New Disney World AP Pay and get less?

[mmackeymouse]

I just contacted Disney with this very question. We have AP vouchers not activated as well. The cast member I spoke to said that when activated, they would basically be as purchased, including Photopass. The difference would be if you were to renew them..then it would be on the new system.

I have a Platinum Plus AP voucher that is yet to be activated. From what I have read, my assumption is that unactivated AP passes will have their perks grandfathered in, at least for the first year. But, from what I am seeing on social media and message boards, a lot of people are getting different responses, and that has me a little worried.

I don't have any need/plans to activate my AP for at least a couple of years, maybe 5 years from now. (Expiration says 12/31/2030, so I will fight them if they don't allow it) Unfortunately, the voucher itself mentions Photopass, but not the Water Parks and More portion of it. My worry then becomes....in 2 or 3 or 5 years, will I get someone knowledgable enough/helpful and willing enough to honor the original conditions of a Platinum Plus Pass?

I don't want to waste my AP but...I do worry about some of the risk.

 

[canyoncam]

[QUOTE="mmackeymouse, post: 63331872, member: 2029

I don't have any need/plans to activate my AP for at least a couple of years, maybe 5 years from now. (Expiration says 12/31/2030, so I will fight them if they don't allow it) Unfortunately, the voucher itself mentions Photopass, but not the Water Parks and More portion of it. My worry then becomes....in 2 or 3 or 5 years, will I get someone knowledgable enough/helpful and willing enough to honor the original conditions of a Platinum Plus Pass?

I don't want to waste my AP but...I do worry about some of the risk.
[/QUOTE]

THIS!!!

I know I won’t be back until May 2023 or possibly even 2025. I definitely bought this AP as an investment as I had extra tickets (as investments) already. I had originally planned to activate next May but the family vacation (I’m the only Disney lover) keeps getting pushed out with Covid.

 

[Airb330]

I have a Platinum Plus AP voucher that is yet to be activated. From what I have read, my assumption is that unactivated AP passes will have their perks grandfathered in, at least for the first year. But, from what I am seeing on social media and message boards, a lot of people are getting different responses, and that has me a little worried.

(Expiration says 12/31/2030, so I will fight them if they don't allow it)

I don't want to waste my AP but...I do worry about some of the risk.

My inactivated pass said 12/31/2030, but changed to “DVC Gold Pass Exchange 12/31/2099” this week:

I have no idea what that means for me come 10/2 but I hope Disney can let us know what we can all expect. They previously honored old passes and I hope they must do that for everyone holding onto passes…especially those whose trips could be affected by different blackout dates.

 

[DavidNYC]

I am FURIOUS at Disney. I just called because we have gold pass vouchers that are not yet activated and a trip scheduled for Thanksgiving week. I was told yesterday that everything from the gold pass would be honored but got scared because others were told the opposite. They told me today that we would have to pay the extra money to upgrade to the Incredi-pass in order to use those passes at Thanksgiving. I argued that when we bought the passes a few months ago, Thanksgiving week was covered and I am not interested in paying them more money for something that should be covered by the passes I already purchased. They told me either I do that or trade the passes in for day-tickets. I told them the passes are useless for us if they’re not going to honor Thanksgiving week, so I told them I wanted our money back and that I was done. VERY disappointed in what Disney has become. This is not the Disney my family fell in love with.

I would escalate. There is a Gold blackout calendar on the website right now which clearly shows your tickets should be good then. I would escalate enclosing a copy of the blackout calendar and saying you expect to be able to use the pass on the dates the website advertised that you could use them for. Don't settle with just a random guest services person.

 

[Jennifer Harris]

I would escalate. There is a Gold blackout calendar on the website right now which clearly shows your tickets should be good then. I would escalate enclosing a copy of the blackout calendar and saying you expect to be able to use the pass on the dates the website advertised that you could use them for. Don't settle with just a random guest services person.

I have sent an email to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com. Also, I did speak with a supervisor yesterday, who told me everything I had been told was accurate. I made the argument about them not honoring the terms under which I had purchased. They said the terms of the AP agreement say that this is subject to change. I’ll see what response I get from my email.

 

[Duck143]

Me too, the savings was huge. I figured that timed correctly, the vouchers I purchased that day would provide four calendar years worth of trips at the old price. If all goes according to plan, my last one will expire in December 2024. Heaven knows what Platinum APs will cost then!

So smart! I have no idea when we'll activate ours. I may hang onto them until closer to the expiration and buy day tickets for any trips until then.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

I asked to do this & they told me they could not. Said they could only be activated in person.

I agree with David and would call back and tell whomever you speak with that you want high level guest service to return your call.
I'm not sure the Cast Members even know the correct answers to give consistent information.

Good luck, sorry you're having to go through this.

 

[DisneyDoesMyHair]

Just a few questions from a newbie local: On Sept 8, what time will passes be available for sale, after midnight? And for someone new to the state, what is the best way to purchase AP? The IDme function on the website did not work for me when I tried to purchase Florida resident tickets a couple of weeks ago. Is there a preferred location that locals use when purchasing annual passes that maybe will not be so chaotic on the 8th? Does my husband have to be present for me to purchase his pass?

 

[Lehuaann]

I would like to see the terms. I understand the AP program is subject to change. However, this is Disney not honoring what they’ve already sold/advertised.

 

[DavidNYC]

I have sent an email to wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com. Also, I did speak with a supervisor yesterday, who told me everything I had been told was accurate. I made the argument about them not honoring the terms under which I had purchased. They said the terms of the AP agreement say that this is subject to change. I’ll see what response I get from my email.

There are certain things you can say are "subject to change" and some you cannot. Taken to Disney's logical extreme - they could suddenly say the Gold Pass only grants you admission on alternate Tuesday's after 2pm. Being subject to capacity controls - changes in park hours, etc. are things that they can change. Whether you can enter the park or not based on their whim they will have a lot more trouble defending and will likely result in a lawsuit if they push it too far. They may just decide however to offer a refund figuring they'd rather do that than honor any gold passes . . . but they can't just unilaterally change material terms.

 

[dagored]

Just a few questions from a newbie local: On Sept 8, what time will passes be available for sale, after midnight? And for someone new to the state, what is the best way to purchase AP? The IDme function on the website did not work for me when I tried to purchase Florida resident tickets a couple of weeks ago. Is there a preferred location that locals use when purchasing annual passes that maybe will not be so chaotic on the 8th? Does my husband have to be present for me to purchase his pass?

If this is your first Florida resident pass, you will need to go to GS at any park or a ticket window or DS. They will request a Florida ID.

 

[lovethattink]

Just a few questions from a newbie local: On Sept 8, what time will passes be available for sale, after midnight? And for someone new to the state, what is the best way to purchase AP? The IDme function on the website did not work for me when I tried to purchase Florida resident tickets a couple of weeks ago. Is there a preferred location that locals use when purchasing annual passes that maybe will not be so chaotic on the 8th? Does my husband have to be present for me to purchase his pass?

i usually stop at Epcot or AK because I both have easy in and out, compared to driving out around to get to DHS orparking at TTC for MK.

Everyone must be present with ID and whatever else they require for proof of residency.

 

[DisneyDoesMyHair]

If this is your first Florida resident pass, you will need to go to GS at any park or a ticket window or DS. They will request a Florida ID.

Yes, this will be our first pass. Thank you so much for the help!

 

[Miffy]

I was reading mousesavers this morning, and their current estimate of break-even for an out-of-state incrediPass (is that the right name?) is 2 or 3 trips with 18 park days. It used to be an AP was worth it if you took 2 7-day trips. Now it's 2 9-day trips? I renewed mine, so perhaps the 2 7-day trips are still about right. If we even go twice in the coming year. I mean, I hope we do, but right now it's iffy.

 

[skippytx]

I was reading mousesavers this morning, and their current estimate of break-even for an out-of-state incrediPass (is that the right name?) is 2 or 3 trips with 18 park days. It used to be an AP was worth it if you took 2 7-day trips. Now it's 2 9-day trips? I renewed mine, so perhaps the 2 7-day trips are still about right. If we even go twice in the coming year. I mean, I hope we do, but right now it's iffy.

That's about right. My 9 day park hoppers for my trip next year are about 650 /pp from UT. 2 of those would be 1300, which is close to the IncrediPass. It changes though depending on how many trips you take. a 3 day hopper is 450, so if you go even on 3 short trips the AP works out. If you go on 4 or more it's a really large savings.

 

[luv2cheer92]

I was reading mousesavers this morning, and their current estimate of break-even for an out-of-state incrediPass (is that the right name?) is 2 or 3 trips with 18 park days. It used to be an AP was worth it if you took 2 7-day trips. Now it's 2 9-day trips? I renewed mine, so perhaps the 2 7-day trips are still about right. If we even go twice in the coming year. I mean, I hope we do, but right now it's iffy.

If you stay onsite or spend a lot on merch/dining, factoring in those discounts can be huge. I broke even on an AP just on a 3 night hotel stay discount, before even factoring in tickets for that trip. Adding in the 3 other trips I took on that AP, the savings were beyond enormous.

 

[cakebaker]

If you stay onsite or spend a lot on merch/dining, factoring in those discounts can be huge. I broke even on an AP just on a 3 night hotel stay discount, before even factoring in tickets for that trip. Adding in the 3 other trips I took on that AP, the savings were beyond enormous.

I more than broke even on 1 trip of 6 days with a Deluxe discount and that was just the additional saving I got over the general public discount. BUT...that kind of discount ( was over 40%) doesn't exist right now. I made 2 more trips that year and I did save an huge amount of money. Without significant room discounts though, it would take at 2-3 trips now depending on how long each trip was. It was the room discount that made it worth getting for just a single trip. I' hoping we see some decent room discounts again, but without them, our trips would probably go back to once a year and just buying regular tickets. And that's only if Disney brings back all the things they've cut, but that's another story.

 

[Miffy]

I more than broke even on 1 trip of 6 days with a Deluxe discount and that was just the additional saving I got over the general public discount. BUT...that kind of discount ( was over 40%) doesn't exist right now. I made 2 more trips that year and I did save an huge amount of money. Without significant room discounts though, it would take at 2-3 trips now depending on how long each trip was. It was the room discount that made it worth getting for just a single trip. I' hoping we see some decent room discounts again, but without them, our trips would probably go back to once a year and just buying regular tickets. And that's only if Disney brings back all the things they've cut, but that's another story.

We were there in May and ended up using the general public discount for our room, since nothing for our dates was available with the AP discount by the time we booked. Not like the good old days!

 

[cakebaker]

We were there in May and ended up using the general public discount for our room, since nothing for our dates was available with the AP discount by the time we booked. Not like the good old days!

It was only 5% more than the general discount, not really a significant difference. And that one expires soon with no sign of a new one coming out.

 

[notatallmagic]

We used to be more than willing to pay a little more for a Disney vacation - in addition to all the magical extras that are now gone, I can tell (and I"m sure many others can too) so many stories about how we WERE valued by Disney (which made us repeat visitors/AP holders to the tune of almost 20 trips in the past decade from out of state). I can also contrast that with the recent "loss of magic" we are sad about.

1) When my kids were 5 and 2, we took them to Disney for the first time. My exH was an unkind man, and he was behaving terribly - loudly and publicly - at Epcot. My daughter was 5, and dressed as Mulan, her favorite princess. We stood in line to meet Mulan, and it was a quiet park day, and Mulan spent over an HOUR with just my daughter, walking around China, letting her try on her Mulan shoes, joking about MuShu, chatting, hugging, and just being wonderfully kind to a very sad little girl. It was so overwhelmingly magical - it is literally one of my now-grown daughter's most amazing childhood memories; it brought me to tears then and still does as I type this. And when we returned to Epcot, about five years later, the SAME Mulan was at Epcot, and she remembered my daughter. They spent about ten minutes just talking and catching up. Pure joy and magic for a wounded little girl's heart.

2) A few year's later, about the time they were first rolling out Magic Bands, I "hosted" a large family group trip with about 15 of us to Disney. And we all had Magic Bands, and none of them worked - the entire trip. I spent hours at Guest Services, trying to sort out all the bills, costs, and issues. It was a total nightmare, and a miserable experience. About two days after I got home, there was an email in my inbox, providing a special number and a code for 3 days worth of tickets for 4 and two nights in a value resort to say "sorry" for our trainwreck of a trip. THAT was magical - and that was the beginning of our regular Disney trip decade. Of course mistakes happen, but Disney used to be wonderful at saying sorry when they did.

3) A few years after that, we had tried to book a "Princess" session for my daughter - she was aging out of the ability to do that, and when we showed up for the session, despite having our confirmation, they were either overbooked or there was some kind of error, and she couldn't have that experience. She was super disappointed, but we enjoyed the rest of our trip. About a week after we got home, a HUGE box was delivered with an autographed "Sorry" photo from MIckey; a Mickey Darth Vadar ear/hat for my son, and a set of little girl's nail polish and perfume and a stuffed Minnie. My daughter still has that bottle of nail polish from MIckey.

4) Maybe four years ago, my son had saved up his chore money (about $15) for a Disney souvineer. We had just finished riding Star Tours, and he was browsing in the shop; he LOVED Porgs. The stuff Porg was just a little more than he had, so he sadly put it back on the shelf; and as we were walking out, a Cast Member stopped us and handed us a bag - with the Porg in it - a gift from Mickey! She must have overheard our conversation. He is 15, and that Porg still sits on his bed.

My family has had our share of tough life stuff. Disney was our happy place; where people were kind, and unexpected good things happened. That's why we went. We could just drink in the beauty and the goodness, and feel safe and "escape" from our real world - even for a few days.

Over the past three years though, it is not the same Disney When Disney makes a mistake/error or offers less than Disney service; they are now regularly flippant, cold, and unapologetic. More recently, we booked a room specifically at a resort with a hot tub - it was a "bribe" to my now 15 year old for his grades - and when we got to the resort, the hot tub was "closed for maintenance" for our entire stay. When I asked at the front desk when the hot tub might be repaired, there wasn't even an "I'm so sorry" - despite our room request included being "close to the hot tub". When I asked if maybe we could visit another resort just for one day to enjoy a hot tub, the response was a very rude, "We don't do that." Well, you used to do nice things; just apparently not anymore.

This summer, we had requested a mid stay (8 night visit) floor cleaning due to a dust allergy - and a sharps container for medical waste. Neither was done/given, and when I asked at the front desk on two separate occasions, I was told that they had staffing difficulties and "excessive requests" could not always be accomodated. It was not a pleasant interaction.

I've posted before about the pretty significant DAS issue we had this summer; when I did ask to speak with someone about that very serious situation, the Cast Member literally rolled her eyes and laughed. Glad you think my kid losing conciousness on a ride was funny. I was told "they were experiencing staffing issues" - not really reassuring. When I asked if they could possibly refund the balance of my Annual Passes since they could not provide a safe experience for my family with their current staffing challenges - I was told I would be receiving a follow up telephone call - which of course never came.

So, Disney USED to be a very special, magical, memorable place, worth every penny we worked for and saved. I wish it still was - and for anyone who DOES get to experience that, I'm happy for you. I really miss it.