Dvc Ap

[TLSnell1981]

If you stay at the Poly (or any other non-DVC resort) on points, the Dining Plan is not an option.

Your DVC membership offers some discounts. You'll need your membership card to claim them and most are for lunch. There are a few for dinner (mostly in Downtown Disney & I think maybe Marrakesh in EPCOT). Check the Members' website for specifics.

If you have an AP or PAP, you may order the Disney Dining Experience card. IT costs $65 and is good for 12 -13 months from the date you order it, depending on when you order it. That will give you a 20% discount off food and beverage purchases (including alcoholic beverages) at most on site Table Service restaurants. Selected lounges and Counter Service locations (very few CS locations, though) also accept the discount card.

Could you give more detail on the 12-13 months active window for DDE? Seems weird that you can activate AP on first visit, but DDE comes already active. Kind of messes up renewals.

 

[CarolAnnC]

There are no renewals for DDE unless you are a FL resident.

 

[BCV23]

There are no renewals for DDE unless you are a FL resident.

Technically, you can renew DDE it's just that there is no savings for those of us without FL. residency so there is no benefit in doing so.

 

[BCV23]

Could you give more detail on the 12-13 months active window for DDE? Seems weird that you can activate AP on first visit, but DDE comes already active. Kind of messes up renewals.

The DDE membership expires the following year at the end of the month in which you join unless you join after sometime fairly early in the month...I've seen the 10th quoted but know it is sometimes earlier. If you order after that magic date, it will expire next year at the end of the next month.

So if you ordered 9/1/07, it would expire 9/30/08. If you ordered 9/10/07, it would expire 10/31/08.

The good news is that the helpful CMs at DDE will let you know if you should wait a couple days to get that extra month.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Technically, you can renew DDE it's just that there is no savings for those of us without FL. residency so there is no benefit in doing so.

The word "renew" implies that there is a special price, or at least a notification that one's membership card is expiring. There is no "renewal" price for anyone other than Florida Residents. So one would be ordering a new DDE card with AP information, etc. Now if you have a trip planned within a month of your card expiring, it behooves you to order your new one right away. But there is no notification, and no renewal price. If you do not have a trip planned, there would be no reason to rush out and order a card to keep the same expiration month as the prior year. That would be foolish, actually.

 

[LisaS]

The DDE membership expires the following year at the end of the month in which you join unless you join after sometime fairly early in the month...I've seen the 10th quoted but know it is sometimes earlier. If you order after that magic date, it will expire next year at the end of the next month.

I think I read somewhere on these boards that the expiration date changes as of the first Monday of the month, but don't quote me on that! Based on that assumption, I called on Tuesday Sept 4th to order a DDE card and was told the expiration date would be Oct 31, 2008.

 

[BCV23]

I think I read somewhere on these boards that the expiration date changes as of the first Monday of the month, but don't quote me on that! Based on that assumption, I called on Tuesday Sept 4th to order a DDE card and was told the expiration date would be Oct 31, 2008.

Interesting, Lisa. That would explain the "floating" date.

 

[claire_ont]

Since this is all Disney, it would be much simpler if DDE was an option to an AP and part of the pass, much like Park Hopper is an Option for MYW tickets. Much less confusing.

but...
Claire_ont, we will be at AKV March 08 too.
Do you have your flights booked yet?

no I do not have my flights booked, I am considering driving. Waiting to see the March SW flights though.

 

[BCV23]

The word "renew" implies that there is a special price, or at least a notification that one's membership card is expiring. There is no "renewal" price for anyone other than Florida Residents. So one would be ordering a new DDE card with AP information, etc. Now if you have a trip planned within a month of your card expiring, it behooves you to order your new one right away. But there is no notification, and no renewal price. If you do not have a trip planned, there would be no reason to rush out and order a card to keep the same expiration month as the prior year. That would be foolish, actually.

It would indeed be foolish to order in that manner.

But we have received a renewal letter for DDE and we are not FL residents. So as I said, we can renew but there is no financial advantage. It is a helpful reminder though especially for those who have trips planned around renewal time.

 

[CarolAnnC]

It would indeed be foolish to order in that manner.

But we have received a renewal letter for DDE and we are not FL residents. So as I said, we can renew but there is no financial advantage. It is a helpful reminder though especially for those who have trips planned around renewal time.

Very strange but my husband and I have had the DDE for several years now and we have never received any "renewal" letter.

 

[BCV23]

Actually, Carol, I'm not surprised that you haven't received a letter. We joined DDE the first month it was available to AP holders and are on our third set of cards. We received the letter one year but not the other.

It is the same pattern as APs. We usually receive no notification for renewal but every few years one of us will get notification. We've had APs for many years and this has always been true.

And I know there is little talk of the renewal letter on the DIS but I imagine that is because there is no financial incentive to renew.

 

[Stitch_Dude]

Another DVC AP question - we will be using our DVC for the first time next year and will have unused 1 day passes from the recent free dining promo. Can those be used towards upgrading to DVC AP's? Thanks to anyone who might have the answer!

 

[cgbsilver@hotmail.co]

Can the DDE card be purchase on site? As I stated before, I hav a will call certificate not a voucher so I was planning to pick up my DDE card when I pick up my annual passes in January.

????

 

[RachelTori]

Can the DDE card be purchase on site? As I stated before, I hav a will call certificate not a voucher, so I was planning to pick up my DDE card when I pick up my annual passes in January.

????

I believe what you'll have to do is, after you activate the AP, call the DDE phone # and order it. They'll arrange for you to be able to pick up the temporary card at Epcot. Unfortunately, they are only open Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm so you may have several days of your trip without the DDE.

The only other thing I can suggest is that you give DDE a call, tell them you have the "will call certificate" and see if there's any way they will let you order the DDE prior to arriving in Orlando Can't hurt to try! The phone # is 407-566-5858.

Good luck and please let us know how it works out for you.

 

[BCV23]

Another DVC AP question - we will be using our DVC for the first time next year and will have unused 1 day passes from the recent free dining promo. Can those be used towards upgrading to DVC AP's? Thanks to anyone who might have the answer!

No personal experience but I have read on the DIS of people doing that. It shouldn't matter if your purchasing an AP with the DVC discount.

If you don't get a more definitive answer, someone on the Parks forum might have experience. Or best of all, PM GoldenOldie who knows everything there is to know about WDW admission media.

 

[diznyfanatic]

Another DVC AP question - we will be using our DVC for the first time next year and will have unused 1 day passes from the recent free dining promo. Can those be used towards upgrading to DVC AP's? Thanks to anyone who might have the answer!

Not that this amounts to the correct answer as we all know that you can get a ton of different answers based on who you talk to, but I was talking to a CRO CM yesterday inquiring about availability at the Fort Wilderness cabins. Anyway, long story short, we started talking about the Dining Plan and having to have tickets to get the DP.

I said we already had APs and he told me that if we bought the MYW one day base ticket, as long as it is not activated, we could apply it towards the price of the renewal of our AP's.