Annual Passholder Questions

[Mom2Joce]

If I purchase a AP while at the park on our visit will my renewal date be that date every year? Or will I need to pay come January?

Also, is the price the same every year? And are kids the same price?

I'm thinking about going with the Deluxe Tickets. Are there pros and cons with the TYPES of tickets?

 

[Amberle3]

- Your renewal date is a year from when you get your Annual Pass.

- As far as I can tell the price typically increases every year. Some years not by very much, this year by a lot. There's no difference in the adult vs child price.

- The Deluxe pass has blackout dates that you cannot use your pass. You can click here for a PDF of the blackout dates. Basically it's every Saturday during the summer months plus special days, and the entire week from Christmas to New Year's.

- Other differences between the Deluxe and the Premium: The Premium pass includes parking (which you can add on to the Deluxe) but also has additional dining/merchandise discounts available to it.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

The pass is good for 365 days so if you are like me and bought your first pass on July 15- Thats when your pass will expire the next year- The only exception is if you upgrade your Park Hopper to an AP the pass will be backdated to the first day you used your Park Hopper not the current date (Ie if you started your Hopper on the 15th and used it till the 19th and upgraded on the 19th your AP will expire on the 15th)

The price usually changes about once a year but it seems to be really random- When I got my first AP (Premium) in 02 it was 219- That same pass costs 329 this year (Still an amazing deal- Its only about 7 park uses and its paid for) Kids are the same price for an AP

Yes there are pros and cons- Deluxe tickets have blackout days and depending on how/when your trips are they may be a factor (You can get a blackout day pass but they cost 30/35 bucks a day)- Deluxe also doesnt include parking and if you need to park a car when you go this becomes a factor (10 bucks a day) also Deluxe has limited discounts (I believe they still get the food discount but not the Merchandise Discount)

I get the Premium Pass for the single reason of blackout days- As a Working College student in Utah I have a hard enough time balancing school and work time off to try to balance Blackout days- My worst part is that I renew for my big vacation so its automatically 330 bucks outta the budget

-em

 

[Amberle3]

I just pulled up the AP discount page online now, I'm going to try and paste the relevant information in here to show the differences between the Deluxe and Premium passes. If the discount is the same for both then there's no note beside it. I didn't include the discount information for the SoCal pass (even fewer discounts available)

Disneyland:
Blue Bayou 15% Every Day (Premium only)
Carnation Cafe 15% Every Day (Premium only)
French Market 10% Every Day
Plaza Inn 10% Every Day
Rancho del Zocalo 10% Every Day
Redd Rockett's Pizza Port 10% Every Day

Disney's California Adventure™ park:
Ariel's Grotto 15% Every Day (Premium only)
Bountiful Valley Farmers Market 10% Every Day
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill 10% Every Day
Pacific Wharf Cafe 10% Every Day
Pizza Oom Mow Mow 10% Every Day
Taste Pilots' Grill 10% Every Day
The Vineyard Room 15% Every Day (Premium only)
Wine Country Trattoria 15% Every Day (Premium only)

Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort:
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® Special rates, like "AP Nights," available for all Annual Passholders - Call for availability
Disneyland® Hotel Special rates, like "AP Nights," available for all Annual Passholders - Call for availability
Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel Special rates, like "AP Nights," available for all Annual Passholders - Call for availability
Disney's PCH Grill 10% Every Day(Premium only)
Goofy's Kitchen 10% Every Day (Premium only)
Granville's Steakhouse 10% Every Day (Premium only)
Hook's Pointe 10% Every Day (Premium only)
Storytellers Cafe 10% Every Day (Premium only)
Yamabuki 10% Every Day (Premium only)

Downtown Disney® District:
A Lil' Something 10% Every Day
AMC® Theatres Adult ticket at the student price and discounted concession combos available every day. On Tuesdays only, adult ticket at child price.**** Every Day
Basin™ 10% off merchandise Every Day
Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar 10% off entire check (excluding alcoholic beverages)** Every Day
Compass Books & Cafe 10% off selected merchandise & food Every Day
ESPN Zone® 10% off food and beverage excluding alcohol and holidays or special events. Double points in the Sports Arena. Must present AP ID to receive discount. AP must be in attendance and must present payment to receive the discount. 8 person party maximum. Every Day
Häagen-Dazs® 20% off food Mon-Thu
Hair Wraps 10% Every Day
House of Blues® 20% off food before 5 pm (excludes alcoholic beverages), 20% off selected merchandise & 10% off Gospel Brunch tickets (one (1) Gospel Brunch ticket per Annual Passholder)** Every Day
Hoypoloi® 10% off selected merchandise Mon-Thu
Illuminations 15% (regular priced merchandise) Every Day
Island Charters 10% off merchandise (excludes clearance items) items over $50.00 Every Day
Jamba Juice 10% Every Day
La Brea Bakery and Cafe 10% off food (excludes alcoholic beverages) Every Day
LEGO® Imagination Center $5 off any $30 purchase (excludes sale and promotional items) Every Day
Marceline's Confectionery 10% Every Day (Premium only)
Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria 10% off entire check (excluding alcoholic beverages)** Every Day
Pearl Factory 10% off selected merchandise Every Day
Rainforest Cafe 10% off breakfast and lunch before 4:00pm (excludes alcoholic beverages) & 10% off merchandise Every Day
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen 10% off food*** (excludes alcoholic beverages) Every Day
Something Silver 15% off selected merchandise Mon-Thu
Starabilias® 10% off selected merchandise Every Day
Tom Kelly Caricatures $2 off any purchase Every Day
Tortilla Jo's 10% off entire check (excluding alcoholic beverages)** Every Day
Wetzel's® Pretzels 20% off food Every Day
World of Disney™ 10% Every Day (Premium only)


All Theme Park and Hotel merchandise locations* 10% Every Day (Premium only)

* A single $10 transaction required before tax. Not valid in combination with any other discounts or promotions or on purchases of original and limited-edition artwork or selected collectibles. Excludes the following locations: Names Unraveled, Jewel of Orleans, Silhouette Artist, Portrait artists in New Orleans, Parasol cart, Heraldry shop, Crystal shops on Main Street and in New Orleans and Blast cart. Subject to change without notice.
† If you are under 18 years of age, you must have your parent or guardian's permission to dial this number.
**** Must present valid Annual Passport ID to receive discount. Annual Passholder must be in attendance and must present payment to receive discount. 8 person party maximum.
** Not valid during special events or on holidays
*** Maximum discount of $40; reservations required to receive discount

All offers and events are subject to change without notice. Must show valid Annual Passport to receive Passholder benefits and/or discounts.

 

[Mom2Joce]

So it would almost behoove me to upgrade my annual pass at the BEGINNING of my visit in order to take advantage of all the 10% offs!!

What is Hair Wraps?

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I believe its a little hair wrap stand but I may be mistaken

One thing to look at is if everyone is getting a Pass and Blackout days are not that much of a concern is to get one of the adults as a Premium and the rest as Deluxe to get the discounts-

-em

 

[Mom2Joce]

Good idea actually, I'll consider that! We're from Northern Calif. and I don't plan on using it ALOT but at least a few more trips over the year and can work around the blackout dates (hopefully they don't change at any given time)

Also, the parking won't be an issue because we're going to need a hotel for every visit!

I think you're right with the hair wrap thing. My friend just came back from WDW and her daughter had a strand of her hair all wrapped up with beads. It might be a little kiosk think that is similiar.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Nope Blackout dates generally don't change much- and I believe they post them far into advance

-em

 

[Itinkso]

Check to see if the days you will be there are block-out days. If they are, wait until your last day there to convert to an AP. We used to start off with a park hopper (if days were blocked) then convert to the lowest priced AP. If we returned on a block-out day we'd then convert to the next level AP. Whenever you upgrade an AP, you get in on that day even if it is a block-out day for that level AP. You just have to show the upgrade receipt.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Ok, I just checked the blackout dates and all days we're there are NOT black out dates!

We got 5 day hopper tickets 2 adults (169.00 each) and 1 child (139.00) total: 477.00
So if we upgrade to 3 deluxe tickets 209.00 each then I'd pay only 150.00 when I'm there to do so? Is that right?

 

[Itinkso]

Yes, but make sure you use your early entry day option before you upgrade to an AP. APs do not get early entry options.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Holy Smokes!! They just get you all around don't they!! Thanks for the warning I wouldn't have thought about that!!

So can I do the early entry and then around noon go to the ticket booths and upgrade?

 

[Amberle3]

Yep, not a problem to do that.

One other thing to keep in mind: We were there over Christmas with AP vouchers. Once we got in the gates we went to the AP processing centre (this was NOT on Christmas day) and I have to say that the wait to get the AP processed was the longest wait we encountered during our entire visit, and that includes rides on Christmas day when the park reached capacity. The AP line was at least an hour and a half, so make sure you're prepared for a potentially long wait.

 

[Itinkso]

I would still just upgrade on the day after you use your early entry. That way you can stand in line as soon as the park opens...the AP processing center is now in the bank bldg. on Main street.

 

[Mom2Joce]

Thanks a bunch, what a wealth of INFO I can't tell you how much advice I've gotten from this board...it will save me a TON of time and frustration!

 

[Mom2Joce]

Thanks for the info and help! I will do just that, I'll get hubby and daughter going over at Fantasy Land on our EE day and then head back about 15 min before the park actually opens so I'm there before the mad rush Thanks a million!

 

[marvel]

Can you buy an AP from Australia and still get all the AP perks, especially the cheaper accomodation offers?? I haven't seen anywhere where you can get this. Thanks.

 

[Amberle3]

I don't think it matters where you buy the AP from, the only thing that matters is the type of AP you have.

I ordered mine from Canada and still get all the perks. Well except for the stuff that they apparently mail out from time to time, I don't get anything in the mail from them.

 

[cali4niacruisin]

I have a few questions about AP's as well. Does the year start on the day you receive them? Or on the first day of use? I am considering buying an AP to take advantage of hotel discounts, but you need the barcode number to get into the AP section of Disney's site, can I get the number at the time of ordering the tickets or do I have to wait until I have them in my hands?

Thanks

 

[Disneyland_emily]

You can get both the Deluxe and Premium- the only passes non-southern California people CANT get is the SoCal Pass and the SoCal Deluxe

I live in Utah and have the Premium

--------
Are you talking about getting the voucher beforehand? If so the year begins when you activate them- I *think* the vouchers have a time limit on them (I think its 3 months) so I'd plan accordingly

The website doesn't help much on hotel info and 99% of it is through the reservation line- I checked today and all they have is selected May dates (and frankly 139 for the Paridise Pier doesnt seem to be a "deal") and I think you can book the AP rates without a pass as you show the pass upon arrival

I don't think the vouchers and the passes line up with numbers so I don't think that the vouchers would work online (unless they have them both tagged in the system as "Valid APs")


-em