Yet Another AP Question

[Bill From PA]

Discount codes for the resorts being in short supply, I'm looking into having one of us buy an AP next March if the AP discount makes it worthwhile, the other will get the new pass for 10 days with the hopper option. We have multiple Plusses left over from past trips to get me into PI as I understand that the AP has no plusses, correct? Is there any other negative feature for the AP such as blackout dates, no park hopping or the like? It's unlikely we'll return in time to get more than 10 days in March 2006 out of the AP, I'm just considering one in case the math works out on saving more on a resort than the extra the AP will cost over a MYW pass. Any advice or info would be appreciated.

Bill From PA

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Hi Bill,

You can buy a Premium AP that will get you into PI or water parks. I actually have an AP and then a seperate PI AP. We don't really use the other stuff like water parks so I couldn't see spending the $$ for the Premium AP. You might be able to get a few $ off admission to PI and DQ etc.

There are no blackout dates. And you can park hop all you want.

As for the hotel disconts, be flexible. They are never guaranteed and March is a very popular time. The day the AP discounts are released, they are usually gone pretty quickly. Your best bet is to book what you could be happy with paying without the AP. Try to get at least a AAA discount.

To give you an idea of the savings, I am staying in a standard view room at AKL in May and paying $139 a night. I think that is $100 off.

If you plan to stay at a Deluxe for 10 nights, I think it may be worth it...

Sheri

 

[loriandmatt]

that's a tricky one bill.....

we have had AP's for a few years now, so i will try and give you some info.

as I understand that the AP has no plusses, correct?

true - AP's have no plusses. you can get disounted prices on things like waterpark and mini golf though. not sure if you get discounted PI admission, but i will check into it and repost if i find anything out. (if someone else here dosen't beat me to it.)

Is there any other negative feature for the AP such as blackout dates, no park hopping or the like?

nope, no blackout dates(i assumed you were refereing to blackout dates on admission) and you can hop all you want -it truely is unlimited admission all day long every day that those passes are active. (ok, as long as the parks are scheduled to be open to the public.)

keep in mind though that AP rates coming out for the time you want to visit are not guaranteed. Even when they are released, they are in limited supply and you have to be fast on the trigger to get them. That being said we have taken advantage of them several times. However we were not purchasing them only for the discounts - we generally purchase them when we know we will be there more than 10 days in a year. (from activation until expiration - 365 days.)

check out www.mousesavers.com for some good comprehensive info on what other food and drink discounts you will get with that AP - it may help you decide. (they may also have info there about that possible PI admission discount.)

good luck.

- lori (a fellow PAer)

 

[mickeymom629]

I don't know if this helps, but I had a reservation for 7 nights in June for ASSp with no discount. I called a couple of weeks ago to see if I could get an AP discount (if I bought one) and I could. So, they changed my reservation to reflect the discount and I just have to show them my AP when I check in, in June (we went last week to WDW and I bought my AP on the first day at AK--we are DVC owners and stayed at OKW this trip). So, I guess what I'm saying is that you could try to book the AP discount ahead of time and if you get one, buy your AP on the day of checking in at DTD or any parks' Guest Services and then show it to the front desk. If you don't end up buying the AP, they will just charge you rack rate when you check in.

 

[kutchyone]

Bill,

So far it looks like I will be picking up my AP at the Orlando airport the day we arrive. I always leave my options open as far as tickets depending on discounts. I originally made our reservations for June 7th to June 16th, 9 nights at CSR at $149.00 (166.14 w/tax). I always intended to purchase 10 day MYW tickets with no expiration, $307.00, because once you get past 7 days the extra days for future trips cost practically nothing. I was one of the lucky ones who was able to snag an AP discount for our 9 nights at my original resort paying $109.00 (121.54 w/tax) per night. Net result:

Room without discount with 10 day MYW no expiration = $1,802.22
Room with AP discount with AP = $1517.50
Savings $284.72

I still would love to be able to instead purchase the 10 day MYW no expiration instead of the AP because the days left, in our case 6, (we have a day left on old Park Hoppers with 4 plus features), would be great to have. A second trip this year is totally out of the question for my family. I am still waiting to see if any general room only discounts are offered but it really does not look like they will be offering any. If they are offered at $119.00 (132.69 w/tax), I would then be better off by $16.33 switching if possible. The AP discount make a greater difference if staying at AKL or WL, $100.00 per day.

If you throw in the variable of the 6 days that I won’t have for a 2009 trip the cost currently if purchased today for that would be $198.00 (6 day MYW with expiration).

I do also plan on purchasing a DDE card for $50.00 (discounted by $25.00) in order to save 20% on select restaurants. I will also use the DDE card for half price admission for myself and my husband at PI. Even though I have a plus why waste one on PI when I can use those for future water park visits. With the AP you also get 10% off select restaurants and I’m pretty sure that you get 10% discount on purchases made at select DTD stores.

All in all I think the AP may work out well for us this trip, at this point I’m really just to exhausted after calculating, recalculating and adding in different variables to worry about it much more. Hope I did not confuse you any more then you were before.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

So, I guess what I'm saying is that you could try to book the AP discount ahead of time and if you get one, buy your AP on the day of checking in at DTD or any parks' Guest Services and then show it to the front desk. If you don't end up buying the AP, they will just charge you rack rate when you check in.

;

This is legit. On other trips I have booked the AP rate without having the AP in my hand. This is not shady in anyway. IF an AP rate is released for your dates, and you are able to get a reservation using the AP rate -- AND no comparable general discount code is released that you can use instead -- then you can purchase your AP pass (I've always bought a voucher at the Disney Sotre and activated it the first day of my trip, without any problems).

You'll have to watcht he rates and cruncht he numbers, but as for trying to book the AP rate without the pass being purchased and/or activated yet, that's not a problem.

As said, the basic AP pass allows for park hopping at the 4 main parks, 365 days a year.

Good luck...I'm hoping for a code for November.

 

[Bill From PA]

Thanks, all!

You told me what I wanted to hear. If there are no codes available to me for the first 2 weeks in March 2006 and if the AP code is the same, I'll save $400+ for 9 days at a Mod, spend $200 more for 1 AP than for a 10 MYW hopper, no plus that expires, saving $200+ net. As mentioned, I have Plusses out the wazoo (a medical condition) from past trips so we don't need plusses on either pass we'll buy. I just needed to know that the AP acted like a Hopper with no days blacked out.

Bill From PA