Annual passes, free dining ?'s

[connie254]

I have a few questions about annual passes and free dining.
Is free dining offered if you buy an annual pass?

If you exchange your MYW ticket that is loaded on your room card for an annual pass, does that screw up your free dining?

How much of a discount on value rooms is offered when you have an annual pass? We are trying to crunch numbers and see if it's worth it, other than price of the tickets.

 

[CarrieR]

If you already have an annual pass, you cannot get free dining -- unless you pay for an additional ticket. In order to get free dining, you must purchase a package, which is to say, X nights hotel, a two-or-more-day ticket, and then the accompanying dining plan (QSDP or DDP, depending hotel.)

Once you have purchased that package, you can use that ticket and upgrade it to an AP if you so wish (we did it at Guest Services in the parks,) OR, if you already have an AP, you can hang onto it for a later trip. It is on your KTTW card. The biggest risk for that is to remember to use your AP to enter the parks, and not your KTTW card!

I wouldn't get an AP unless it makes sense, admission-wise. The biggest perks with an AP are 1) ability to buy the TIW card (which is not usually helpful during free dining,) 2) a discount at most gift shops, and 3) potential hotel discounts. At the value level, the hotel discount is probably going to be fairly minor, and it is not offered year-round. I am an AP holder going on a free dining reservation next month (I will hold onto my two-day ticket for later use,) and wanted to book an extra night at the start of my stay as an AP-holder room-only. Despite the fact that it is the height of "low season," there is no AP discounted room available at my chosen hotel (Pop.) So I sure wouldn't get the AP for the room discount -- unless you were looking at staying at a $$$$ hotel and knew they had that room available!

Lastly, you can, as an AP holder, book a "ticketless package," which is the room and the (paid) DDP, if that helps you any.

Hope that all makes sense!

 

[2disneyboys]

OP, we have annual passes (this year). and like the PP said, the discount on the value rooms is not much, and not all the time.. your best bet is to call reservations and tell them your dates & find out what the discount is if anything for the dates of your trip.

with that said, I am going in Dec w/ a package w/ the Free Dining.. the ended up being a better deal for us. We are staying 10 days, 9 nights @ one of the values with free dining and we had to purchse a 2day base ticket for each of us (which we will hold onto for a future trip or put towards the cost of an AP renewal) our total was right about $1600 (4 guests - 2 adults 1 11yr old and 1 8 yr old)

as for your 2nd question... when we went Dec 2010, we had 7 day tickets, paid for dining and wanted to upgrade while there to annual passes. the CM's at the park and at the hotel both told us we were better to wait until the last day of our trip to do the AP upgrade as sometimes dining credits can get messed up.
I know you can go to guest services @ anypoint & they can tell you what your dining credits remaining balance is.. perhaps if you do that & then have them remove the park tickets from your room card and then have the park tickets upgraded... seemded like a PITA to me so on our trip, we waited until our last day and went to guest services inside of EPCOT and have the transacation taken care of them. Took about 20 minutes or so and they did not mess up anything...

 

[CarrieR]

FWIW, although I had heard it could mess the dining credits up, we did not have a problem. I would probably upgrade at least one ticket early on -- for the shopping discount -- and then if it messes up dining you can always use another card from your party for the duration.

(We are not big shoppers, but somehow we still managed to use that discount!)

 

[gr8tdame]

Explain to me how the upgrade works. We are 2 adults and one child age 17 so we purchased a 2 day ticket. Is it better to upgrade to a 7 day park hopper and the last day to upgrade to ap's. Will the full amt of our 7day park ticket be applied towards the cost of an AP.
We are going again in January for 9 days.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, upgrading to the AP shouldn't mess up your dining credits. It did, sometimes, a few years back, but I really haven't heard of problems since then (on the boards).

But if you want to, when you check in you can have them take your tickets OFF of your KTTWs, and that way the two aren't hooked up at all. KTTW to "pay" for food, ticket and then AP to get into parks.

As for whether it's worth it, I feel that the value in the AP is admission. IF you'll be going again inside of a year (from first use of the ticket you upgrade from) and the future admission is valuable to you, get it. To me, everything else is gravy.

Explain to me how the upgrade works. We are 2 adults and one child age 17 so we purchased a 2 day ticket. Is it better to upgrade to a 7 day park hopper and the last day to upgrade to ap's. Will the full amt of our 7day park ticket be applied towards the cost of an AP.
We are going again in January for 9 days.

There's no need upgrade twice unless you want to do it like that. If you're worried, just have the checkin people take the tickets off the KTTW card.

 

[fla4fun]

I've had an AP for years, and I sometimes book packages IF the overall deal is better than the AP discount for the same time period (for example, I booked a package back when they did they buy 4 get 3 free promotion a couple years ago). The overall price of the package was less than I would have paid with an AP discount, so it was kind of like the minimum ticket purchase was free. I saved those tickets (from two different packages) and they were used by family on a later trip (they did not have AP's).

I wouldn't get an AP just for the room discounts, but if it makes sense for you from an admission standpoint, then I would just upgrade when you get there. If you already have an AP, then save the tickets for a later trip - either to put towards a renewal of your AP, or if you may be traveling with others who don't have tickets.

 

[snykymom]

I got an AP not so much for the room discount (I can usually get a AAA discount if an AP rate isn't available), but for the TiW card. We love signature dining and adult beverages, and don't like the DDP. We went to V&A once, and in that one meal, the TiW paid both for itself and for the cost of the upgrade from a 7 day PH to an AP!

To get the TiW and any AP room discounts, you only need 1 AP. So unless all of you are going back and need park admission, you don't all need to do the upgrade.

If you're worried about messing up your dining credits, and there is more than just you staying on free dining, upgrade only one ticket (say, yours) first. Then try to use your KTTW card for dining. If it works, great. Then upgrade your husband's ticket if you'd like.

If it doesn't work, then use your husband's (untouched) KTTW card with all the dining credits intact. Go to Guest Relations or your concierge and get your credits fixed. Then upgrade your husband's ticket if you'd like. If his gets messed up on upgrade, use your KTTW card for dining until you can get his fixed.

Your AP should expire one year from the date you first used the ticket you had.

 

[connie254]

Does it make a difference if I upgrade on the first day or the last day for the actual price of the AP? I know I pay the difference between the two, but not sure if it would be retroactive or not.

 

[Missytara]

Does it make a difference if I upgrade on the first day or the last day for the actual price of the AP? I know I pay the difference between the two, but not sure if it would be retroactive or not.

There is a sticky at the top of the Theme Parks and Strategies board that explains tickets and can answer your question.

 

[snykymom]

Does it make a difference if I upgrade on the first day or the last day for the actual price of the AP? I know I pay the difference between the two, but not sure if it would be retroactive or not.

No, it makes no difference. Your AP will be backdated to the date you first used the ticket you're upgrading. You will get full credit for the current gate price of the ticket against your AP no matter when you upgrade.

If you wait until the last day, though, you'll lose all the perks of the AP in the meantime.

 

[klawso@att.net]

So if we have an annual pass now we can take advantage of free dining in the fall by paying for two MYW tickets for ~$700, not use them and upgrade that later to a new annual pass? How long can I hold two MYW tickets without using them? Also, if I have annual passes will Disney let me buy the MYW and take advantage of free dining? Also, can I still use my KTTW so long as I don't use it for park admission? Thanks!!

 

[klawso@att.net]

So if we have an annual pass now we can take advantage of free dining in the fall by paying for two MYW tickets for ~$700, not use them and upgrade that later to a new annual pass? How long can I hold two MYW tickets without using them? Also, if I have annual passes will Disney let me buy the MYW and take advantage of free dining? Also, can I still use my KTTW so long as I don't use it for park admission?

 

[vicki_c]

So if we have an annual pass now we can take advantage of free dining in the fall by paying for two MYW tickets for ~$700, not use them and upgrade that later to a new annual pass? How long can I hold two MYW tickets without using them? Also, if I have annual passes will Disney let me buy the MYW and take advantage of free dining? Also, can I still use my KTTW so long as I don't use it for park admission?

You can buy a package with 2 day tickets for everyone in your party and a room and get free dining. Hang on to those tickets or the KTTW card that they are on, after your trip. When your AP expires, you can use those 2 day tickets towards an AP renewal if you like. Or you can just use them on a future trip. Unused tickets never expire.

Your KTTW card will have your dining credits on it, the MYW tickets that you aren't going to use, and any charging privileges if you choose to allow that.

 

[mmouse50]

Can I take the tickets off the KTTW card as soon as I get it and just get the paper tickets?

 

[klawso@att.net]

Thanks Vicki!!! I believe you CAN have customer service provide you paper tickets without putting them on KTTW.

 

[kaligal]

Value rooms are running $86 now. You get a discount at the value food courts...well I know you do at Pop...with the AP.

Regular room only is $107 weekdays, $127 weekends.

They're selling TIW for $75, I think.

 

[cey]

When I upgraded my MYW ticket last September to an AP at guest relations at POP, they activated it on my room key. I would not recommend this as certain Disney stores and the disney miniature golf places cannot access your discount as they cannot access AP info from your room key. I ended up getting the AP removed from my key at a theme park and switching to a paper copy. Just make sure you bring some form of ID, ie driver's license with you when you make the switch!

 

[SharonZ]

Also, you aren't guaranteed a room discount just because you have an AP.

 

[cruisingkat]

Value rooms are running $86 now. You get a discount at the value food courts...well I know you do at Pop...with the AP.

Regular room only is $107 weekdays, $127 weekends.

They're selling TIW for $75, I think.

The discount at the value food courts is not with an AP - you get it with the TIW card. Your AP gets a discount at the merchandise store.
The only food places that you get a discount with an AP are some table service restaurants- and nearly all are at lunchtime only.