New APs? Will this affect DVC passes?

[ludari]

DVC has ZERO control over what tickets & discounts are made available by Disney. All DVC can do is ask.

Michael, I understand that all DVC can do is asks which is why as a member I write DVC member services each year to request DLR DVC discounted tickets. It may not help but maybe if other members write about this as well we might just get it.

 

[ludari]

This is quite on purpose -- Disney is trying even harder to reduce demand at DLR -- it's way over crowded. I don't see that ever changing unless DLR relocates (gasp).

They could be all sorts of reasons why as DVC members we don't get discounts on DLR AP but I'm hoping and dreaming this will eventually happen and DVC members can get AP discounts at DLR.

 

[erionm]

They could be all sorts of reasons why as DVC members we don't get discounts on DLR AP but I'm hoping and dreaming this will eventually happen and DVC members can get AP discounts at DLR.

DVC Members get a whopping $20 discount on select DLR Passports.

DLR is unlikely to offer any substantial AP discount as they already have far more annual passholders than WDW does. From the reports I've seen, on any given day there are far more APs holders in the CA parks than regular ticket holders. It's the opposite at WDW.

 

[jdkdorn]

Let me know if you have any luck!



What board if you dont mind me asking?

I found it in the first post in this thread in DVC-Misc
Annual pass pricing -- DVC is no longer the best discount for some

 

[karrit2000]

I don't see any info on the premier pass. Did they get rid of that one? If they didn't, I wonder what it costs?
The Disneyland Signature Passport is 1,049 (includes photopass). There are 2 other passes (with blockout dates) at 849 and 599.

Putting the cost of the Disneyland pass and the cost of the WDW pass together and Yikes!

The price for the Premier Pass is $1439. It's a bargain compared to purchasing the two top AP's separately and may even be a deal for those who might buy the ones that black out Christmas & Easter. I was going to get the Premier one when I did my renewal because I have a DL trip planned for May but since it needs to be purchased in person the price hike makes me need to refigure what a multi day pass for my DL visit will end up costing me. I'd need to pay almost $1000 just to upgrade to premiere now.

 

[tfc3rid]

The DL Ap prices have soared since the reopening of DCA... It's incredible...

However, while DVC doesn't offer a discount, if you live in CA, you have the advantage of a monthly payment plan on DLR AP's, which I would take anyway over a discount.

 

[tfc3rid]

The price for the Premier Pass is $1439. It's a bargain compared to purchasing the two top AP's separately and may even be a deal for those who might buy the ones that black out Christmas & Easter. I was going to get the Premier one when I did my renewal because I have a DL trip p!annrd for May but since it needs to be purchased in person the price hike makes me need to refigure what a multi day pass for my DL visit will end up costing me. I'd need to pay almost $1000 just to upgrade to premiere now.

It's amazing that 5 years ago, when that pass was introduced, it was $749 I believe, which was a tremendous deal.

Today, the break even point is a harder to meet.

 

[disdreams77]

Is anyone getting responses from Guest Services ?

 

[dwight16]

If we recently activated an annual pass do we get photo pass?????

 

[DebbieB]

I dislike the fact that the DVC discounts offered for AP do not include DLR. As a DVC member I travel all the time between both WDW and DLR but I live in SoCal and visit DLR more often. Come on DVC get on the ball or at least offer a discount on the Premier Pass that works at both WDW and DLR!

Keep in mind DVC only has 48 rooms at DL. Not a big incentive for DL to offer member discounts on passes. Members do get 10% off dining and merchandise at almost all DL locations, unlike Florida where dining discounts are limited.

 

[karrit2000]

It's amazing that 5 years ago, when that pass was introduced, it was $749 I believe, which was a tremendous deal.

Today, the break even point is a harder to meet.

It really pays if you primarily visit DL and would normally get their top tier AP with a trip or two to WDW each year but it's not much of a deal if you mostly visit WDW and take just one trip to DL. For those who travel frequently between the two it's a no-brainer. If you just do a trip at each over the course of a year unless you are spending several weeks in each place for each trip it just doesn't pay. I had the Premier Pass the first year but I haven't been able to make it work since then.

 

[pangyal]

Let me know if you have any luck!

If we recently activated an annual pass do we get photo pass?????

No. Activated passes keep their parameters. Unactivated passes are slotted into one of the new tiers upon activation

 

[pangyal]

FWIW, I had no trouble getting a refund over the phone for the Memory Maker I'd purchased previously. As a PP did, I spoke to Ticketing, option 5.

 

[Anal Annie]

Ok everyone needs to calm down the price went up 20 bucks of us unless we went to travel the 2 Christmas weeks and Easter week. We also get photo pass I think that's a good deal. Now I never and would never travel during those 3 weeks so I think it's nothing major. It looks like it goes up 120 if you need those 3 weeks. I am telling you this is going after locals I think the majority of us who buy APs for dvc reasons don't always travel at the biggest point times of the year since we need to maximize points and stretch it to a few trips.

But some of us don't CARE about having the Photopass option. If I wanted it I would BUY it. I don't need it "included". And some of us like to plan trips that coincide with the black out dates on the new passes. It screws over many people.

 

[karrit2000]

But some of us don't CARE about having the Photopass option. If I wanted it I would BUY it. I don't need it "included". And some of us like to plan trips that coincide with the black out dates on the new passes. It screws over many people.

I totally agree with you. Being told "well now it's upgraded and includes PhotoPass" while telling us we now have a 30 day blackout time frame isn't what I consider an upgrade. I don't normally travel the blacked out dates but If I wanted to arrive say on NYE as I did only once over the last 20 years I shouldn't have to pay another $100 for the privilege when it was always included before. Just like some of us don't want the Water Parks added on so we don't get what was once the Premium Pass & is now Platinum Plus. I've visited each water park exactly two time each in 20 years of visiting WDW. The PhotoPass add on is costing them next to nothing just like the $3.00 sodas & $2.75 bottles of water they rip the guest off on. You can have as many PhotoPass Photos taken as you want but you don't have to buy them so it's not costing Disney anything to add it to the AP's. They don't even print them unless you pay for them. If I hadn't already bought my renewal a couple of weeks ago before this price hike I don't know what I would do at this point.

 

[Anal Annie]

I totally agree with you. Being told "well now it's upgraded and includes PhotoPass" while telling us we now have a 30 day blackout time frame isn't what I consider an upgrade. I don't normally travel the blacked out dates but If I wanted to arrive say on NYE as I did only once over the last 20 years I shouldn't have to pay another $100 for the privilege when it was always included before. Just like some of us don't want the Water Parks added on so we don't get what was once the Premium Pass & is now Platinum Plus. I've visited each water park exactly two time each in 20 years of visiting WDW. The PhotoPass add on is costing them next to nothing just like the $3.00 sodas & $2.75 bottles of water they rip the guest off on. You can have as many PhotoPass Photos taken as you want but you don't have to buy them so it's not costing Disney anything to add it to the AP's. They don't even print them unless you pay for them. If I hadn't already bought my renewal a couple of weeks ago before this price hike I don't know what I would do at this point.

We bought the Premium AP which included the waterparks our first year with DVC. Then we found that we don't visit the water parks on our winter or off-season trips as 1) it's usually too cold and 2) the trips are usually shorter so there's no time. We then just started buying the regular AP and selecting 1 waterpark to visit for 1 day every summer trip (usually alternating but really just letting it be DS's choice) and just going in with the DVC discount. That way we could play it by ear with the weather (and skip it entirely if the weather didn't cooperate). Still a high price to pay for a one-day admission but overall, less money than buying the more expensive pass. I suspect that after our summer visit next summer it will the last trip we take for at least a year rather than trying to plan 2 or 3 within a year….probably by then the passes will have gone up another $100 by the time we're ready to buy again. Very sad indeed….. Perhaps we will buy 1 at a time over the NEXT year and just save them to activate until we can plan a trip the following year. Who knows. But I do know that we will not plan 3x a year after these passes expire. We've always been "studio people" but maybe we'll upgrade to a 1-bedroom & go only once.

 

[LvsTnk]

That's almost what I'm thinking our family has grown so maybe one longer trip in a 2 bedroom.

I renewed a week prior to the increase so I feel lucky but it does make you think about what's next.

 

[hakepb]

I totally agree with you. Being told "well now it's upgraded and includes PhotoPass" while telling us we now have a 30 day blackout time frame isn't what I consider an upgrade. I don't normally travel the blacked out dates but If I wanted to arrive say on NYE as I did only once over the last 20 years I shouldn't have to pay another $100 for the privilege when it was always included before. Just like some of us don't want the Water Parks added on so we don't get what was once the Premium Pass & is now Platinum Plus. I've visited each water park exactly two time each in 20 years of visiting WDW. The PhotoPass add on is costing them next to nothing just like the $3.00 sodas & $2.75 bottles of water they rip the guest off on. You can have as many PhotoPass Photos taken as you want but you don't have to buy them so it's not costing Disney anything to add it to the AP's. They don't even print them unless you pay for them. If I hadn't already bought my renewal a couple of weeks ago before this price hike I don't know what I would do at this point.

There is supposedly a DL trick around the blackout dates for your scenario.
Of course no one has been able to confirm if it works at WDW, yet.
In advance, just buy normal, daily (non-blackout) MYW tickets, and on the last day of your NYE trip, upgrade to the Gold AP.

 

[dwight16]

ok i just called in to member services....i am going soon and needed Memory Maker since i am going with a large group a bunch of kids and some newbies! so i have 3 aps for my unit and we bought them in Jan 2015 (2 prices increase ago i feel so smart) and activated them in August. i asked i saw some new thing does this mean i get photo pass she said no BUT i could upgrade when i get down to dinsey.....so i was like well so i have to upgrade or can i downgrade and pay the extra 20 since i would never travel during the black out dates.....she was a bit confused and said i would have to talk to the people in the park......(i really hate that some of these things cant be done on the phone) needless to say i just did not want to deal with this and end up paying more for memory maker so i bought it on the phone.....

 

[n2mm]

I'm really confused on which ticket I'll get. We renewed months ago and will activate in two weeks. I've seem posts where some folks are getting gold and saying it's an upgrade. I renewed my pass that had no blackout dates and that's what I want. I could care less about photo pass. I didn't buy a ticket that has blackout dates. So do they have the old ap still or are we going to be forced to be downgraded to the gold version?