Annual Passholder Question

[suedaisy]

I am trying to determine if I would be better off purchasing an annual pass. I am NOT a Florida resident. Here is the situation. I have a package purchased for Sept (during free dining). It is a basic package 5 day ticket. (it will expire, we can't hop, no water parks, etc.). A group of adults. We will definitely be returning in January 2009. I suspect we will stay around 6 days. We will not need to have water parks, but would like to park hop.

****If**** free dining happens again in 2009 and it is prior to Sept 4th, am I understanding that we could then use our annual pass until Sept 5th?

As well, people using free dining this year did not have to purchase extra tickets? And if we want to add dining plans during January 2009, we do not have to purchase extra tickets?

If I call Disney to change some of the adults in our package in Sept to Annual Passes, am I too late?

 

[disneyfan55]

I am trying to determine if I would be better off purchasing an annual pass. I am NOT a Florida resident. Here is the situation. I have a package purchased for Sept (during free dining). It is a basic package 5 day ticket. (it will expire, we can't hop, no water parks, etc.). A group of adults. We will definitely be returning in January 2009. I suspect we will stay around 6 days. We will not need to have water parks, but would like to park hop.

****If**** free dining happens again in 2009 and it is prior to Sept 4th, am I understanding that we could then use our annual pass until Sept 5th?

As well, people using free dining this year did not have to purchase extra tickets? And if we want to add dining plans during January 2009, we do not have to purchase extra tickets?

If I call Disney to change some of the adults in our package in Sept to Annual Passes, am I too late?

In order to receive the free dining all persons in a room have to have the same park ticket. This can be a 1 day pass. If you haven't purchased your AP you can upgrade the 1 day to the AP. This year WDW offered the purchased dining plan with the AP. You can purchase the Dininig plan without purchasing additional tickets. If you are planning to buy the AP in Sept, you can just upgrade the tickets you have now, but do it on the first day after going in a park so you have all the park hopping options. Hope this helps. I'm sure if not exactly correct someone will chime in.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I am trying to determine if I would be better off purchasing an annual pass. I am NOT a Florida resident. Here is the situation. I have a package purchased for Sept (during free dining). It is a basic package 5 day ticket. (it will expire, we can't hop, no water parks, etc.). A group of adults. We will definitely be returning in January 2009. I suspect we will stay around 6 days. We will not need to have water parks, but would like to park hop.

****If**** free dining happens again in 2009 and it is prior to Sept 4th, am I understanding that we could then use our annual pass until Sept 5th?

As well, people using free dining this year did not have to purchase extra tickets? And if we want to add dining plans during January 2009, we do not have to purchase extra tickets?

If I call Disney to change some of the adults in our package in Sept to Annual Passes, am I too late?

As the PP posted said, if you purchase the AP ahead of time, you will have to pay for your dining. You can use what tickets you have purchased to convert to an AP, just use them once to enter the park, then go to Guest Relations and upgrade them to an AP getting full value of the ticket towards your AP.

To get free dining, you have to purchase at least a 1 one day base ticket for each member of your party, if you have an AP and do the free dining, you can hold that ticket for a future visit (it will never expire) or use it to re-new your expiring AP. The AP will expire 1 year from the day that it is activated.

If you want to add dining to your package in January, you are right, you do NOT have to purchase the one day base ticket, and you will still be elig for an AP room discount (even better, as they are sometimes the best discounts, next to free dining).

You have to wait until you arrive at WDW to change to the tickets to the AP, as I stated above, use them to enter your first park on your first day, then upgrade to the AP. There is also the Disney Dining Experience card that is available to AP holders (only one person has to have one of these) and most of the time it is ggod for up to 10 people in your party. The cost for this card is $60, but mine paid for itself in less than 2 trips.

To me there are so many advantages for getting an AP and by the time mine expires, I will have gotten 4 trips out of it and numerous discounts.

Suzanne

 

[suedaisy]

Thank you for the great information! It sounds like I will be upgrading when I get there!