Admission Choices

[landsm99]

Hello-
We are making our 1st trip home in Dec (1-10). We have always purchased LOS tickets when staying in a resort is that reasonable this time. A 7 day hopper? We would go w/ the annual pass but we only have 150 points and are anticipating a go every other year type of senario. Any suggestions-thanks

 

[DebbieB]

Currently, the only DVC discount is 10% off the length of stay pass (front desk price). They will usually allow you to drop the first and/or last day. Do you plan not to go to the parks everyday? A 7 day hopper would leave you with 3 days outside the main parks, you could go to Typhoon Lagoon with one of your plusses (assuming it's warm). An 8 day LOS (dropping the first and last day) with the DVC discount would be $367.13. A 7 day hopper is $336.56 advance price. An AP is $403.64. It really depends on what you want to do with the extra days.

 

[Lesley]

It really depends on what you like to do....

If you enjoy being in the parks every day, having the convenience of going to a water park or Pleasure Island every day, etc....then the length of stay pass should still work for you...and you'll even get a discount now as a DVC member!

If you'd rather take a more relaxing vacation and not go to the parks every day, a regular park hopper pass is a great option...and it can be used over more than one vacation. This is what we're doing in December and plan to use our 7 day park hopper plus over several vacations (at least 2...only have 2 park days planned for December)

Then there's the AP option....if you do 2 trips in the space of one calendar year this works out well...especially if you like to go to the parks every day and don't really care about the water parks, etc.... But if you're only visiting every other year this may not be the best option for you.

 

[Chuck S]

If you plan to spend a lot of days in the parks during your trip, or if you like to just go to into a park for dinner on a non-park day, then an AP could still work well for you. The break even is about 8 park days for an AP.

 

[ceejay13]

I'm with Chuck S, break even is at 8 days and you might be able to squeeze another trip at the end of your AP year for any even better deal.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

When it's close, get the AP. You never know what the future will hold.

HBC

 

[SoCalKDG]

I'm with Chuck S, break even is at 8 days and you might be able to squeeze another trip at the end of your AP year for any even better deal.

Break even isn't really at 8 days considering you get 4 plusses with a park hopper. These can be used for Pleasure Island or the Water Parks. You can also find 7 day park hoppers for as low as $310. I'd say the breakeven is between 9 days and 12 days, depending on the value you equate to the plusses. If you take 1 day off from the parks, and go to a waterpark, you could end up with 1 or 2 park days left, and they never expire.

 

[rinkwide]

If you might go again this year do the AP.

If not and you'll be sampling the water parks (in December), Disney Quest, PI and doing lots of hopping I'd do an 8 day LOS at check-in and take the 10% off.

If neither of the above apply, do the 7 day PHP. I think this pass does too much to restrict spontaneity but it is a good value.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

If you advance order a 7-day Park Hopper Plus, through Disney.com, it's only $316.00! You get 4 "pluses". I think that's a lot cheaper than the UPH (formerly LOS), even if they let you drop a day!

 

[Tigger1]

What is the price of an annual premium ticket? If you get just the reg. annual you can only go to the parks.

I purchase the 7 day ticket. I do not feel as if have to go to the park every day. It last us 2 trips, 3 days one trip and 4 the next. We have lots of water parks tickets uses left. If you can not use the water parks this trip you could save them for the next trip.

I bought mine for about $320 and it included one day at Disney Quest, 7 day park, 4 day pleasure island/water parks. I purchased from travel international.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Don't forget that the AP's allow you bene's that the other offers do not.

10% off everything at World of Disney
10% selected stores
10% off your next annual pass
10% dinner shows
10% sporting equipment rentals like boating, para-sailing, etc.
Free entry to TL, PI and BB (PAP).

and some other perks that I have forgotten.

 

[dermh]

I am in a similar siuation. I bought a 7 day PH+ for $302.90 from Hotwire Savings club. They also offer meal vouchers at a good price. This way I could use the tickets over a couple stays not knowing if I will make 2 trips within a 12 month period.

 

[crisi]

We discovered last year that when we dropped a day off a UPH, we spent about $5 more a ticket for a UPH than we would have for a mail order hopper through a broker after shipping (same number of days - cheapest broker available at the time). A lot of people think the $5 worth saving - we didn't - we like the UPH and having everything on our key card.

Then it comes down to where you want to put your risk. With a seven day hopper, you can skip days in the park (nice if you just want to do something else, or get ill), but if you have extra days when you leave, you can't lose the hopper. Write down the numbers! Hoppers are impossible to replace if lost without those numbers....

With an AP you are saying you intend to go again. We don't squeeze in the extra trips so many DVCers do - we go every other year like you do. So there isn't any way we will stretch seven days into 10 to make it worthwhile. That might change if our plans change - my husband is currently talking about taking a trip with his brother - which would make an AP for him a good deal this year - but only for him.

With a UPH you risk getting ill on the trip or deciding that you'd rather hang by the pool and wasting a day. But the UPH is easy to replace and gets you everywhere you want to go with no fuss. To us, that's worth a few bucks.