Annual Pass + DDP?

[scrappinginontario]

I am playing with numbers trying to decide if it will be worth me purchasing Annual passes for our family.

8 day trip booked for this August
2 day trip in November

will also book an 8 day trip for summer of 2013 prior to AP expiry.

My question is, is it possible to add the DDP to my purchases or must I pay OOP for meals if I have an AP?

TIA!

 

[ttstroker]

you can add the DDP without tickets to AP rates. I have gotten conflicting information as to whether is separate rooms allocated for the AP rate and the AP rate w/ a dining plan. This has only been an issue when booking a room only AP rate and later wanting to add a dining plan. Sometimes the CM will insist I have to re-book w/ dining and cancel my room only reservation (thus getting a new resv #) while other times the CM will just add on dining to my existing reservation. Just something to think about since room only reservations have a 5 day cancel policy while packages (if you added dining) have a 60 day cancellation policy (without penalty).

Also, only 1 person in the room needs an AP.

 

[TDC Nala]

You can book a ticketless package for AP holders. At check-in they require one ADULT AP - a child AP is not accepted. and if you are switching from a room only to a package reservation, it is a cancellation and rebooking. If you add the dining plan, you have a package and you now need to pay your balance 45 days from arrival and there will be cancellation fees for cancelling 44 days out or less.

Also remember that you cannot get FREE dining on a ticketless package. All free dining promotions require a ticket purchase. Right now the minimum ticket purchase is 2 days.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks for your quick response ttstroker and TDC Nala.

TDC Nala - one more question that I'm guessing you can help me with.

I currently have an 8 night package at POP booked with free dining.

If I want to upgrade to an Annual Pass and not lose the free dining I understand that I:
- Include a 2 day pass on my package (currently 7 days so will call and reduce it to 2)
- Pay for package in full 45 days prior to vacation
- Arrive at resort and register. Dining credits are added to our KTTW tickets
- After entering our first park go to Guest Services and ask them to change our tickets to Annual Passes.

In order to keep our Free Dining I understand that I will need to:
- pay full price for Annual Passes that will become effective that day and,
- ask that the 2 day park tickets be removed from our current KTTW cards and given to us in paper ticket form and then tuck them away to use after our AP's expire.

Is this correct?

 

[TDC Nala]

You may want to look at the Ticket FAQ on the Theme Parks board about upgrading your tickets to APs and when and where to do it. I've never done it, so all I know is yes, you can keep the free dining, switch your park tickets to 2 day tickets, and then upgrade the 2 day tickets to annual passes. Then you don't have to keep the 2 day tickets.

If you want to keep the 2 day tickets and buy the APs separately rather than upgrade, you do not have to have them removed from your KTTW card, you can just keep the KTTW card as long as you do not put it into a turnstile to enter a park. Get a Sharpie and write on the card so you remember there are tickets on it, if you want to go that route.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Thanks for your quick response ttstroker and TDC Nala.

TDC Nala - one more question that I'm guessing you can help me with.

I currently have an 8 night package at POP booked with free dining.

If I want to upgrade to an Annual Pass and not lose the free dining I understand that I:
- Include a 2 day pass on my package (currently 7 days so will call and reduce it to 2)
- Pay for package in full 45 days prior to vacation
- Arrive at resort and register. Dining credits are added to our KTTW tickets
- After entering our first park go to Guest Services and ask them to change our tickets to Annual Passes.

In order to keep our Free Dining I understand that I will need to:
- pay full price for Annual Passes that will become effective that day and,
- ask that the 2 day park tickets be removed from our current KTTW cards and given to us in paper ticket form and then tuck them away to use after our AP's expire.

Is this correct?

I can help with this if I understand the situation - right now you don't have APs and the above free dining trip will be your first with APs...

You can upgrade your tickets from the free dining package directly to APs (so there's no reason to call and switch the tickets to 2 days).

We've done this twice - gotten 9 day PH with a free dining package - used at least one day / entry (no need to remove the tickets from the KTTW card they'll do that when you upgrade) then gone into Guest Services to upgrade to an AP. IMO it's wise to do it early in the trip so you get the AP discount for shopping etc. Upgrading from a 9 Day PH cost us less than $200 per person to upgrade to an AP.

IF I'm confused and you're taking a Free Dining trip later on (a trip after you purchased the APs) then you do need to keep the tickets and use them later on

Hopefully that all makes sense.

 

[nicki.momof3]

OK so I want to make sure I am clear before I arrive and lose a ton of $$.

1. We are booked with FD and 2 day tickets as required.

2. We want AP but do not currently have them.

3. We can arrive for our FD trip, chek into the hotel, and head to a park.

4. After going into the park I head to guest services and upgrade my 2 day ticket to a AP.

5. Next trip if FD is offered I will have to purchase 2 day tickets (if that is the required days at the time) and save them for a later trip. Do I have to add non expiring to the tickets since I will not be using them on this trip.

If I have this correct I am very excited. I did not think it was possible t do FD and a AP in the same trip.

PLEASE correct me if I have this wrong.

 

[purple figment]

If I want to upgrade to an Annual Pass and not lose the free dining I understand that I:
- Include a 2 day pass on my package (currently 7 days so will call and reduce it to 2)
- Pay for package in full 45 days prior to vacation
- Arrive at resort and register. Dining credits are added to our KTTW tickets
- After entering our first park go to Guest Services and ask them to change our tickets to Annual Passes.
In order to keep our Free Dining I understand that I will need to:
- pay full price for Annual Passes that will become effective that day and,
- ask that the 2 day park tickets be removed from our current KTTW cards and given to us in paper ticket form and then tuck them away to use after our AP's expire.
Is this correct?

I assume you're using the 2 (or 7) day tickets on your FD package to enter a park on your first day. Most people then apply the value of those tickets towards the cost of the APs. Once you've used a day on those tickets, they'll expire 14 days later, unless you add the non-expiration option, but that's not too practical when you can use the 2 or 7 day value of those tickets towards the AP.

If you don't enter a park and buy your AP at GS or a ticket window outside a park, then you can save the unused 2 or 7 day tickets for the future. They don't have to be removed from the KTTW cards - just be sure not to accidently slide them through the turnstiles.

Now, when you go back in the summer of 2013 - if you have a FD package you'll have 2 day tickets from that package that you can save for after your APs expire and they don't have to be removed from the KTTW cards either.

 

[purple figment]

OK so I want to make sure I am clear before I arrive and lose a ton of $$.

1. We are booked with FD and 2 day tickets as required.

2. We want AP but do not currently have them.

3. We can arrive for our FD trip, chek into the hotel, and head to a park.

4. After going into the park I head to guest services and upgrade my 2 day ticket to a AP.

5. Next trip if FD is offered I will have to purchase 2 day tickets (if that is the required days at the time) and save them for a later trip. Do I have to add non expiring to the tickets since I will not be using them on this trip. You won't have to add non-expiration because you won't be using them on this trip. The 14 day expiration window doesn't start until you start using them.

If I have this correct I am very excited. I did not think it was possible t do FD and a AP in the same trip.

PLEASE correct me if I have this wrong.

You've got it right.

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

OK so I want to make sure I am clear before I arrive and lose a ton of $$.

1. We are booked with FD and 2 day tickets as required.

2. We want AP but do not currently have them.

3. We can arrive for our FD trip, chek into the hotel, and head to a park.

4. After going into the park I head to guest services and upgrade my 2 day ticket to a AP.

5. Next trip if FD is offered I will have to purchase 2 day tickets (if that is the required days at the time) and save them for a later trip. Do I have to add non expiring to the tickets since I will not be using them on this trip.

If I have this correct I am very excited. I did not think it was possible t do FD and a AP in the same trip.

PLEASE correct me if I have this wrong.

Something else to keep in mind is that sometimes Disney will offer room discounts to AP holders and depending on where you stay you may save more money using the room discount and paying for the DDP than you would paying the rack rate for the room plus 2 day tickets and getting the DDP free.
Just keep an eye out for those discounts and price the trip out both ways before you decide that FD is the best deal for you.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm even more excited now as your responses have helped me see that there is a possibility of maybe even getting FD in 2013 if I purchase 2 day tickets with my package but them tuck those away for after our AP's expire!

The decision has been made....we're upgrading! Ooo...never thought we'd be annual passholders!