Explanation of AP and black out dates and other questions

[andee2000]

Can someone point me to an explanation or explain to me the AP black out dates and how that effects non-AP holders in the summer? I keep seeing references to large crowds due to APers trying to get in before black out dates and I'm a little confused. I get that the APs get black/blocked out but is there a schedule? Edit: Actually I've seen a schedule, but was still a little confused. Someone pointed one out to me, but apparently, I'm a little slow to understand.

What I do understand is that AP holders can only go on certain dates? Are they blocked out for the whole summer?

I went to DL last July and didn't mind the crowds or heat. I grew up in CA for the early part of my life and we went to DL often, but I was just following my parents around so I don't remember how it all works. Our trip last year was just fine for 2.5 at DL/DCA, but we are planning a longer trip next summer likely 4 or 5 days in the parks. I am also thinking of trying to hit the parks mid week and then taking the weekend for the beaches and my husband's old stomping grounds in Redondo Beach. Can I do that? Have 5 day passes, go for three then take the weekend off and come back the next week?

Thanks in advance for helping me! I have always just gone to the park and gone with the flow (as a kid or young adult) I had no idea there were so many tips and tricks to maximize my time. Heck my husband was born and raised until his teens in the LA area and went to DL hundreds of times and he had no clue about Fast Passes last summer and kept telling me he knew what he was doing. I finally go a fast pass for Indy and he was an instant convert when we by-passed the line (he, like me, was just used to waiting in line.)

 

[Albort]

APs consist of 4 different AP groups.

Premium
Deluxe
SoCal
SoCal Select

From the best to the crappiest, ofc by price, they have restrictions.

Premium passes allow you to enter the park 365 days a year. hence, no block out date.

Deluxe has a select few blockout days, around 50 i counted. Click this link for the blockout days. --> LINK <--

Now SoCal is only "supposively" exclusive for Socal Residents. THey have more block out dates than Deluxe and is significantly cheaper. Click link for the blockout days --> LINK <--

SoCal Select only allows like maybe 100 days of the year. It is also a good $130 so its super cheap for those close by. Click Link for the blockout dates --> LINK <--

No there is a few things to know. Disney this year has decided to allow AP holders to pay monthly. Hence, they pay a good $40 a month instead of having to put down $400 at once for them. This created A LOT of options for many people. Making it affordable to get APs. Hence, the # of APs have gone up significantly. BUT, once the blackout days go in affect, they arent allowed into the park, BUT they can however pay a for a blackout date pass($40) and they will be allowed to enter it like any normal guest.

 

[andee2000]

Albort, thank you so much. That clears a lot up for me. I think all the different types of APs were causing the confusion. The links help tremendously. Even though AP holders can buy the $40 pass, I think I'll still print out these schedules and plan my trip around the days before black out dates if possible.

 

[Albort]

Albort, thank you so much. That clears a lot up for me. I think all the different types of APs were causing the confusion. The links help tremendously. Even though AP holders can buy the $40 pass, I think I'll still print out these schedules and plan my trip around the days before black out dates if possible.

There is however a lot to factor in, such as school, convention events, school field trips, etc.

im not too sure how you plan it, but keep those in mind.

 

[DLR29]

I went to DL last July and didn't mind the crowds or heat. I grew up in CA for the early part of my life and we went to DL often, but I was just following my parents around so I don't remember how it all works. Our trip last year was just fine for 2.5 at DL/DCA, but we are planning a longer trip next summer likely 4 or 5 days in the parks. I am also thinking of trying to hit the parks mid week and then taking the weekend for the beaches and my husband's old stomping grounds in Redondo Beach. Can I do that? Have 5 day passes, go for three then take the weekend off and come back the next week?

Yep, that strategy would work AS LONG AS you finish your days within 13 days of the first use. After that, it expires.

 

[andee2000]

Yep, that strategy would work AS LONG AS you finish your days within 13 days of the first use. After that, it expires.

Good to know about the 13 days. We'll see how it all works out. I cannot believe I'm planning so far in advance, but 3 months ago I stopped using credit cards (still have a balance I'm paying off) and decided that all trips will be cash only (or a debit card). Makes planning more of an adventure so far! In a bizarre twist it's fun planning it this way. We just had a garage sale and put some money in the Disneyland jar.

 

[bumbershoot]

Can someone point me to an explanation or explain to me the AP black out dates and how that effects non-AP holders in the summer?

Another aspect to the answer to that question is...Disneyland blocks out passholders when they anticipate large crowds; it's a way to decrease those crowds a bit. So when you see a blockout date, you know they are anticipating lost of *other* people there.



And I just wanted to add a little bit to Albort's post....it's only residents of Southern California (in certain zip codes) that can do the monthly payment plan. They can buy any AP they want, but it's only those residents.

 

[Eeee-va]

With the economy, it seems that sometimes days that are "blocked out"--and which Disney has therefore expected to be busy--are actually LESS busy than other days. A recent example is July 4th, which I understand was fairly reasonable crowd-wise, except for the fireworks. It was a "blockout" date for all except the Premium APs, and ALSO blocked out from the 3 days for $99 deal for locals. I have heard some reports that Saturdays are now less busy than Sundays due to blockout dates but some people will say that's not true. The reason that "blockout" dates are less crowded is because mostly locals visit Disneyland, and locals can get an annual pass relatively cheaply.

This particular summer, the parks got very crowded in the few days before each of the two Southern California APs blocked out. It appears that the updates to Fantasmic and the new fireworks show made the park even more crowded than usual--people who had those passes wanted to see the new offerings before they were "blocked out" for the summer. It remains to be seen whether those same passholders will mob the park again when the blockout dates lift in August. If there are any new offerings next summer, though--which I think there probably will be--there may be a similar situation like June of this year.

And people with APs are more likely to be able to take the time to, say, stake out Fantasmic spots several hours in advance. So currently, it seems that whenever anything new opens, the Annual Passholders will mob it for a while until the excitement goes down. That is probably why October was reportedly so busy last year, and why I expect this year to be even moreso--new offerings with a park frequented by locals who can stop in for a day or an evening, and with no blockout dates for a lot of their APs, equals very high attendance.

 

[andee2000]

With the economy, it seems that sometimes days that are "blocked out"--and which Disney has therefore expected to be busy--are actually LESS busy than other days. A recent example is July 4th, which I understand was fairly reasonable crowd-wise, except for the fireworks. It was a "blockout" date for all except the Premium APs, and ALSO blocked out from the 3 days for $99 deal for locals. I have heard some reports that Saturdays are now less busy than Sundays due to blockout dates but some people will say that's not true. The reason that "blockout" dates are less crowded is because mostly locals visit Disneyland, and locals can get an annual pass relatively cheaply.

This particular summer, the parks got very crowded in the few days before each of the two Southern California APs blocked out. It appears that the updates to Fantasmic and the new fireworks show made the park even more crowded than usual--people who had those passes wanted to see the new offerings before they were "blocked out" for the summer. It remains to be seen whether those same passholders will mob the park again when the blockout dates lift in August. If there are any new offerings next summer, though--which I think there probably will be--there may be a similar situation like June of this year.

And people with APs are more likely to be able to take the time to, say, stake out Fantasmic spots several hours in advance. So currently, it seems that whenever anything new opens, the Annual Passholders will mob it for a while until the excitement goes down. That is probably why October was reportedly so busy last year, and why I expect this year to be even moreso--new offerings with a park frequented by locals who can stop in for a day or an evening, and with no blockout dates for a lot of their APs, equals very high attendance.

Thanks for the response. I just figured out the Subscribing thing and now won't lose threads anymore! We picked our dates to be July like last year and we are going mid-week. It's too confusing to try and figure it out and the dates I picked are near the same as the year before.

 

[funatdisney]

Good to know about the 13 days. We'll see how it all works out. I cannot believe I'm planning so far in advance, but 3 months ago I stopped using credit cards (still have a balance I'm paying off) and decided that all trips will be cash only (or a debit card). Makes planning more of an adventure so far! In a bizarre twist it's fun planning it this way. We just had a garage sale and put some money in the Disneyland jar.

Good for you for taking a wise approach to your vacation! It is fun learning what you can to save money and time. It will make your vacation more exciting and fun. Keep asking questions here. I'm sure you will get lots of info.

Now my I suggest the book "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland". I have found this to be most helpful in planning you day and booking accommodations. A good place to strat your research. You can find it at any Barnes N Nobel.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Good for you for taking a wise approach to your vacation! It is fun learning what you can to save money and time. It will make your vacation more exciting and fun. Keep asking questions here. I'm sure you will get lots of info.

Now my I suggest the book "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland". I have found this to be most helpful in planning you day and booking accommodations. A good place to strat your research. You can find it at any Barnes N Nobel.

FWIW

Re: Unofficial Guide to DL 2009

Since the OP (andee2000) is planning a trip for July 2010,
it might be better to wait until late-August or early-September
and buy the next edition: Unofficial Guide to DL 2010.

To learn about using FastPass, and other good advice, I recommend:

HydroGuy Tips Compilation
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[funatdisney]

Good advice, S. S. Columbia. Better to wait for the later edition.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We went at the end of June this year. The first several days we were there were the last days for the final Socal APs. It was very crowded those days and I know it was because of the new shows.

Since there are going to be a lot of changes the next several years I can only assume that this pattern will continue for a few years at least. WOC opening in Spring may help some, but I still think there will be a lot of locals who will pack those last few days to see the show once more before blockout. We will be going at the end of July or first week of Aug next year for that reason. We only went at the end of June this year so we could get DH's birthday fun card.

 

[bumbershoot]

About the guidebooks....since you're dealing with info that was gathered more than 6 months back...I found that the Dis (and to a much lesser extent, mouseplanet and micechat...they both have good uses, but here is the planning hub IMO) gave me far better info.

Of course, for our first trips I used them, the absolutely most recently published...from the library of course. The only planning book I buy are Rick Steves, and he hasn't found it in his heart to do a Disney one yet.

But after the 2 one-day trips and the big first trip, I go here instead of to a book...just far more up to date.

 

[andee2000]

Good for you for taking a wise approach to your vacation! It is fun learning what you can to save money and time. It will make your vacation more exciting and fun. Keep asking questions here. I'm sure you will get lots of info.

Now my I suggest the book "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland". I have found this to be most helpful in planning you day and booking accommodations. A good place to strat your research. You can find it at any Barnes N Nobel.

I already pre-ordered the Unofficial Guide 2010 on Amazon.com.

 

[andee2000]

Good for you for taking a wise approach to your vacation! It is fun learning what you can to save money and time. It will make your vacation more exciting and fun. Keep asking questions here. I'm sure you will get lots of info.

Now my I suggest the book "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland". I have found this to be most helpful in planning you day and booking accommodations. A good place to strat your research. You can find it at any Barnes N Nobel.

FWIW

Re: Unofficial Guide to DL 2009

Since the OP (andee2000) is planning a trip for July 2010,
it might be better to wait until late-August or early-September
and buy the next edition: Unofficial Guide to DL 2010.

To learn about using FastPass, and other good advice, I recommend:

HydroGuy Tips Compilation
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

Thanks for the info. I've read HydroGuy's tips. They are awesome. I also pre-ordered the Unofficial Guide 2010 on amazon.

 

[andee2000]

We went at the end of June this year. The first several days we were there were the last days for the final Socal APs. It was very crowded those days and I know it was because of the new shows.

Since there are going to be a lot of changes the next several years I can only assume that this pattern will continue for a few years at least. WOC opening in Spring may help some, but I still think there will be a lot of locals who will pack those last few days to see the show once more before blockout. We will be going at the end of July or first week of Aug next year for that reason. We only went at the end of June this year so we could get DH's birthday fun card.

I have noticed (thanks to these boards) that the rules about when to go seem to be changing. I'm excited to have so many days at DL/DCA to be able to do it at a more relaxed pace than last time.

 

[andee2000]

About the guidebooks....since you're dealing with info that was gathered more than 6 months back...I found that the Dis (and to a much lesser extent, mouseplanet and micechat...they both have good uses, but here is the planning hub IMO) gave me far better info.

Of course, for our first trips I used them, the absolutely most recently published...from the library of course. The only planning book I buy are Rick Steves, and he hasn't found it in his heart to do a Disney one yet.

But after the 2 one-day trips and the big first trip, I go here instead of to a book...just far more up to date.

Oh I agree completely about the boards being a more up-to-date source (and fun!), but I like the idea of having a book around to read when I can't get on the boards. Silly I know, but I'm slightly obsessed with the Disney planning.

 

[funatdisney]

You are on it, Girl! I'm so proud of you

 

[funatdisney]

Oh I agree completely about the boards being a more up-to-date source (and fun!), but I like the idea of having a book around to read when I can't get on the boards. Silly I know, but I'm slightly obsessed with the Disney planning.

You are perfectly normal! I do the same thing, especially for WDW. I know a lot of Disneyland already. I use the guide for fine tuning. WDW...now that's another story. I am even reading the Unofficial guide on the plane when we go to WDW!