AP rate at DLH-do I need AP at check in?

[justkeepswimmin]

There is a remote chance my family and I may make a last minute christmas trip to DL !

Here is my dilema: I am a former deluxe AP holder and I see on the website some decent rate availability at DLH for our trip. The problem is I would have to get APs for our family again to take advantage of this rate (okay that is not really a problem ) BUT the passes I would get (deluxe APs) are blocked out for our trip.

My thought was I could buy 3 day park hoppers online and then upgrade them to APs on our last day. Would I still be able to do an AP rate at the hotel if I did it this way? I am pretty sure I need an AP at check in but wondered if that has been everyone else's experience?

Also, if I upgrade to deluxAP on our last day (Christmas!) and that day is a block out day, can I still travel in and out of the parks once my ticket is converted to the AP?

TIA everyone for all your help!

 

[Sherry E]

I know that you can go in and out of the park on a blocked out day if that is the day you upgrade to the AP. Someone just asked that on here recently and the answer from people was yes! So you can go in on Christmas as long as you renew/upgrade on that day.

Otherwise, as far as I know and from what I have read here on DISboards, you have to show the AP when you arrive at the hotel, or shortly thereafter. BUT, it seems to me I recall reading someone's recent post about upgrading/renewing their pass towards the end of their hotel stay and showing it to the Front Desk CM's later in the trip to ensure the AP room rate. Now, I don't know if this is something the CM's will allow all the time or if it just depends on who you get at the front desk (sometimes one person will not bend, and the next person will go the extra mile). Usually the hotel charges don't show up on a credit or debit card for a few days after the visit is over, so they may charge you the regular room rate up front and then just adjust it when you get the AP. I would call them and ask to be 100% sure, and get the name of whoever you speak to, just to be on the safe side. Something tells me that since bookings are way down this year at the 3 DLR hotels, they will try to accommodate you!

 

[justkeepswimmin]

Thanks Sherry E! That is a great suggestion. I will call the hotel and see if they will be accomodating. I will just be honest about what I plan on doing and hope for the best! I am still on the fence about going as I have heard about CRAZY crowds during this week and even with the discounted rates, it would still be expensive but the thought of waking up in DL on Christmas morning is tempting me.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry E! That is a great suggestion. I will call the hotel and see if they will be accomodating. I will just be honest about what I plan on doing and hope for the best! I am still on the fence about going as I have heard about CRAZY crowds during this week and even with the discounted rates, it would still be expensive but the thought of waking up in DL on Christmas morning is tempting me.

I would love to do that too - wake up at DLR on Christmas morning! I have always gone around Christmas - right before or just after it - but never ON Christmas!

I am sure that DLR Reservations gets faced with your type of question/situation all the time. And again, some of the CM's are very willing to do whatever they can to make the guest happy, and other times you get one who doesn't want to budge on anything! But, all recent reports (along with confirmation from CM's I spoke to in Reservations) say that hotel bookings at all 3 hotels are down substantially this year (a lot of folks are staying off-property), so I just feel that they are probably in a more 'accommodating mood,' and will probably want to do whatever they can to make your stay great! It seems like every other post I read, someone is saying they just went to DLR and got upgraded to a better room for free, or given little extra goodies like pins and treats, or offered an extra night's stay at a discounted rate, etc. I think Disney is trying to do whatever they can to lure in more hotel guests and make each one happy!

As for the crowds, yes, I am thinking of that too. I will be there in four days (yay!), and I have to go to the ticket booth for one specific reason. People are saying the lines at the booths are outrageous. But this morning in SoCal, it has been POURING heavy, heavy rain. Now, I personally don't want to be at DLR when it is pouring like this, but I know if it threatens to rain when I go, or even drizzles a bit, the crowds will stay low!

 

[justkeepswimmin]

I would love to do that too - wake up at DLR on Christmas morning! I have always gone around Christmas - right before or just after it - but never ON Christmas!

I am sure that DLR Reservations gets faced with your type of question/situation all the time. And again, some of the CM's are very willing to do whatever they can to make the guest happy, and other times you get one who doesn't want to budge on anything! But, all recent reports (along with confirmation from CM's I spoke to in Reservations) say that hotel bookings at all 3 hotels are down substantially this year (a lot of folks are staying off-property), so I just feel that they are probably in a more 'accommodating mood,' and will probably want to do whatever they can to make your stay great! It seems like every other post I read, someone is saying they just went to DLR and got upgraded to a better room for free, or given little extra goodies like pins and treats, or offered an extra night's stay at a discounted rate, etc. I think Disney is trying to do whatever they can to lure in more hotel guests and make each one happy!

As for the crowds, yes, I am thinking of that too. I will be there in four days (yay!), and I have to go to the ticket booth for one specific reason. People are saying the lines at the booths are outrageous. But this morning in SoCal, it has been POURING heavy, heavy rain. Now, I personally don't want to be at DLR when it is pouring like this, but I know if it threatens to rain when I go, or even drizzles a bit, the crowds will stay low!

Yes, I think I was reading one of your posts about the low number of bookings at the resort hotels and that is what prompted me to check it out.

Have a great time on your trip. I am sure you have been following the crowd reports that have been up on the boards the last few days and from what I can tell, it is completely unpredictable and if the rain comes, who knows!

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, I think I was reading one of your posts about the low number of bookings at the resort hotels and that is what prompted me to check it out.

Have a great time on your trip. I am sure you have been following the crowd reports that have been up on the boards the last few days and from what I can tell, it is completely unpredictable and if the rain comes, who knows!

Thank you! I know I will make the best of the trip - heavy crowds, rain, whatever - and have a great time! On the one hand it seems like the crowds may diminish just a tad on my weekend because a lot of AP holders are blocked out from the 19th on through the rest of the year. On the other hand, lots of local and semi-local people who are not AP holders are coming to DLR because they can't afford to go elsewhere this year (but they are not staying in the Disney hotels, apparently, nor are they eating the expensive character meals!). So it could end up being more crowded than I have ever seen it when I get there on Friday!!! If the crowds are too terrible or the rain is bad, then it is just an excuse to go inside and have more treats (like messy cinnamon rolls and gingerbread cookies and peppermint cake)!!!

I hope everything works out with your hotel stay and AP renewal - let me/us know what happens and if they are being extra accommodating!

 

[DizMe]

One little comment...if you did need to get the AP right away for the hotel rate, you would only need to do this for 1 person, not the whole group. The rest could upgrade at the end (or not at all, depending on how much you want aps for everyone).

 

[bumbershoot]

FWIW, they didn't ask us for our AP at all when hubby checked us in. Then again, they were busy telling him we were the Big Kahuna family, and upgrading us to a suite, so that might have prevented them from doing something they do every other single time.

And the charges weren't finalized until the end of the trip, though of course we had paid the one night's deposit already. But they don't charge until the end because they don't know how much you're going to spend and charge to the room. And of course there's the resort fee plus taxes on it each night.

 

[pixiewings71]

Hmmm, we did a stay at the PPH and at the GCH with our AP's and we were asked to show the AP upon check in both times. We received no upgrades at either location so Bumber may be right in her assumption. I would ask the hotel if they will work with you, after all as Bumber said, you don't actually pay until you check out.

 

[justkeepswimmin]

One little comment...if you did need to get the AP right away for the hotel rate, you would only need to do this for 1 person, not the whole group. The rest could upgrade at the end (or not at all, depending on how much you want aps for everyone).

I know, I thought about doing it this way except I would have to buy a premium pass for the dates we will be their in order to avoid buying 3 blackout tickets and that would eat into the savings of the AP rate at the hotels for us.

I really was not planning on APs but it would make sense as we are planning a big trip the week after thanksgiving next year with my parents and these APs would be valid for that trip so I am thinking it is sort of like a prepayment on our next vacation. Note that I excel at "crazy disney math"

 

[justkeepswimmin]

FWIW, they didn't ask us for our AP at all when hubby checked us in. Then again, they were busy telling him we were the Big Kahuna family, and upgrading us to a suite, so that might have prevented them from doing something they do every other single time.

And the charges weren't finalized until the end of the trip, though of course we had paid the one night's deposit already. But they don't charge until the end because they don't know how much you're going to spend and charge to the room. And of course there's the resort fee plus taxes on it each night.

Woo hoo! Congrats on the suite upgrade! I keep meaning to try the paradise pier. It just seems so much farther to me even though I know it really isn't. My older daughter loves the look of their pool. PPH is $30 cheaper for the dates we may go too..hmm..

 

[justkeepswimmin]

Hmmm, we did a stay at the PPH and at the GCH with our AP's and we were asked to show the AP upon check in both times. We received no upgrades at either location so Bumber may be right in her assumption. I would ask the hotel if they will work with you, after all as Bumber said, you don't actually pay until you check out.

Yup, as soon as I talk to dh about it again tonight and crunch some numbers I will decide whether to go forward with planning. We just went in Sept and had a great time and I swore to my dh that we would take a break from disney till Christmas 2009. Then we have a conversation like this:

Him: It actually worked out that I am off the 3 days prior to Christmas this year. (this is rare for retail mgmt) Wonder how much the DLH is this time of year?

Me: Well, as a matter of fact, I saw on the boards a few days ago that there are some discounted rooms available still, can you believe it?

Him:yeah, how much?

Me:Um, you know discounted..

ME: (in quiet voice) As long as we have aps

Him:APs!!! Again? Nicole you said..

Me: You brought it up

Him: I'm going to bed. Let me know the bottom line tomorrow.

Truthfully, I have not decided if I think it would be worth it either with the economy as it is. My husband's job is pretty secure despite being in retail and we could manage the trip without running up the credit card but that also means we are not saving up like we should be right now.

Still, the idea of surprising the kids with a trip like this would be so cool...

 

[Alex2kMommy]

the first time we had an ap rate, we were asked to show the ap when we checked in. at the time we had only the printed vouchers for aps, as i had purchased them online, and that was accepted.

we just returned saturday from a stay, and i asked dh if he was asked to show the ap upon check-in. (again, we had vouchers.) he said he wasn't asked for them this time.

my guess is that it was an oversight, though, not a change in procedure.

 

[bumbershoot]

I know, I thought about doing it this way except I would have to buy a premium pass for the dates we will be their in order to avoid buying 3 blackout tickets and that would eat into the savings of the AP rate at the hotels for us.

Well, do you guys eat a lot while there? Imagine a discount of 5% more than with the Deluxe. Do you buy many souvenirs over a year's worth of visits? Imagine a 10% discount on all of those souvenirs, instead of NO discount.

You could VERY easily make a solid case for one of you getting a Premium, if you eat at character meals and buy souvies.

Woo hoo! Congrats on the suite upgrade! I keep meaning to try the paradise pier. It just seems so much farther to me even though I know it really isn't. My older daughter loves the look of their pool. PPH is $30 cheaper for the dates we may go too..hmm..

Honestly, when you go through the GCH shortcut (whether that means you're already in DCA or you walk towards Sephora) then through GCH and across the street, it's hardly farther than walking all the way through DTD then cut over into DLH. No, taking the monorail doesn't help when you're at PPH, but then how often are you *already* in Tomorrowland just when you're ready to go back to DLH? Probably not all that often, so if you're taking extra steps to get to Tomorrowland just to cut down on walking through DTD, well, it might not be saving steps.

I like PPH, but I haven't stayed at the other two as an adult (DLH as a child once).

Though I do believe it's further than HoJos, LOL. But at HJ you don't get MMs with an AP! (and I've recently re-found the beauty of MM)

 

[momof3poohlovers]

We just got back yesterday from a stay at PP and although we used DVC points for our room, I used my annual pass to reserve a room for my BIL and SIL. I was told when I made the reservation for them that I didn't have to be there when they checked in, I just had to show them my AP before they checked out so I think you should have no problem! Have a great time, we definitely did!

 

[BurnsideMommy]

We just got back today.

We had 5 day park hoppers through AAA. On our last day (last hours even!) we decided to upgrade to a Deluxe (four of us anyways). Since we started our park hoppers on Dec 9, they backdated them - fine. BUT - since it was a Saturday when we were upgrading to AP's, and it was a blockout day, he charged us an extra $40 per person (times 4!) because we were there on a Saturday. He didn't tell us this at the window, it was when we went into the park to do pictures that they told us why it was so expensive. We figured $200, were charged $360. I *thought* that if you upgraded ON the blockout day/last day, you were fine?! That $160 really hurt!

Also, he didn't tell us (and we didn't see it in the brochure left in our GCH room) but the Deluxe doesn't give the 10% discount in stores?

I'm wondering now if just one of us should upgrade to a Premium for the store discount, and is the food discount higher too? 15 not 10%?

Oh - and we DO eat a lot of character meals (usually 4 breakfasts plus Blue Bayou), and we typically buy $200 or so of souvenirs if not more, so the discount would be nice.

 

[Sherry E]

We just got back today.

We had 5 day park hoppers through AAA. On our last day (last hours even!) we decided to upgrade to a Deluxe (four of us anyways). Since we started our park hoppers on Dec 9, they backdated them - fine. BUT - since it was a Saturday when we were upgrading to AP's, and it was a blockout day, he charged us an extra $40 per person (times 4!) because we were there on a Saturday. He didn't tell us this at the window, it was when we went into the park to do pictures that they told us why it was so expensive. We figured $200, were charged $360. I *thought* that if you upgraded ON the blockout day/last day, you were fine?! That $160 really hurt!

Also, he didn't tell us (and we didn't see it in the brochure left in our GCH room) but the Deluxe doesn't give the 10% discount in stores?

I'm wondering now if just one of us should upgrade to a Premium for the store discount, and is the food discount higher too? 15 not 10%?

Oh - and we DO eat a lot of character meals (usually 4 breakfasts plus Blue Bayou), and we typically buy $200 or so of souvenirs if not more, so the discount would be nice.

Yes, Premium AP's have the nifty 15% discount at all kinds of restaurants in DLR, including Goofy's and Storytellers, etc. It comes in handy! I used that AP like a fiend in October, getting discounts left and right, everywhere we went, and it does add up. At the end of the trip I came home with about $40 - $45 extra in my wallet than I would have without the discounts.

 

[justkeepswimmin]

We just got back today.

We had 5 day park hoppers through AAA. On our last day (last hours even!) we decided to upgrade to a Deluxe (four of us anyways). Since we started our park hoppers on Dec 9, they backdated them - fine. BUT - since it was a Saturday when we were upgrading to AP's, and it was a blockout day, he charged us an extra $40 per person (times 4!) because we were there on a Saturday. He didn't tell us this at the window, it was when we went into the park to do pictures that they told us why it was so expensive. We figured $200, were charged $360. I *thought* that if you upgraded ON the blockout day/last day, you were fine?! That $160 really hurt!

Yikes! That would be an extra $160 for us as well and possibly a deal breaker for my dh if true. I always thought you were fine since your original admission media would have allowed you in to the park that day and it is not like they can charge me the $40 for each of the two previous days I entered with the original admission media even though it was now being backdated/ changed to an AP that would not have been valid on those days. Thank you very much for this information and sounds like upgrading one of your passes would be a great option for your family as a lot of posters here have mentioned some very convincing benefits.

I am a little sad now but maybe the trip was just not meant to be. All of you heading to the parks, I hope to read all your fabulous trip reports when you return!

Thanks again for all the input and sharing your personal experiences.

 

[Sherry E]

I wonder if the reason why some people are not asked to show their AP at check-in is because DLR Reservations can look in their master system before the guest ever arrives and confirm that the person booking the room indeed does have an AP. Maybe they only really need to see the ones (the vouchers) that haven't been fully activated yet? I am just pondering out loud - I don't know if that theory holds any water!

 

[DizMe]

We just got back today.

We had 5 day park hoppers through AAA. On our last day (last hours even!) we decided to upgrade to a Deluxe (four of us anyways). Since we started our park hoppers on Dec 9, they backdated them - fine. BUT - since it was a Saturday when we were upgrading to AP's, and it was a blockout day, he charged us an extra $40 per person (times 4!) because we were there on a Saturday. He didn't tell us this at the window, it was when we went into the park to do pictures that they told us why it was so expensive. We figured $200, were charged $360. I *thought* that if you upgraded ON the blockout day/last day, you were fine?! That $160 really hurt!

Also, he didn't tell us (and we didn't see it in the brochure left in our GCH room) but the Deluxe doesn't give the 10% discount in stores?

I'm wondering now if just one of us should upgrade to a Premium for the store discount, and is the food discount higher too? 15 not 10%?

Oh - and we DO eat a lot of character meals (usually 4 breakfasts plus Blue Bayou), and we typically buy $200 or so of souvenirs if not more, so the discount would be nice.

I had always heard that you could upgrade the last day and avoid the blockout days! After all, you bought a hopper, which had no blocked days and came with MM. Obviously they can't take the MMs away (though you don't have to worry about that when you stay at the resort) so I don't see why they should revoke the rest of the hopper perks, but I'm no expert. I just know I've read about people buying hoppers and upgrading later for the specific purpose of avoiding paying for block-out days.

I bought APs in Oct. I had the voucher but not the actual ap when we checked in to DLH. I had to show it and get my ap validated right away, though they never asked me to show that I'd done so. When I returned to DLH in Nov, they asked to see my ap again.

If you know you'll be going to the park on block-out days, it is probably smart to get a premium ap. Someone posted how much merchandise and food you'd have to buy in order to realize a savings with a premium over a deluxe pass. It was something like $1200. I guess I could figure it out, LOL--cost of premium minus cost of deluxe would be 10% of how much? But then you also get an extra 5% off of food, so I'm not really sure what the figure is. Anyway, for me, I can't justify it. For others, it's probably a great thing. If you go often, it would be worth it, but for someone like me who only goes a few times a year (most years only once) and never on block-out dates, it would not be something that paid for itself. There are generally coupons and AAA discounts I can use for the places I go. Also, I found that if I asked every time if I got an ap discount, I sometimes scored. I got 10% off merchandise in a few places (though most said no) and House of Blues gave me 20% off a shirt purchase with my deluxe ap! I wasn't really trying to cheat, I just couldn't keep track of what discounts came with my ap! The website lists merchandise but the ap booklet does not.