Renewing AP passes

[Tdisney]

If I renew my AP will the year begin when I renew it or use it for firs time as if I was buying them for first time ?

 

[Dan Murphy]

It will be the date of the AP start date you are renewing.

 

[Robo]

If I renew my AP will the year begin when I renew it or use it for firs time as if I was buying them for first time ?

You will keep the current anniversary date (end date) of the AP that you have now (only one year later.)
Anything else would not be a "renewal."

 

[Xennia]

If I renew my AP will the year begin when I renew it or use it for firs time as if I was buying them for first time ?

I buy annual passes.

Been doing so for years.

You can buy an annual pass but it only becomes valid the first time you use it.

Last year I bought my annual passes in January. But I didn't get to use it until March. Our annual passes started that day in March, so if you don't use it till a certain month, then you have twelve months from that day to keep going back. Expect blackout dates. As you know.

 

[Robo]

1. You can buy an annual pass but it only becomes valid the first time you use it.

2. Last year I bought my annual passes in January. But I didn't get to use it until March.

3. Our annual passes started that day in March, so if you don't use it till a certain month, then you have twelve months from that day to keep going back.
4. Expect blackout dates. As you know.

Sorry, but this info is a bit misleading.

First, the OP is asking about RENEWING an AP (which is different than just buying a new AP.)

1. A guest cannot use an AP unless it is "activated."
A new AP must be activated by going to a Guest Relations or ticket booth location and the CM will issue a working AP card to the guest. (The guest can also use a MagicBand for park entry after activating the AP.)
The guest might or might not actually begin using that AP (by going into a park) at that time.
Even if the guest does not go into a park, the AP is still "ticking down" starting on the day that it was activated.

2. What you bought in January was a new AP "voucher."
3. You went to a Guest Relations or ticket booth and had the AP "activated" which included showing a legal photo ID.
Then, you could go into the park. And, yes that AP would be good for a year for the date
that it was activated. (Actually, "a year and a day," in most cases.)
4. Not all APs have blackout dates.

But, again, an AP "renewal" has a different set of rules than when buying a new AP.

 

[Xennia]

Sorry, but this info is a bit misleading.

First, the OP is asking about RENEWING an AP (which is different than just buying a new AP.)

1. A guest cannot use an AP unless it is "activated."
A new AP must be activated by going to a Guest Relations or ticket booth location and the CM will issue a working AP card to the guest. (The guest can also use a MagicBand for park entry after activating the AP.)
The guest might or might not actually begin using that AP (by going into a park) at that time.
Even if the guest does not go into a park, the AP is still "ticking down" starting on the day that it was activated.

2. What you bought in January was a new AP "voucher."
3. You went to a Guest Relations or ticket booth and had the AP "activated" which included showing a legal photo ID.
Then, you could go into the park. And, yes that AP would be good for a year for the date
that it was activated. (Actually, "a year and a day," in most cases.)
4. Not all APs have blackout dates.

But, again, an AP "renewal" has a different set of rules than when buying a new AP.

I'm not sure about this wall of text you posted.

I gave my experience. I purchased my annual pass. Which excuse me was a renewal I did t think I had to make that clear, and I just walked in the front gate. I did not have to activate anything. I bought my passes in January online. and they did not become active until I walked into a park for the first time. Which was March 6th.

I just renewed again this past December and went last weeked to magic kingdom with my band and didn't have to check in and was confirmed my date starts when you first use it.

Some people have black out dates. If they apply to you then you should check. I did not say all of them do.

The date starts once you use it to walk in any of the parks.

So. Basically what I wrote before.

 

[Robo]

I just renewed again this past December and went last weeked to magic kingdom with my band and didn't have to check in and was confirmed my date starts when you first use it...

The date starts once you use it to walk in any of the parks...

Sorry, that info is incorrect.

The start date of an AP (or anniversary date of an AP renewal) is not determined by when a guest first uses that AP to walk into a park.

 

[lovethattink]

@Robo is correct. You can renew within a certain window. And a renewal goes anniversary date to anniversary date. Been working that way since we first stated getting AP in the early 90's.

Last summer my son's AP expired in early August. We were out of town til October and when we came back to FL we stopped at the ticket window. The cm helped us determine it was better to buy new than renew. So ds' expiration date changed from August to October. If it had been a renew, his AP would have continued with the August date.

Same if you renew 60 days early as you are allowed. It goes from anniversary date to anniversary date. You don't lose two months by renewing early.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

agree with @Robo and @lovethattink - we buy APs in September and in January (different years) and let them expire in between rather than pay for months we aren't going to use. Our AP expired in January - we're not going again until September - IF we renewed the January AP it would start in January and we would be 'wasting' basically 8 months by not using it.

 

[DVC4US]

@Robo and @lovethattink are correct - it's anniversary date to anniversary date.

If you renewed, you are correct that you didn't have to go and activate your pass to get into the park but you would have to go to GS to get your new AP discount card. Do you have one of those? Check the back and the expiration date for your AP will be on there.

 

[richmo]

Agree with the previous. I let my AP expire rather than getting the renewal discount because there's too much of a gap between the renewal date and the following visit. I tend to purchase an AP every two years and try to schedule a trip not only at the beginning of the activation (obviously), but another just before it expires. My cycle goes something like this:
- mid-March (Start a new AP activation)
- Summer and/or fall (usually alternate years)
- mid-March, but before the AP expires

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If you buy a NEW annual pass, the year active period starts the first time you ACTIVATE it at a ticket window or at Guest Relations at WDW (or, if you buy it there, when you buy it, but with the FP+ most guests will probably buy theirs ahead of time). Not the first time you use it to get into a park. You can't go into a park with it until you activate it, and once you have activated it you do not have to use it to enter a park (although most do). If I were to buy an annual pass today, April 28, online or by phone, and go to WDW on June 1 and activate it then, that pass will start running on June 1, 2016 and expire on June 1, 2017.

If you RENEW an annual pass, no matter when you renew or when you activate your renewal, the dates of the active period remain the same as the previous pass. For example, I have an AP that expires December 8, 2016. If I renew it, no matter when I pay for the renewal, and no matter when I return to WDW to activate my renewed pass, the active period of that pass will start December 8, 2016 and will run through December 8, 2017. If I'm going to be at WDW around December 8, it's a good idea to do the renewal. what I would probably do is renew it 60 days before the 8th so I can make fastpasses, and then I would need to activate it at WDW. If I'm going to be at WDW on or around December 8, I can, if I want to, just purchase my renewal there and I don't have to activate anything.

However, If I renew my pass by phone or online and pay for it, but I don't actually go to WDW until April 28, 2017 and activate it then, the expiration date will still be December 8, 2017. At that point, it would probably have been best to let the renewal discount go and activate a new pass on April 28, 2017, which would expire on April 28, 2018.