Can Someone Explain Annual Pass Process to Me

[PlutoTheDog89]

Okay, so we just booked to go down for Easter...flights at least. I went ahead and booked ADRs right after.

We go down every year for Christmas and after a weekend full of number crunching, found that going for Easter + Christmas with an annual pass would save us a good enough amount of money to justify the cost.

We have not booked resort reservations yet, however, I'm looking to get that done ASAP.

Now, obviously we need Annual Passes to get the AP discount on the resorts. I keep hearing about vouchers, etc.

So, let's say I go ahead and buy the Annual Passes tomorrow, will I have to activate the APs before booking the resort? I read somewhere that they don't have to be activated upon booking the resort, but HAVE TO be activated upon checking in.

How does one activate the AP? Can I do it online?

Let's say I purchase the annual pass but don't activate it until I get down there. Can I still customize the MagicBand?

Second to last question - is it worth rolling with the AP for now and buying TIW at another time, seeing as we will get the 20% this trip (excluding Easter Day)?

And last - does the MB come with the Annual Passholder slider or do I need to buy that separately?

 

[fla4fun]

You should be able to link the vouchers they send you to your MDE account and once you do that, you should be able to see passholder areas on the Disney website. I don't always get asked to show my pass at check in, but there were a couple times I hadn't activated the pass yet, and they just asked me to come back to the front desk within 24 hours to show the activated pass. I don't know if they still handle it that way, but it was very simple to do. The main thing is they need to know you have an active pass before you check out so they know whether you are really entitled to the discount or whether you should be paying rack rate (at least, that's how they explained it to me).

You can't do your AP magicband until the AP is activated, so that will have to wait. But if you are staying onsite, you will get bands for your resort stay as well (that will also work at the gate as an AP magicband, once your pass is activated) so I would customize your resort bands they way you want them for your AP's.

My new AP band came with the slider in the box. No additional purchase.

 

[hiroMYhero]

AP vouchers, linking, and activation are explained in the Ticket Sticky at the top of the forum:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/all-about-tickets-at-wdw.3570721

 

[megs1313]

You can't do your AP magicband until the AP is activated, so that will have to wait. But if you are staying onsite, you will get bands for your resort stay as well (that will also work at the gate as an AP magicband, once your pass is activated) so I would customize your resort bands they way you want them for your AP's.

My new AP band came with the slider in the box. No additional purchase.

I'm new at this so take my experience, fwiw...

I bought an AP about a month ago for a trip next week. As soon as I linked my AP # up on my MDE, I was good to customize my magic band, it all went through same day. I got my AP band maybe a week or two after I ordered it and it came with the slider. YMMV.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm new at this so take my experience, fwiw...

I bought an AP about a month ago for a trip next week. As soon as I linked my AP # up on my MDE, I was good to customize my magic band, it all went through same day. I got my AP band maybe a week or two after I ordered it and it came with the slider. YMMV.

That's unusual, fwiw. Most seem to have to wait until after their first trip.

 

[anomamatt]

So, let's say I go ahead and buy the Annual Passes tomorrow, will I have to activate the APs before booking the resort? I read somewhere that they don't have to be activated upon booking the resort, but HAVE TO be activated upon checking in.

You do not need to activate your AP to use it for a discounted room reservation. And my last visit (WL), they never asked to see my AP. If they do want to see it, reports have been that new APs are given a day or so to return with it.

How does one activate the AP? Can I do it online?

You cannot do it online, you have to do it at guest services. That said, you don't want to activate it until you want to use it... The clock starts ticking upon activation, not purchase.

Let's say I purchase the annual pass but don't activate it until I get down there. Can I still customize the MagicBand?

You don't get AP bands until you have activated the AP. However, you will get resort bands...

Second to last question - is it worth rolling with the AP for now and buying TIW at another time, seeing as we will get the 20% this trip (excluding Easter Day)?

Depends on where you eat. I did the math and for my family the AP discounts negate the value of TIW.

And last - does the MB come with the Annual Passholder slider or do I need to buy that separately?

Comes with them.

 

[megs1313]

That's unusual, fwiw. Most seem to have to wait until after their first trip.

That's the impression I got from reading here, so I called twice to find out if there was some kind of error. Won't know for sure if it works until we get to the gate at DHS on tuesday!