Nick6300
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 3, 2017
We currently have 10 day hoppers that we upgraded last week over the phone from 7 day hoppers, with a start date of 11/28/19. Because it was about $320/person more to upgrade from 10 day hoppers to AP, and we are wanting Memory Maker, we discussed upgrading again to AP on the eve of the big hike. If we upgrade to AP now, that will mark the 2nd straight time on the same trip that we were 'a day late and several dollars short.' I still have the big red mark on my forehead after slapping myself.
We found that Sams Club offers the Platinum AP for the $894 price before the hike, something like $1847 with tax and fees for 2. AAA offered 2 for $1844 (we are not members) and assured me that my dad in law could buy them for us and they would be virtual APs that you will call at Guest Relations later. Undercover Tourist, Park Savers, Maple Leaf, and Costco didn't offer AP. Our 10 days are were priced up to around $630, I think.
So instead of upgrading our 10 day hoppers in Nov to AP at Guest Relations, I'm trying to figure out whether to:
1) buy the discounted APs, use them, and bank the 10 days that are date specific (for starting in Thanksgiving), let them expire and use them as a credit for either renewal, or probably a future trip in 2021. I've never let a ticket expire before, never taking the chance that the ticket policy could change. And I've had bad experiences with upgrading tickets, even though it seems like I must love going out of my way to upgrading tickets as many times as possible. We actually had 1 call with a CM last week who said that "you've reached your limit for upgrades and now have to buy a separate 3 day ticket to go with your 7 days." Good grief. That's when I asked for a mgr.
The problems with this, other than being uncomfortable with letting the 10 day hoppers expire, is that we only have a max of 10 vacation days in 2020 (we were thinking late April early May and Labor Day wknd) - most likely 2x week trips, at the very most, if we don't get ill, or don't visit family (all out of state) or anything else. I think that even 1 trip in 2020 before our APs expire is worth the savings, but this isn't as convincing compared to the family who can go 2 or 3x.
2) 2nd option might be for 1 of us to buy an AP for the Memory Maker to share, buy all of the merchandise (I have a Disney card too), maybe a few 10% dining discounts, and maybe a slight discount on our All Star rooms that we booked on UT for 5% off (turning blue from holding my breath on those AP room discounts for this fall). I'm not sure if we'd buy an AP or upgrade 1 of the 10 day tickets.
3) Another option might be to bank the purchased discount APs by using the 10 day hoppers as originally planned, and buy now but don't use the APs until, say, labor day week 2020 so that we have discounted APs into the 50th anniversary celebration in 2021. Can you bank APs that you buy in advance at these authorized retailers this far out? And does it involve will calling at GR this yr but creating a dummy MDX account, placing the APs in there to make sure they don't get used instead of the 10 day hoppers and transferring them back to us in 2020?
4) last option is not to let the AP discount (2 days ago price) tempt us, and just run with the 10 day hoppers, buy 1 Memory Maker for $170, and wait until 2021 for our next trip.
I'm curious to know some of your thoughts because I don't know how long the discounted AP rates will last. I'd like to know if #3 is a real option. Please and thank you!
We found that Sams Club offers the Platinum AP for the $894 price before the hike, something like $1847 with tax and fees for 2. AAA offered 2 for $1844 (we are not members) and assured me that my dad in law could buy them for us and they would be virtual APs that you will call at Guest Relations later. Undercover Tourist, Park Savers, Maple Leaf, and Costco didn't offer AP. Our 10 days are were priced up to around $630, I think.
So instead of upgrading our 10 day hoppers in Nov to AP at Guest Relations, I'm trying to figure out whether to:
1) buy the discounted APs, use them, and bank the 10 days that are date specific (for starting in Thanksgiving), let them expire and use them as a credit for either renewal, or probably a future trip in 2021. I've never let a ticket expire before, never taking the chance that the ticket policy could change. And I've had bad experiences with upgrading tickets, even though it seems like I must love going out of my way to upgrading tickets as many times as possible. We actually had 1 call with a CM last week who said that "you've reached your limit for upgrades and now have to buy a separate 3 day ticket to go with your 7 days." Good grief. That's when I asked for a mgr.
The problems with this, other than being uncomfortable with letting the 10 day hoppers expire, is that we only have a max of 10 vacation days in 2020 (we were thinking late April early May and Labor Day wknd) - most likely 2x week trips, at the very most, if we don't get ill, or don't visit family (all out of state) or anything else. I think that even 1 trip in 2020 before our APs expire is worth the savings, but this isn't as convincing compared to the family who can go 2 or 3x.
2) 2nd option might be for 1 of us to buy an AP for the Memory Maker to share, buy all of the merchandise (I have a Disney card too), maybe a few 10% dining discounts, and maybe a slight discount on our All Star rooms that we booked on UT for 5% off (turning blue from holding my breath on those AP room discounts for this fall). I'm not sure if we'd buy an AP or upgrade 1 of the 10 day tickets.
3) Another option might be to bank the purchased discount APs by using the 10 day hoppers as originally planned, and buy now but don't use the APs until, say, labor day week 2020 so that we have discounted APs into the 50th anniversary celebration in 2021. Can you bank APs that you buy in advance at these authorized retailers this far out? And does it involve will calling at GR this yr but creating a dummy MDX account, placing the APs in there to make sure they don't get used instead of the 10 day hoppers and transferring them back to us in 2020?
4) last option is not to let the AP discount (2 days ago price) tempt us, and just run with the 10 day hoppers, buy 1 Memory Maker for $170, and wait until 2021 for our next trip.
I'm curious to know some of your thoughts because I don't know how long the discounted AP rates will last. I'd like to know if #3 is a real option. Please and thank you!
