Question about when to sign up for Annual Pass

[jlk51496]

So we recently moved to Florida and one of the exciting things we want to do is take advantage of being in the same state as Mickey. We want to become annual ticket holders. Friends of ours have plans to come down to Disney in October and I want to book now (bec it is in the 180 day window for dining reservations) but if I do not have any intentions of going to Disney before October - I do not think it makes sense to buy an annual pass that we wont be using for 5-6 months. But how do I buy tickets and get the AP rates if I am not currently a AP member?!

Please help me understand how that all works? Because I called Disney twice and kind of got 2 different answers. One said join now and it wont begin until you activate until you spend day 1 there. The other told me to pretend to be an annual pass holder and book everything and then right before you go - sign up for the AP because they dont actually ask for proof until you check in. But I am trying to buy discounted MNSSHP tickets and they are asking for proof now.

So basically i am asking if you wanted to sign up for AP tickets and your first trip wasn't until October - when would you sign up?

Thank you for helping to clear this up and I hope this makes sense.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Moved to the Theme Parks Forum

 

[Lilliputian]

When you buy an AP, you're actually buying a voucher for an AP. Every once in a while, people will say that they were required to have an activated AP to check in with an AP rate, and activating your AP has to be done at a guest services location--not at your hotel. That can be a bit of a pain. But most people aren't required to show an activated AP, and sometimes they just say to come by the check in desk some time that same day, so you can activate it when you go to the parks and then show it to your hotel.

In any case, if you buy an AP today, it won't expire a year from today. It will expire a year after you activate it.

 

[jlk51496]

thank you for the response - when do I have to start paying for it then - when i buy the voucher or when I activate it

 

[Lilliputian]

You pay for the voucher when you buy it, but you could hold onto it and not activate it for years if you chose.