Originally Posted By Lucas Hello everybody, This is my first post on this forum and I am not sure if it will go through. However, I have a question about an annual pass. I am planning to spend two weeks at Disney World next year and heard it is better to just buy an annual pass if you plan to visit the parks for more than 10 days. I am especially interested in hotel discounts as an annual pass holder (I am planning to stay onsite). I will appreciate anyone's opinion about the benefits of having an annual pass. Thanks
Originally Posted By Labuda Lucas - welcome to LP! Having an AP is GREAT - depending on when you go, the AP room discount may just completely cover the cost of your ticket. Also, being there for 14 days, having hte Disney Dining Experience card ($65 for AP holders, entitles you to 20% off most all food & alcohol you buy at table service meals and a couple of counter service places) could easily save you more money than you spent on it. I live in Texas, and I currently hold a Premium AP (gets you into water parks, DQ, and PI in addition to the 4 main parks) and I LOVE it. I first got an AP in 2003 or 2004 and LOVE IT!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I live in Illinois and I also hold an AP card ( would be the premium one except I have about 20 media left with 'plus's' left of them to use first. As Labuda says, it allows one to purchase the DDE card - which since we eat a lot of sit down meals payns notonyl for itself but the last time I did it, went twice in 11 months and the savings from the DDE almost paid for the AP.... That's the one other thing to think about - if you go every year, but go in less than 12 months from when you activate the AP - then you are way ahead.
Originally Posted By demderedoseguys We live in Ct., Go 2-3 times a year, own DVC and have discount AP's with DDE. All things considered I sometimes feel like I'm going for free.
Originally Posted By Lucas Thank you very much for your responses. I think I will buy the annual pass when I go to disney world next May. I also am interested in that dining experience card now - maybe I'll get it too. I was just wondering if anyone could share how much you can save on a hotel stay when you have the annual pass. Do the discounts vary depending on the season or the lenght of stay, and is it true that you can have up to 40% discount on your hotel rate if you are a pass holder? Thanks again for all your responses Lucas PS vbdad55 - I live in Illinois as well
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^^ cool-- there's a few of us here.... ChiMike / Crazyformickey
Originally Posted By wam0418 Lucas...I am a DVC member with a premium ap and here is just a taste of the hotel prices....At one point the value resorts areabout 100 a night....with the ap pass you can get a room for about 59 a night. A moderate is about 130-150 a night...with a ap it is about 79-110 a night .
Originally Posted By wam0418 Of course this is not all the time though...You have to check the ap members page for the discounts
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 So even if I went for 14 nights, the AP wouldn't help on admission tickets, but it could be a big help on the hotel??? We're staying at WL 45 weeks from today.
Originally Posted By CMDad My wife and I both have AP's and I have and use my DDE card. Both have more than paid for themselves in a big way.
Originally Posted By Lucas Thank you all for your responses. wam0418 - the ap members page you mentioned - is it something provided to you after you purchase your annual pass, or is it some disney related website where you can check for available discounts? Now I am even thinking of switching between different resorts during the two weeks that I'll spend there - but I am also thinking if that won't be too difficult. I tried calling disney world reservation number, but the cast members seem to be clueless when I ask about annual pass benefits, hotel or meal discounts for ap members, etc. I am not even sure if they will be able to prepare a quote for a stay at multiple resorts throughout the two weeks that I plan to go there. I guess this forum will be most helpful to me. Thanks to all of you once again for helpful tips. Lucas
Originally Posted By dzy76 Lucas - your story sounds a little like mine. I'm planning on two weeks next Sept. I had the same type of questions about the AP. I was thinking of the regular AP for me and MYW with park hopper for my son. But we want to try the water parks and I'd have to get a Premium for that. I didn't even think of the dining card discounts. Are there usually AP discounts on rooms in Sept.? I also want to switch resorts half way through. Didn't know if Disney Travel could help me with all this. I was thinking they would just try to sell me a package.
Originally Posted By wam0418 The AP page is for the members who have the tickets already...It requires you to put the account # in in order to see the prices. As far as room discounts...Usually they are random. But I see them usually in the slower months like Sept. Oct. Feb. Mar And Jan. And for the AP premium..It includes waterparks and downtown Disney and Disney quest. It pays for itself in two visits to the world so in the case of a 14 day trip. It would definately pay for itself. Remember it is unlimitted use for 1 full year.
Originally Posted By wam0418 By the way.If Im not mistaken...it does not start until you first use it a park...Meaning you could buy it now and pick it up at the park. Swipe and then it starts. So 1 yr from the day you use it, it will expire.
Originally Posted By wam0418 Also, the best way to buy the tickets is the premium ap. Especially if you are going the wet parks. Also APs usually get sneak peaks of shows and rides during new openings. Depending if you can make it down at that time. good luck
Originally Posted By sun-n-fun We live in Western NYS and love our AP and DDE. We have had it since Feb and are using it for this first time to get a $94 rate at CB starting Aug 5. BUT, we almost got the run around about it. When we made our initial reservation (Feb?) we were told that they would notate we had AP's and if a rate became available for the time we were staying it would be applied to us. We asked if we had to call back and were told no, it would just be applied to our stay. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. DH was looking around the AP site and saw that there were AP rates at CB when we are staying. He then checked our reservation and it still said $145 a night. Called reservations and were told that all of the rooms at the AP rate were gone. After telling her what were were originally told, the resie girl was sympathetic but said she could help us. Only so many rooms are available and they are on a first come basis. If we had been told that originally we would have understood. DH e mailed Disney and told them how diappointed we were and how we were thinking of staying off site for the duration of our trip (we are at a Comfort Inn for 4 nights before CB). A few days later we received a phone call saying the "found" another room at $94 and we could have it. Funny how that can happen!! So now we know the ins ands outs of using the AP and I imagine we will still love having it. We just need to "follow the rules" better
Originally Posted By brerroadrunner We are from Illinois and travel to WDW usually twice a year. Having the AP takes away alot of stress. You know you can enter and leave a park or parks as often as you wish. You can spend all day or just go for a parade. We were fortunate enough to take part in an AP Special event. On July 13, they celebrated 13 year anniversary of Tower of Terror. You had to pre-register. Only so many AP were admitted. From 10:30-12:00 after MGM closed, we got to walk on TOT and Rockin Roller Coaster over and over and over again. Never a wait.The CM were extra friendly and added to the experience. It was awesome. Luckily this was emailed to me in advance and coincided with our vacation. We have been AP for 10 years and by having it have sometimes been able to squeeze in short weekend trips.
Originally Posted By MrDisneyGeek i have a question on the PAP for a trip we are going on in Jan. if i get the pass noe (or soon) i get some kind of voucher correct? i turn this in at guest services to get my actual annual pass right? ok given the above info is correct does the voucher allow access to the ap member site and benifits? or do i need the actual pass itself? so could somone get an annual pass now and use the ap member site to get a deal on the hotel in Jan? thanks also if you have 1 ap with the DDE card how does the discount apply when dining? is it just for the person with the card or the entire bill?
Originally Posted By vbdad55 The DDE works for the person and the table they are up - up to 10 people ! I found that I could not use the voucher to get to the AP site the first time I got it- now I have been an AP for a while and just renew so I couldn't tell you if that has changed. brer RR -- I am from Illinois also and have been an AP for about 5 years - it does make things easier I agree
Originally Posted By brerroadrunner The last AP I got(last Dec) was a voucher and it gives you access to the web site. It was a card with the numbers on it you need. The web page log in will ask for those numbers on the voucher. I have never been asked to show my AP at check in when getting the AP rates. You can then purchase you DDE with those numbers as well. Only one card is needed for your family, unless you split up and dine separately, but a second card costs $25 ?? I think. We have 7 in our family and I found I could have used a second card, but at $25 it wasn't worth it. Has anyone had much luck with the AP phone #. Seems it justs puts you back to Central Res. Last time I tried to get some info pertaining to an AP event, I just got passed through to several different extensions.
