What Type of Ticket Media?

[PamOKW]

We are having a lot of discussion about pass discounts the last few days. DVC gives us a LOS discount and that 4 out of 5 year 5 day pass option. I'm curious just what type of pass most of us are buying.

***I forgot to include the special 5 Year DVC Pass as an option. Please post if you have purchased this pass.***

[dianeschlicht]

Pam, You must have deleted the first thread after I posted. So here goes again.

We always by APs because we plan 2-3 trips during the 365 days of the AP and then don't go for 12-13 months befor we start over again. We don't go to the water parks much, but if we decide to, we just buy a day ticket for that.

Last year we had 29 use days on our APs. We figure it cost us less than $10 a day in the parks. Keep in mind that these passes were purchased in Dec. 1999 and used through Dec. 2000. They were also a renewal rate (before they changed that policy).

Before DVC, we used to buy hoppers, but then we weren't staying 10-12 days a time!

[EROS]

Originally posted by PamOKW
DVC gives us a 4 out of 5 year 5 day pass option.

Pam, I've never heard of this animal. What is it??:confused: :confused:

[DebbieB]

We get at least 3 trips out of our annual passes (usually 6 or 7 days per trip). We usually go May and December, but schedule the trips so that the third one is right before they expire. Like this past year we went Mid-May, Early December and next year we'll go Early May before they expire. I also sometimes throw in a trip with friends in the late winter, so that would be 4. I have a Disney Club card, so we get a 5% discount (except the last ones I got on the gift deal they had last Christmas which was 10%), I would be happy if DVC could get us 10% on AP's like UMP's, every little bit counts.

[PamOKW]

Yes, Diane I had some trouble getting the poll up. I'm sorry you had to post twice.

Eros -- The Magical Years Pass was announced in the Winter 2000 VM. For 4 of the next 5 years you get 5 days per year admission to the 4 major parks and flexibility to visit 2 other options per year. The options are PI, a choice among the water parks or the WWofSports. You also get $10 off one adult admission or $5 off a child's admission to DQ, 50% off one round of mini-golf and 10% off merchandise at the water parks. The cost -- $749 per adult or child. I've yet to hear of anyone who purchased the pass although some folks thought it might work for them.

[Granny]

I voted for the Park Hopper pass. We spend a significant time on our trips going to Sea World, Busch Gardens, Kennedy Space Center, Discovery Cove, etc so it hasn't made much sense to buy anything else.

BUT, after our next trip, we will probably buy an AP. With DVC, we will now be spending more total days in Orlando and should make the AP pay off with a trip in July and another one in June '03.

It'll be interesting to see if park admission buying habits have changed since the last poll. Here's the link to that:

http://64.225.125.24/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71098

[EROS]

Thanks, PAM. We use hoppers only and often carryover unused days from one year to the next. We're not down there long enough to really take advantage of an AP, and during our usual 7 day visits we visit the parks only for 4 days; thus, UMPs don't make sense for us either.

[Johnnie Fedora]

AP's expired in November, and we won't be purchasing park passes until 2003 or so. We would have renewed passes if Disney wouldn't have changed the activation policy. Too expensive to purchase each and every year. We will take advantage of non-park activities at the resorts and Fort Wilderness, and the many other Orlando options available to us.

[PamOKW]

Johnnie -- The change in the AP renewal policy really annoys me more than DVC not giving a discount. I sure would like to see the old renewal policy reinstated.

[dvc_john]

I've used hoppers plus in the past.
In January I'm getting an AP.
In 2003 I'll skip the Disney parks and concentrate on UF, IOA, SW, BG, KSC, etc.
I'll probably continue to alternate - a Disney AP one year, and do other things the next year.

[Jaypd]

I always get the PAP I am in Disney about 25-30 days a year. We also like to hit the water parks and PI. I feel the pass more then pays for itself

[Eeyore2U]

We get LOS passes. We are only getting there one a year. We like the fact we can get to a water park and multiple trips to PI. If we were going more then once a year I think we would get PAPs.

[DeeP]

We have been buying APs for years now, even before we were DVC owners. We are at WDW 30-40 days per year, so for us it is a no brainer! We love the APs!!!!

[iluvdisney]

I, myself, have been doing the annual pass since our DVC passes went away at the end of 99. DH finally purchased one last year after much calculating to see if he would get the best deal that way. We'll save our park hoppers for when the grown up kiddies want to go down. DH and I try to get down more than once a year but we always manage to stay 10 days or more so we feel it's worth the price, for now.

[Caskbill]

Our AP's expire at the end of January 2002. We're not totally sure just yet what we're going to do then.

We have SW passes good thru March 2003, and we're going to get the US/IoA 2-park annual pass that is currently available for $99, so can't really see spending the big bucks on Disney just yet.

We kind of planned ahead for this. Borrowed a lot of 2002 points this year so got a lot more DVC time this year to use the AP's. Think we'll bank the remaining 2002 points into 2003 and then do AP's again then, and schedule lots more DVC time that year.

[robinb]

We buy regular annual passes. While our 2 year old DD would probably enjoy the kiddie parts of the water parks, I see no reason to pay extra for them. She's perfectly happy in whatever pool happens to be handy. Plus, we can't go to PI and DQ is also right out with a toddler. We already have 20 days on our current AP and plan on adding another 10 days this month and another week in May. We get our money's worth :).

[dianeschlicht]

Pam,
Yes, the AP policy change was the one that we were POed about too. It was great to be able to get the discount and not use the pass for another year, but now it is cheaper to buy a new voucher in December (before the Jan. rate hikes) and hold it until we go.

[JenEeyore]

We've been doing APs for the last few years - mostly has paid off! Last year it didn't as we only took 1 trip for 5 days and didn't end up getting back down until just after our expiration date. But this year made up for it. We were down for 2 full weeks in May and then 5 days in Sept and 6 days in Nov and we still don't "expire" until the beginning of May. At this point though we are not sure when our next trip will be considering our new little Mouseketeer is due the beginning of March, but you never know, maybe baby will get its first taste of WDW early in life!!!

:earsboy:

[Jade M M]

We have been buying the longest day Hoppers (currently 7), to get the price per day down and useing 2 to 4 days each visit, and a day or 2 at a water park. This way they last a couple years and there are no tickets to buy for most trips. We feel the days of going 5 to 7 days straight to the parks from sunup to sunset are not necessary, we started to recognize the names on the bricks in front of the MK. Now we can unwind at a beautiful DVC resort for the other days. WE WOULD LOVE TO BUY AP's at a decent discount, work in 2 trips a year and that way we could walk over to EPCOT for dinner at ex: Japan and not waste a whole hopper day, or just go Fantasmic one night etc.

[PamOKW]

Just bumping for more replies.

[DVC-Don]

AP's for the past two years. Last year we got 16 days in on them. This set of AP's will give us 20 days at the parks. Prior to that we did LOS. I know, I know, I felt ripped off once I started to research online.

[PamOKW]

Based on this small sample, it looks like many DVC'ers have gone to AP type tickets. This is where we could use a discount. I played around with some numbers for per day costs. I did not include the DC discount but I did use the DVC UMP discount.

For 7 days,
7-day park hopper costs $46.49 per day
An UMP for 6 nights/7days with 10% off costs $42.57 per day.
The AP runs $52.85 per day (PI & water parks additional)
The PAP runs $71.02 per day

The Magical Years gives you 20 days -- 5 days per year only for 4 of the next 5 years at a cost of $37.45 per day. The cost is "okay" but the restrictions don't work for many DVC'ers.
It does lock in the cost for 5 years.

However, if you go for longer periods during a 12 month stay the AP really kicks in --

The longest Pete's list shows for an UMP is 12 nights/13 days. This costs $32.95 per day. The AP would be $28.45 and PAP $38.24. At 14 days, the APs are $26.42 and $35.51 respectively.

If you bump your visits up to say 20 days....$18.50 and $24.86!

If you add in the DC discount on the purchase of the AP and the various other perks AP's give you....discounts, special events, resort discounts, etc. they really do look to be the best deal for DVC'ers who go more than one week every 12 months.

[Beth]

Thanks for posting this thread, Pam.

It's <i>interesting</i> for us on the Board but, hopefully, it's provided great information for those from DVC who may be watching...

For us? We converted from AP's to FL Res Seasonal Passes about 4 years ago. Though, I'm still tempted to go upgrade those to AP's sometime next week and get that "100 extra days" offer. We'll see how many Disney Dollars Santa brings me! :)

[mikek]

Results surprised me...

I figured most buy AP's by a long shot. While most do, it seems MANY get hoppers.

[Granny]

Originally posted by mikek
Results surprised me...

I figured most buy AP's by a long shot. While most do, it seems MANY get hoppers. mikek....I replied to your similar comment on another thread, but this one is really more appropriate for the topic of passes.

We spend a lot of time in Orlando going to non-Disney attractions such as Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc. So even though we will spend 13 nights at "home" next year, we will only spend 6 or 7 days in the parks. So a hopper makes more sense for us. I think it takes about 9 days in WDW parks per 12 month period to make an AP pay off.

[dvcmomdeh]

We have purchased premium annual passes since the initial purchase passes ran out. We love to go to a major park in the morning (~ 5 hours) then a water park and then to Disney Quest. We have yet to make it to Pleasure Island for any kind of entertainment, husband just isn't into dancing.

We think that we make skip the parks all together for 2002. We have spent between 4 and 6 weeks in Orlando over the past 7 years or so and just can't see spending the money on passes, it's getting so we can't afford it. I guess we'll just pool hop and try Universal this year.

Too bad the 10 year old loves eating with the Characters at Crystal Palace and at Cinderellas (too hard to get into these days). It will most affect the little ones.