Question about upgrading to AP

Raegansmommy

Active Member
I searched and I didn't find my answer and the CM on the phone yesterday couldn't help me either, so maybe someone here knows. We just booked a trip with the "free dining" promo for December. If we decide we want to upgrade to an AP while we are there, how does it work? How do I know how much of a credit we will get towards the AP? Do we want to do this on the first day or the last? Trying to figure out if this is something we want to do. We have been doing yearly vacations, but this past spring break took a last minute one and wished we would have thought about upgrading last year when we were there. Do you receive any other discounts being and AP holder?
 

Schneewittchen

Well-Known Member
I can't speak to how much credit you would get, but this past April I upgraded to an AP on the visit day of our visit. We had a 30% off the room and park tickets package - no dining.

From what I've read from other people doing in the past, you should be able to upgrade without messing up your free dining.

Anyway, we arrived at about 9 pm on a Wednesday, checked in to CBR and crashed for the night. Bright and early Thursday morning we went to Epcot's guest services window and upgraded to APs and bought a Tables In Wonderland card. We immediately had an unplanned, no FPs visit to Epcot. Visited an attraction or two and grabbed an unplanned ADR for lunch. The AP card gets you 10-20% off merchandise in most shops and the TIW card gets you 20% off food and alcohol at most restaurants. So it's worth it to upgrade before your trip. We broke even with the TIW card before the 10 day trip was over.

Here's your list of AP discounts: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passholder-program/passholder-benefits-and-discounts/
And your list of Tables in Wonderland restaurants: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/restaurants/tables-in-wonderland-restaurants/
 
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Hcalvert

Well-Known Member
I searched and I didn't find my answer and the CM on the phone yesterday couldn't help me either, so maybe someone here knows. We just booked a trip with the "free dining" promo for December. If we decide we want to upgrade to an AP while we are there, how does it work? How do I know how much of a credit we will get towards the AP? Do we want to do this on the first day or the last? Trying to figure out if this is something we want to do. We have been doing yearly vacations, but this past spring break took a last minute one and wished we would have thought about upgrading last year when we were there. Do you receive any other discounts being and AP holder?
I just upgraded my 6 day hopper tickets to an AP in July and I had the free dining promo too. You do need to activate your tickets by going into a park before upgrading. I went to MK guest services on the day I arrived and told them that I wanted to upgrade my tickets. No problem. The CM told me how much each ticket was worth and told me the amount I still owed. I did not lose free dining for that trip and was able to book extra fast passes immediately after for the other dates (I was staying 9 days, not 6). There is no need to wait until the end of your trip and you can start enjoying the perks with the AP.

Note: I only chose MK's guest services because I was staying at Poly. Choose any guest services that is convenient for you or based on what park you are entering first.
 
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Hcalvert

Well-Known Member
Would you mind sharing how much it was to upgrade? Did you have Memory Maker also pre-purchased?
I was credited about $527/ticket, so I had to pay approximately $675 more for each AP. I did not have memory maker before. The photopass access was immediate and was able to be used with all of my planning party for this last trip (my brother, his wife, and his 4 kids, who are not AP holders). I just had to download their photos and share the photos with them.
 
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DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
If you upgrade before going into a park, you get memory maker included and it does not affect your free dining. We did it last year at the gate at DHS. We owed 700 ish for both of our APs.
 
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Hcalvert

Well-Known Member
If you upgrade before going into a park, you get memory maker included and it does not affect your free dining. We did it last year at the gate at DHS. We owed 700 ish for both of our APs.

I didn't go into a park before upgrading as I actually had a special circumstance in which I did not have a park ticket for that day (I had to arrive one day earlier than my main reservation due to a flight cancellation/rebooking and I just booked an one night room only stay for the extra night). In order to upgrade to an AP, the CM had to go into my second 8-night reservation, check me in manually, and activate my tickets a day early since they are date-based now. That is probably why I also got memory maker/photopass from the beginning of my trip. A bonus was also saving 20% at Beaches & Cream since my free dining didn't start until the next day and walking through EPCOT afterwards to catch the monorail back to Poly.
 
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