APs, upgrading, and Peacock Suites

[radiatorsprings]

My boyfriend's nephew is having a band competition at Disneyland April 3 and 4. The family invited us to meet up with them (the parents will be chaperoning so they are traveling on the bus with the band; we will have to drive down separately). We are planning on staying longer than them and going to the parks 4 days (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th), so I'm going to order online this month a 4 day park-hopper w/ the kid's price sale. If I have enough money saved up by the time of the trip, I am thinking of upgrading it to a Deluxe AP (my first AP ).

First question, since the park-hopper I'm going to buy is a sale-priced ticket, is it going to be upgradeable? I'm guessing that if it is, I just need to pay the remaining amount to add up to the AP price.
Second, how and where do you upgrade to an AP? Ticket booths? Inside the park? I'm new to this.
Third, April 4th is a Deluxe AP blacked out day. So should I upgrade after that day? Can you upgrade your park-hopper after you used some of your days? If so, are the days you used "taken off" the value or do they still use the full value of the park-hopper?
Fourth, my boyfriend's other sister is planning to go also and she is the one we are traveling with. Her and her husband have a timeshare and they can use their points to get two rooms at the Peacock Suites. Do you have any experiences with this hotel? I checked the address on google maps and I noticed it's not too close to the hotel, but is the distance to DL still walkable?

I think that's all my questions for now. I might remember some later though. Thanks for the help.

EDIT: I remembered a question LOL. I have been reading about the AP rates at the resort hotels. Are these offered year-round? This is one of the reasons I might get an AP. I have never stayed on-site before because of the price but the AP rates I've been seeing might make it possible. I would want to use this on another trip later in the year, that's why I'm asking when they are available. Thanks

 

[bumbershoot]

At Disneyland (vs Disneyworld), while you can upgrade sale tickets, you still end up paying the full amount of the AP.

So unless it's just a matter of budgeting (this money is available now, that money later), there's really no point to buy the "kid's price" tickets if you're totally planning to upgrade.

You would want to upgrade on or after the blockout date. As a courtesy (though there was a recent glitch with a CM not knowing his/her job) they let you have access to the parks on a blocked out day, if you buy an AP or upgrade to one on that blocked out day.

I think it's best to upgrade inside Disneyland...just go on in to the park, and when you're ready, go to the AP processing center (aka the Bank), pay your money and take your picture. That way you're not getting some new-hired in the ticket booth with no clue, ya know? You don't want to do it at DCA for a new AP, as they don't have cameras and you'd have to head back over to DL for that part anyway.



There is always a 10%, I believe, discount at Disney hotels for AP holders. The special rates, like the current AP8 rate, happen on occasion. It just so happens that the special rate has been constant now from something like late Sept through now, but that's not normal if I recall correctly, and might end at any point if they start doing better in terms of filling the hotels.

They have traditionally, since '07 when I became active on this site, had a special AP rate from around Sept towards xmastime.

 

[radiatorsprings]

Thanks for all your help!

And yeah, the reason for buying the sale-priced park-hopper now is because I have a little Christmas money still left over that I can use to supplement my paycheck money in order to afford it. I only have a part-time retail job because I also go to school so I will be trying to save money by taking out a small amount each check. If I have enough after I save for everything else (gas, rental car, food), then I will be able to get the AP. However, I don't know how much I will be able to save because I never know how many hours a week I'm going to get ahead of time; sometimes I get 25 or 30 and I can save a lot but sometimes I only get 15

 

[bumbershoot]

Budgeting like that definitely makes sense for that reason...it's like your own personal layaway.

 

[dznee]

As for the Peacock Suites, it's a pretty nice hotel. The room we had was pretty comfy for the six of us that went back in August. It is at least a 15 minute walk to DLR, but feels quite a bit longer with a 4 and 2 year old next to you. Also be advised, if you drive, there is a charge of $8/day for parking.