Upgrading to AP

[StitchFan1973]

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I wasn't having much luck with my searches.

We're surprising our DD11 and DD2 with a trip to DLR, and were thinking about upgrading our 3 day passes to APs. Can we just take the 3 day passes to a ticket window, and pay the difference for 3 APs?

TIA.

 

[Mama of Indybride]

Yep, as long as you do it before the close on the final day of your pass.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I've been considering the same thing. Everyone here told to make sure I use the MM first before upgrading or we will loose them.

 

[StitchFan1973]

Thanks so much!!!! I just saw your posted question. There's a lot of great information.

 

[bumbershoot]

"Can we just take the 3 day passes to a ticket window, and pay the difference for 3 APs?"


Well wait...to upgrade to an AP, you're going to need to have pictures taken to get your actual AP. So just paying for the upgrade at the ticket place isn't enough. So you'll need to go into the "bank" or AP center (same place) and do it all with everyone all neat and pretty. Give names and address, pay, take pictures, get APs!

Since the 3 day hoppers will likely have a Magic Morning day on them, if you're staying OFF site, do that MM first (you can upgrade *on* the MM day no problem, of course) and then upgrade. If you're ON site, you get MM through the hotel anyway, so you can upgrade on that first day and have those pretty little APs the whole time you're there!

Check for blocked out days on disneyland.com, to make sure you don't upgrade and then be unable to enter the next day, but other than that, you have the basics.

Congrats on becoming an AP holder!

 

[StitchFan1973]

One more follow-up question, please. I looked at the dates on the deluxe pass vs. the premium pass. I think for the times my family wants to visit, the deluxe would be fine. What I was wondering is, I know the discounts are sometimes a little better with the premium pass on food, plus it includes parking. If we get just one premium pass for my DH (since he does most of the ordering and paying), can he get the bigger discount just off of his pass, and my DD and I can just get the deluxe pass?

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Yes, you can. The premium discount is 15% off food over $10 at participating locations and 10% off merchandise over $10 at participating locations(and this includes some DTD locations such as Build a Bear).

One thing that's worth keeping in mind with a deluxe AP. While you can schedule your visits around blackout days, things have a way of drawing you to Disneyland at times when you think you wouldn't go. I had to pass on some visits last year because they were on blackout days that wouldn't have been an issue if I had the premium.

In fact this year my family is going and we don't have to worry about my dates not working with everyone else's schedule since I have the premium.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

1 prem pass will be fine just make sure he buys and pays for everything

 

[bumbershoot]

If we get just one premium pass for my DH (since he does most of the ordering and paying)....

Just think long and hard about if you might ever get a whim to take a solo trip. Whether we renew or just wait for our next trip (instead of forcing a trip before mid-September) and buy new APs on that trip, we're getting me a Premium b/c I'm most likely to want to run away to Disneyland, LOL. If I'd had a premium, I wouldn't have had to think about paying for blockout passes, and I could have gone to the ladies only trip in April (assuming I had airfare and hotel money), and could have gone into the parks on the day we got to Anaheim last May while the guys went swimming. (that could have saved me some blisters, too, b/c I would have just met toocherie wearing park clothes, instead of cute heels!)

So consider if you might want to join the ladies only trip, or just run off by yourself, before deciding for sure that hubby gets the Premium.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Keep this in mind when looking over your options. One thing that you begin to reallize when you have an AP is that your park ticket is paid for. That literally opens up a world of possibilities that you hadn't considered before.

I'll use three occurences to demonstrate my point. In early June 2007, my brother and I went down. Having deluxes only, we planned around blackout days. All was fine until I learned that a brand new fine art piece was being released on the blackout day and that the artist would be there to sign it. Not really thinking about the discounts, I bought the blackout ticket to get the artwork(a premium would have given me a discount on the artwork which would have nearly covered the difference between the two passes all by itself).

Next example: I recently learned that the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will be showing Sleeping Beauty for two weeks starting in late August. The only time that works best for me is Labor Day Weekend, which happens to be blacked out for deluxe APs. But since I have the premium, I can just go down and enjoy the movie and the parks and not have to reduce park time or buy a blackout ticket.

Last example: My family is going to Disneyland in December. For a variety of reasons, we did not know when the dates were going to be, but since I have the premium pass, I didn't have to worry about their days conflicting with my AP. Having an AP means that you can "suddenly" visit Disneyland, but you can't always account for blackout days even when you think that you can schedule around them.