Booking a package; one person has annual pass

[BethanyLynnFit]

Question about booking a package when one person already has an annual pass...

I am taking a trip this November with my family and have 4 day tickets. Then in February I am running the princess 5k and booking a trip with some girlfriends. In addition, my family will like return to Disney for another family trip prior to November 2017. Therefore, it is looking like my best option is to upgrade my 4 day ticket to an annual pass when I arrive this November.

Here's my question:

If I have an annual pass, how does the group I'm traveling with in February for the princess 5k go about booking? Can we still book a package? Or must we book room only and purchase tickets separately?

In addition, I have memory maker purchased for my November 2016 trip. If I upgrade will the photo pass be instantly added? Therefore, I could drop the memory maker?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ArmyVet80]

If you upgrade to the AP then you can drop the memory maker. You will have to scan your MB at all of the pictures you have taken though.

As far as booking your room/packages. If you are going to do a dining plan then you will need to book a package. We (DW and I) have AP's and some of our friends that are running the W&D Half do not. We are sharing a room. I called and explained to the CM on the phone the situation. They set us up to where our package included the room and dining plan but those without AP's could call and add tickets to the reservation #. I believe you could add the tickets if they are family members. I did not ask if we could add tickets for our friends as the original plan was to just get them tickets after we arrived until we were told they could call with the reservation # and add tickets for themselves.

Our friends ended up calling and getting their tickets added to the reservation without any issues.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

If you upgrade to the AP then you can drop the memory maker. You will have to scan your MB at all of the pictures you have taken though.

As far as booking your room/packages. If you are going to do a dining plan then you will need to book a package. We (DW and I) have AP's and some of our friends that are running the W&D Half do not. We are sharing a room. I called and explained to the CM on the phone the situation. They set us up to where our package included the room and dining plan but those without AP's could call and add tickets to the reservation #. I believe you could add the tickets if they are family members. I did not ask if we could add tickets for our friends as the original plan was to just get them tickets after we arrived until we were told they could call with the reservation # and add tickets for themselves.

Our friends ended up calling and getting their tickets added to the reservation without any issues.

This is perfect! Thank you so much for your reply! I don't think we are doing dining...but we will likely call to book, so we will just explain the situation at that time.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

Also, when I upgrade to the Annual Pass, can I purchase Tables in Wonderland at the same time?

 

[CarrieR]

Yes, and that's the most efficient way to do it.

 

[Dbktmc]

If you upgrade to the AP then you can drop the memory maker. You will have to scan your MB at all of the pictures you have taken though.

I was under the impression that as long as the others were listed as friends in you MDE then they would be able to scan their magic bands as well. The pictures would still show up in the passholders memory maker account.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I was under the impression that as long as the others were listed as friends in you MDE then they would be able to scan their magic bands as well. The pictures would still show up in the passholders memory maker account.

Yes, that worked for us. My DS had the upgraded AP, but the pictures showed up when any of us scanned our bands.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

I was under the impression that as long as the others were listed as friends in you MDE then they would be able to scan their magic bands as well. The pictures would still show up in the passholders memory maker account.

This is what I thought I had read in other threads...

Yes, that worked for us. My DS had the upgraded AP, but the pictures showed up when any of us scanned our bands.

Good to know!

Thank you!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you upgrade to the AP then you can drop the memory maker. You will have to scan your MB at all of the pictures you have taken though.

As far as booking your room/packages. If you are going to do a dining plan then you will need to book a package. We (DW and I) have AP's and some of our friends that are running the W&D Half do not. We are sharing a room. I called and explained to the CM on the phone the situation. They set us up to where our package included the room and dining plan but those without AP's could call and add tickets to the reservation #. I believe you could add the tickets if they are family members. I did not ask if we could add tickets for our friends as the original plan was to just get them tickets after we arrived until we were told they could call with the reservation # and add tickets for themselves.

Our friends ended up calling and getting their tickets added to the reservation without any issues.

Did your friends actually add the tickets to the package reservation? Or did they call Disney, purchase the tickets and had them linked to the MDE account. There is a big difference in those scenarios.

OP, you cannot purchase a package in which guests have different package components. If you book a room with tickets and/or dining, all guests on that reservation must have the same ticket and dining components. If you end up being the only AP holder, you have the option of book a room-only or a "ticketless package" with room and dining. If you add tickets to either of those reservations, you would have to also purchase those tickets. Best thing to do is to book room-only or ticketless package and have your friends purchase their tickets separately. OR, if you know you will use those tickets in the future either on one trip or to upgrade to an AP next year, sure, go ahead and add the tickets. Also note, as an AP holder, you may be eligible for an AP room discount, so keep an eye on those as they are released!

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

Did your friends actually add the tickets to the package reservation? Or did they call Disney, purchase the tickets and had them linked to the MDE account. There is a big difference in those scenarios.

OP, you cannot purchase a package in which guests have different package components. If you book a room with tickets and/or dining, all guests on that reservation must have the same ticket and dining components. If you end up being the only AP holder, you have the option of book a room-only or a "ticketless package" with room and dining. If you add tickets to either of those reservations, you would have to also purchase those tickets. Best thing to do is to book room-only or ticketless package and have your friends purchase their tickets separately. OR, if you know you will use those tickets in the future either on one trip or to upgrade to an AP next year, sure, go ahead and add the tickets. Also note, as an AP holder, you may be eligible for an AP room discount, so keep an eye on those as they are released!

Gotcha. This actually seems like the easiest option anyways. So, book a room only reservation and then each person purchases their own tickets? Can they each link their tickets to the reservation in MDE, I take it? Also, if I book a room prior to upgrading to my annual pass am I able to apply a AP room discount to a previously made reservation? My friends are antsy to book soon.

 

[Dbktmc]

Gotcha. This actually seems like the easiest option anyways. So, book a room only reservation and then each person purchases their own tickets? Can they each link their tickets to the reservation in MDE, I take it? Also, if I book a room prior to upgrading to my annual pass am I able to apply a AP room discount to a previously made reservation? My friends are antsy to book soon.

I bought an AP through the Disney website about 2 months before our trip but (obviously) did not activate it until I was in Disney. My travel agent was able to apply the AP discount even though I hadn't activated it yet. I know that you haven't upgraded yet but, unless you have a reason not to, perhaps you could upgrade now to get the discount.

 

[ArmyVet80]

Did your friends actually add the tickets to the package reservation? Or did they call Disney, purchase the tickets and had them linked to the MDE account. There is a big difference in those scenarios.

OP, you cannot purchase a package in which guests have different package components. If you book a room with tickets and/or dining, all guests on that reservation must have the same ticket and dining components. If you end up being the only AP holder, you have the option of book a room-only or a "ticketless package" with room and dining. If you add tickets to either of those reservations, you would have to also purchase those tickets. Best thing to do is to book room-only or ticketless package and have your friends purchase their tickets separately. OR, if you know you will use those tickets in the future either on one trip or to upgrade to an AP next year, sure, go ahead and add the tickets. Also note, as an AP holder, you may be eligible for an AP room discount, so keep an eye on those as they are released!

They added tickets to their MDE. I was actually getting on today to confirm that is how it worked and not the way it was described in my post. I contacted our friends to get a more clear understanding of what they did. Their tickets show up on our MDE which also has our package details which is what caused me to second guess my previous post. Just hadn't been on here to fix it yet.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Gotcha. This actually seems like the easiest option anyways. So, book a room only reservation and then each person purchases their own tickets? Can they each link their tickets to the reservation in MDE, I take it? Also, if I book a room prior to upgrading to my annual pass am I able to apply a AP room discount to a previously made reservation? My friends are antsy to book soon.

Yes, they can link the tickets in MDE. Just make sure you are all connected in MDE through Friends and Family. If you need help coordinating this, call the Disney IT line at 1-800-848-6413 and they will help you with the accounts and making sure everything is linked properly.

You don't need to have an AP in hand to book the AP discount, but you'll need one when you check-in for that AP discounted room (or soon thereafter if you are upgrading to AP during that trip). My suggestion, book what you would like now and then keep an eye out for AP discounts. When the AP discount is released for your dates, see what is available and, if you see something you like, modify your first reservation. There is no guarantee what you book now will be available in the AP discount inventory. If it is, bonus! If not, if you have some flexibility in resort/room category choice, I would think about changing resorts/room categories as AP discounts are usually quite good.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

Thank you so much everyone! So much good info! I really appreciate you!

 

[keishashadow]

Also, when I upgrade to the Annual Pass, can I purchase Tables in Wonderland at the same time?

Yes, but would do either the DP. Or TIW to be cost effective

 

[kaybird]

You can also purchase dining plan using your AP. If the AP books the room, they can add dining for all of those in the room, then buy the park tickets.