Annual Passes

[NickyKnack]

I need some help figuring out if Annual passes would be a good idea for us.
We're taking a 4 day trip this year and probably a 7 day trip before our Ap would run out the year after.

Plan

April 2014: 1 Day trip - no hotel
May 2014: 2 day Trip with hotel Followed 4 days later by 1 day trip with hotel
February 2015: A Minimum of a 7 day stay hotel & Probably Dining Plan.

Can we get the dining plan with an AP?
Will it help enough with discounts on hotels when we need them to offset our AAA discount?

 

[BuckeyeBama]

If you park hop, you will save a bundle. Even if you do not park hop, you will still save some money.

The AP room discount is higher than the AAA discount for most rooms.

If you get the APs, instead of the dining plan, consider getting a Tables in Wonderland card and paying out of pocket. The discounts with that card can be amazing.

 

[NickyKnack]

The only thing the discounts with TIW would save us is tips, everything else we would eat is already on the DXDP which is what we get if we get a dining plan. That said if we decide it would be cheaper to pay oop without the DXDP the TIW would be a nice bonus. (After crunching the numbers with the DP calculator a Diser came up with we actually did save money with the DXDP 3 out of 4 trips.)

We don't park hop - but you still think this would save us money?
Can you help me guesstimate how much? I'm also trying to figure out if the savings helps offset the hardship of paying so much up front.

If you park hop, you will save a bundle. Even if you do not park hop, you will still save some money.

The AP room discount is higher than the AAA discount for most rooms.

If you get the APs, instead of the dining plan, consider getting a Tables in Wonderland card and paying out of pocket. The discounts with that card can be amazing.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The only thing the discounts with TIW would save us is tips, everything else we would eat is already on the DXDP which is what we get if we get a dining plan. That said if we decide it would be cheaper to pay oop without the DXDP the TIW would be a nice bonus. (After crunching the numbers with the DP calculator a Diser came up with we actually did save money with the DXDP 3 out of 4 trips.)

We don't park hop - but you still think this would save us money?
Can you help me guesstimate how much? I'm also trying to figure out if the savings helps offset the hardship of paying so much up front.

You actually have 3 trips with different ticketing needs.

April trip - 1 day ticket
May trip - 3 day ticket
2014 trip - 7 day ticket

A one day ticket costs $101.18. Through Mouse savers/UT, you can get a 3 day ticket for $276.45 and a 7 day ticket for $317.95. These tickets, bought separately, cost $695.58.

Or you can buy a 10 day non-expiration ticket from Mouse savers/UT for $678.95, which would cover the last 2 trips, but you would still need another one day ticket at $101.18. None of these are hoppers - all prices include tax.

You can buy an AP for $648.59 (with tax) and you get to hop.

 

[NickyKnack]

If I get rooms on property, do I still get EMH?

You actually have 3 trips with different ticketing needs.

April trip - 1 day ticket
May trip - 3 day ticket
2014 trip - 7 day ticket

A one day ticket costs $101.18. Through Mouse savers/UT, you can get a 3 day ticket for $276.45 and a 7 day ticket for $317.95. These tickets, bought separately, cost $695.58.

Or you can buy a 10 day non-expiration ticket from Mouse savers/UT for $678.95, which would cover the last 2 trips, but you would still need another one day ticket at $101.18. None of these are hoppers - all prices include tax.

You can buy an AP for $648.59 (with tax) and you get to hop.

 

[Pirate4Ever]

If I get rooms on property, do I still get EMH?

Yep- EMH are for all guest staying on property!

 

[Zuzu03]

Are you somewhat close to WDW? I'm 3 hours away and have already saved quite a bit with my AP. Plus free parking (on the day you're not staying at a hotel), the shopping discounts and the room discounts (I've used this 3 times already and have saved quite a bit there too).

The other thing with the pass is, if you are arriving at WDW later in the day and just want to run to a park for dinner or to watch fireworks, you're not burning a day off of your MYW pass. Similarly, on your last day, if you aren't leaving too early, you can hop into a park for a few more hours of fun before you leave. It doesn't feel as if you're using a whole day's worth ($) for only a few hours. Definitely a plus for us!

Add these benefits to the already discounted price that a kind pp laid out, and I don't see how you can go wrong!

 

[disneylovin24]

My family got AP's this past March since we had the March trip planned and a trip planned for January.

Great investment! Just spending 3 days in the parks in March they paid for themselves. We are DVC members so we got more of a discount, but still they are already well worth it for us. They allowed us to park hop a lot and eat in the parks whenever we wanted to. Looking forward to our January trip its great to not have to worry about making ADRs for when we are going to be in the park since we can go in any time.

I think if you are doing more than 1 trip they will probably pay for themselves.

 

[winthropf]

You need to consider the AP resort discount. I have found over the last few years that 3-4 nights at a deluxe resort will have the resort discount pay for the AP. So my other trips in the year are "free" park admission with AP discounts for the room.

 

[librarygeek]

You actually have 3 trips with different ticketing needs.

April trip - 1 day ticket
May trip - 3 day ticket
2014 trip - 7 day ticket

A one day ticket costs $101.18. Through Mouse savers/UT, you can get a 3 day ticket for $276.45 and a 7 day ticket for $317.95. These tickets, bought separately, cost $695.58.

Or you can buy a 10 day non-expiration ticket from Mouse savers/UT for $678.95, which would cover the last 2 trips, but you would still need another one day ticket at $101.18. None of these are hoppers - all prices include tax.

You can buy an AP for $648.59 (with tax) and you get to hop.

As this post points out, moneywise just for tickets it seems to save you money. Then you can save a little more or get an extra "bonus" with 10% off all merchandise purchases, the ability to purchase Tables in Wonderland (which has saved me a bundle!), discounts on tours if you're considering doing anything like that, and of course room discounts. Also, for your one day trip if you're not staying at a Disney hotel you'd have to pay for parking at the park. With an AP you get free parking, so that's also a savings of about $15 right there.