If I get an AP, Do the Discounts Kick In Immediately?

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

I'v been planning on getting one and finally on our trip in Oct. I can't wait to get one..

Yay Baby

YESSS we are.

I'm sooo excited ! (he's my fiancee so I can call him 'baby')

 

[Hester]

Bumbershoot...

Thanks for the clarification. I wish that I could know for sure if I bought APs from the website, that I would indeed get access to the AP section of the website.

It seems that knowing that could solve my dilemma... getting an AP7 (or AP8) rate for Feb. (if they're ever offered.)

Thanks again!

 

[bumbershoot]

AP7 isn't available beyond Dec 18. And everyone will talk about it *as soon as* AP8 is announced. So really, you don't need access to the AP site yet, b/c everyone will talk about what's on there.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry E, once you pay, give info, and have your pix taken, you'll be given your AP and the little pamphlet/brochure, and you could run right down the street to the bakery or a store (since you'll have a Premium) or Carnation Cafe and buy something and get your Premium AP discount with it. It's that quick.

Yep. Now, for us, the discounts haven't added up to anything that would be worth it, and when I figure out what we *could have* gotten discounts on it doesn't add up to have made sense for any of us to upgrade to a Premium. For us, it's the tickets where the good deal came in.

It's possible we'll sneak in another trip before our APs expire this year, and if we can we'll try to get an AP7 deal (time's running out on these APs though), and then we would have really gotten good use out of our APs. But just for admission alone we've more than made up for it.

Only for those who absolutely positively will not be coming back within 365 days is an AP not worth it. If by the end of your trip you're thinking about coming back, it makes almost no sense to not upgrade to it (b/c you are probably hooked and you will be coming back, LOL) from whatever ticket you got in with. If you only have that ONE trip, though, Disney has been *very* careful that none of their tickets go over the Deluxe or Premium cost. In the US we can only get a certain number of days on our hoppers, but in other areas people have gotten hoppers that had many more days, and even those hoppers were less than the cost of a Deluxe. So if that is the ONLY trip you'll take, unless you carefully figure out what you'll eat and buy and find that the discounts will take you over the difference, then it's OK (I give permission, LOL) to not buy the AP.

Thanks for all the input, Bumbershoot. I have told you before, I always welcome what you have to say - well, I appreciate anyone who takes the time to answer me, but your posts are always very informative and enlightening to everyone! If you noticed, I mentioned you in my original post about this subject because I remember you suggested the AP several months back to me as a sensible way to combat extra expenses and squeeze in more trips to DL! Then, the more I started reading everyone's posts on here about APs, as well as talked to a friend of mine who has one, and then realized that the AP came with discounts on food, hotels, tickets, souvenirs, etc., and compared prices of getting a 2-day Hopper in October, a 3-day Hopper in December and another 2-day Hopper next October, I just thought your idea seemed to make sense. It seemed silly to be getting all these separate tickets left and right, when I could get one pass and have the discounts. I wil still wait until I get there in October to see what the money situation is, but more than likely, I will end up with an AP (hopefully, the photo won't be too hideous!)

Now, as you say, the discounts were not necessarily the big bonus for your family, but the admission is. I think different levels of the passes work for different people. My friend got APs for herself and her husband (against his instructions NOT to - hee hee!) and she got the Deluxe kind, I think, rather than Premium. But they didn't need the Premium. The Deluxe worked well for them because they don't need to go on weekends or holidays most of the time. And if they do, they go on Sundays. So their AP basically paid for itself right after they got it because they now just go into DLR for a few hours here, a few hours there, maybe ride one or two things, have some lunch and leave. And then they come back the next week and do the same thing. So their Deluxe passes have worked well for them and they don't need the higher level. In my case, because I tend to end up at DLR on weekends or around holidays more, the Premium is the one that would be most sensible for me. In fact, what's funny is that they are so used to using their APs and being blocked from certain days, and they are supposed to come join us in October (and in December, if that happens) but they are blocked on the days we are going! So, my AP friend now has to buy one of those special tickets that the AP holders can buy for blackout days, just to come in and join us, and I can tell she is reluctant to do that because she is so used to just going in to DLR whenever she wants and not having to pay anything.

And if I DO get one in October, I am basically getting a bit of a discount on it because I am upgrading a one-day/one-park ticket that a client gave me to an AP. So just the unlimited admission alone would make sense given that I was planning on buying all kinds of multi-day Hoppers over the next year. And I WILL take the AP right down the street to Carnation (or Goofy's!!!) and use it there. That is my evil plan!

 

[PinkBudgie]

DH and I decided to get Deluxe passes from our 3 day park hoppers. The cost to upgrade there was $90 so, if we only came one more day, it would be worth it because of discounts. We don't want to go on Sat. anyway.

We didn't get the extra parking pass because at the time it we thought we were only coming for a few days in June and one day in Jan. However, the days in June have now snowballed into a week! We decided if we stayed off site, we could be there more days for less money. Unless AP8 has something amazing and we are able to book it before it is sold out.

 

[Sherry E]

DH and I decided to get Deluxe passes from our 3 day park hoppers. The cost to upgrade there was $90 so, if we only came one more day, it would be worth it because of discounts. We don't want to go on Sat. anyway.

We didn't get the extra parking pass because at the time it we thought we were only coming for a few days in June and one day in Jan. However, the days in June have now snowballed into a week! We decided if we stayed off site, we could be there more days for less money. Unless AP8 has something amazing and we are able to book it before it is sold out.

That darn snowball effect (which we all fondly lamented over in the thread that you started a while back, Budgie!) will get you every time! There is no escaping it. It is fever from which there is no recovery! A day turns into three days, and a few days turn into a week!

In your case, I think you probably made the right decision about staying offsite and getting more days for less money. I doubt the AP8 rates will be anything so earth-shattering as to make a week sound like a bargain - just more of a bargain than it would have been otherwise! Staying a full week or more is a very lofty endeavor at a DLR hotel. I can only manage two to three-night stays at the most, and even that is tough. I like the little perks that come with staying at one of the Disney hotels, but if and when I ever get there for a week, I might look into one of the off-site hotels.

 

[pixiewings71]

Pixiewings, Thanks for the kind words. Things are not entirely looking up for me yet - they kind of keep ebbing and flowing, going up and down like a roller coaster - but I am trying to hang in there for the ride! I had cancelled the GCH reservation that I made through WDTC for this coming December, because there is just no reason to spend more than $200 extra on a hotel room that I could get by going directly through Central Reservations and paying less money. I saw what the extras were in the package we had last year, and they are not worth more than $200 extra. That PIN# discount presented itself to me just at the time we were thinking of making a Halloween-ish visit for the day to DLR. My birthday was in July, so a couple of friends offered to pitch in towards the October trip in different ways, so that is how that one came together. But I was still left with the December dilemma. I just LOVE those holiday things at DLR! I want to go back to GCH but cannot use the PIN# again. And it wouldn't be possible to go during the week, unfortunately, when I could probably get the AP7 rates. So if I DO get the AP when I go in October, at least I could apply the 10% discount to a hotel room, whatever hotel that ends up being! And if it is PPH again, that si fine - we will just go and SIT in the lobby of the GCH and pretend like we are staying there!

I don't know if I will for sure get the AP, and I don't know if I will do the December trip for certain, but as I just stated in my last post, it almost does not make sense to not get an AP because it can be used for shopping, eating, tickets, hotels, whatever. It seems more sensible than getting two or three-day Park hoppers every time I go. Anyway, I am playing it all by ear, just depending on the finances!

I can't believe you got such a good rate at GCH in November - was it after the holiday decorations came up, or before? If you went after the holiday stuff was up, I would say that price was a REAL bargain at GCH! Because, otherwise, without any kind of discount - yikes!! I love those rooms with the DTD view - I had one back in 2001. Great view of the fireworks!

Thanks for all the good help and info - and I will ask everywhere I go if I qualify for a discount (if I get the AP), just so I don't miss a good opportunity!

I'm so glad your friends came thru for you! YAY!! I hope you have the BEST time at PPH in October! That $225 was the super special AP rate at the time, I think it was AP4 or maybe AP5. And yes, it was amazing!!! We were sooooooooooo excited to stay there! The hotel was beautiful and yes, there were decorations up as well. I want to go again for Christmas and stay there, it was so magical. We loved the view and listening to the live music every night (well, every night we were in our room) was so neat!! I don't think we turned the TV on but one time...and that was so the kids could watch the Princesses telling stories.
I hope you have a good windfall soon so you can get the AP! You will use it, I can tell just by chatting with you here that would definitely get your money's worth!

 

[Sherry E]

I'm so glad your friends came thru for you! YAY!! I hope you have the BEST time at PPH in October! That $225 was the super special AP rate at the time, I think it was AP4 or maybe AP5. And yes, it was amazing!!! We were sooooooooooo excited to stay there! The hotel was beautiful and yes, there were decorations up as well. I want to go again for Christmas and stay there, it was so magical. We loved the view and listening to the live music every night (well, every night we were in our room) was so neat!! I don't think we turned the TV on but one time...and that was so the kids could watch the Princesses telling stories.
I hope you have a good windfall soon so you can get the AP! You will use it, I can tell just by chatting with you here that would definitely get your money's worth!

Yes, you definitely got a good deal at the GCH if you got the bonus of the Christmas tree/decorations being up too, because it seems to me like as soon as they lug that huge tree out into the lobby and everything starts looking holiday-ish, the room rates soar too! Actually, I am trying to think now. When I first stayed at GCH back in 2001, I had initially thought it was in December because I recall all the holiday splendor, but now that I ponder it a little more, I think it might have been in November, maybe right after Thanksgiving. Last year was when we stayed at GCH in December. Either way, holiday decorations both times, which I was happy about! That is the best hotel for taking in the holiday/wintry atmosphere! All that is missing is snow outside and the smell of gingerbread. It's funny you mentioned the TV. When we were there in December, I did flip on the TV to check out the very limited basic cable channels (no HBO; CNN is about as racy as they get!) and I kind of chuckled at all the varieties of Disney channels that there were - just in case we should forget where we are! So, unless you are sick and bedridden, or, in your case, have kids who want to watch the Princesses, TV is definitely not the main attraction of the Disney hotel rooms! The main 'show' to watch is out in the lobby or in the parks or DTD!

Thanks, again, Pixiewings, for the nice sentiment. I think I will have a great time in October, though I am still scheming and brainstorming over December! Hee hee. I also hope I have a windfall soon. (When I spoke to someone at the Unemployment Office - EDD - a couple of weeks ago, she told me that it is the highest unemployment rate in 5 years, and they have millions of dollars in claims that they are dealing with right now, not to mention thousands of claimants that they have to call on a daily basis!) It is hard to deal with the stress - hence, the 'happy' Disney trip on the horizon to cheer myself up!! And you are right, if I get the AP - which is still a question mark - I would get my money's worth in two trips, let alone any additional trips. It would pay for itself in another two trips, basically, at least as far as admission. I definitely can see the benefits of getting it. There are a few things that can make trips easier or slightly less expensive, or just more convenient in different ways - such as the Priority Seating for dining, the Photo Pass and the Annual Pass - which I never paid much attention to before, but after being on this board for a while and reading all the good info from people, I see that these are good options and I am going to do them!

 

[pixiewings71]

Well I don't remember the tree being up but they were decorating. So I guess it wasn't in all it's glory....altho we did go back the first weekend of Jan. and saw it then. So purty!!