Question about Annual Passes

[mousedroid]

Hi. I've never purchased an Annual Pass, so I'm not 100% clear about the dates. For the sake of this question, let's assume everything was operating normally and there had been no shutdown for the pandemic.

Let's say I purchase an Annual Pass on... July 20, 2020. Is that Annual Pass good for...

1. July 20, 2020 to July 20, 2021, or
2. One year from he first date I use it - let's say December 12, 2020 until December 11, 2021, or
3. January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021?

The reason I ask is I am considering purchasing an Annual Pass in the near future, but not using it until April of next year.

 

[networkpro]

When you purchase your first Annual pass you get a certificate to redeem (has been green for years) and your entitlement doesn't start ticking off days until you activate it at one of the Guest Ticket booths. Its a 365 day pass.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Hi. I've never purchased an Annual Pass, so I'm not 100% clear about the dates. For the sake of this question, let's assume everything was operating normally and there had been no shutdown for the pandemic.

Let's say I purchase an Annual Pass on... July 20, 2020. Is that Annual Pass good for...

1. July 20, 2020 to July 20, 2021, or
2. One year from he first date I use it - let's say December 12, 2020 until December 11, 2021, or
3. January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021?

The reason I ask is I am considering purchasing an Annual Pass in the near future, but not using it until April of next year.

2 - but it would be Dec 12 2020 to Dec 12 2021, in other words, 366 days including the date of activation

 

[mousedroid]

2 - but it would be Dec 12 2020 to Dec 12 2021, in other words, 366 days from the date of activation

Thanks Joe!

 

[DryerLintFan]

Be sure to include 10-15 minutes at guest services on that first day, if you're a planner. Sometimes it's a breeze and sometimes it takes a while to activate them.


And bring the credit card you used to purchase them.

 

[mousedroid]

Be sure to include 10-15 minutes at guest services on that first day, if you're a planner. Sometimes it's a breeze and sometimes it takes a while to activate them.


And bring the credit card you used to purchase them.

Thanks, dryerlintfan. Just to confirm, they have to be activated at the ticket booths? You can't activate them at a resort after you check in?

 

[mousedroid]

When you purchase your first Annual pass you get a certificate to redeem (has been green for years) and your entitlement doesn't start ticking off days until you activate it at one of the Guest Ticket booths. Its a 365 day pass.

Thanks networkpro.

This brings another question to mind - if I purchase an Annual Pass this summer for a trip next spring, can I use any of the advantages having an annual pass has before I activate it? For example, I've heard that Annual Passholders can sometimes get discounted room rates at onsite resorts.

Also Annual Passholders can sign up for the Run Disney Races up to a week earlier than the general public. If I purchase the Annual Pass, but it's not yet active, would I still be able to sign up/purchase the races early?

 

[JaxFLBear]

Just to confirm, they have to be activated at the ticket booths? You can't activate them at a resort after you check in?

APs can activated at any Park Ticket Window or Guest Relations Location. The Resorts are unable to do anything related to APs.

 

[crawale]

Hi. I've never purchased an Annual Pass, so I'm not 100% clear about the dates. For the sake of this question, let's assume everything was operating normally and there had been no shutdown for the pandemic.

Let's say I purchase an Annual Pass on... July 20, 2020. Is that Annual Pass good for...

1. July 20, 2020 to July 20, 2021, or
2. One year from he first date I use it - let's say December 12, 2020 until December 11, 2021, or
3. January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021?

The reason I ask is I am considering purchasing an Annual Pass in the near future, but not using it until April of next year.

That's a good idea as Disney raises prices in the New Year with no warning - sometimes by a lot of money.

 

[BASS]

Right, the one year doesn't start to run until it's activated 1st use.

 

[networkpro]

Thanks networkpro.

This brings another question to mind - if I purchase an Annual Pass this summer for a trip next spring, can I use any of the advantages having an annual pass has before I activate it? For example, I've heard that Annual Passholders can sometimes get discounted room rates at onsite resorts.

Also Annual Passholders can sign up for the Run Disney Races up to a week earlier than the general public. If I purchase the Annual Pass, but it's not yet active, would I still be able to sign up/purchase the races early?

Technically no. You can, however, register your redemption certificate in MDE and use it to book FastPasses and I'm assuming park reservations if thats still in effect when you visit.

 

[RememberWhen]

Technically no. You can, however, register your redemption certificate in MDE and use it to book FastPasses and I'm assuming park reservations if thats still in effect when you visit.

If your pass is linked in your MDE account you can see and, I assume, book AP rate rooms. We have gold passes in our account that haven’t been activated and we could see AP rates when booking was still an option.

 

[Kerri Whitmire]

APs can activated at any Park Ticket Window or Guest Relations Location. The Resorts are unable to do anything related to APs.

You can also activate at the guest relations at Disney Springs, as well.

 

[ELG13]

I started purchasing your 5 annual passes last November so I could have them all paid by the time we went on our first trip which should have been May. Now they won't be activated until AT LEAST may of 2021 (we are expecting a baby next month). So, you are good from day of activation and I think when I looked they didn't have to be activated until something like 2030 lol. So plenty of time.

 

[thomas998]

You can also activate at the guest relations at Disney Springs, as well.

In our experience Disney Springs has been the quickest place to activate them. Also the easiest since they don't charge you to park at Disney Springs... Otherwise you will have to hope the CM lets you park for free since you technically aren't supposed to get the free AP parking until you've activated the annual pass.

 

[Gillyanne]

In our experience Disney Springs has been the quickest place to activate them. Also the easiest since they don't charge you to park at Disney Springs... Otherwise you will have to hope the CM lets you park for free since you technically aren't supposed to get the free AP parking until you've activated the annual pass.

Samesies... we usually activate them the night we get in (when we don't plan to visit a park) so DS is an easier option. If they are busy they put you in a virtual queue and text you to come back (usually w/ an estimate) so you can hit up some shops, food, or walk around while waiting if needed.

Last year I actually activated my pass at the outlet store in Vineland outlets. They have a ticket counter and I wanted to make sure my MNSSHP tickets were set as "priority" (b/c I hadn't intended for my AP to start until the day after the party (gotta get that timing just right) so I didn't want to accidentally have it take my AP for admission) so while I was there I asked them about that. She was able to pull up the stuff, and activate the AP too.

 

[Rob562]

Last year I actually activated my pass at the outlet store in Vineland outlets. They have a ticket counter and I wanted to make sure my MNSSHP tickets were set as "priority" (b/c I hadn't intended for my AP to start until the day after the party (gotta get that timing just right) so I didn't want to accidentally have it take my AP for admission) so while I was there I asked them about that. She was able to pull up the stuff, and activate the AP too.

Just for future peace of mind, when entering after-hours parties like MVMCP or MNSSHP, if you're entering through the tapstyles specifically marked as special event entry it will only use a Party ticket for entry, regardless of what the ticket priority is in MDE. If someone with an AP but no Party ticket were to try to enter through the Party entrance they would be rejected.

Guests who are entering the MK after 4pm but without Party admission are directed to one of the tapstyles that are still set to normal daily admission.

-Rob

 

[mergatroid]

If you activate it at the park ask for a receipt as you pay for parking. When you activate your Annual Pass at Guest Relations they'll refund your parking fee. I've known the person at the parking booth let me through without charging me when I explained what I was doing once too (but they probably shouldn't have)

 

[Giss Neric]

It's refreshing to see someone planning to purchase instead of all we hear about threatening to cancel their passes and stuff cause they don't agree with their protocols.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

Wellllll - we are going to seek a partial refund for our two APs, EXP 5-27-2020. An extension will do us no good, as we go to WDW twice per year, APR and NOV. And we cancelled NOV 2020.

To boot, given the new reservation for a park system? We see no value in an AP. No park hoping . We are likely to dump the AP, and go for a straight 7 day ticket, one park per day. So far, we have kept our DVC contracts (which may change) - so we have plenty of discounts.

We would rather recover what we can, then start over when an AP means something to us.