order at least one AP now, you should receive your voucher in about a week. Once you have the voucher, call the DDE office and order the DDE card. You will get an expiration date of Feb 29, 2008. They will ask you for your travel dates and since your trip is only 2 weeks away, they will leave a temporary card for you at Epcot's main entrance that you can use on this trip. You can pick it up the day you arrive (assuming you will be arriving in time to get to Epcot before the Guest Services window closes).

The DDE office is only open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm so if you wait to purchase your AP until you get to WDW, you will have to wait until the morning of Mon Feb 5th to call to order the DDE card and then wait until 5pm that day to pick up the temporary card at Epcot. So you will miss one day's use of the DDE on this trip.

The only thing I'm not sure about is what the expiration date would be if you waited until Feb 5th to order the card. It's possible that that is the day the expiration date will switch from Feb 29, 2008 to Mar 31, 2008. If you call the DDE office tomorrow, they can give you that information. Then you can decide if having an extra month on the card is worth more to you than having the card available on the first day of your stay.

 

[Pennyguy23]

I have been trying to find info on the DDE card put can't. How much are they and where to I go to buy them? Do they have a list of what places take them?
Thanks

 

[LisaS]

I have been trying to find info on the DDE card put can't. How much are they and where to I go to buy them? Do they have a list of what places take them?
Thanks

There is a good description here, including a list of restaurants that accept it: http://allearsnet.com/din/dde.htm

 

[mb168]

You may want to check the restaurants that you are going to eat at before you buy the DDE. Some of the restaurants offer DVC or annual pass discounts for meals so you may not need the DDE. We also found that the true savings is buying the Disney Dining Plan in advance.

Most AP or DVC discounts are 10% food only, DDE is 20% including beverages(including alcohol,) DDE is always the best discount. But, I don't know of any FW booths that take it if you're planning on using it for that, but the restaurants in EPCOT do, we've just "discovered" Morrocco...

 

[LisaS]

Allears has a table comparing DVC, AP and DDE discounts: http://allearsnet.com/pl/disc_dining.pdf

 

[mb168]

But even though there are a few 20% discounts on AP or DVC occasionally, at some restaurants, at certain times, I'm pretty sure thats still just food only, drinks not included. DDE is 20%, all the time (unless a blackout date), beverage included, all three meals.

I'm not certain when they have a blackout because I've used DDE on Thanksgiving day.

The other thing to remember are seasonal changes such as Olivias, that's the little "Q". They usually remove the discount in October for DVC but DDE is always there. DDE ROCKS!

 

[meglovesbelle]

If you do not get the DDE you still get 10% at some restaurants ?? Also do you get a discount at any of the food vendors in all the parks, for example, lunch at Cosmic Rays would you get 10% with the AP and 20% with the DDE ?? Would you recommend the DDE if you think you are going to a few Character meals with 5 people or just stick with the AP discount ??

 

[BCV23]

If you do not get the DDE you still get 10% at some restaurants ?? Also do you get a discount at any of the food vendors in all the parks, for example, lunch at Cosmic Rays would you get 10% with the AP and 20% with the DDE ?? Would you recommend the DDE if you think you are going to a few Character meals with 5 people or just stick with the AP discount ??

No DDE discounts at Cosmic Rays or any other park counter service except those at AK (since there is no full service restaurant there yet).

In general, the 10% AP and/or DVC discounts are good at lunch at the deluxe resorts or Epcot. A few places at DTD too.

For character meals, DDE or the DDP are the best bet.

 

[meglovesbelle]

so what discounts do you get with an annual pass at the parks. According to the allears there is no ap discount at any of there restaurants. I have an annual pass to a local park and we get 10% off all food at all counters, is that not what we get with the AP ???

 

[BCV23]

No AP discounts on counter service at the parks that I can recall in the perhaps 11 or so years we've had APs.

 

[RunningthruDisney]

There are about 10 restraunts (I may be high balling it) where you can get 10% off M-F for lunch only.

Dont know if this was answered but, I have ordered my AP about 5 weeks in advanced but the date on my card wasw the day I told them I would arrive.

My DDE card was ordered about 3 weeks ago but there I needed to give the my AP number. A friend of mine called for her DDE the day she bought her passes and was able to pick the up the temporary pass that night around 5:00.

 

[LisaAP]

Let me see if I am understanding this correctly...

Is it that I can not order the DDE until after I have received the annual pass voucher even if I were to order the AP before getting to WDW? Or, if I order the APs and pay for them online today can I then order the DDE right away?

Also, is there any other choice then to pick up the DDE at Epcot when you arrive. We are arriving on a Sunday and it seems like the only choice we would have would be to wait and pick up our DDE some time on Monday after 9 at Epcot? Is that correct?

I guess I am just trying to figure out what my best option would be if I want to get APs and the DDE? Can I order them both now and have them mailed? Order them both now and do will call? Or just wait and buy one or both when we arrive?

Sometimes the magic stresses me out a bit!! I need help for all of you seasoned veterans!! Thanks.

 

[LisaS]

Is it that I can not order the DDE until after I have received the annual pass voucher even if I were to order the AP before getting to WDW? Or, if I order the APs and pay for them online today can I then order the DDE right away?

You need the number off the back of the AP voucher to order the DDE.

Also, is there any other choice then to pick up the DDE at Epcot when you arrive. We are arriving on a Sunday and it seems like the only choice we would have would be to wait and pick up our DDE some time on Monday after 9 at Epcot? Is that correct?

This is your only option to pick up the temporary DDE card at WDW. I don't know how late Epcot's Guest Services window is open on Sunday so if you get there after they are shut for the day, you would have to pick up the temporary card on Monday.

I guess I am just trying to figure out what my best option would be if I want to get APs and the DDE? Can I order them both now and have them mailed? Order them both now and do will call? Or just wait and buy one or both when we arrive?

Order the AP and have it delivered. When the voucher arrives (in approx. 1 week) call the DDE office and order the card. It takes 2-4 weeks for the DDE card to arrive so you will not get it in time. You will have to go to Epcot to pick up a temporary card. Not great, but you just don't have enough time for the DDE card to arrive in the mail before you leave. But it will arrive soon after you return home and then you will be all set for your next trip!

ETA: Forgot to answer your last point -- should you just wait and buy both when you arrive? The problem here is that the DDE office is only open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm so you would have to wait until 9am Monday morning to order the DDE card. They would make up a temporary card for you that day and drop it off at Epcot for you some time after 4pm on Monday. So you would lose the use of the card for most of Monday.

 

[RunningthruDisney]

Lisa,
I am almost positive that the only place to pick up the DDE is at EPCOT, because they physically give you the temporary card. You may cutting it close if you order your passes on line now if I understand correctly that you are leaving in 12 days. If you get to Disney in the am, you can get annual passes at any of the guest services. You can order the DDE by phone as soon as you get the pass; you may even be able to order it at the guest services you are at and pick it up after 5:00. I am not sure about that. When we need a new DDE and we get the passes we usually make Epcot the first park of our vacation.

Sorry I hope that helps maybe someone has more info. I am in between veteran and newbie

 

[Pennyguy23]

So I need an AP to get the DDE card. I was going to buy our AP's when we go in may. Can I get the DDE when I buy my AP's?

 

[LisaS]

So I need an AP to get the DDE card. I was going to buy our AP's when we go in may. Can I get the DDE when I buy my AP's?

The process to purchase the DDE onsite is as follows: Once you have your AP in your hand, call the DDE office to order the DDE card. The DDE office is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. They will ask you for the numbers on the back of your AP and your credit card number. They will print out a temporary DDE card for you and will deliver it to Epcot's Guest Services (outside the front entrance of Epcot) some time after 4pm that day.

 

[Pennyguy23]

Thanks Lisa,. Always a pleasure