Childs AP and parking

[tifosi]

Thanks to everyone on this board I have made some great savings on my trip to Orlando for next week. We are AP holders for Disneyland and my daughter (7) loves the special feeling of having an annual pass. This got me thinking, we need an AP for our room rates at AKL and I understand that a childs pass will do. For one week of our stay we are at Wyndham Resort & Country Club (thanks to this board for the great rate and tips) we will need parking at Disney which is included in the AP. So my questions:

I would like to get the AP in my daughters name but will we get free parking at WDW?

Also at DL you can claim back your first days parking when you buy the AP by taking your parking reciept to the booth when you get your AP. Is it the same at WDW?

 

[Mic]

My experience has been that the parking attendants do not have time to make sure the AP is an adult AP. They just look at the date on ours, so I just grab the first one I touch out of my fanny pack and show it at the booth. As far as refunding the first day's parking, I've never heard of that, and even if they did, it would involve a trip to a guest relations somewhere, wasting park time. Just upgrade the ticket at Downtown Disney the night before and you can save time.

 

[Magickndm]

Yes you can go to guest services and get a refund as long as you show them an AP pass, and it doesn't matter who has the AP, as long as you show one, you don't pay for parking.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't know if it's changed but a year or so ago someone posted that you can't use a childs AP for room discounts. The room reservation had to be in the name of the AP holder and the hotel reservation can't be in the name of the child.

I'm not sure if that's enforced (I've never even been asked to show my AP) but be prepared to buy an adult AP if necessary.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Lewisc
I don't know if it's changed but a year or so ago someone posted that you can't use a childs AP for room discounts. The room reservation had to be in the name of the AP holder and the hotel reservation can't be in the name of the child.

I'm not sure if that's enforced (I've never even been asked to show my AP) but be prepared to buy an adult AP if necessary.

That is correct, you have to be at least 18 to rent a room and the room renter has to be the holder, or so I am told. Also, you cannot drive a car as a child, so therefore, you cannot use the AP for parking, again, I was told this by a CM at CRO.

 

[n2mm]

As always, 10 people will give you 10 different answers especially when asking CMs. As someone who's done it. Yes my daughter has booked a room in her name and used her son's AP to get the rate (she was told by CRO that as long as someone staying in the room is an AP holder). Yes she has parked at the parks with her son's AP, since he's the holder. He goes to WDW more often than she does so we buy him his own AP. Let me say that when he turns 10 and has to pay adult prices for his AP, he WILL get the same benefits as someone who is legal age. If he pays the SAME price as an adult he must be an adult in Disney's eyes. My daughter also has purchased items and gotten the AP discount as long as he is with her. We have booked a room at WDW a couple of years ago in my husband's name and have always gotten the AP rate and I was the AP holder (he's a CM, but the CM discount was not available, so got a AP discount instead). Again, never a problem. I must admit that we have not had to use the AP discount in a while, so things may have changed. I've not read any threads yet where folks have encountered problems (though they may be out there) and have read many threads where folks have not had problems.

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by n2mm
Let me say that when he turns 10 and has to pay adult prices for his AP, he WILL get the same benefits as someone who is legal age.

I doubt a parking lot attendant will take the time to examine the AP. I've never been asked to show my AP for my room discount and I suspect most CM would let using childs AP slide BUT YOUR LOGIC IS FAULTY. Paying an adult admission price doesn't allow a teenager to reserve a hotel room or purchase wine for example.

I wanted to alert OP to the possibility of having to purchase an adult AP to keep the discounted hotel rate (not the worse thing in the world).

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by n2mm
As always, 10 people will give you 10 different answers especially when asking CMs. As someone who's done it. Yes my daughter has booked a room in her name and used her son's AP to get the rate (she was told by CRO that as long as someone staying in the room is an AP holder). Yes she has parked at the parks with her son's AP, since he's the holder. He goes to WDW more often than she does so we buy him his own AP. Let me say that when he turns 10 and has to pay adult prices for his AP, he WILL get the same benefits as someone who is legal age. If he pays the SAME price as an adult he must be an adult in Disney's eyes. My daughter also has purchased items and gotten the AP discount as long as he is with her. We have booked a room at WDW a couple of years ago in my husband's name and have always gotten the AP rate and I was the AP holder (he's a CM, but the CM discount was not available, so got a AP discount instead). Again, never a problem. I must admit that we have not had to use the AP discount in a while, so things may have changed. I've not read any threads yet where folks have encountered problems (though they may be out there) and have read many threads where folks have not had problems.

You are most certainly correct re: CM and different answers. I am just relating what I was told a number of times by diferent CMs at CRO.
While I understand what you are saying re: a 10 year old being an adult, for admission purposes only, I can guarantee you that if that ten year old called CRO to book a room, it would not happen.

 

[MsDisney]

BUT YOUR LOGIC IS FAULTY. Paying an adult admission price doesn't allow a teenager to reserve a hotel room or purchase wine for example.

I think the point here was that if you're paying the adult price for a ticket, then you are entitled to all the benefits that pass brings with it. If I pay the adult price for my sons' AP and want to book a room, obviously, he can't, but we have the AP and are entitled to the benefit of an AP rate, so long as he's staying in the room and we have the pass to show at check-in. Same with parking...whether or not the AP holder is the driver (or is old enough to drive) is irrelevant to the benefit of free parking that comes with an AP, IMO.

Sorry that drifts from the OP's original question.

I will say that I also grab whatever AP is on top and I could be holding up an old one day pass for all they know. That is to say, they don't look at it at all, 9 times out of 10.

When you buy your AP and it states the benefits, nowhere does it say that parking is only a perk that the adult AP receives.

Karen