Haven't been a passholder in about 5 years. I used to book the room that I wanted and then simply had the AP rate applied when it was released. In addition, I used to book the rate without being a "Current" passholder and then just purchased the pass closer to check-in. Is this still possible? That is, making an AP reservation without having the pass in hand?
You can still apply the AP discount to an existing reservation as long as it is available. And you can make an AP reservation before purchasing your AP.