Early Annual Pass Purchase Inquiry, Help!

[Scrufsmom]

So this is crazy me asking this question and I should know the answer. Any hoot I usually just buy Annual Passes for DH and myself, but this year we have our nephews again for another trip to WDW. We were thinking about purchasing Annual Passes for them, but wanting to making sure we could possibly get two years out of them. 2016/2017. Now if I were to purchase them early (thus able to book my FP+ options), but not use them till our actually trip (September) will they expire upon date of purchase or date of first use? Totally going blank on this and it should be relative math on my part, but it just isn't . DH says it will be activated upon 1st day of use and so far expiration will fall upon that date, not purchased date.

Please anyone or all just explain to me so that I can make up my mind and move on!! TIA

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

The expiration date is 1 year from when they're activated at a ticket booth or Guest Relations.

 

[CAS239]

They start the date of first use. You can buy whenever you want

 

[cruisingkat]

Annual passes start when the voucher is activated at a ticket booth or guest relations - not with first use. For example if you activate it or buy an annual pass at guest relations at Disney Springs on arrival but don't go to a park until the next day, the start date is the date you activated or bought it - not when you use it at a park.

 

[Scrufsmom]

Ok, guess I have a conflict of information then from your posts. Hmmm, guess I will call WDW to get it straighten out. Thanks for the responses and I will post an update regarding my call.

 

[Robo]

Ok, guess I have a conflict of information then from your posts. Hmmm, guess I will call WDW to get it straighten out. Thanks for the responses and I will post an update regarding my call.

An AP bought on-line or over the phone will NOT activate until you arrive at WDW and go to a ticket booth or Guest Relations to activate it.

The day that you activate the AP can be the day that you start using it.
That is how many guests do it.
They activate their AP at a ticket booth just outside the park that they are headed into.

But, as was mentioned above, some guests activate their AP at, say, Disney Springs (DTD)
on their arrival day, and don't go into a park until the next day.
That means their AP will expire one day sooner than if they had activated on their way into the park.



BTW, making a "call to Disney" will get you an answer.
It may or may not be the CORRECT answer.
(No, I'm not kidding.)

 

[Scrufsmom]

BTW, making a "call to Disney" will get you an answer.
It may or may not be the CORRECT answer.
(No, I'm not kidding.)

You are absolutely right! I was afraid of that, but I'm worried if purchased in advanced that's when the expiration clock starts ticking away. Fear is that if purchased in say July, but not activated till September, does the expiration begin in July? If I purchase and activate in Sept then I'm a sure winner. Haven't had the opportunity to call yet, but hope I can get this answer quickly. Thanks for the help.

 

[Robo]

You are absolutely right! I was afraid of that, but I'm worried if purchased in advanced that's when the expiration clock starts ticking away. Fear is that if purchased in say July, but not activated till September, does the expiration begin in July? If I purchase and activate in Sept then I'm a sure winner. Haven't had the opportunity to call yet, but hope I can get this answer quickly. Thanks for the help.

It is 100% certain that the date that you ORDER an AP is NOT the date that it's year will begin ticking.
And, if (IF) by chance a CM makes an error when you activate the AP and the CM sets the date of the expiration (yes, setting the expiration date is a manual process,) you WILL be able to have that corrected in the future.

This information comes from years of helping guests with their ticket and AP purchases on this board. A great deal of my posting concerns ticketing.

And, remember, if any bad info gets posted on this board, it does not take long for many others with experience to come along to correct it.
(Unlike with getting bad info from a CM on the phone... you're just stuck with it.)

 

[lpizzuro123]

Thanks so much for this thread. We have not been AP holders since 2009 (way before the whole bands and FP thing started). We are planning a trip for late May of this year. If we order AP's prior to our arrival, do they send us Magic Bands and then how do we prearrange FP's?

 

[Robo]

Thanks so much for this thread. We have not been AP holders since 2009 (way before the whole bands and FP thing started). We are planning a trip for late May of this year. If we order AP's prior to our arrival, do they send us Magic Bands and then how do we prearrange FP's?

You don't need MagicBands (at ALL, or ever) to make (or use) FP+ reservations.

All you need is to have PURCHASED (ordered) tickets (in this case, APs) and have them linked in your MDE account.

Pre-booking FP+ is linked to owning TICKETS in your MDE account, not MagicBands.
-----------------
Just to keep things as clear as possible-

There is no reservation info, or ticket info, or credit card info,
or FP+ info "put onto" a MagicBand.

A MagicBand just contains (and weakly "transmits") a unique serial number that is used to access the information that is stored in your MyDisneyExperience computer file.

So, even if you were to lose a MagicBand, the info stays locked in your file.
Disney can just set up a new band (different serial number)
to access the info in your MDE file.
Disney can also issue ADDITIONAL MB's to a guest and each
additional band can be used for the same purposes as the first band.

So, yes, there can be multiple MB's per person, and each of them can be used by that person, but their entitlements will all be common and identical.

The MagicBand works like the combination to a locked safe, or a key to a locked door.

The MB, itself, is not the file of info or the container of the info.
The MB just unlocks the file of info, allowing it to be accessed from your MDE account when needed.