Booking AP hotel discounts before AP expires when check in is after AP expires

[jina]

We have AP's which expire in August which we will not renew. (This is our big year to do DL as much as we can which we are loving but we can't sustain this financially every year! We will get AP's again in a few years - hopefully Premier if we plan a WDW trip too).

At any rate, if Aulani has an AP discount which is announced while our AP's are still active, can I book that AP rate even if by the time we check in we will no longer have AP's? I know the reverse is required- you can't book an AP rate for a future date if you don't have the AP yet, even if you'd have the AP at check-in.

I also have AAA but the AP rates tend to look better - at least for the promos that have come and gone since we got our AP's.

 

[wdwrich]

You'll need a valid AP when you check in. Granted, they don't always ask to see the AP, but if they do and you don't have one (or can't get one within the 24 hour grace period), they would most likely charge you full rack rate for the room.

 

[jina]

thanks - I"ll stick to AAA and Costco then unless they somehow offer a rate which would pay for itself by renewing one of our passes.

 

[wdwrich]

thanks - I"ll stick to AAA and Costco then unless they somehow offer a rate which would pay for itself by renewing one of our passes.

By the way- at WDW you *can* book a resort room at the AP rate even if you don't yet have the AP. You just need to have it at check-in as previously mentioned.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Does everyone in the party have to have an AP in order to receive the hotel discount? If this is not necessary, maybe the price of 1 pass to get the hotel discount is worth it. As well as discounts on food and merchandise.

Just a thought,
Kriss

 

[Fantaluminishes]

By the way- at WDW you *can* book a resort room at the AP rate even if you don't yet have the AP. You just need to have it at check-in as previously mentioned.

I'm so glad you posted this. I just changed my WDW reservation and added the AP discount for my July trip. I won't have my Premier AP until May, so I wasn't sure what the protocol was. Now I'm all set, and I saved even more than the 30% I was originally saving.

 

[wdwrich]

Does everyone in the party have to have an AP in order to receive the hotel discount? If this is not necessary, maybe the price of 1 pass to get the hotel discount is worth it. As well as discounts on food and merchandise.

Just a thought,
Kriss

Just one person in the room needs an AP to get the discount, though the reservation should be in that person's name.

 

[mamapenguin]

I'm confused. I am buying annual passes for our next trip to DL and I will not be able to activate them until we get there because we live out of state. Will I be able to get the AP hotel rate for that trip, or only subsequent trips?

 

[Sherry E]

I'm confused. I am buying annual passes for our next trip to DL and I will not be able to activate them until we get there because we live out of state. Will I be able to get the AP hotel rate for that trip, or only subsequent trips?

You can book a room (for your upcoming trip) with an AP discount -- before you get your AP and before it is activated. However, you will have to either have an activated AP when you check in to the hotel or shortly thereafter. For example, if you checked in to the hotel first and then activated the AP when you got to the parks/ticket booths, you'd have to go back to the front desk at the hotel at some point later and show the CM the AP. If they don't see the AP (and I've always been asked to show mine when a discount was involved), their reservations system will automatically charge you the regular, non-discounted rack rate for the room.

 

[SMD]

I'm confused. I am buying annual passes for our next trip to DL and I will not be able to activate them until we get there because we live out of state. Will I be able to get the AP hotel rate for that trip, or only subsequent trips?

You have to call the hotel to book. You won't have access to online booking until you have the barcode from the back of the AP, but they'll let you book by phone.

 

[keltiesmom]

Does everyone in the party have to have an AP in order to receive the hotel discount? If this is not necessary, maybe the price of 1 pass to get the hotel discount is worth it. As well as discounts on food and merchandise.

Just a thought,
Kriss

I'm super sad about this, too. We are getting ready to have our first 5 day trip and I am already missing that 6th day. An AP won't even work, because I looked at doing that instead, but the Saturday (6th day) is blocked out anyway. So we will just have an off day mid week. It is a shame, though. We drive 2 days each way to get there, I don't like being limited by only 5 days I could spend 7-8 days there easily!

aulani doesn't have dining and merchandise discounts I believe. I would look into it before you renew just to be safe.