Hi Aaron,
Welcome to planDisney!
I am so happy to see that you are planning to join the
Annual Passholder family! I love being an Annual Passholder and especially appreciate the
Special Offers that allow us to book select rooms at a discounted rate. As long as those dates are available to book, you can certainly book them and then, once you have that annual pass linked in your
My Disney Experience account, you can try to modify the reservation to apply a special offer for annual passholders. Just keep in mind that there is no guarantee that you will be able to apply a new special offer to an existing reservation.
If you want a passholder discount to apply at the time of booking, that pass must be linked in your My Disney Experience account. To use the privileges associated with an annual pass, the pass should be activated according to the
Annual Pass Terms and Conditions. Once your passes are linked in your My Disney Experience account you can certainly try to make a reservation using a passholder discount if one is available. I also called to double-check possibilities with a cast member. The cast member I spoke with said that if you have trouble making that reservation with the passholder discount online, you could call to see if a cast member can help you make that reservation. Although it is not guaranteed, they may be able to help you as long as the pass will be active for the dates of your visit. Remember to take photo ID with you when you visit the Walt Disney World Resort because you may be asked for it when trying to use your annual passholder discount!
Like you, I do prefer to make my
Disney Resorts Collection reservations well in advance so that we can reserve the accommodations that we prefer. In the past, I have been able to modify an existing reservation to take advantage of a newly released special offer and at other times, I have not. So do keep in mind that you can always make a reservation without a passholder discount and then try to modify that reservation with the discount at a later date.
Aaron, as you continue to plan, be sure to review the
theme park reservation availability and guidelines for annual passholders. Make sure all of the folks traveling with you are linked in the Family & Friends List in My Disney Experience so that you can make plans together!
Magic and memories,
Donyell