Big Changes to WDW Annual Passholder Resort Discounts

[RADOPT]

this is disappointing

http://www.marywaring.com/newapdiscounts.html


Well, I guess I won't be buying the pass any time soon.

 

[paladin]

Boy, I'll say. This certainly doesn't look very good. As Mary said, a lot of question marks here.

 

[Troy08]

Do you think it's because too many people were getting AP rates? and they decided that they were losing too much money? I don't have an AP, and don't go often enough to get one. If you have to book 6 month out it seems like a lot of last minute trips might go by the wayside. Also, what if you don;t happen to own a computer? strange but some people don't.

 

[disneyw/kids]

WOW, I can't believe the changes, I do however like the fact you can book online because waiting on hold forever when rates are released is not fun. But how do you know when you can book for Dec.

 

[Feralpeg]

Maybe it is an attempt to forgo those people who book multiple rooms while waiting for an AP rate to come out and then cancel all but one.

 

[disneyw/kids]

I just checked our dates for Nov and a garden view room at the Poly was $354 a night plus tax. That is no discount at all!!! With the Aug-Oct code I do beleive that a garden view rate at the Poly was much lower.

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

THAT'S CRAP!!! What about families like mine . . . there are six of us, I must book two rooms!!!

If they really go through with this I can imagine more people choosing value resorts!! Counting us!!! (Not that there's anything wrong with value resorts, I just LOVE the mods!!!

 

[Katems]

That's insane! Why would anyone buy and activate an annual pass 120 days before going to Disney?? What good does it do them those 120 days that they aren't at Disney? Who's going to be willing to do that?

Also, if you already have an AP but it expires before the trip you want to book, but you intend to purchase another one...well how does THAT work?? An AP holder isn't going to want to renew their pass so many months before it expires!

 

[seashoreCM]

Premature question to ponder,

Did they mean Passholder Best Rates with price matching of future discounts, or did they mean any annual pass rates ...

... as the rates that can only be booked on line?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

So far I had found that other discounts (not all available to the general public and not all available all the time) tended to come within $20. of the AP rate for moderates and within $10. of the AP rate for value resorts.

Last trip May 2005, with AP. Stayed offsite since I was unwilling to pay even the AP rate for a value resort for the season (regular season)

 

[Katems]

Oh, yes, the room thing! As the previous poster said, what about larger families who need more than one room?? Sheesh! And for what it's worth, I'm paying rack rate for the Poly August 24-31 and it's only $304 garden view, so that $345 rate is awful!

 

[pumpkinfish]

*sigh*

Oh my goodness...

 

[safetymom]

Glad to see that they tightened up the loophole that you could use a childs AP. For everyone else guess we will have to wait and see what Disney says.

 

[Mich Mouse]

Ok, Everyone Let's have a positive attitude. It cannot be as bad as it presently seems. WDW wants the AP holders to come. This situation will be clairified. Most likely, WDW just wants people to stop booking multiple rooms, when purchasing only one child's AP. (Don't think the marketing people do not lurk on these boards and read all of our strategies...and then address them them... They absolutely do!)

If this is were to be true, it would be a horrible business decision. The marketing department spends their entire day dreaming up ways to get people to visit WDW. They want us to come, and AP holders will have benefits! They just want to prevent people from taking advantage.

Keep the faith!

 

[cobbler]

Have you all read this thread?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=840378

There are 7 pages of it so far and gives some "info" - who knows how much though as it seems there is a lot of conflicting info swirling around so far.

 

[cobbler]

Ok, Everyone Let's have a positive attitude. It cannot be as bad as it presently seems. WDW wants the AP holders to come. This situation will be clairified. Most likely, WDW just wants people to stop booking multiple rooms, when people are purchasing only one child's AP. (Don't think the marketing people do not lurk on these boards and read all of our strategies...and then address them them... They absolutely do!)
If you think about the new AP regulations, it would be a terrible business decision to do this. The marketing department spends their entire day dreamng up ways to get people to visit WDW. They want us to come, and AP holders will have benefits! They just want to prevent people from taking advantage.

Keep the faith!

I sure hope so but it isn't looking to hot. I don't so much have an issue with having an active AP (although I will next year after mine has lapsed and I have to get a new one) but the non-refundable depost and HOPE there is better rate.

 

[WDWBetsy]

THAT'S CRAP!!! What about families like mine . . . there are six of us, I must book two rooms!!!

If they really go through with this I can imagine more people choosing value resorts!! Counting us!!! (Not that there's anything wrong with value resorts, I just LOVE the mods!!!

I'm just throwing out a guess... if you had two adults who each had an AP, you could book one room under each adult's pass. Wouldn't that work?

Hope this helps...

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Nice....and i just bought my AP three days ago in hope of getting a discount for December. I hope Disney comes forward with more info soon and that there arent anymore eliminations or cuts.

 

[BCV23]

Well, I think it sounds promising for those of us who actually purchase annual passes for our whole family for the intended purpose.....admission to the parks for a year.

In the past, the discount on the rooms was substantial when it was available. Lately, it has shrunk to a teensy portion of what it used to be especially for deluxe resorts. I imagine that was in response to so many people booking multiple rooms on speculation of rates, buying one child's pass for 3 rooms, etc..

I often wondered what happened to longtime AP holders who don't follow these sites and might have been out of luck getting AP rates with so many others calling with sometimes just an intention of getting an AP if needed.

So you book at 120 days and then WDW determines how good of a discount can be offered. Sounds like good business sense to me on their part. Sounds fair to me for AP holders not AP shoppers.

And if anyone does decide to buy APs, once the APs are activated, a new trip can be booked. I think the whole new system of tickets is ingenious and also fairer.

It is a leap of faith for this first round though.

 

[crazy4wdw]

When I first read this post, I was mad as he**! First Disney ends the Magic Kingdom Club/Disney Club, Disney Magazine ends it publication, and now this change to AP rates. However I think that this change is due to all of the disney discussion boards. I don't think people really knew about AP discounts until the internet came into the mainstream. I guess disney had to do something about all of the madness when hundreds or more people were calling for AP rates on the day they were released. My days of staying at the deluxe resorts are most likely at an end. Wonder if there will be any changes to AAA rates?

 

[EthansMom]

So you book at 120 days and then WDW determines how good of a discount can be offered. Sounds like good business sense to me on their part. Sounds fair to me for AP holders not AP shoppers.

Actually, I wouldn't have such a problem with the new system except that the rate currently being offered is rack rate. I'd have to be crazy to pay a nonrefundable deposit to guarantee rack rate when I can get a refundable deposit at AAA rate. I might be willing to consider using the new system if the initial rate being offered at least matched the AAA rate!