DDE Question about activation???

[patiruss]

Hi Folks,

When does the DDE card activate? Is it on the day you order it, the day they charge your card OR when you use it for the first time.

My dilema is: Our AP's expire on August 1. Our next trip is in October and we were going to let the AP expire and purchase new ones for the Oct. trip, but from what I understand, it takes a few weeks to get the DDE card, so that no longer seems like a good plan. Would a voucher for a new AP work as well.

Help..I am confused....Do we have to purchase our AP's early so we can get the DDE card in time for our trip??

Thanks in advance for any clarification you can send my way

 

[disvaclub92]

Hopefully I can help you out.

We arrived in Disney on July 6, 2005, I called WDW Dine when I got there. They needed my AP Voucher number on the back of the card - please note my AP had not been activated yet. Once I gave her the all the details the card was purchased - that was the date it became effective - it will expire a year from that date. The next day - we activated our AP's.

Please note when I called WDW Dine, they told me I had to wait until 5:30pm that day to pick it up at EPCOT Guest Relations (we drove to EPCOT and picked it up). I only did it this way to coincide with our Annual Pass Expiration - since we will be back next year the same time.

 

[patiruss]

Thanks for your quick reply!!
...........so it sounds like we can use an AP voucher to buy the DDE card and that should work for us. We will be four adults at the BCV for five days and dining will be a big part of our vacation. I know the DDE card will pay for itself.

 

[Bayshore Bandit]

Little different situation, but ours worked well also. I used our AP
voucher numbers as said before, but this was back in early June. Our
trip is from July 31-Aug 14. I told the person at DDE when our trip was
planned for, and when they arrived in the mail (about 4 weeks later) the expiration date on the DDE card matched the day our AP's will expire
(July 31, 2006)

I don't know if this is consistent with other people's experiences, but it
worked out great for us.

 

[patiruss]

Thanks for the help

 

[shoes99]

I ordered mine on July 20, 2005, and received them on 8/8/05. My expiration date is 8/31/2006. Our trip starts 8/21/05..

 

[oogieboogie]

DH ordered in early May using AP voucher. Received the card in June - the card states the expiration date as June 2006. Our AP was activated in June 2005 on our trip, so our APs and DDE actually expire on the same month next year.

 

[Poohbush]

Hopefully I can help you out.

We arrived in Disney on July 6, 2005, I called WDW Dine when I got there. They needed my AP Voucher number on the back of the card - please note my AP had not been activated yet. Once I gave her the all the details the card was purchased - that was the date it became effective - it will expire a year from that date. The next day - we activated our AP's.

Please note when I called WDW Dine, they told me I had to wait until 5:30pm that day to pick it up at EPCOT Guest Relations (we drove to EPCOT and picked it up). I only did it this way to coincide with our Annual Pass Expiration - since we will be back next year the same time.

I know you said you called WDW Dine. I didn't know you could purchase the DDE through them. I thought there was a different number you had to call (407-566-5858) to order the DDE. The website states "Please plan in advance. Disney's Dining Experience is not sold or processed for its immediate use at the Walt Disney World® Resort." I would love to be able to wait until we purchased our passes, then get our DDE to coincide with the expiration of our passes. Now I don't know what to do. We'll still probably order the DDE early (paying $75 rather than $50.) Oh well!

 

[Patsfan7]

When we ordered ours in January we were just asked if we were APassholders. We didn't need any numbers at that time. That's back when they were emailing the confirmations you could use before the cards came.

My problem now is, I can't find my cards. They don't expire until January 31, but we are taking a trip in September.

Does anyone know if they will re-issue, or if they can provide something at Epcot GR when we get there? Thanks.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I also thought you had to order these ahead of time.

I have a trip coming up in early December. We will also be going next year in early November. I don't know when I should call to order the DDE card so that I received it in time, but have an expiration date that will work for our November trip.

It looks like they are taking about a month from when you order to when you receive it, so, if I call in early October I should receive a November expiring card sometime in November?

 

[CarolMN]

I also thought you had to order these ahead of time.

I have a trip coming up in early December. We will also be going next year in early November. I don't know when I should call to order the DDE card so that I received it in time, but have an expiration date that will work for our November trip.

It looks like they are taking about a month from when you order to when you receive it, so, if I call in early October I should receive a November expiring card sometime in November?

To be safe, I'd wait until at least October 16 or 17 to order the card if you want to be sure of having a November expiration. If you don't receive the card in the mail before your trip, call DDE a day or so before you leave and ask them to have a temporary card sent to EPCOT.

I have a similar situation - I want my DDE to match my AP so that I can get two trips out of both. I need a 12/31/2006 expiration and my first trip using my AP begins 12/2/2005. I'm going to order my DDE card right after Thanksgiving and request the temporary card to use for that first trip.

Best wishes -

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Thanks, Carol.

Where in EPCOT do you pick up the temporary cards?

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks, Carol.

Where in EPCOT do you pick up the temporary cards?

At the Guest the Guest Relations booths at the EPCOT main entrance.

Best wishes-

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Activated AP Aug 11, 2005 called DDE that morning...Temp card issued by 5:30pm pick-up at EPCOT Guest services same day. Expiration date Aug 31, 2006. cost $50.00.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

If I order my AP voucher online, will I get a number that i could use in order to purchase the DDE right away?

 

[CarolMN]

If I order my AP voucher online, will I get a number that i could use in order to purchase the DDE right away?

No. But you could call Ticket Services after a couple of hours and they could look up the number you need. Number is 407-566-4985. Hours are M-F 8:30 - 4:45 and S 8-4:15. Closed Sunday. Be prepared to sit on hold for a while.


Best wishes -

 

[DonnaL]

After reading all the above posts I'm really confused about DDE and AP's.
I have a situation where we got our AP's on 1/2/05. The discount for AP holders had not been announced at that time. DH and I visited in mid May, but, decided not to purchase DDE at that time since the savings for just two of us wouldn't be that great anyway and we weren't sure if our next visit would happen in early December, 2005 or early January, 2006. If we decided to go in January, we would need new AP's anyway and then both expirations would coincide. We've decided to go in December and now want to purchase DDE since there are four of us this time and we will make good use of it. I called DDE about a month ago to inquire about this since our current AP's will be expiring 1/1/06. I was told at that time one expiration doesn't have anything to do with the other. As long as you have an AP at time of purchasing DDE and have a valid AP at time of use, it doesn't have to be the same AP. So, I'm assuming if I order DDE in early November, 2005 for use in
early December, 2005 and then my AP expires on 1/1/06 and then we plan to
visit again early October, 2006 and I purchase a new AP at that time ( why waste nine months of an AP) I can still use my DDE from November, 2005 with the new AP. This way I can still the new AP for a spring, 2007 visit. Does this make sense to anyone? Am I correct in this assumption?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

To DonnaL - I think so. I think the DDE is good for a year from when it arrives. Before the actual card arrives, you can use the confirmation letter they send. when you order it they tell you what the expiration date will be. I'm not sure they ever asked to see an AP in the restaurants (just when we initially ordered it).

In truth though, the DDE seemed like a bigger deal than it turned out to be - and we were traveling with agroup of ten people. (Given, that for us, we aslo factored in the added cost of buying an AP) 20% basically covers the tip you'd pay. If you are already planning on eating at sit down restaurants, then yes, it does save money...but, if you are like us, and are using the discount to partly justify extra sit down meals, then you might very well end up spending more money than you would have spent with out it.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Does this make sense to anyone? Am I correct in this assumption?

Yes and yes.

Only I would call in the 2nd or 3rd week in October to insure you receive your actual cards before you leave. You can tell the CM when your trip is, I believe that they say allow 6-8 weeks for your cards to arrive. If for some reason they don't arrive you can then get the temp card from EPCPT.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

No. But you could call Ticket Services after a couple of hours and they could look up the number you need. Number is 407-566-4985. Hours are M-F 8:30 - 4:45 and S 8-4:15. Closed Sunday. Be prepared to sit on hold for a while.


Best wishes -

Thank you Carol!