AP?

[dmcdixie]

So I am buying a 3 day park hopper( in Sept) and live in the SD area and we already plan on going back for my daughters 4th in March so it is a no brainer for me. I am trying to decide between the Southern CA and Deluxe.

Also do you know if it is from Date of purchase or 1st use? Also is the pass plastic or paper?

TIA******* So excited as I have never had and AP before!

 

[figment_jii]

The AP expiration date is based on the date of first use, but if you're upgrading from the 3 day PH, it's going to be based on the first date you used the PH ticket. So for example, let's say you used the 3-Day PH on Sep 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and then decided to upgrade to the AP on Sep 3rd. The AP expiration date will be based on Sep 1st (the first day that the PH ticket was used). Also, be sure to use the Magic Morning that comes with the 3-day PH before upgrading to the AP.

AP are plastic; park passes can be either paper or plastic depending on where you purchase them.

In terms of the Deluxe versus So Cal Select, I would be sure to check the blockout dates before buying. March is getting into Spring Break, so both passes have some blockout dates (So Cal Select has more).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/blockout-dates/

 

[dmcdixie]

Great Advice on MM, we are staying at the Disneyland hotel, how does that work? TIA!

 

[figment_jii]

Guests staying at the DLH, GCH, or PPH are eligible for Extra Magic Hour, so you don't need to worry about Magic Morning. In DL, usually only select attractions in Fantasyland and TOmorrowland are open and they do not distribute FPs during this hour.

Guests that pre-purchase certain 3-day or longer tickets are eligible to participate in one Magic Morning. Magic Mornings only happen in Disneyland and usually happen on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Guests staying onsite are eligible to participate in Extra Magic Hour each day of their stay. EMH happens in both DL and DCA, usually on alternating morning. DCA's EMH is usually on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. DL's EMH is usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (the same days as Magic Morning). Occasionally the schedule can change (usually when there is a special event or large crowds are expected).

 

[SMD]

Have you checked the So Cal Select blockout dates for March? Sat & Sun are always blocked for that pass and in March there are several Fri that are blocked too.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Since you are staying onsite, I would recommend upgrading the first day so that you can take advantage of the discounts.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Agree with the previous poster about upgrading. There may even be an AP discount on rooms in September but since you are staying on site, you don't need to worry about the magic morning. Personally, I would purchase the deluxe. There are too many blackout dates on the socal select pass for me (almost every weekend and big chunks of time where I might be able to take a couple of days off. I really think that only works well for people who don't have kids in school and can just stop by after work.

 

[cruisehopeful]

If you still are unsure after checking the block out dates, you could get the cheaper one and upgrade if you find that you

 

[aidansmother]

We have decided to buy APs this year because we decided that there will be at least 3 visits. I like to buy mine ahead of time online and take advantage of the payment plan.

 

[agamble]

We have decided to buy APs this year because we decided that there will be at least 3 visits. I like to buy mine ahead of time online and take advantage of the payment plan.

How has your experience been with the payment plan? Have you had any issues with buying them ahead of time and the expiration dates not being correct with your first use date? I'm worried about price increases and considering just taking the plunge and buying our passes for next year now. We live in CA so we could do the payment plan, but since we're not going for 10 months I'm not entirely sure how that works. If we chose to buy the passes now on the payment plan would they let us pay off the balance before the 12 months is up?

 

[aidansmother]

How has your experience been with the payment plan? Have you had any issues with buying them ahead of time and the expiration dates not being correct with your first use date? I'm worried about price increases and considering just taking the plunge and buying our passes for next year now. We live in CA so we could do the payment plan, but since we're not going for 10 months I'm not entirely sure how that works. If we chose to buy the passes now on the payment plan would they let us pay off the balance before the 12 months is up?

You pay a down payment of $95 per pass and then the remainder is broken into 12 payments. We have done this twice now. We buy online and then when we go to the booth to get them processed they start them as of that day. We haven't had any problems with it at all.

 

[figment_jii]

The only thing I would check is to make sure there isn't any expiration date on the voucher. I purchase an AP online several years ago (but did not use the monthly payment plan) and the eTicket/Voucher that arrived had a "Redeem By" date on it. So if you bought the voucher now, but wasn't planning on using it for 10 months, I would check to make sure that there either isn't a redeem by date or the date is after you plan to redeem it.

 

[agamble]

I asked a CM online the other day what the expiration date was for first use because it doesn't say online. She said they must be used by the end of 2017. I was hoping that was the case because last September when prices rose people were buying APs at the Disney Store that didn't expire until December 2016.