Annual Pass ???

[bankgirl05]

We are thinking of purchasing annual passes for our upcoming trip in Feb.2013,with the anticipation of using them again possibly in June or July, and then also in the fall of 2013. We would definately be able to get our money's worth out of the passes, even if some of our trips involve staying with family (mom and Sister both live 20-30 min from parks), or offsite.

My questions are:

What type of room discount do you get for being an AP holder?
Are there blackout dates etc?
Are there discounts for the DDP or do you not qualify for DDP due to the passes? (I forget if DDP is attached to park pases or hotel ressies)
How do you go about getting the discount for rooms? (do I have to activate the pass first or just but the passes and book the rooms later?)

I want to reserve a room for Feb. now,( and just do the min. deposit) and start building around that trip, but I am just not certain I can cough up the cost of the AP now, what would you do?

Thank you for your help and suggestions...

 

[patsal]

What type of room discount do you get for being an AP holder? Usually 30% sometimes mroe, sometimes less


Are there blackout dates etc? No blackout dates


Are there discounts for the DDP or do you not qualify for DDP due to the passes? (I forget if DDP is attached to park pases or hotel ressies) You may use the DDP, but no discounts ont he DDP or free dining


How do you go about getting the discount for rooms? (do I have to activate the pass first or just but the passes and book the rooms later?)
I always book my room through Dreams if I am using a AP discount. Once I get to the hotel to check in they may ask to see it. I show the voucher and go back with the activated pass later.


AP discounts for February are not available yet. You can book a room and then see if a discount does become available if it can be applied.

 

[bearloch]

if your a ap and you booked a room can u pay for a dining plan?
I too am thinking o aps we are close enough to drive it most days but once in a while I would like to stay late and spend night and maybe spure on eating out! lol

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Here are some answers!

What type of room discount do you get for being an AP holder?

- It varies. Typically room discounts are greater in the offseason; less-generous discounts are available during busier times. Look at Mousesavers.com - it is a great website that lists the "rack" rate for Disney hotels (full price), and the currently available AP rate). Sometimes discounts are better at certain hotels - i.e., a better discount at All Star Sports instead of Music. Usually if you are somewhat flexible, you can make it work.

Something else to know is that Disney doesn't release the AP rates for very far in advance - for example, right now the AP discounts have only been released through early fall. If you are planning for a trip that is further out, you should book the room at rack rate (just pay 1 night's deposit), then when the discounts are released, call Disney (or have your travel agent do it), and they will apply the discount to your room. That way you get the room you want.

Discounted rooms are limited! If you wait too long, you may not get a discounted room or one at the resort you want to stay at.

Are there blackout dates etc?

If you have a regular AP, no blackout dates, and parking is free (so if you stay offsite, you don't have to pay the $14 to park). If you are a FL resident, you can get a Seasonal Annual Pass, which is significantly cheaper, but does have blackout dates and you must pay for parking if you are not staying on site.

Are there discounts for the DDP or do you not qualify for DDP due to the passes? (I forget if DDP is attached to park pases or hotel ressies)
How do you go about getting the discount for rooms? (do I have to activate the pass first or just but the passes and book the rooms later?)

Don't know about DDP, except that now it is so expensive that it's not a good deal anymore. You do have to have an active pass to get room discounts. You can book the room discount online through the Disney World website. There is a "passholders" tab on the website - you will be prompted to enter the numbers on the back of your pass so they can verify that you are a passholder. Then you can see the available deals and book them online. You can also call the Disney reservation center, or have your travel agent do it for you (there are many travel agencies that operate at no cost to you - maybe it's worth it to make your life easier!).

I want to reserve a room for Feb. now,( and just do the min. deposit) and start building around that trip, but I am just not certain I can cough up the cost of the AP now, what would you do?

I would make the reservation now for the room you want! You only have to put down 1 night's deposit, and it's fully refundable (at least until a few weeks before your trip). Then you can save up for your AP. When you get it, you are then eligible for the room discounts - like I said before, just call Disney and they will apply it to your reservation, if your room is one that has a discount.

Good luck! Hope this helps!

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

if your a ap and you booked a room can u pay for a dining plan?
I too am thinking o aps we are close enough to drive it most days but once in a while I would like to stay late and spend night and maybe spure on eating out! lol

IF you are a FL resident, look into getting your AP through AAA if you are a member. You can save on each pass.

You are also eligible for the "Seasonal Pass" as a FL resident. This may be a better option for you. (that's the pass I have) There are blackout dates during the summer (roughly June 15-August 15), the week around Christmas/New Years, and the 2 weeks around Easter. (Not times you want to be in the parks anyway!). The other major thing is that parking is NOT included. But the seasonal pass is about $120 cheaper than the annual pass.

The dining plan is really not a good value. Prices have gone up to something like $55 per person, per day (and tips are not included!) - you MIGHT break even if you order the MOST expensive dishes - and it's probably more food than you want. Portions are usually big at Disney restaurants. We like to share an appetizer and an entree - usually plenty of food, and we save money too.

 

[evildiva]

I had an AP for two years. As previous posters have said the room discounts are usually 30% but I definitely ran into some 40% around the holidays.

I have also purchased the dining plan as well. Both times it was with a hotel package that did include tickets. I was traveling with a second person who did not have an AP. I worked out the money and what I was saving on the AP for the room was what I ended up with the free dining. There is usually a minimal ticket purchase (2 days) and I just saved those tickets for a later trip. In fact I still have a two day ticket from October 2011. One time I used it for my mother and upgraded her tickets.

As far as a value for the dining plan you mentioned going in the fall(?). I had the quick service plan last fall and utilized the snack credits at food and wine festival. All the food items last year fell into the snack category, so I saved a TON of money there. Used one of the counter service credits for breakfast and the other for dinner and ate lunch at F&W. The traditional dining plan is really only a value if you plan your meals right. I do like the idea of paying for food ahead of time though, less to budget later.

Hope this helps.

 

[akayek31]

In Feb 2012 I got 35% off at Pop Century. We spent about $100 a night for preferred pool view for 12 days.

 

[mountdew1]

My questions are:

What type of room discount do you get for being an AP holder?

It depends. Sometimes they are as low as 5-10%, sometimes as high as 40%. They may or may not be better than the GP discounts.

Are there blackout dates etc?

If you buy a normal AP, then no. FL resident AP does have blackout dates.

Are there discounts for the DDP or do you not qualify for DDP due to the passes? (I forget if DDP is attached to park pases or hotel ressies)

AP holders can add the DDP to their room reservation, but it is at full price. If you buy an AP I would strongly suggest looking into Tables in Wonderland. Many AP holders find TiW to be a better deal overall than DDP.

How do you go about getting the discount for rooms? (do I have to activate the pass first or just but the passes and book the rooms later?)

Room discounts just need the discount code. When you check in the CM may ask to see your valid AP, and if its not active at that point they may ask you to return within a day and show them an active AP.

I want to reserve a room for Feb. now,( and just do the min. deposit) and start building around that trip, but I am just not certain I can cough up the cost of the AP now, what would you do?

Thank you for your help and suggestions...

It totally depends on how you want to plan your trip. If you are dead set on a certain room type, then book it now. If you must have a POR Princess Room or your trip will be ruined, then book it now, and be prepared to possibly pay full price (unless you ask CRO for the AAA discount). I say this because any discounts (AP or otherwise) are based on occupancy levels. So having the bookings now may cause them to not offer a discount. This applies for anytime of travel. If you are traveling during what may end up being February vacation weeks, I would still suggest making your reservation now. Solely to make sure you have one. But then be flexible and know that you may need to change a PORS to CSR to take advantage of a discount. Or drop a preferred view for a standard view. That type of thing. Book it, and then keep your eyes on MouseSavers and the code threads here. Then the day a code that applies to your trip becomes available, call and have CRO try to apply the code to your booking. Or if you book it through a good Disney travel agency, make sure they know you plan on buying an AP and they should try to apply it for you.