DL AP Questions

[JBHinkle55]

I'm going to be purchasing an AP soon for the first time and have a few questions:

1.) I'm planning on going to DL in October, but want to buy my AP right now before the price increases hit in May/June. At the DL website, they have options for purchasing the actual pass or purchasing a gift voucher. I assume the gift voucher takes effect on the date of first use (October in my case) while the actual pass would take place immediately. Is that true, or am I incorrect with those assumptions?

2.) I'm planning on staying at the Disneyland Hotel on my trip in October. Is there any way to utilize the AP hotel discounts while not officially having my pass yet? And if so, what is the process? Go and get my AP right when I arrive and then have it on hand when I check in?

3.) How many hotel rooms can each AP book? I'd assume 1 room for each AP. Is that true? Or can 1 AP book 2 rooms?


Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

[skiingfast]

1. Either way you AP is not active until you pick it up and enter the park with it.

2. Yes call and ask for the AP rate, you will need to pick up your AP first then check in with it in hand to recieve the rate.

3. I believe you can reserve two rooms.

Sometimes the AP rates are not the best, even if you book with it keep an eye out late summer for Fall specials.

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm going to be purchasing an AP soon for the first time and have a few questions:

1.) I'm planning on going to DL in October, but want to buy my AP right now before the price increases hit in May/June. At the DL website, they have options for purchasing the actual pass or purchasing a gift voucher. I assume the gift voucher takes effect on the date of first use (October in my case) while the actual pass would take place immediately. Is that true, or am I incorrect with those assumptions?

It won't begin until first use. If you've never had an AP before, you should have no issues just ordering the actual pass, since you just get a print-out emailed to you. There have been a few issues reported on this site about people RENEWING their passes online having problems with the dates. If you want to be 1,000% sure, just order the voucher.

2.) I'm planning on staying at the Disneyland Hotel on my trip in October. Is there any way to utilize the AP hotel discounts while not officially having my pass yet? And if so, what is the process? Go and get my AP right when I arrive and then have it on hand when I check in?

You sure can! You won't be able to access the AP website until your pass has been activated at the parks, but you can call the hotels directly to get their AP rates and you can reserve at the AP rate over the phone. You'll just have to show your AP once you're at the hotel.

3.) How many hotel rooms can each AP book? I'd assume 1 room for each AP. Is that true? Or can 1 AP book 2 rooms?

Gosh, I'm not sure about this one!

 

[smiley_face2]

Just wondering if a price increase on the passes is a for sure thing? I did not realize the pass would not be active until the first time you use it. I assumed it was active from the date of purchase and so didn't want to prepurchase it. Having said that, ours don't expire until mid august, so I am guessing if we bought new ones before the price increase, and used them in august, we would just lose out on a month of our old passes?

 

[taaren]

Just wondering if a price increase on the passes is a for sure thing? I did not realize the pass would not be active until the first time you use it. I assumed it was active from the date of purchase and so didn't want to prepurchase it. Having said that, ours don't expire until mid august, so I am guessing if we bought new ones before the price increase, and used them in august, we would just lose out on a month of our old passes?

They've increased AP prices every year for at least the last 10 or so, when they've increased ticket prices in the summer. So while it may not be a "sure thing" its pretty easy to predict that what they've done in the past they'll keep on doing.

If you buy new ones, I would recommend doing it in May or June before the price increase then activating them on your next trip after your old ones expire. That way you don't "lose" any time after your previous AP expires. If your old AP is good in August, just use your old AP and activate the new one after the old one expires.

Ours expired last May and we bought new ones in June, activated them in September so there was a 4 month period we were without APs, but were okay with that since we don't generally go to DLR in the summer anyways.

Only catch is that the AP vouchers do expire, though from what I've seen other people post, its usually at the end of the calendar year in which you bought the voucher.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I called for the AP rate on property last week. I was told that they could give me an AP price but could not book my room without the confirmation number I receive when purchasing my AP. I've never heard this before and not sure if it's really true, but thought I would share.

 

[starshine514]

Ours expired last May and we bought new ones in June, activated them in September so there was a 4 month period we were without APs, but were okay with that since we don't generally go to DLR in the summer anyways.

This is what we are considering doing (thinking about heading back at the end of September for Halloween, and our APs expire in May). So, in order to do that, I would need to purchase the vouchers online? I've been trying to figure out the details...

 

[JBHinkle55]

Thanks for all the help!

I'm going to go ahead and purchase the passes today!

What kind of room discounts would you guys think there'd be for this October? I am hoping for something similar to past years, like 25% or so, but I wonder what effect Carsland and Mickey's Halloween Party will have on DL's willingness to offer extra room discounts.

 

[kkmcan]

You can always call and order your APs over the phone. Thats what I did last June, the day before the price increase. I couldn't buy them online because I wanted to use our Disney Visa Rewards Dollars to purchase them and there wasn't a way to do it online.

So I called and explained that I wanted to buy the AP's but wouldn't be using them until Oct. They told me that the APs would then be activated when I went in Oct.

I received the plastic card APs in the mail that week after ordering in June and the expiration on them said June 2012 so I kinda freaked out

I called Disney back and they told me that those passes were fine. That I would be getting new ones with a new expiration date when I got to the park and activated them.

It turned out fine. Easy peasy! Went to the ticket booth when we got there in Oct and showed our Id's and they gave us our new Ap's with the new expirations of Oct 2012.

I think we had til the end of the year to activate them.

 

[taaren]

This is what we are considering doing (thinking about heading back at the end of September for Halloween, and our APs expire in May). So, in order to do that, I would need to purchase the vouchers online? I've been trying to figure out the details...

Oddly, when I called last year they couldn't let me purchase them on the phone; the vouchers could only be bought online. Which was frustrating since there was no way to input my DVC discount online. Turned out when I got to the park to activate them, I went to the ticket booths with my vouchers/ receipt printout and they got a manager and handed me my discount in cash then gave me my AP.