The NEW AP Rate Watch Thread, Are they out yet??

[csmommy]

Your all welcome!

 

[mjhokie]

I'm a rookie here trying to get some info for our first trip to WDW in Nov 03. We had a room booked at Doubletree Suites but had to cancel as it wasn't a 2 bedroom. What is an AP code? And do you think we can get a good rate for 11/29 - 12/7? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[peachgirl]

An AP code is just the discount sometimes offered on room rates for Annual Passholders. Savings can be as much as 40% off rack rates.

There's no guarantee that they will offer AP rates, but for your time frame, I'd be really surprised if they didn't. Then again, I'm surprised there aren't any right now.

When trying to decide if you should purchase AP's you have to look at your own personal situation. The price difference between an AP and what you were going to purchase, how often you visit WDW and the room discounts will tell you whether it's a good buy or not.

If you don't make more than one trip a year and the cost of your regular passes is lower than the AP price, I would suggest waiting until they actually put out the AP rates before purchasing tickets of any kind. You don't have to have the AP before you book a room with an AP discount, and only 1 person in your group has to buy one. Sometimes the savings on the room alone is enough to justify purchasing an AP.

 

[peachgirl]

For all those trying to guess when the AP rates will come out.....


Those who are getting upgrades for the POFQ are being told they have 10 days to make any changes to their reservations. Does anyone else think that this might be a clue that they intend to release some AP discounts or other codes in about 11 days?

 

[Fantasia Sam]

That's a very positive outlook - fingers crossed

 

[Jo-Jo21]

quote:
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DH says he would really rather stay at GF and the best I can find is 240.
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I would also like to know how you got this rate? I, like Disneykidds, thought the best rate currently available for a night in a garden view room is 284 plus tax. We used CZF and have a June 28 check in. I tried many of the other codes listed above and was told the rate I had was the best right now.

 

[s&k'smom]

OK I was just thinking (always dangerous) I just bought my airline ticket (and thanks to my dad got a great deal) so I'm in a real planning mood. I do have a ressie for WL but am waiting for ap rate. But what about PS's for meals? I want to take my daughter to something particular now if I make my PS and then get an AP rate and change my ressie do I need to rebook our restaurant PS? Did that make sense?

 

[csmommy]

s&k'smom

The only reason why you would need to rebook you PS's is if your dates change.

 

[s&k'smom]

Oh thank you csmommy. I'm going to call first thing in the morning. My DD is going to have lunch with Winnie the Pooh for her birthday. Of course it's not for my enjoyment just hers!

 

[Smee]

as of 3 pm no AP's yet

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by DisneyKidds
That is a great rate for the WL. It is more than 40% off the rack rate. I'd be extremely happy with that rate if I were you and I doubt that an AP discount will be much larger. All this talk of discounts and codes and everyone waiting for a bigger discount can make us lose sight of the truely incredible deals that are out there. $139 for the WL is one of those deals.

We are hoping to pick up a night at the GF at the end of our May trip. The best available code discount is 26% off rack. If I could get the GF for 40% off I'd be doing cartwheels. I REALLY need an AP discount .

The 139 rate at WL is a good deal, however it is only on standard rooms. The precentage of discount decreases as you move up the room categories. There are not very many rooms available in the standard category. And as you know the rates for the GF and the Polynesian and Yacht and Beach are not very good.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Originally posted by Sammie
Yes there are codes on the Internet that gives you a discount on a garden room at the Polynesian for $266 during May and June and the Grand Floridian for $328. Not quite the same as $160 including tax.

I'm figuring that you are referring to the upsell people are getting to other deluxe resorts after having been displaced from POFQ? But this has nothing to do with codes or AP discounts.

The Mickey Monitor should be released/published in the next two weeks - aside from the time Disney tried to have the AP website - AP rates have been released in conjunction with the publishing of the MM. Once its published (before people start receiving it) the rates go into the system. As someone calls - which apparently people are doing every 15 minutes - the rates will be made known on various internet sites and boards. Its fine to call every 15 minutes, but don't make yourselves crazy about it - 2 weeks till the MM comes out. Of course this is provided there are AP rates.

Melissa

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by MelissathePooh
I'm figuring that you are referring to the upsell people are getting to other deluxe resorts after having been displaced from POFQ? But this has nothing to do with codes or AP discounts.

The Mickey Monitor should be released/published in the next two weeks - aside from the time Disney tried to have the AP website - AP rates have been released in conjunction with the publishing of the MM. Once its published (before people start receiving it) the rates go into the system. As someone calls - which apparently people are doing every 15 minutes - the rates will be made known on various internet sites and boards. Its fine to call every 15 minutes, but don't make yourselves crazy about it - 2 weeks till the MM comes out. Of course this is provided there are AP rates.

Melissa

I realize that the $160 rate for the Grand Floridian is the rate for those being moved from POFQ, but my point is if Disney can afford to offer those rates on a room that lists for $400 plux tax, they can afford to offer decent Annual Pass rates.

If Disney is filling up unbooked rooms at deluxe resorts with those from POFQ and the other codes they very well not offer any AP rates this time due to the resorts being near capacity.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that a rate comes out for the Yacht club in August!!

 

[peachgirl]

I realize that the $160 rate for the Grand Floridian is the rate for those being moved from POFQ, but my point is if Disney can afford to offer those rates on a room that lists for $400 plux tax, they can afford to offer decent Annual Pass rates.

That was my point as well and the reason why I don't understand why there haven't been any AP rates published yet.

At first I didn't think the POFQ would have any effect on AP rates. However, it seems that they are automatically offering deluxe upgrades, so even people who don't have any clue about what is posted on any of the Disney information websites will have the opportunity to upgrade. I don't know anyone in their right mind who would turn down an upgrade to a deluxe for what Disney is offering, so it looks to me as though the vast majority of POFQ refugees will be moving to the deluxes. I've read many posts in the past from those who say they prefer moderates to deluxes....but I don't see anyone turning down the chance to stay at one for what is beyond a bargain!

I sure wish they had done this for guests staying at the CBR last year! Those upgrades were few and far between and the rates weren't even close to what they're offering this time.

Good news for those who are looking for moderate AP rates, bad news for those who want deluxe AP rates.

I have nothing against the upgrades they are giving, I'm just wondering why.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by peachgirl
That was my point as well and the reason why I don't understand why there haven't been any AP rates published yet.

At first I didn't think the POFQ would have any effect on AP rates. However, it seems that they are automatically offering deluxe upgrades, so even people who don't have any clue about what is posted on any of the Disney information websites will have the opportunity to upgrade. I don't know anyone in their right mind who would turn down an upgrade to a deluxe for what Disney is offering, so it looks to me as though the vast majority of POFQ refugees will be moving to the deluxes. I've read many posts in the past from those who say they prefer moderates to deluxes....but I don't see anyone turning down the chance to stay at one for what is beyond a bargain!

I sure wish they had done this for guests staying at the CBR last year! Those upgrades were few and far between and the rates weren't even close to what they're offering this time.

Good news for those who are looking for moderate AP rates, bad news for those who want deluxe AP rates.

I have nothing against the upgrades they are giving, I'm just wondering why.

I think I have figured out why, just a guess. I think it is a move to fill empty rooms to give the appearance to the media that resorts at Disney World are full this summer. I think Disney knew if they offered similar discounts to those that had booked POFQ as they did to those moved from CBR that the majority of them would not move to a deluxe resorts due to the cost.

Since these guests had booked a moderate they had to make the rates very close to moderate rates to guarantee they would move. This leaves the other moderates open to book, which they will do and makes the deluxes resorts almost to capacity. I think in addition to bookings being really down due to the war, the economy and terrorism, now there is the concern of SARS.

Not only does this look good, resorts being full, but those that have moved to the deluxe will have to eat and as we know food is not cheap at any deluxe resort. There is bellman tips, valet parking etc. and all that wonderful recreation that is so tempting. So even though the rooms have been greatly discounted nothing else at the resort will be.

I am afraid this move will definitely affect any chance of AP rates as the resorts will near enough to capacity or sold out completely and there will be no need for them to offer AP rates.

It is a great situation for those that booked POFQ pretty much the lottery of Disney resorts, but for frequent guest hoping for some price break on deluxe resorts, I don't see it coming.

 

[MelissathePooh]

AP rates (if there will be any) haven't been published yet because the MM hasn't been published yet. I could be wrong, but this has traditionally been the way.

Disney HAS to do something with the displaced POFQ guests - they don't have to do anything with AP holders necessarily. Since the POFQ guests take priority they are seeing really great upsell rates at deluxe resorts that would be well below what an AP discount would be. This doesn't seem to make sense at first, but with an entire resort being closed Disney has the opportunity to get more money out of guests than they would have before by offering an upsell, but the upsell must be within a reasonable range of what the original guest was paying to start with - coming from a moderate. It has nothing to do with what a code discount or AP discount amount would be. So guests that REQUIRED transferring are now paying more money than they were to start with and Disney fills up vacant rooms. The amount of the discount is irrelevant because these guests have to come before AP holders and the additional cost had to be reasonable. Otherwise they would have already booked a different resort at the current available discounted rates (depending on time of visit).

Its not exactly like these rooms are just sitting around empty at $400 rack rates - other codes or discounts are available depending on when someone is going. There are people basically lined up waiting to decide which room they want. Once those people are taken care of (within the given time frame of months) Disney can decide what the occupancy level is and whether or not further discounts are warranted - which I am sure they have already done. Any code or AP rate announced from here out would be in line with what AP holders have traditionally been willing to pay - what is the reasonable cost for that group of guests. If occupancy bottoms out and people still don't book I'm sure the rates will discount lower and lower, but as many people hold/pay for a reservation at one rate waiting for AP rates to come out the occupancy rates are increased and the need for additional discounts to bring in more guests is decreased.

Hopefully that makes some sense as to why the transferred guests and the amount their being offered as an upsell is irrelevant to AP discounts (other than increasing the occupancy rates given the now available rooms).

Melissa

 

[DebbieB]

AP rates (if there will be any) haven't been published yet because the MM hasn't been published yet. I could be wrong, but this has traditionally been the way.

Somewhere back on this thread or another one, I did a history of the MM and discount dates. They were usually for dates far after the publishing of the MM. For example, in Augusts MM last year, they announced rates for October to December. In Novembers, they announced Jan-mid February. Last year, AP rates for the end of April to the end of September, were announced around the end of January, which would have been in the February 2002 MM. They usually follow the Disney seasons. The next season is 4/27 to 7/3. So if they are going to have AP rates for the upcoming season, they will be much later than usual if they publish them after the season actually starts. Considering codes are valid until 7/3, they may skip right to the 7/3 to 9/30 season for AP's in the May MM.

 

[peachgirl]

Not only does this look good, resorts being full, but those that have moved to the deluxe will have to eat and as we know food is not cheap at any deluxe resort. There is bellman tips, valet parking etc. and all that wonderful recreation that is so tempting. So even though the rooms have been greatly discounted nothing else at the resort will be.

Not a bad theory at all. I can tell you from experience that when it's late and you're tired paying $150 for dinner doesn't sound so bad! And yes...$$$'s everytime someone touches your bags or your car. I think the luggage bothers me most...$10 to get it in the door...$10 to get it to my room...it adds up after a while.

Ah well, when in Rome....

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by DebbieB
Somewhere back on this thread or another one, I did a history of the MM and discount dates. They were usually for dates far after the publishing of the MM. For example, in Augusts MM last year, they announced rates for October to December. In Novembers, they announced Jan-mid February. Last year, AP rates for the end of April to the end of September, were announced around the end of January, which would have been in the February 2002 MM. They usually follow the Disney seasons. The next season is 4/27 to 7/3. So if they are going to have AP rates for the upcoming season, they will be much later than usual if they publish them after the season actually starts. Considering codes are valid until 7/3, they may skip right to the 7/3 to 9/30 season for AP's in the May MM.

I think you might be right, as to the next release in the Monitor will not cover any of May and June.