[Disneyfever]

When you purchase the AP from the Disneyland website, do they send you a voucher to be turned in at the park? Is your AP activated when you purchase it, or when you visit the park?

I am debating whether or not to get an AP for our trip this Thanksgiving week. I currently have reservations for 9 nights at the Candy Cane Inn, which looks like a nice hotel (11/18 - 11/27). However, some of the family members that I am meeting there would like to splurge & stay at either the DLR or the GC from the 22nd - 27th. Have there been any good AP rates in the past during Thanksgiving week for the DLR or GC?

I thought if I could get a good AP rate, I could stay at the CCI for 4 or 5 nights, then move over to Disney. If not, I will stay where I am. Thanks for any help!!

[Disneywife]

Originally Posted by Disneyfever

When you purchase the AP from the Disneyland website, do they send you a voucher to be turned in at the park? Is your AP activated when you purchase it, or when you visit the park?

I am debating whether or not to get an AP for our trip this Thanksgiving week. I currently have reservations for 9 nights at the Candy Cane Inn, which looks like a nice hotel (11/18 - 11/27). However, some of the family members that I am meeting there would like to splurge & stay at either the DLR or the GC from the 22nd - 27th. Have there been any good AP rates in the past during Thanksgiving week for the DLR or GC?

I thought if I could get a good AP rate, I could stay at the CCI for 4 or 5 nights, then move over to Disney. If not, I will stay where I am. Thanks for any help!!

It's not activated until you visit the park, so basically, all you are doing by purchasing it ahead of time is paying for it. Whatever they send you as a receipt will get you in the gate that day, but you'll need to go to the AP center to have your picture taken and get your card.

Right now the AP center is right at the Space Mountain exit, so after Space Mountain reopens it'll move again, most likely back to the Bank of Main Street.

[Disneyfever]

Thanks Disneywife! That's what I was hoping about the APs. Although we won't be visiting Disney every single day, we will be going there a lot. So, we will have to get hoppers. Do you think I should just get an AP and hope for some kind of discount at the DLR or GC for Thanksgiving week? I guess the discounts at the restaurants will make up for the cost of the AP over the hoppers I would need.

[Disneywife]

Originally Posted by Disneyfever

Thanks Disneywife! That's what I was hoping about the APs. Although we won't be visiting Disney every single day, we will be going there a lot. So, we will have to get hoppers. Do you think I should just get an AP and hope for some kind of discount at the DLR or GC for Thanksgiving week? I guess the discounts at the restaurants will make up for the cost of the AP over the hoppers I would need.

Which Annual Pass are you going to get? I think all but the premium, which has no blackout dates, will be blacked out Thanksgiving week. You might want to check. If it is, admission on a blackout day is discounted (I think it's $25) so that's something to consider if it will still keep you under the premium price. We used to buy the deluxe level, which had some blackout dates but the least.

Also, I think only the premium has the 20% discount and I think it's only at certain restaurants (sit-down ones).

Last time we had passes, which was in 2003, it was only an additional $10 to upgrade your pass from a one-park pass to a two-park pass. DCA was still brand new then, so they may all be two-park passes now. I'm not sure, but that's certainly something else you can check out. I don't know if they still sell Disneyland Park-only passes. I'm guessing probably not, but ask.

Something else the premium had that the others don't was free parking - with the other passes you had to buy a parking pass, which was $35 last time we purchased it (and you only need to buy one parking pass per family - we would put it on our son's pass so that either of us could take him without the other and still get parking)

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by Disneywife

Which Annual Pass are you going to get? I think all but the premium, which has no blackout dates, will be blacked out Thanksgiving week. You might want to check. If it is, admission on a blackout day is discounted (I think it's $25) so that's something to consider if it will still keep you under the premium price. We used to buy the deluxe level, which had some blackout dates but the least.

Also, I think only the premium has the 20% discount and I think it's only at certain restaurants (sit-down ones).

Last time we had passes, which was in 2003, it was only an additional $10 to upgrade your pass from a one-park pass to a two-park pass. DCA was still brand new then, so they may all be two-park passes now. I'm not sure, but that's certainly something else you can check out. I don't know if they still sell Disneyland Park-only passes. I'm guessing probably not, but ask.

Something else the premium had that the others don't was free parking - with the other passes you had to buy a parking pass, which was $35 last time we purchased it (and you only need to buy one parking pass per family - we would put it on our son's pass so that either of us could take him without the other and still get parking)

that is some good thinking!! I always put the parking on my husbands pass because he was almost always driving, but a couple times I went with just me and the kids (now since I am getting divorced It will always be just me and the kids) and I had to pay for parking!

[Disneyfever]

I did notice that there were blackout dates during the week of Thanksgiving. So, the premium AP would be the one I would get. I wish a person that was not an AP holder could get to the section on the disney site to look up the AP rates. I guess you just have to get the pass and hope for discounts. Do resort guests get free parking? Or od you have to be an AP holder? Thanks!!

[Disneyfever]

Well, I just ordered a premium AP, so hopefully I will be able to get some good rates in Nov. If not, then that will be one less ticket I will have to buy on my trip & I will be able to get some meal & shopping discounts.

[Disneywife]

Originally Posted by Disneyfever

I did notice that there were blackout dates during the week of Thanksgiving. So, the premium AP would be the one I would get. I wish a person that was not an AP holder could get to the section on the disney site to look up the AP rates. I guess you just have to get the pass and hope for discounts. Do resort guests get free parking? Or od you have to be an AP holder? Thanks!!

You get free self-parking at the hotel, but not in the theme park parking lots (the Mickey and Friends structure and Timon). I'm not sure about the Downtown Disney lots - we've never tried to park there.

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by Disneyfever

I did notice that there were blackout dates during the week of Thanksgiving. So, the premium AP would be the one I would get. I wish a person that was not an AP holder could get to the section on the disney site to look up the AP rates. I guess you just have to get the pass and hope for discounts. Do resort guests get free parking? Or od you have to be an AP holder? Thanks!!

We stayed at the PP hotel and parking was $10 per day payable at check in.

[Disneywife]

Originally Posted by pumouse

We stayed at the PP hotel and parking was $10 per day payable at check in.

Are you serious?? When we stayed at the Grand California, parking was free! The valet was extra of course, but we used self-parking.

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by Disneywife

Are you serious?? When we stayed at the Grand California, parking was free! The valet was extra of course, but we used self-parking.

yes, they charged it to my credit card, and they told me there was a parking fee when I booked it.

[Disneywife]

In all honesty it could be because I booked through dh as a castmember that we didn't pay it, but I've never heard anything that we get free parking...I'd be interested to hear from others who have stayed at any of the Disney hotels if they paid parking. (We didn't pay it in Florida either, fwiw.) Or it could be because it's a different hotel?

[jodilt]

We had free self parking at the GF last summer. They only charged for valet.

[pumouse]

Originally Posted by Disneywife

In all honesty it could be because I booked through dh as a castmember that we didn't pay it, but I've never heard anything that we get free parking...I'd be interested to hear from others who have stayed at any of the Disney hotels if they paid parking. (We didn't pay it in Florida either, fwiw.) Or it could be because it's a different hotel?

I even booked it with my AP discount.

[yesimaprncss]

Where do you park if you stay at the GC? Do they have their own parking? Any concensus on whether they charge or not?

Thanks!