AP qestion and dates

[krash2501]

We are getting AP's next year and have a question about them. It doesn't matter when you buy your AP, but when its activated is when the 1 year count down begins on the AP right? We need to get 4 AP's and wanted to pay for them one at a time over the next 12 months. We can do that right and then activeate them on our first trip?

Second question is about dates to go. I want to go durring Halloween and xmad times and was thinking about:

Sept. 23-25 (will halloween be up by then???
Jan. 13-15 (Xmas decorations will still be up right?)
May. 4-7
sept. 7-9
Looking for least crowds as possible.

 

[Raindown]

If you use the payment plan I'm not sure how it works. However, when i first purchased my AP, it said on the ticket that it did not start ticking till my first visit, but had to be activated within a certain number of days/months.

I think x-mas starts to come down the first week of January. I was there either on the 2nd or the 3rd and it was pretty dang empty.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

APs need to be activated within a certain amount of days/months. Not sure how long.

Halloween season should kick off Sept. 24 but it's usually pretty busy the first few weekends. Oh wait you are talking 2011? Then Sept 23 (whatever the last friday of sept is). Last year, the end of Oct had fewer crowds than earlier in the month. But that will depend on UEA, Gay Days, CHOC Walk, columbus day, etc.

Xmas will be down the first weekend of January. I would suggest the first week of December (week after Thanksgiving) for low Xmas crowds.

 

[krash2501]

No we are not doing payment plans, just saving money. When we got enough saved up to get a AP we were going to buy one and start saving again for the next till we got all 4 paid. but again we wanted to do that over the next 12 months. But sounds like i have a time frame to deal with.

 

[LavenderPeach]

No we are not doing payment plans, just saving money. When we got enough saved up to get a AP we were going to buy one and start saving again for the next till we got all 4 paid. but again we wanted to do that over the next 12 months. But sounds like i have a time frame to deal with.

Why don't you just put the money aside until you have enough for all 4? You could either keep it at your house or open a free savings or checking account just for your AP money. That way if some unexpected event happened and you weren't able to use the APs that year, your money wouldn't be tied up in disney APs. Or you could use the money to buy disney gift cards which you could later use to buy APs. Your money would still be tied up in disney but you could use it for something other than APs if you needed to. Also, like a PP said, there is usually a date by which the APs have to be activated although I think I've heard you can use them after the date but if there has been a price increase you'll have to pay the difference.

I just get nervous thinking about paying for something that far in advanced of using it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Halloweentime will definitely be started by then...the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay on Haunted Mansion might or might be open by then.

By mid January, though I thikn last year was a little later than usual, I believe the xmastime decorations will be down...but I could totally be wrong.

The following September you might encounter a closed-for-overlay Haunted Mansion! So if it opens late this year and closes at the normal time next, you might not ride Haunted Mansion for two Halloweentimes!

Though of course you've got those two other trips.


I personally would rather put the money aside and buy them altogether much closer to the time of the first trip.

 

[sonnyjane]

Why don't you just put the money aside until you have enough for all 4? You could either keep it at your house or open a free savings or checking account just for your AP money. That way if some unexpected event happened and you weren't able to use the APs that year, your money wouldn't be tied up in disney APs. Or you could use the money to buy disney gift cards which you could later use to buy APs. Your money would still be tied up in disney but you could use it for something other than APs if you needed to. Also, like a PP said, there is usually a date by which the APs have to be activated although I think I've heard you can use them after the date but if there has been a price increase you'll have to pay the difference.

I just get nervous thinking about paying for something that far in advanced of using it.

I suggest this as well - just save money and buy all 4 at one time, then you don't have to worry about anything.

As the PP's said, Haunted Mansion Holiday should be open, but Christmas decorations will be down by those January dates. I'd hate for you to miss Christmas since it's so much fun at Disneyland. Maybe to avoid crowds you could look into taking an early December trip?

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I suggest this as well - just save money and buy all 4 at one time, then you don't have to worry about anything.

As the PP's said, Haunted Mansion Holiday should be open, but Christmas decorations will be down by those January dates. I'd hate for you to miss Christmas since it's so much fun at Disneyland. Maybe to avoid crowds you could look into taking an early December trip?

HMH will be down for her January dates. It's usually one of the first things to go down for refurb the first week of January. Last time I was there for the holidays it was down the first Monday of the month (following the weekend of NY Eve + January 1).

 

[sonnyjane]

HMH will be down for her January dates. It's usually one of the first things to go down for refurb the first week of January. Last time I was there for the holidays it was down the first Monday of the month (following the weekend of NY Eve + January 1).

Sorry I meant it should be open in Sept., for the first set of dates, but that Christmas decorations won't be up during the second set of dates.

 

[krash2501]

we did start a savings account for vacations and have $50 per week put into it automaticly. This way we know we will have enough $$$ to buy the AP's and more.

We went to Dl last year 2 day before Halloween started and missed the HMH and SM with its new overlay, also casy jr and the canal boats were down as well. But that the trade off for low croweds .I think I am going to move my Jan. trip to early Dec. did that 2 years ago and croweds were no to bad.

All dates are tenitive for now. We have having a baby this year so decided to skip Dl this year and go all out for 2011 and 2012. I think with all the new stuff opening it going to be great but croweded like never before.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Yes, as PP have said, the Christmas decor will all be gone as soon as New Year's is over-typically the last day is the Sunday after New Years for the last day. (looks like as early as Monday, Jan. 3rd for removal to start) Coincidentally, Jan. 3rd is the day our schools return from winter break.

Good news is that Mid-January is a perfect time to go! Hardly any crowds and surprisingly the weather can be pretty decent in January. Have a great trip(s)

 

[Raindown]

also casy jr and the canal boats were down as well. But that the trade off for low croweds .

But its always worth it IMO.