Disney Announces New Premier Passport

[Disneyland_Mama]

Thanks for the info! The only problem is that my current DL AP expires on May 30th and I'm not going to DL until June 11th!

My WDW AP expires on Jan 28th so the Premier AP has an expiration of 1/28/11 printed on the back.

Ok, you'll need to go to the outside Guest Relations located to the left of the main turnstyles. Show them your Premier Pass and they will give you a 1-day park ticket to get into the park and then you'll go to the AP processing center to activate it.

 

[cccdisney]

Ok, you'll need to go to the outside Guest Relations located to the left of the main turnstyles. Show them your Premier Pass and they will give you a 1-day park ticket to get into the park and then you'll go to the AP processing center to activate it.

Thank you! Thank you!

 

[pixarmom]

I did FINALLY get my Premier passport a few weeks ago. The hardest part was getting a CM on the phone who knew anything about it!
Anyway, I finally got a great WDW CM who knew that there were some people who were not mailed the Premier pass that should have been. She sent it to me via FedEx.

I had the same problem when calling DL. We have WDW APs, and are considering a Premier Pass before our DL trip in August (just for me, to get the DL discounts.) I was calling to ask about AP rates at GCH for August if we got the Premier Pass, and the CM told me that no such thing existed. She said I could buy a DL AP, but that there is no kind of AP for both resorts. So I gave up trying to explain, and I asked her to just check DL AP rates for GCH. It turns out the summer special that we booked (40% off) was a much better deal. I just hope I got the right information!!

If I am calculating correctly, it would cost us $184 for 3 days at DL, or $222 to upgrade just my WDW AP to a Premier Pass. So I'm wondering whether it's likely we'll make up the $38 difference in dining discounts for a family of 5 over 3 days at DL. I'm guessing we will - it looks like it's 15% off at lots of restaurants and 10% off in stores.

 

[deann]

I had the same problem when calling DL. We have WDW APs, and are considering a Premier Pass before our DL trip in August (just for me, to get the DL discounts.) I was calling to ask about AP rates at GCH for August if we got the Premier Pass, and the CM told me that no such thing existed. She said I could buy a DL AP, but that there is no kind of AP for both resorts. So I gave up trying to explain, and I asked her to just check DL AP rates for GCH. It turns out the summer special that we booked (40% off) was a much better deal. I just hope I got the right information!!

If I am calculating correctly, it would cost us $184 for 3 days at DL, or $222 to upgrade just my WDW AP to a Premier Pass. So I'm wondering whether it's likely we'll make up the $38 difference in dining discounts for a family of 5 over 3 days at DL. I'm guessing we will - it looks like it's 15% off at lots of restaurants and 10% off in stores.

Another thing to think about is that you will get a 20% discount on merchandise now through Sept. 30th. So combining dining and merchandise discounts I would say that it would probably be worth getting the Premier.

 

[thesoldtrain]

I am so very sorry and apologize in advance if this question has been asked and answered already (I am sure it has, but I have been searching for an answer without luck!) Hope you all can help me!!

Okay, so here is our scenario/question:

Last month, my hubby and I renewed our DLR Deluxe Pass for $279. The expiration date is May 17, 2011.

We are going to go to WDW at end of June. Had planned to purchase a DVC discounted AP, which I believe would be $420.79 each ($520.79 minus $100 DVC discount). Total $841.58.

We didn't know about the Premier Pass until today (where have I been?!?!?) From what I can tell, the premier pass would run us $1445.50 ($722.72 x 2) and then subtract the $558 we already paid for our DLR Deluxe passes. Total to upgrade would be $887.50.

Now, question is this....if we upgraded to a premier, I was told that our expiration date would be the date of the initial pass, so May 17, 2011.

If we instead purchased the DVC pass when we arrived at WDW at end of June, could we then upgrade and get a later expiration? Would they let us upgrade to a premier once we had a DVC discounted pass and a DLR deluxe pass?

Thanks for your help...I would love to get an extra month if possible, as it makes it worthwhile for us to possibly get another trip in in early June 2011.

Thank you!

 

[Califgirl]

Your expiration on your 'new' Premier Passport will be your earliest expiration date. The only people who got their expiration dates extended were the people who held both AP's on March first and were 'gradnfathered' in to the Premier Passport by Disney.

The Premier Passport is not elegible for the DVC or any other discount.

 

[thesoldtrain]

Thank you!

 

[pixarmom]

Another thing to think about is that you will get a 20% discount on merchandise now through Sept. 30th. So combining dining and merchandise discounts I would say that it would probably be worth getting the Premier.

Excellent news - thank you so much for the additional information!!! I'm sold!!! I just checked, and the difference between upgrading my WDW AP and getting a 3-day DL pass is actually only $18. So for $18, we get 20% off merchandise at WDW (instead of 10%), 15% off dining at DL and 20% off merchandise at DL. Wow!!

 

[FlyingBelle]

Thanks for posting a Link Sherry in another thread i wasnted to ask a question but wa lazy to search about this pass..
Anyone else having trouble logging into the AP site? I have access to DL as I have always had an annual pass but I cannot add my new pass to the system nor can I get on the DW ap site..

We just purchased our Premier Passport over the weekend at Disneyland - what an ordeal! But they gave us an "open" fastpass to use that day for our troubles

I'm home now and trying to log in to the site - but having difficulty - looks like others have too - was there ever a resolution to this? Any suggestions?

This is our first annual pass ever - decided to go big! Loving it!

 

[Califgirl]

I'm sorry to hear you had an ordeal getting your premier pass. When I got mine at Disneyland, it was super easy.

I haven't been able to get on the AP website either. Since I couldn't order them online, I went to Guest Services at DLR to get the Halloween tickets, and the CM told me to leave off the last two numbers when registering my premier pass. I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Nala83]

Type in your member number until you run out of space (it won't all fit...just use all available space). That worked for me.

 

[debloco]

Your expiration on your 'new' Premier Passport will be your earliest expiration date. The only people who got their expiration dates extended were the people who held both AP's on March first and were 'gradnfathered' in to the Premier Passport by Disney.

The Premier Passport is not elegible for the DVC or any other discount.

We have DLR Deluxe AP's that were purchased on 3/19/10. If we went to DLR today to upgrade to Premier Passports, my understanding then is that the expiration date for both DLR and WDW would be 3/18/11 (or 3/19/10 depending on how they do that).

If that's correct, then I'd be paying for 3 months of the WDW portion of the Premier Passport that I received no benefit from-the period from 3/19/10-6/19/10.

Working out the math, that's equal to $87.48 plus tax.
$350 divided by 12 = 29.16
29.16 x 3 = 87.48 plus tax

JMO, but to not have some system in place to account for this isn't right.

 

[pycees312]

We just purchased our Premier Passport over the weekend at Disneyland - what an ordeal! But they gave us an "open" fastpass to use that day for our troubles

I'm home now and trying to log in to the site - but having difficulty - looks like others have too - was there ever a resolution to this? Any suggestions?

This is our first annual pass ever - decided to go big! Loving it!

I was able to get on the Disneyworld ap site about 2 weeks ago. the correct option to use is now loaded. Since i already had access to the Disneyland website I didn't try to add them there.

 

[Raindown]

Do premier pass holders get hotel discounts for WDW like APs already get at Disneyland?

Also, this may be the wrong forum but, would I come out ahead using AP discounts at WDW or the meal plan? I'm kinda worried about the whole you need a ADR or you don't eat sort of thing.

 

[Nala83]

Yes to hotel discounts. You get the same benefits as a Premium passholder at both locations.

Dining is...tricky...at WDW. There are very few straight dining discounts for AP holders. Instead, passholders can purchase a Tables in Wonderland discount card. The card is $75 and gives you 20% off table service meals. Whether that is a good deal or not depends on your dining habits.

You really just have to crunch some numbers to see what makes the most sense for you. It totally depends on the length of your stay, how many table service meals you'll eat, etc.

Neither the dining plan or the Tables in Wonderland card made sense for me. The AP (w/ the 45% room discount) did.

 

[pixarmom]

Do premier pass holders get hotel discounts for WDW like APs already get at Disneyland?

Also, this may be the wrong forum but, would I come out ahead using AP discounts at WDW or the meal plan? I'm kinda worried about the whole you need a ADR or you don't eat sort of thing.

If you get the Premier Pass, my understanding is that you get AP benefits at both WDW and DL. We are WDW vets, and love ADRs at WDW - you don't have to worry about when/where you are eating. And sitting down for dinner (and usually we have ADRs for lunch, too) is a great break for us and our three boys.

As for the dining plan at WDW vs. the AP discount - the AP discount is available for very few restaurants, so we have not found it very helpful.

For the dining plan, there are times it worked for us (when our two older boys were under 10 and our youngest was under three) but it's not very helpful to us now that our two older boys are "Disney adults." We don't eat lots of desserts with meals, and we often share entrees or order appetizers as entrees, so it didn't quite fit anymore. And the cost for our pre-teen "Disney adults" is $40 a day - and they don't eat that much.

What really saves us quite a bit is the Tables in Wonderland card - available to AP holders for $75. It gives us 20% off meals (anything we order - including alcoholic beverages - not as restrictive as the dining plan) at most table service restaurants and a few counter service places. It's great for our family of five - we got to the break even point (I think it's $375) very quickly, and then the savings add up.

So I'd suggest plotting it out and doing the math to see which works best. I just planned out our meals, estimate what we were actually likely to order (probably not desserts, for example) and compare it with the cost of the dining plan. And then do the same with TIW.

Good luck!

 

[dalstitch45]

If you get the Premier Pass, my understanding is that you get AP benefits at both WDW and DL. We are WDW vets, and love ADRs at WDW - you don't have to worry about when/where you are eating. And sitting down for dinner (and usually we have ADRs for lunch, too) is a great break for us and our three boys.

As for the dining plan at WDW vs. the AP discount - the AP discount is available for very few restaurants, so we have not found it very helpful.

For the dining plan, there are times it worked for us (when our two older boys were under 10 and our youngest was under three) but it's not very helpful to us now that our two older boys are "Disney adults." We don't eat lots of desserts with meals, and we often share entrees or order appetizers as entrees, so it didn't quite fit anymore. And the cost for our pre-teen "Disney adults" is $40 a day - and they don't eat that much.

What really saves us quite a bit is the Tables in Wonderland card - available to AP holders for $75. It gives us 20% off meals (anything we order - including alcoholic beverages - not as restrictive as the dining plan) at most table service restaurants and a few counter service places. It's great for our family of five - we got to the break even point (I think it's $375) very quickly, and then the savings add up.

So I'd suggest plotting it out and doing the math to see which works best. I just planned out our meals, estimate what we were actually likely to order (probably not desserts, for example) and compare it with the cost of the dining plan. And then do the same with TIW.

Good luck!

Hey Pixarmom, I am in full agreement with you. TIW is great. Most of the restaurants I like are included. I am a WDW vet, and I got the Premier this year. I will more than recoup the cost of my pass this year. For those of us who are WDW vets, it is even a more attractive deal. With the PAP (renewal) being $619 including tax at WDW, it pays to get the Premier for another $81 plus tax. I have already been to DLR and used it, and plan on going back at least one (1) more time this year. With the cost of a 5-day DL hopper being in upwards of $275, it just makes sense. It doesn't hurt that you get 15 months renewal now instead of 12 (until the end of August). I go to WDW about six (6) times a year. With the discounts for rooms, merchandise, and food alone it's worth it for me.

It is so hard to compare DL to WDW simply because of the sheer size difference between the two (2). I do like the close relation that DL treats its "good neighbor" hotels for passholder room discounts. WDW just has more on-site resorts. If you can take advantage of the benefits of having the Premier, it is definitely worth it. As for the dining discounts, it was nice to get discounts at just about every restaurant in DLR. You can also buy the DDP plan with passholder "room only" packages at WDW. I did not find this option right for me because most of my favs are not on the list.

When I go to DL next year, I will still be able to use the same pass at least once more before it expires. I have to say it was really nice to be able to use the Passholder Entitlements I already enjoy in Florida at DL. I really hope Disney keeps the Premier.

 

[aan1701]

I so agree with the above poster. I have my Premier and plan on keeping it as long as they offer it. Also eventhough I do live in L.A. I too have TIW and just love it. Best $75 I have ever spent.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Has anyone used their Premier Pass on both coasts yet?

We just got back from a 10-day trip to WDW and had to "reactivate" our PP there. They've worked just fine at DLR, but when we tried to enter MK on our first day, my DD's worked just fine however mine, my DS and DH were "inactive". Had to go to Guest Relations to have them "reactivated". Thankfully we had a lead who was familiar with the process.

 

[dalstitch45]

Has anyone used their Premier Pass on both coasts yet?

We just got back from a 10-day trip to WDW and had to "reactivate" our PP there. They've worked just fine at DLR, but when we tried to enter MK on our first day, my DD's worked just fine however mine, my DS and DH were "inactive". Had to go to Guest Relations to have them "reactivated". Thankfully we had a lead who was familiar with the process.

Yes, I have. WDW is my "home" resort. I purchased mine at WDW, and just used it again on my DL trip returning last week. I had no problems entering the parks. The only thing I kept getting was "Where is your picture?" I had to keep telling the CM's they don't take your picture in FL. Other than that, it was fine. I wish WDW used the picture/scan system like DLR. At WDW, you put your ticket through the turnstile, and then use the finger scan.

The discounts were different. Most of the CM's were having trouble getting the discounts to appear. They scan everything at DLR, so I don't know if it was because mine was from FL. One (1) of the CM's did say the pass was so new they have not updated their system yet. I did get all my discounts, though.