When to activate my AP and AP hotel rates?

[Chicago526]

BF and I are thinking of buying an AP since we're staying for 8 nights and may come back in a year. If we do, here's my question.

BF and I arrive at the hotel (the CR) around 5 PM. We will not go to a park, and plan on just having dinner and going to bed rather early so we can get up 1st thing for park touring. If we decide to get the AP, I'd like to buy it the first night to save time the next morning. Is it easiest just to hop on the monorail to MK and buy it at the ticket window already activated? Or should we order the voucher ahead of time? Either way we have to go to a ticket window so I figure just buying it there is the best bet. What do you think?

Also, if we book the AP rate when/if codes come out for December, I know we need to present the AP at check-in to honor the rate. Will they honor the voucher, or do you need the actual pass. If they need the pass, then I assume the bell stand can hold our luggage while we take the monorail to the park to buy the AP's, then come back and present the AP to check in?

 

[DonnaSue]

I don't know the answer, but have been wondering the same thing myself! I have heard that your AP needs to be activated when you check in to get your discount, but you certainly don't want to activate it even one day before you absolutely need to so that you can get the most usable days out of your AP --- right?

Someone please help on this one!!!

Donna

 

[jennz]

This isn't really an answer, just an FYI...we bought APs last year and activated them at Downtown Disney. I heard the lines there were much shorter, and there was actually no line at all. BUT I had to do it the day before we went to the parks because I was going to Goofy's Christmas in July they had there last year. What I did was buy the APs before we left at the Disney Store - they give you a voucher and you activate the voucher when you arrive. I got a slight (maybe $20 - 30) discount. You can also buy the vouchers at Disney's website. If you do that and show the voucher that might be okay.

Also FYI, have not been asked to show the AP when we checked in, 3 different times now.

Hope this helps a little!!

 

[DonnaSue]

Bumping for more info!!!! Please!!!!

Donna

 

[sugermouse]

You can purchase and activate your AP passes at the two Disney stores located in the Orlando Airport. That is what we are going to do.

 

[Chicago526]

Great idea for the airport, but we'll be picked up by a towncar service and won't have time. We get in late (4 PM) so we won't be doing a park, just exploring the resort and eating dinner. It's a quick hop on the monorail (we're at the CR) to MK, so we can just buy activated ones there. I can't imagine it would take long, there shouldn't be any lines at the ticket booth at 6 PM! I don't mind activating it 1 day before we use it, one day doesn't make THAT big a differance, and it's worth it to save time the next morning by already having an activated pass. I was really wondering more about checking in, if we need to have the pass in order to get the AP rate. It sounds like they will either not ask, or let us show the pass later in the trip, as long as we show it at some point. Push comes to shove, we just have the bell stand hold the bags while we buy the passes, then come back and check-in.

Thanks for the help, everyone!

 

[Yensid_MD]

We bought annual passes two years ago. We bought them and they were mailed to us. We made our reservations and were told that we would have to show the AP at check in. Then the next morning we went to MK and activated them in about 3 minutes. All very easy.

 

[ktglads]

It really depends on the CM at check in. Some don't even ask for the APs while others require them AND a photo id to prove that it is actually you. You can always preorder the voucher ahead of time and have that activated. Some CMs accept those at check in. I did this since I wanted the pass paid for ahead of time, so that I didn't get a $400 hit on my credit card while I was there. We activated 4 passes at the same time at MGM and it took maybe 10 minutes of providing ids and information total.