we always book an AP pkg. with dining and apply the AP discount when it comes out.
So in my years of booking this way, it is a YES, if I understood your question correctly.
taken from mousesavers:
Annual Passholder Packages with Dining Plan
Discounted Annual Passholder Packages with Dining are usually offered for any time period when Annual Passholder room only discounts are also available. There is a room discount, but the Dining Plans are priced at the regular rate. These bookings are subject to regular Walt Disney Travel Company package rules.
Depends on the what 35% off discount he is talking about. If it is a general public or Visa discount then no, he would have to buy at least one day park tickets for everyone in the room just like everybody else, in order to add the
DDP to it. The
only times AP holders can add the DDP and not have to buy park tickets (get a ticketless pkg) is if we book a room at rack rate or use an AP room discount. If we use any other discount, we are required to buy park tickets just like everyone else (GP room discount, bounce back deals, Buy 4, Get 3 Nights Free, Kids Stay and Play Free, Pin Codes,
Free Dining, etc). In fact, Free Dining requires the purchase of two day park tickets for everyone. Any other
general public pkg requires the purchase of one day park tickets, though, even for AP holders.
When I was there last Dec I booked three bounceback deals for 2012 (May, Sept, and Oct/Nov). For our trip in a couple of weeks, we decided to add the DDP. In order to do so (and keep our 30% off the room), we would have had to buy at least one day park tickets for each of us. Instead, we canceled the bounceback deal and switched to the AP room discount (which was the same 30% off the room) and so was then able to add the DDP, without buying park tickets. In order to do so though, we had to switch resorts, as the AP discount was not available at the resort we had the bounce back deal booked at (POFQ).
OP: which 35% room discount are talking about. If it's an AP discount then yes, you can add the DDP without having to buy park tickets, but if it is a general public discount or Visa discount, you can't.