Blackout dates for Gold Pass?

[jimmytammy]

Does anyone know these dates? Can't find on DVC or WDW websites

 

[CarolMN]

Officially so far, 12/19/2016 through and including 1/2/2017 and 4/8/2017 through & including 4/21/2017.

If you try to buy an annual pass online, you will find a link to a calendar that has the blackout dates. However, it only goes through June, 2017. Looks like it will only show you about a year from the date you purchase online, so we probably won't know the official 2017 Holiday season blackout dates until November or December of 2016.

However, it seems very reasonable to expect comparable dates to be blacked out each year around Christmas and Easter. My guess for the 2017 Holiday season would be 12/18/2017 through and including 1/2/2018. YMMV.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Officially so far, 12/19/2016 through and including 1/2/2017 and 4/8/2017 through & including 4/21/2017.

If you try to buy an annual pass online, you will find a link to a calendar that has the blackout dates. However, it only goes through June, 2017. Looks like it will only show you about a year from the date you purchase online, so we probably won't know the official 2017 Holiday season blackout dates until November or December of 2016.

However, it seems very reasonable to expect comparable dates to be blacked out each year around Christmas and Easter. My guess for the 2017 Holiday season would be 12/18/2017 through and including 1/2/2018. YMMV.

I do wish they would get the dates up for at least 18 months if not 2 years. It's highly unlikely they don't know what they are and with the pre-planning requirements that often have events scheduled out a year that you are looking at attending, or just for DVC in general, it would definitely be helpful. I'm not certain when they finally placed the April 2017 dates but I had a Gold AP expiring in May and was at WDW in April and onsite would have been my preferred way to renew but while I could guess that the blackout dates would affect my travel next April I wasn't certain. I eventually decided against the renewal based on my best estimate, which worked, but was more time consuming trying to find dates and thought requiring than it should have been.

 

[DenLo]

When the announcement for the AP changes came out, the DVC News posted this about the Gold AP's Block out dates.

Disney Gold Pass: Admission to the four Disney theme parks with blockout dates (Dec 17-31, 2015; Jan 1, 2016; March 19-Apr 1, 2016; Dec 16-31, 2016; Jan 1-2 2017). DVC price is $549 plus tax new and $466 plus tax for renewal. This pass is only available to DVC members and Florida residents

It looks like only Easter and Christmas/Winter holidays are blocked out so wouldn't it be similar in 2017-2018?

 

[CarolMN]

When the announcement for the AP changes came out, the DVC News posted this about the Gold AP's Block out dates.

It looks like only Easter and Christmas/Winter holidays are blocked out so wouldn't it be similar in 2017-2018?

That's my assumption

 

[gmboy95]

god i hate this new system.....efectively takes out our usual christmas / summer trips each year....hate it

 

[Anal Annie]

god i hate this new system.....efectively takes out our usual christmas / summer trips each year....hate it

It shouldn't affect your summer trips but their objective is to get you to buy the Platinum pass if you plan to go at peak times like Easter or Christmas. If you can avoid those dates the gold pass is actually a better deal now than the old pass was. (Works for us!)

 

[ErinC]

god i hate this new system.....efectively takes out our usual christmas / summer trips each year....hate it

I had read that you are able to buy a park hopper pass and use it for the duration of your blacked out visit, then on your last day you can upgrade to the DVC Gold pass. So if you purchased a hopper pass for the Christmas days, then you would have the gold pass for the summer trip. I saw a thread where several said they had been successful doing this. I too hate the new pass. We are either Christmas or Easter visitors due to my kids school dates and I'm a teacher.

 

[Dean]

I had read that you are able to buy a park hopper pass and use it for the duration of your blacked out visit, then on your last day you can upgrade to the DVC Gold pass. So if you purchased a hopper pass for the Christmas days, then you would have the gold pass for the summer trip. I saw a thread where several said they had been successful doing this. I too hate the new pass. We are either Christmas or Easter visitors due to my kids school dates and I'm a teacher.

This is my understanding but you then lose the pass renewal discount if applicable. This is our plan for next Christmas.

 

[ErinC]

This is my understanding but you then lose the pass renewal discount if applicable. This is our plan for next Christmas.

Yes, that would be the case but I think in all our DVC years we've only renewed maybe once. We usually buy passes every other year getting at least a few trips in, and then taking a year off. At the current price of AP's for our family of 5, I may need my youngest kids to agree to junior college so I can continue to buy AP's!

 

[Dean]

Yes, that would be the case but I think in all our DVC years we've only renewed maybe once. We usually buy passes every other year getting at least a few trips in, and then taking a year off. At the current price of AP's for our family of 5, I may need my youngest kids to agree to junior college so I can continue to buy AP's!

We've gone both ways depending on our plans. Most of our tickets have been of the FL resident variety for 3-4 days.

On a side note, I don't get the anger with DVC over periodic price increases. We haven't had the AP discount that long, certainly not long enough that anyone should be upset if it changes or goes away. And by the very nature of Disney, price increases march along and we all knew or should have known that when we decided to spend our time and money with them over the years.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

This is my understanding but you then lose the pass renewal discount if applicable. This is our plan for next Christmas.

There is currently a discount being given by the broker ParkSavers that almost equals the renewal option. It brings the difference to under $11/person so if timing did not work out to renew one could get the cost very similar.

Or, what I'm wondering is if you could get the ticket from Parksavers and then also renew after using it for the blackout dates. Since applying a ticket towards a renewal is allowed and they also allow upgrades to the Gold AP from tickets used during the blackout period then in theory it should work and one could still enter on the blackout dates and take advantage of applying the ticket towards the renewal.

 

[ParkHoppers]

So are the blackout dates around Christmas something new to the AP? Reason I mention it is because I think that it might makes the first two weeks of December more crowded which is our favorite time to be at Disney World.

 

[erionm]

So are the blackout dates around Christmas something new to the AP? Reason I mention it is because I think that it might makes the first two weeks of December more crowded which is our favorite time to be at Disney World.

Back in Oct 2015, Disney started offering a Gold Pass (new pass level) to FL Residents & DVC Members. The Gold Pass has fewer blockout dates then the Silver Pass (former FL Resident Seasonal Pass). They offer two pass levels with no blockout dates, the Platinum Pass (former Annual Pass) and the Platinum Plus Pass (former Premium Annual Pass).

 

[ParkHoppers]

Back in Oct 2015, Disney started offering a Gold Pass (new pass level) to FL Residents & DVC Members. The Gold Pass has fewer blockout dates then the Silver Pass (former FL Resident Seasonal Pass). They offer two pass levels with no blockout dates, the Platinum Pass (former Annual Pass) and the Platinum Plus Pass (former Premium Annual Pass).

Ok so since the Gold pass showed up on the market for FL residents and DVC members dates around Christmas have been blacked out? Not sure if that is enough time to evaluate if crowds have increased in early December because of this. Maybe some FL residents and DVC members who get the Gold AP could chime in on their thoughts on this matter. I am in the Gold AP pass for DVC camp BTW and go early December and not around Christmas.

 

[DebbieB]

Ok so since the Gold pass showed up on the market for FL residents and DVC members dates around Christmas have been blacked out? Not sure if that is enough time to evaluate if crowds have increased in early December because of this. Maybe some FL residents and DVC members who get the Gold AP could chime in on their thoughts on this matter. I am in the Gold AP pass for DVC camp BTW and go early December and not around Christmas.

I have the Gold AP, I'm glad it's a cheaper option because I never go during the weeks around Easter and Christmas. I think it saves around $100, in addition to the DVC discount.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I have the Gold AP, I'm glad it's a cheaper option because I never go during the weeks around Easter and Christmas. I think it saves around $100, in addition to the DVC discount.

To add a bit - it costs approx what the old DVC pass without blackout dates cost. Now it has blackout dates but the access to photopass.

 

[Anal Annie]

There is currently a discount being given by the broker ParkSavers that almost equals the renewal option. It brings the difference to under $11/person so if timing did not work out to renew one could get the cost very similar.

Or, what I'm wondering is if you could get the ticket from Parksavers and then also renew after using it for the blackout dates. Since applying a ticket towards a renewal is allowed and they also allow upgrades to the Gold AP from tickets used during the blackout period then in theory it should work and one could still enter on the blackout dates and take advantage of applying the ticket towards the renewal.

There is a coupon code available to use at checkout for another bit off: "DISNEYTOURISTBLOG" that will give an additional $2 off on those 7-day tix so that in the end if you're upgrading to a NEW gold pass it's only $8.32 more than what you would have paid for a DVC renewal.

(Hope it's not against the rules to post that coupon code here?! My bad if it's not allowed - sorry!)

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I have the Gold AP, I'm glad it's a cheaper option because I never go during the weeks around Easter and Christmas. I think it saves around $100, in addition to the DVC discount.

I thought the price of the gold WAS the discount... Seeing as though it's only available to DVC & fl res, why have a non DVC price?
Perhaps I'm missing something...

MG

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I thought the price of the gold WAS the discount... Seeing as though it's only available to DVC & fl res, why have a non DVC price?
Perhaps I'm missing something...

MG

The Gold AP is only offered to FL residents and DVC members so it's correct that there is no discount. I took the reference to be to the Platinum pass price once you apply the DVC discount to that pass.