Renewing AP early

[Kazi7]

I have a Gold AP, expiring 4/23/22. I plan to renew and will get the Sorcerer's pass but I want to make some park reservations now for early June, so I'd like to renew my AP early. Do I call MS? Would the AP hotline be able to do it?

 

[Sandisw]

You can only renew 60 days or less from expiration, so you are a few days early.

But call MS and they may let you anyway.

 

[Kazi7]

OK thanks. Actually 60 days is today! I've only renewed my AP once and I called. Is there an option to do it online at 60 days, or only to call?

 

[erionm]

OK thanks. Actually 60 days is today! I've only renewed my AP once and I called. Is there an option to do it online at 60 days, or only to call?

DVC Members must call to renewal their annual passes.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

DVC Members must call to renewal their annual passes.

Just reading through this thread and thanks for all of the helpful answers.

To the above point, is the DVC renewal price different than the standard renewal price?

 

[erionm]

To the above point, is the DVC renewal price different than the standard renewal price?

There are no longer any discounts for DVC members on APs, so renewal rates are the same for everyone .

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

There are no longer any discounts for DVC members on APs, so renewal rates are the same for everyone .

Thanks very much! Good to know. I had never even considered calling DVC for the renewal when I became eligible.

In further follow-up, I was able to renew my APs (originally purchased with the DVC discount) on the WDW website without a call to DVC. I was within the 60-day renewal period and have a trip that I'm planning in May. It was relatively painless to do online, for those that are considering the online renewal option. My platinum APs will transition to the new Incredi-Pass when they expire.

 

[erionm]

Thanks very much! Good to know. I had never even considered calling DVC for the renewal when I became eligible.

In further follow-up, I was able to renew my APs (originally purchased with the DVC discount) on the WDW website without a call to DVC. I was within the 60-day renewal period and have a trip that I'm planning in May. It was relatively painless to do online, for those that are considering the online renewal option. My platinum APs will transition to the new Incredi-Pass when they expire.

Most reports from DVC members attempting to renew online was that pricing was not correctly reflecting the renewal rate. If you got the correct renewal rate, you are one of a VERY few that did.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

The online renewal rate for me was $1,175.76 unless you add on additional items such as Photopass.

 

[erionm]

The online renewal rate for me was $1,175.76 unless you add on additional items such as Photopass.

Since the Incredi-Pass is the same price for everyone, it's likely that's why you could renew at that level.

The Sorcerer Pass (which the OP wants) is only available to DVC Members & FL Residents and a phone call to MS is required by DVC Members to renew at that level. FL Residents can renew online.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

Since the Incredi-Pass is the same price for everyone, it's likely that's why you could renew at that level.

The Sorcerer Pass (which the OP wants) is only available to DVC Members & FL Residents and a phone call to MS is required by DVC Members to renew at that level. FL Residents can renew online.

That makes a lot of sense, and I can see why a call to Member Services would be required in the circumstance of the Sorcerer Pass renewal. I appreciate your clarification!

Also, for others who might wonder, the renewal rate that I posted in this thread included taxes in the $1,175.76 total.

 

[CWTC]

I’d like to hijack this thread! Our APs (currently gold APs or sorcerer level) expire 10/2022 but we have a 12/2022 trip booked. I can’t make park ressies at this point due to the expiration date. If I call, is it possible they’d let me renew early so I can start planning??

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

I’d like to hijack this thread! Our APs (currently gold APs or sorcerer level) expire 10/2022 but we have a 12/2022 trip booked. I can’t make park ressies at this point due to the expiration date. If I call, is it possible they’d let me renew early so I can start planning??

I think it would be appropriate to call, but pretty unlikely that they would sell a renewal this early.

I'm assuming that your stay is onsite and likely with DVC? I'm also assuming that you are concerned about theme park reservation availability during your time at Disney and wish to make reservations well in advance of your planned trip?

In the past it has been possible to convert theme park tickets to APs and/or AP renewals. With the current theme park tickets you can buy tickets (now linked to specific park days) many months in advance that mirror your resort stay dates. You can then make park reservations with the same theme park tickets. When the annual pass renewal window returns, you could then try to call and ask to have your theme park tickets converted to annual passes for some or all of your party.

There are a lot of assumptions here:
1) Ideally, the cost of the theme park tickets shouldn't exceed your cost for annual pass renewal
2) The theme park tickets won't have certain park dates excluded for entry whereas the gold and sorcerer level have excluded dates
3) You have success on the phone with the ticketing representatives at the time of your ticket conversion from theme park tickets to APs
4) Disney honors the theme park reservations previously booked with theme park tickets and applies them to your new annual pass (I think having a planned resort stay concurrent with your park reservations would help, but there are two separate pathways for park reservations on the WDW website, one for theme park tickets and another for APs.).

It appears to me that Disney is continuing to differentiate theme park tickets and APs. Theme park reservations are one example. I'm not sure how they would treat/convert a Genie + purchase to the annual pass pathway if you made the Genie + purchase concurrently at the time of theme park ticket purchase for the length of the theme park tickets. Currently, AP holders must purchase Genie + beginning at midnight on the morning/day of a park reservation whereas theme park tickets allow purchase in advance if the Genie + is applied to the entire ticket length.

Because there are a number of current and future-based assumptions in my comments, If you do something like this it would be critical to discuss it with ticketing prior to making your theme park ticket purchases. Disney has changed many things over time with regard to annual passes, theme park tickets, theme park reservations, and Genie +.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

We are in this boat. AP's renew in May, our trip is scheduled for 5/28 and now the rumor mill is swirling that guardians will open the weekend we arrive. I could care less about riding it, I just don't want my in-laws to miss flower and garden so the Epcot park reservations are going to be essential for us to book. Unfortunately I wasn't planning on renewing all of our passes until April so it really isn't in the budget right now.

 

[CarolynFH]

If you do something like this it would be critical to discuss it with ticketing prior to making your theme park ticket purchases. Disney has changed many things over time with regard to annual passes, theme park tickets, theme park reservations, and Genie +.

@CWTC, I'd hesitate to consult even the Ticketing CMs. There are a number of posts on this board from people who were advised not to buy their APs earlier but to wait until they arrived at WDW and then were caught by AP sales being halted. Ticketing CMs probably don't know what Disney's plans are regarding APs - they could keep everything the same, they could simply change prices, or they could revise the program completely again. You can renew your APs up to 60 days before expiration, which for October would be August sometime, and I don't think any park reservations for December were booked up completely as early as last August.

 

[jo-jo]

OK thanks. Actually 60 days is today! I've only renewed my AP once and I called. Is there an option to do it online at 60 days, or only to call?

Did you call and what was the cost? I'm tossing the thought of renewing a pass. Our trip in Dec may be our last. Do I buy renew now and hope we go, or just wait and buy normal 10 day ticket?

 

[Sandisw]

I’d like to hijack this thread! Our APs (currently gold APs or sorcerer level) expire 10/2022 but we have a 12/2022 trip booked. I can’t make park ressies at this point due to the expiration date. If I call, is it possible they’d let me renew early so I can start planning??

They are not allowing early renewals any longer. 60 days prior to expiration so sometime in August you can renew.

You can certainly call and hope for pixie dust but they have been pretty consistent lately.

 

[Sandisw]

Did you call and what was the cost? I'm tossing the thought of renewing a pass. Our trip in Dec may be our last. Do I buy renew now and hope we go, or just wait and buy normal 10 day ticket?

I paid $764 plus tax for Sorcerer Renewal plus the extra $85 plus tax for adding photo pass.

 

[jo-jo]

I paid $764 plus tax for Sorcerer Renewal plus the extra $85 plus tax for adding photo pass.

Thank you, A ten day hopper is a bit more. I won't buy anything until after our April trip. Our AP expires a few days after we get home. See how that trip goes.

 

[Kazi7]

Did you call and what was the cost? I'm tossing the thought of renewing a pass. Our trip in Dec may be our last. Do I buy renew now and hope we go, or just wait and buy normal 10 day ticket?

I didn't call MS yet. Now finding out we will be there a week after Guardians opens, I guess I will go ahead and renew so I can lock in my Epcot days, just in case.