Annual Disney Pass? Yes or No

[wdwlover88]

I need some help here, see we're a family of 4, and we can't decide if we should go ahead and get the annual passes or just keep buying single passes. We go ATLEAST once a year but maybe if we bought the passes we'd be tempted to go more often. I just don't want to spend the money on the passes and waste them because I find we dont have the time to fit two or three more trips to Disney into our schedule. Also, does anyone know what kind of discounts you get with the annual passes once youre in the parks or resorts? Or if you get any at all? Thanks for everyone's help ahead of time!!

 

[Lollipop Mom]

Hello! We decided to buy APs on our last trip because we knew we'd be making more than one trip but keep in mind that number of days in the park isn't the only thing to consider when deciding if it is worth it to buy an AP. AP holders often get discounts on the WDW resorts. They are usually between 35-45% off depending on the resort and the season you are travelling in. That can be a big factor when deciding if it's a good buy or not. If you aren't planning to stay onsite, obviously this doesn't help much! We had 2 cars going to the parks most days on our recent trip so the free parking alone saved us $50 for the trip!

Mousesavers web site (www.mousesavers.com) has a section on determining the break even point on APs and another on deciding if they are for you.

Here's a list of the discounts offered to AP holders...

GENERAL BENEFITS

Passholder Newsletter: Mailed four times per year (Feb., May, Aug., Nov.), the "Mickey Monitor" newsletter highlights the latest information on new attractions, upcoming events, Passholder offers and discounts. (U.S. and Puerto Rico only)

Passholder Emails: To receive special offers, Passholder information and timely reminders for upcoming Passholder specials, register by visiting disneyworld.com/annualpass and click on "Register" or call 407-560-PASS (7277).

Passholder Get-Togethers: Special Disney moments filled with fun and surprise are offered for 2004. Look for details in upcoming Mickey Monitor newsletters, or visit disneyworld.com/annualpass.

Complimentary parking: AP/PAP holders are entitled to free parking at the MK, Epcot, MGM and AK parking lots. Florida Seasonal Passholders do not get this benefit. Free parking is not valid for special events requiring a separate admission charge or special events that are not open to the general public.

Pins - Passholder Pin #4: The Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park pin! This limited edition pin features Safari Mickey hanging out in his wacky khakis. You may purchase it beginning November 15th, 2003 for $8.50 plus tax but only 7,500 are being issued. There is a limit of two pins per Passholder per day. The pins will be on sale at The Sorcerer's Hat in Disney MGM Studios, Town Square Exposition Hall in the Magic Kingdom, Island Mercantile in Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Pin Central at Epcot. All you have to do is show up and present your valid Passholder ID.

SEASONAL BENEFITS - WINTER 2003/2004

Passholder Lanyard - To help celebrate the magic that happens when you gather with family and friends at the most exciting place on earth, we are going to give you an exclusive Magical Gatherings™ 2004 Passholder lanyard. Just swing by the Island Mercantile at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park on January 24, 25, 31 or February 1, 2004 during regular park hours to get yours. There is a limit of one per Passholder.

Lion King 1½ Pin - In honor of the February 10, 2004 video premiere of The Lion King 1½, We are releasing a limited edition pin featuring the loveable stars of the film, Timon and Pumbaa. But only 2,000 are being issued so be sure to head to the Island Mercantile at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park to get yours beginning on January 24 for $10.50 plus tax. Please note that there is a limit of two pins per Passholder per day. Don't forget your valid Passholder ID.

RESORT BENEFITS

Special Resort Rates - A limited number of Passholder rates may be offered periodically at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and select Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Visit disneyworld.com/annualpass or see your Mickey Monitor newsletter for special offers.

TICKET BENEFITS

Passholders and their guests (up to 3 guests per visit) can get special savings of $4 off adult admission (ages 10 and up) and $3 off child admission (ages 3-9) at the following places:

-- Downtown Disney® Pleasure Island

-- DisneyQuest® Indoor Interactive Theme Park

-- Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park

-- Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park

WDW DINING

Lunch Discounts: Get 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages (excluding tax and gratuity) Monday through Friday during lunch hours for Passholder and up to three Guests at the following participating Walt Disney World Resort Table Service locations. Call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463) for priority seating. Lunch hours vary by location.

- Concourse Steakhouse at Disney's Contemporary Resort
- ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk
- Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort
- Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort
- Olivia's Cafe at Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Sand Trap Bar & Grill at Disney's Bonnet Creek Golf Club
- Trail's End Buffeteria at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
- Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort
- Yacht Club Galley at Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Epcot Lunch Discounts: Get 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages (excluding tax and gratuity) Monday through Friday during lunch hours for Passholder and up to three Guests at the following participating Epcot Table Service locations. Call (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463) for priority seating. Lunch hours vary by location.

- Alfredo di Roma Ristorante
- Biergarten Restaurant
- The Garden Grill Restaurant
- Coral Reef Restaurant
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
- Le Chefs de France Restaurant
- Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Restaurant
- Nine Dragons Restaurant
- Restaurant Akershus
- Restaurant Marrakesh
- Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room
- San Angel Inn Restaurant
Other Dining Discounts:

Official All-Star Cafe at Disney's Wide World of Sports - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages in a setting that celebrates sports with amazing memorabilia. Offer valid for all meal periods for Passholder and up to 3 guests.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe at Downtown Disney's West Side - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch and dinner. Valid for the Passholder and up to 3 guests. Priority seating is available by calling 407-938-9653.

House of Blues at Downtown Disney's West Side - 20% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages prior to 6:00 pm. Valid for Passholder and up to 5 guests.

Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney's West Side - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily. Valid for Passholder and up to 3 guests.

Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney's Marketplace - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm. Valid for Passholder and up to 3 guests. Priority seating is available by calling 407-827-8500. This discount is also available at the Rainforest Cafe located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park from 2:30 pm until closing.

Portobello Yacht Club at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch or dinner. Valid for Passholder and up to 3 guests. Priority seating is available by calling 407-934-8888.

Fulton's Crab House at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island - 10% discount off the regular price (excluding tax and gratuity) of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch or dinner. Valid for Passholder and up to 3 guests. Priority seating is available by calling 407-934-BOAT(2628).

MERCHANDISE DISCOUNTS

- House of Blues - 10% discount off regularly priced merchandise in the House of Blues retail store (excludes books, leather, tobacco, jewelry and select CD's). Valid for purchases made by Passholder only.

- Planet Hollywood - 10% off select regularly priced merchandise purchased in the Planet Hollywood shop. Valid for purchases made by Passholder only.

- Rainforest Cafe - 15% off select regularly priced merchandise purchased in the Rainforest Cafe retail store at either location. Valid for purchases made by Passholder only.

- Leave a Legacy Tile at Epcot - Buy one Leave a Legacy Tile at Photo and get one free. Proof of valid Annual Pass required in order to receive this offer. Limited one per Passholder.

- World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace - 10% off merchandise for Passholder only. Discount not available on purchase of Disney gift certificates, Disney Dollars, videos, food items, film, film processing, Walt Disney Classics Collection and other select merchandise. Discount not available on purchases of merchandise in Walt Disney World Theme Parks.

- Eurospain by Arribas Brothers, Downtown Disney, 10% off the total purchase price of merchandise subject to certain restrictions, exclusions and/or limitations including, but not limited to, Giuseppe Armani line, Crystal World, Lladro, Nao by Lladro, Swarovski, The Arribas Collection, Waterford and other select merchandise. Valid for Passholder only. Not valid with any other discounts.

- Virgin Megastore Downtown Disney - 10% discount off total purchase. Must present valid Pass at time of purchase. Discount valid only at Virgin Megastore Downtown Disney West Side. This offer may not be combined with any other coupon, discount or promotional offer. Not valid on virginmega.com or at airport locations. Excludes personal audio, DVD players, interactive software and accessories, game hardware, Gift cards, Virgin Mobile Top-Up Cards. Valid for the Passholder only.
TOURS

15% off on the following Tours and Experiences. For information and reservations call (407) WDW-TOUR (939-8687). Valid for Passholder only. Certain restrictions apply. Advance reservations required.

MAGIC KINGDOM® Park

Backstage Magic (ages 16 and older)
Disney's Family Magic Tour (age 3 and older)
Keys to the Kingdom (age 16 and older)
The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains (age 10 and older)
Epcot®

Backstage Magic (age 16 and older)
Behind The Seeds
Dolphins in Depth (age 13 and older, adult must accompany)
Epcot Seas Aqua Tour (age 8 and older, guests ages 8-16 must be accompanied by an adult)
Epcot Dive Quest (age 10 and older, SCUBA certification required, ages 10-16 must be accompanied by adult)
Gardens of the World (age 16 and older)
Hidden Treasures (age 16 and older)
UnDISCOVERED Future World (age 16 and older)
Yuletide Fantasy (age 16 and older, offered seasonally)
Disney-MGM Studios

Backstage Magic (age 16 and older)
DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM® Theme Park

Backstage Safari (age 16 and older)
Wild By Design (age 14 and older)
SPORTS & RECREATION

Golf: 30% off Day Visitor Rates for Passholder and up to three Guests in your party before 10:00 a.m. daily. Tee times at this rate are limited and may be made up to 14 days in advance. Advance reservations are required. Call (407) WDW-GOLF (939-4653).

Grand Floridian Spa - 10% discount off the regular price of one spa treatment each visit for the Passholder. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 407-824-2332.

Sammy Duvall Water Sports Centre: 10% off Parasailing, Water Skiing, and Wakeboarding at Sammy Duvall's Water Sports Centre at Disney's Contemporary Resort for the Passholder. Reservations required. For more information, call (407) WDW-PLAY (939-7529).

Richard Petty Driving Experience - $20.00 discount off the regular price of a Ride-Along Experience or $35 off any Richard Petty Driving Experience package at the Walt Disney World® Speedway for Passholder. Call (800) BE-PETTY (237-3889) for reservations and information.

Boat Rentals Discounts - 15% off regular price of boat rentals at any Walt Disney World Resort Marina for Passholder. Discount subject to availability; certain restrictions apply. (not valid for specialty cruises)

Miniature Golf - 50% off for Passholder, and 15% off for up to three guests playing with you at Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course or Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course.

Alamo Car Rental - Save up to 20% on your next car rental from Alamo Rent A Car. For reservations, call Alamo at 800-354-2322 or book online at www.alamo.com. Be sure to request ID #860292 and rate code BY when making your reservation.
Terms and conditions: Discount applies to base rate only. Taxes (including VLF taxes of up to US$1.89 per day in California), other govenmentally authorized or imposed surcharges, license and concession recoupment fees, airport and airport facility fees, fuel, additional driver fee, one way rental charge and optional items are extra. Renter must meet standard age, driver and credit requirements. May not be combined with other discounts. Availability is limited. Subject to change without notice. Offer valid only at airport-serving locations through 1/1/05. Blackout dates may apply.

National Car Rental - Rent from National Car Rental and you will receive great discount benefits! To take advantage of these benefits, call National today at 1-800-CAR-RENT or book online at nationalcar.com. When making your reservation, be sure to request Contract I.D. number 5066908.

Terms and conditions: Discount applies to base rate only. Taxes (including VLF taxes up to US$2.06 per day in California and GST), other governmentally-authorized or imposed surcharges, license recoupment/air tax recovery and concession recoupment fees, airport and airport facility fees, fuel, additional driver fee, one-way rental charge and optional items are extra. Renter must meet standard age, driver and credit requirements. Valid on DAILY/WEEKLY/WEEKEND rentals. Advance reservation required. May not be combined with other discounts. Availability is limited. Subject to change without notice. Offer valid at participating National locations only through 1/01/05. Blackout dates may apply.


Hope this helps!

 

[bobcat]

APs are great but you will be tempted to go back more often than you had planned. I had planned on two trips, one of 10 days and another the next year of about the same length. I ended up with 28 days use of my AP and my kids had 24! (4 trips for me and 3 for the kids)

I love being able to go into a park for a half a day, or even just a few hours, and not feel like I have burned a day on my pass.

 

[BevS97]

we love the freedom of APs and I don't think we could go back to Park Hoppers. For us it was not that much more to buy an AP than a 10day pass.
If you go Annually, then can you go once in eg March, and the following year in Feburary, so still almost Annually but you get 2 trips out of one pass, that is what we are planning. We were there for 2 weeks in December and hope to go back in October, again for 2 weeks.
We stayed offsite, but the savings on parking charges was over $70, so factor that in too.

Bev

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We did it one year and let me say we really got our moneys worth. Our decision was based on the fact that we knew dh would have 3 business trips down there one year. We bought the PAP. Since we used the water parks and disney quest alot it was the better choice for us. We really took advantage of it and got discounts on the dining, (lunches etc, ), at sammy duvalls for the parasailing, rental car from the poly (better than the ones dh had for his professional memberships), mini golf, shopping at world of disney, boat rental from the poly. Room discounts at the poly etc.
Last year we did the FTP. You have to look at all the rates and figure out what is best for your family. We might get one this year but only for dh if I figure out we will save money on the room etc., shopping and dining. The rest of us might get length of stay passes of that is the better financial option for us. I havent thought about august yet, its too far away.

 

[disneymama73]

We have done this a couple of times, and I think it's the way to go if you're going at least once a year. Just plan next year's trip a little earlier to make it in before your pass expires. It is a great savings!

 

[ahutton]

We've made the best use of our passes with some planning. We take a trip in Year 1 during December, for our normal, 10ish days. We know in advance the trip the following year will be in November, before our passes expire. Then if we have something come up along the way where we can get a long weekend in, or maybe a short week trip, we can budget with passes already paid. It means we pay full price every other year, but I would expect that to be less than park hoppers each year. And as someone else mentioned - there is a lot of freedom in being able to say - yep - let's go grab a meal in a park - even if we did something non-park that day. Then I don't feel like I wasted a day.