Annual Passholder Discount???

[EpcotQueen]

We are arriving on 12/2 and staying at the cabins. Have been checking several times a day for annual passholder discounts and so far no luck. They could not have released many for the cabins. I started checking the day they came out. At this point, should I give up? This will be the first time I've not been able to get a discount and end up paying rack rate. Any suggestions?

 

[margot31]

For me i don't think it hurts to keep checking. Maybe at this point don't get your hopes up. I have learned with military discount (I am also a annual pass) and I keep checking and we are going next month too. Just never know.

 

[AngiTN]

Sure, it's very possible they didn't release many.
But, seeing how people can cancel room only reservations right up till 5 days before arrival without penalty I wouldn't stop checking

 

[Lynne M]

Moving to the Discount Codes and Rates board.

 

[Wubar]

Really stupid question...We currently have a trip booked in January 2018. I am not currently an AP holder, but the more my wife had discussed things while we planned for our trip, we realized that perhaps a second trip in 2018 was possible, and if so, getting APs would definitely be worth it (especially since we would be getting Memory Maker both times, room discounts, etc). I had called earlier to see if there was any current availability for Pop during our January dates, and the CM said none was available. She noted that there probably won't be another AP discount coming out between now and January that would open up a new block of rooms. But I would love to take advantage of the AP discount for our January trip, so is there a way to check on availability without calling them every day? Or do you think at this point, there probably won't be any openings I can take advantage of since it's only a couple months away?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AngiTN]

There is no way to check for AP discounts without calling if you don't already have an AP. If you have purchased the AP you can check for yourself online.
The CM was right (for a change) that they won't release a new AP promo for January but you never know when someone will cancel, or move, a stay so that it frees up a room at Pop. So you'd never want to stop checking.

 

[Wubar]

Thanks AngiTN! Good to know. Reassuring that the CM I had spoken to was correct about not releasing any new AP promo codes for January...but on the other hand, she wasn't even aware of the current AP promo that runs until April 2018. She originally told me there weren't any AP codes for 2018, so I kindly asked her to recheck, and voila! There it was...

 

[momanmiN]

At this point, should I give up?

NEVER GIVE UP!! I got my AP rate discount yesterday for 5 nights at CBR after trying for months after the rates came out. This is just a week before I leave. I tried 100s of times, I am sure. No idea if more rooms were released, someone canceled, or I finally broke the Mouse, and he was sick of telling me no 10 times a day.

ETA, happy travels tomorrow, and hopefully you find a discount as you're boarding the plane (or gassing up your car, or stopping to water your horse, etc).

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks AngiTN! Good to know. Reassuring that the CM I had spoken to was correct about not releasing any new AP promo codes for January...but on the other hand, she wasn't even aware of the current AP promo that runs until April 2018. She originally told me there weren't any AP codes for 2018, so I kindly asked her to recheck, and voila! There it was...

Am going in January to POP. I booked on a public discount code. When the AP discounts came out I could get at the AllStars but nothing at POP. I'm thinking with the popular new rooms, and having buildings out of service they released very few rooms. Remember discounts are to fill hotels and if their projected occupancy is high, there will be very few rooms with the discount.

I have continued to check often for discounts because my AP discount can usually beat the general ones, but nothing. If you are open to other hotels you could call and have them check around. I found some great rates at CSR, but opted to stay put since we won't be using the resort much this trip.

 

[Wubar]

Thanks Hopperfan! LOL, there must be something in the water or coffee this morning, I was just about to jump on the phone to ask a Disney CM about AP rates for our stay at Pop this January. Disappointing that there still isn't anything available, but your logic makes sense. I could call them and ask about the other resorts, but I think we're pretty excited to stay at Pop, so that might be a lesson in futility (as is so often the case when being on the phone with Disney). On the other hand, I didn't think I had much of a current discount for our upcoming stay, but I learned it was 15%, so although booking at the 25% AP rate would be nice, I think the difference is less than $100. Would be nice to save on room rates twice if I upgrade to an AP, but it was good to know that if I did upgrade during our trip, at least Memory Maker would be refunded so that helps.

I had looked at CSR as well, thinking for only a little bit more we could stay at a moderate compared to a value resort. I got some advice from other posters that the current construction, wide open layout, bus system, and somewhat bland theming might not be as appealing to our 4 year old, so I booked Pop instead.

 

[margot31]

Always keep checking....like I said earlier. I just snagged a military discount at CSR for a decent rate. I check in on Dec 13th.

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks Hopperfan! LOL, there must be something in the water or coffee this morning, I was just about to jump on the phone to ask a Disney CM about AP rates for our stay at Pop this January. Disappointing that there still isn't anything available, but your logic makes sense. I could call them and ask about the other resorts, but I think we're pretty excited to stay at Pop, so that might be a lesson in futility (as is so often the case when being on the phone with Disney). On the other hand, I didn't think I had much of a current discount for our upcoming stay, but I learned it was 15%, so although booking at the 25% AP rate would be nice, I think the difference is less than $100. Would be nice to save on room rates twice if I upgrade to an AP, but it was good to know that if I did upgrade during our trip, at least Memory Maker would be refunded so that helps.

I had looked at CSR as well, thinking for only a little bit more we could stay at a moderate compared to a value resort. I got some advice from other posters that the current construction, wide open layout, bus system, and somewhat bland theming might not be as appealing to our 4 year old, so I booked Pop instead.

CSR is our favorite moderate and I'd probably stay even with the "current" construction but yes, the 4 year old will love POP. You know I avoided going there for years (now 30 something stays) because I didn't think it would be Disney enough, I was imagining a ASMu. But once we went, loved it. PLENTY of big Disney icons, nice touches and the landscape/layout makes it a step up from AllStars. I found an AP rate at ASSp for $20 less per night but opted to stay at POP ... and fingers crossed my good luck continues for a renovated room. Not that I love them, but I love the queen comfy beds and bathroom design.

Note that AP at values is not always 25%, often it has been lower, closer to the 15% mark but a few times we have gotten closer to 30% off while that was not advertised. There are some strange calculators in the Disney computers and it's always a surprise. You will get your Memory Maker back which makes up the difference, and depending on the 2018 shopping/dining discounts you could save some money there as well.

PS Once your little is older and enjoying pool slides etc, CSR is a great option. The pool is fully self contained with quick service, mug refill, awesome playground, lots of seating, shade, everything you need for a great relaxing pool day.

 

[Wubar]

CSR is our favorite moderate and I'd probably stay even with the "current" construction but yes, the 4 year old will love POP. You know I avoided going there for years (now 30 something stays) because I didn't think it would be Disney enough, I was imagining a ASMu. But once we went, loved it. PLENTY of big Disney icons, nice touches and the landscape/layout makes it a step up from AllStars. I found an AP rate at ASSp for $20 less per night but opted to stay at POP ... and fingers crossed my good luck continues for a renovated room. Not that I love them, but I love the queen comfy beds and bathroom design.

Note that AP at values is not always 25%, often it has been lower, closer to the 15% mark but a few times we have gotten closer to 30% off while that was not advertised. There are some strange calculators in the Disney computers and it's always a surprise. You will get your Memory Maker back which makes up the difference, and depending on the 2018 shopping/dining discounts you could save some money there as well.

PS Once your little is older and enjoying pool slides etc, CSR is a great option. The pool is fully self contained with quick service, mug refill, awesome playground, lots of seating, shade, everything you need for a great relaxing pool day.

Certainly appreciate all of your advice Hopperfan! I had heard that calling specifically around the 30 day mark before my trip at times proves beneficial, since that is deadline for cancellations for other trips booked during my same timeframe? I'll bet that doesn't help with AP passholder discounts though, since those rooms are coming from a different "block" of reserved rooms?

 

[Wubar]

Am going in January to POP. I booked on a public discount code. When the AP discounts came out I could get at the AllStars but nothing at POP. I'm thinking with the popular new rooms, and having buildings out of service they released very few rooms. Remember discounts are to fill hotels and if their projected occupancy is high, there will be very few rooms with the discount.

I have continued to check often for discounts because my AP discount can usually beat the general ones, but nothing. If you are open to other hotels you could call and have them check around. I found some great rates at CSR, but opted to stay put since we won't be using the resort much this trip.

HopperFan - I just called and there was some AP availability at Pop. Not a lot, and it didn't work out for my dates, since it fell in the middle of my week, and breaking up a package reservation seemed like too much of a risk for me to take with FPs and tickets, ADRs, etc. But it might work for you, if you want to call and check?

BTW, Disney CM said if I upgraded to an AP at the end of my stay that Memory maker would NOT be refunded, I would have to upgrade to an AP on the first day of my stay and then of course it would be included...is that true? I would have thought, if Memory Maker was purchased for that trip, and upgrading to an AP puts the anniversary of said AP at the start of that trip (even if you upgraded at the end of the trip), then MM would fall in that window and would therefore be refundable? But Disney CM said official policy is to NOT refund it (although exceptions are always made)....

 

[tarak]

HopperFan - I just called and there was some AP availability at Pop. Not a lot, and it didn't work out for my dates, since it fell in the middle of my week, and breaking up a package reservation seemed like too much of a risk for me to take with FPs and tickets, ADRs, etc. But it might work for you, if you want to call and check?

BTW, Disney CM said if I upgraded to an AP at the end of my stay that Memory maker would NOT be refunded, I would have to upgrade to an AP on the first day of my stay and then of course it would be included...is that true? I would have thought, if Memory Maker was purchased for that trip, and upgrading to an AP puts the anniversary of said AP at the start of that trip (even if you upgraded at the end of the trip), then MM would fall in that window and would therefore be refundable? But Disney CM said official policy is to NOT refund it (although exceptions are always made)....

I was at WDW a week ago, had pre-purchased Memory Maker and then upgraded to an AP. I was told that if I used the Memory Maker prior to upgrading, they could not refund the cost. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I didn’t want to risk not getting the refund, so we asked the photopass photographers to put our photos on one of the plastic cards, rather than scanning our bands, until I was able to upgrade. Once I did, I just linked the photopass card to my MDE account. That way, we didn’t miss any photos and I didn’t lose the $169.

 

[Wubar]

I was at WDW a week ago, had pre-purchased Memory Maker and then upgraded to an AP. I was told that if I used the Memory Maker prior to upgrading, they could not refund the cost. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I didn’t want to risk not getting the refund, so we asked the photopass photographers to put our photos on one of the plastic cards, rather than scanning our bands, until I was able to upgrade. Once I did, I just linked the photopass card to my MDE account. That way, we didn’t miss any photos and I didn’t lose the $169.

Tarak, thanks for your post, I will keep that advice on the back burner. I know I could just upgrade to AP on day 1, while not having previously purchased MM, and then the AP would cover it. But in the instance where we're not sure if we are going to upgrade, I'd obviously like to buy MM in advance and save $30. But good to know your method is one way to get it refunded!

 

[smmcgarry]

Where do you find AP discount codes?

 

[AngiTN]

Where do you find AP discount codes?

There aren't codes.
You click View Special Offers under Places to Stay tab on the website. Look for the ones marked for Passholders. You'll have to be signed in to your AP MDE account to see them.

 

[Wubar]

Tarak, thanks for your post, I will keep that advice on the back burner. I know I could just upgrade to AP on day 1, while not having previously purchased MM, and then the AP would cover it. But in the instance where we're not sure if we are going to upgrade, I'd obviously like to buy MM in advance and save $30. But good to know your method is one way to get it refunded!

@tarak - I'm wondering if your method might be the way to go. I was just told that even if I were to upgrade to an AP on day 1 before setting foot into the park, but had already purchased MM in advance, thus saving $30, as part of my resort package (room and tickets), it would NOT be refunded, even if I upgraded on day 1 and not a single picture had been uploaded to MM. Something about the AP upgrade and the resort package are two separate entities and Guest Relations wouldn't look at them and see that MM would become redundant with the new AP and could be refunded since it was unused. But, as with all questions and situations posed to Disney Guest Relations, I guess YMMV.

 

[tarak]

@tarak - I'm wondering if your method might be the way to go. I was just told that even if I were to upgrade to an AP on day 1 before setting foot into the park, but had already purchased MM in advance, thus saving $30, as part of my resort package (room and tickets), it would NOT be refunded, even if I upgraded on day 1 and not a single picture had been uploaded to MM. Something about the AP upgrade and the resort package are two separate entities and Guest Relations wouldn't look at them and see that MM would become redundant with the new AP and could be refunded since it was unused. But, as with all questions and situations posed to Disney Guest Relations, I guess YMMV.

I think mileage does vary a lot with Disney CS. I had already purchased MM a few weeks before our trip (I don’t know if I made that clear, but I had already paid for it). I didn’t think about the plastic photopass cards until after I was told I shouldn’t link any photos to my account until after the upgrade. So for that first morning, I got the photos linked to the card, then upgraded to an AP at GS in AK. When I was paying, I got a credit back for the $169 I paid for MM. I didn’t even have to ask for it, the CM told me I’d get credit and put it through. We had a package, too, with tickets and free dining.