Annual Passes

[SuzGM84]

It looks like we're going to be taking two trips w/in a year of each other (Sep 19 and Sep 20). Given that, we're looking at getting annual passes. We know nothing about them! Can we buy them in advance (say in January) and not "activate" them until September? Can I link them to my account before they're activated for FP selection? Will they cover both Sep trips? I'll take all your expert knowledge on these! TIA!

 

[Louis morrell]

Yes on the first two. Your AP will expire on the same date you activated them next year (maybe +1 day) so just plan accordingly. First trip in the last half of september and 2nd trip in the first half and ending before the pass expires.

 

[Louis morrell]

You can purchase them online or by phone. Online you get an email with a barcode that you need to pick up the actual pass. By phone just a number to save for the same purpose. You also use this number for MDE for fast passes. You can book your fast passes before you pick up your APs as long as you connect them by the confirmation number in MDE. You can save a little with the Target red card Disney gift card discount. You will have to pick up your passes at guest services at the parks or Disney Springs. They become active that day.

 

[drusba]

You mention going Sep 19 in one year and then Sep 20 the next year. No, one AP will not cover both those trips. You can purchase the AP before you go on the first trip and activate it on Sep 19 but it will expire Sep 19 of the next year before you start that second trip. You can add a purchased AP to your MDE account as soon as you purchase it and it does not have to be formally activated to make FP+ reservations. As to purchasing online, you can purchase new APs online with the DVC discount but you need to call MS to renew an AP with the discount price.

 

[zavandor]

You mention going Sep 19 in one year and then Sep 20 the next year. No, one AP will not cover both those trips.

I guess the OP wants to go in September 2019, second half, then September 2020 during the first half. This should be covered. At least I really hope it does since it's my plan too!

 

[CarolMN]

I guess the OP wants to go in September 2019, second half, then September 2020 during the first half. This should be covered. At least I really hope it does since it's my plan too!

That works and it's what we do for our Holiday trips. Go one year during first or second week of December and then after Thanksgiving. We just plan to check out on the day or the day after our APs expire. We were spoiled a bit by the 13 month AP offer, though and I will be a little sad to have to go back to worrying about the exact schedule, LOL.

 

[TexasErin]

You can purchase them online or by phone. Online you get an email with a barcode that you need to pick up the actual pass. By phone just a number to save for the same purpose. You also use this number for MDE for fast passes. You can book your fast passes before you pick up your APs as long as you connect them by the confirmation number in MDE. You can save a little with the Target red card Disney gift card discount. You will have to pick up your passes at guest services at the parks or Disney Springs. They become active that day.

Thinking of buying my APs online. Do you know if I can use three Disney gift cards at the same time online or do I need to call them?

 

[Louis morrell]

When I did it they would only allow 2 forms of payment online or on the phone ie: 2 gift cards or 1 gift card + 1 credit card etc, if that makes sense. I had to use 2 gift cards for 2 APs as there is a 1000 limit on the gift cards and all 3 would be over 2500.00. I then had to purchase my 3rd pass online using the remaining balance on gift card 2 and the rest from gift card 3. It worked out great as the savings was 5% of about 2500. Worth the trouble for me.

 

[Matty B13]

Thinking of buying my APs online. Do you know if I can use three Disney gift cards at the same time online or do I need to call them?

Just buy one AP at a time on-line with gift cards, that way you don't hit the $1000 limit on the gift cards if you have combined them.

 

[swanwed6206]

From time to time Disney (or maybe it’s DVC) offers an annual pass that will last 13 months. Not sure if this is happening any time soon, but because your trip isn’t until next year, you might want to wait a little while to but the AP. Of course the risk is that the price will increase (which it will), but it will allow you potentially have greater flexibility if you want to overlap dates in 2020. Also I suggest looking into the Gold pass, rather than platinum, because it doesn’t seem like you will be going during the blackout dates.

 

[CarolynFH]

From time to time Disney (or maybe it’s DVC) offers an annual pass that will last 13 months. Not sure if this is happening any time soon, but because your trip isn’t until next year, you might want to wait a little while to but the AP. Of course the risk is that the price will increase (which it will), but it will allow you potentially have greater flexibility if you want to overlap dates in 2020. Also I suggest looking into the Gold pass, rather than platinum, because it doesn’t seem like you will be going during the blackout dates.

The 13-month AP wasn't a "from time to time" offer, it was a "once upon a time" offer (had never happened before), and I don't expect it to happen again. DVC's special ticket offers have been completely unpredictable and surprising, so if you decide to wait, keep in mind that you might get lucky, but you might not, and a price increase might happen with little to no warning.

It looks like we're going to be taking two trips w/in a year of each other (Sep 19 and Sep 20). Given that, we're looking at getting annual passes. We know nothing about them! Can we buy them in advance (say in January) and not "activate" them until September? Can I link them to my account before they're activated for FP selection? Will they cover both Sep trips? I'll take all your expert knowledge on these! TIA!

Yes, as others have said you can buy APs in advance and not activate them for months later. As long as they're in MDE linked to the relevant people, they'll work for booking FPs at 60 or 30 days. And as others have said, the September 2020 trip needs to occur earlier in the month than the September 2019 trip does (unless you decide that you're going to renew!).

 

[SuzGM84]

Thank you everyone! Yes the plan is September 2019 and September 2020. I didn't know about the exact calendar year dates, so that is definitely something we will have to take into consideration.

Follow up question - when you say "pick up your APs" at the parks, etc., do you get actual hard tickets? Or do they just activate them and they're linked to your magic band? I'm assuming they're just linked to the magic band like a regular ticket...

 

[CarolynFH]

....Follow up question - when you say "pick up your APs" at the parks, etc., do you get actual hard tickets? Or do they just activate them and they're linked to your magic band? I'm assuming they're just linked to the magic band like a regular ticket...

Yes, you get actual hard tickets. The AP is linked to your MB for purposes of park admission and FPs but for free parking, discounts etc. you should expect to show the hard ticket plus photo ID. (You might not always be asked to show it, but be prepared. I routinely have mine ready, to speed things up.)

 

[TCRAIG]

Thinking of buying my APs online. Do you know if I can use three Disney gift cards at the same time online or do I need to call them?

Max of 2 forms of payment - however - you can combine your GCs ahead of time - so you’d only be using 1 - as long as the GC total is no more than $1000.

 

[Louis morrell]

That was the problem I ran into. 3 passes cost more than 2500.00. With the 1000.00 limit on the gift card I had to do it in 2 transactions. The phone call was just me confirming the 2 forms of payment rule. I could have purchased 1 or 2 at a time online but I was already on the phone.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

I’m surprised to read that some haven’t been able to use more than 2 gift cards.

I recently purchased 2 APs over the phone and used 4 x $500 GCs to pay for them.

Maybe the telephone CM processed these as two separate transactions?

 

[Louis morrell]

No, on the web site it would only allow 2 forms of payment. I then called the ticketing office and was told the same for phone purchases. This was last November or December. Hopefully things have changed.

 

[TCRAIG]

That was the problem I ran into. 3 passes cost more than 2500.00. With the 1000.00 limit on the gift card I had to do it in 2 transactions. The phone call was just me confirming the 2 forms of payment rule. I could have purchased 1 or 2 at a time online but I was already on the phone.

Sad that Disney has no problem raising prices on a moments notice but can’t seem to get an increase in GC limit for years!!

 

[Sandisw]

We always try to maximize the AP to get as many trips as we can. Since you are planning the same month, as long as your trips are 51 or less weeks apart, you will be able to get the use out of one AP. I plan on doing that next year. We went August 6 to 11 this summer, and next year, my August trip will be July 31st to August 5th so that I can cover that with this years AP. Of course, I am also going in October, January and May...so definitely getting lots of use...but, hey...I'll squeak in that last summer trip and then won't need to buy the next one until Nov 2019 when I go again for Food & Wine.

 

[SuzGM84]

AP follow up question. Can you renew an AP before activating it? i.e. say mine expires in September 2020. I'd like to get the renewal price but don't plan on using it right away (until say May 2021). Is that possible? Or when you renew does it automatically activate? Sorry if these seem like super basic questions, but DH and I are trying to learn as much as possible about them to see if they're a good fit for our current (and future) travel plans!