Buying an annual pass with the DVC discount

[NewDVCowner]

Good morning,

Next year my family is going to purchase annual passes. :mickey: Since we're DVC members we're going to buy them with the discount, of course. Our first trip is in January so we'll need to purchase the passes (but not activate them) before November to get the FP+ option, correct? There won't be any issues since we're going to be rolling past the calendar year?

My other question is this- we've had annual passes at Disneyland in the past and they offered a monthly payment option. Is that something that we could do with the DW annual passes (with the DVC discount), or do we need to pay the full amount? Secondly, and I think I know the answer to this, would the monthly payments start when we purchase the pass (and not activate it) or when we activate it in January?

Thanks so much!

[Fangorn]

There is a monthly payment option for WDW passes, BUT only for Florida residents (just as the Disneyland monthly option is only available for California residents). So that option isn't open to you.

You will have to have tickets attached to your MDE account at the 60 day mark in order to make FP+ reservations then. But the clock does not start ticking on your annual passes until the first time they are scanned at a park. The calendar year(s) in which you purchase them and first use them is irrelevant. You won't have any issue there.

But, you'll want to verify the expiration date of your passes that shows in your MDE account once you've used them the first time just to be sure. We had an issue last October where the expiration date showed as a year from the purchase date rather than the first use date. But that was a CM error (we had other things going on that required manual intervention with the account) and not a system error. It was quickly fixed once I noticed it.

As with any purchase of this magnitude, keep your receipt just in case. You're unlikely to need it, but you never know.

Steve

[disneymom15]

We're DVC also and purchase AP's. What we do is, purchase MYW tickets for the number of days we're going to be in WDW (7 days costs about $324 from Icots sponsor) and then upgrade them to AP's with DVC discount. Less out of pocket up front.

[NewDVCowner]

Thank you both!

Regarding upgrading to an annual pass. Can I do that (getting the DVC discount) at the parks or at the hotel, or do I need to call member services?

[disneymom15]

We activate our tickets and then go to customer relations in the park. We tell them we want to upgrade to AP's and that we're DVC. They will ask for your ID and also your DVC membership card, we pay the difference and off we go. Very simple.

[Fangorn]

We activate our tickets and then go to customer relations in the park. We tell them we want to upgrade to AP's and that we're DVC. They will ask for your ID and also your DVC membership card, we pay the difference and off we go. Very simple.

We've done that as well. But it was this exact transaction that led to the error in the expiration date. CM used the date of the original ticket purchase (several months earlier) rather than that day's date. Just verify the expiration date that shows in your MDE account.

Steve

[NewDVCowner]

Thanks for all your help!

[NewDVCowner]

Thank you all very much!

[tjstrike]

You can also save money by buying disney gift cards through target with their red debit card, put the gift cards into a disney vacation account and pay for the AP's through the vacation account.