Annual Pass - DDP Question - long

[HannaBelle]

I am visiting the world with my extended family from 12/30/07 to 1/06/07.

We are staying at the Contemp and do not have any special discounts. (My parents are taking all of the kids and grandkids for a "Making Memories" trip. )

My family of 4 - Me, DH, DS14 and DD10 will be going back to the world in August of '08 to meet some friends who live in the east coast.

So...I am trying to decide what is the best way to purchase tickets for us while using the DDP. Would AP's make sense for us?

I know that only one person has to have an AP to get the room discount, but if we all have AP's do we all have to buy the one day ticket with each reservation to get the DDP?

Here is what we are going to do...

For the 1st trip, we have a split reservation. We are checking in on Dec. 30th and then out & back in on the 1st to save the extra on the hotel room from Holiday to Value season.

So, if we buy an AP for the 4 of us, do we have to buy a one day ticket for the 1st ressie (12/30 & 12/31) plus a one day ticket for each of us for the 2nd ressies (1/1 to 1/5) and then buy another one day ticket for each of us for our trip for August?

That would be 3 sets of one day tickets for 4 of us....12 tickets @ $67.00 = $804. (This is all using 2007 pricing...no 2008 pricing is available).

Is this all correct?

The park hopper, water parks and more AP is $559.00 per person = $2236 plus all of the one day tickets at $804 for a total of $3040. Plus we get the room discounts. Can I apply the room discount to reservations that I have already made?

Or, I can buy 2 sets of the 10 day, park hopper, water parks and more, no expiry tickets for $449 each for a total of $3592 plus the 4 one day tickets in August for $268 = $3860.

Unless I am totally missing something, the AP's look like the way to go even if I have to buy 12 one day tickets that we won't use. That just seems crazy to me...plus I get a room discount?

Are the 12 one day tickets transferable? Do they expire if I do not use them? Is it against any WDW rules to sell them?

What I should do is I buy each person a 7 day ticket for our 1st ressie, a 1 day ticket for our 2nd ressie and a 7 day ticket for our 3rd ressie, it costs $652 per person = $2608 for all 4 of us. That saves is $482 from the AP price.

So, here are the big questions…
How much can I save on our rooms with my AP discount?
Can I apply an AP discount to existing reservations?
Can I sell the 12 one day tickets to re-coop some of my $$$?
Can anyone else see a better way of doing this?

I appreciate the help and I hope I have not confused anyone!!!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

My family of 4 - Me, DH, DS14 and DD10 will be going back to the world in August of '08 to meet some friends who live in the east coast.

So...I am trying to decide what is the best way to purchase tickets for us while using the DDP. Would AP's make sense for us?

Yes, APs would make sense for you.

I know that only one person has to have an AP to get the room discount, but if we all have AP's do we all have to buy the one day ticket with each reservation to get the DDP?

To qualify for the DDP, you would need to purchase 1 1-day pass for each person staying in your room as a part of a package.

Here is what we are going to do...

For the 1st trip, we have a split reservation. We are checking in on Dec. 30th and then out & back in on the 1st to save the extra on the hotel room from Holiday to Value season.

So, if we buy an AP for the 4 of us, do we have to buy a one day ticket for the 1st ressie (12/30 & 12/31) plus a one day ticket for each of us for the 2nd ressies (1/1 to 1/5) and then buy another one day ticket for each of us for our trip for August?

If you want the DDP, you will need to purchase at least 1-day passes for each person for each reservation that you make.

That would be 3 sets of one day tickets for 4 of us....12 tickets @ $67.00 = $804. (This is all using 2007 pricing...no 2008 pricing is available).

Is this all correct?

You forgot to add tax. The actual 2007 cost for an adult 1-day MYW passes (non-hopper) is $71.36 when tax is added. So, your cost would be 12 x $71.36 = $856.32

The park hopper, water parks and more AP is $559.00 per person = $2236 plus all of the one day tickets at $804 for a total of $3040.

The cost of an adult premium AP would be $595.34 with tax. Your total would be $3237.68 for the 4 PAPs and 12 1-day MYW base tickets.

Plus we get the room discounts. Can I apply the room discount to reservations that I have already made?

AP holders sometimes qualify for room-only discounts but not for package discounts. If you want the DDP, you cannot apply an AP discount to the packages.

Or, I can buy 2 sets of the 10 day, park hopper, water parks and more, no expiry tickets for $449 each for a total of $3592 plus the 4 one day tickets in August for $268 = $3860.

Again, your math is off b/c you're not factoring in the tax. The 10-day Premium MYW passes (no-expiry) would cost $478.19 when purchased in advance from Disney. The cost of 8 adult 10-day MYW Premium no-expiry passes would be $3825.52. The cost of 4 adult 1-day base tickets would be $285.44. The total cost would be $4110.96

Unless I am totally missing something, the AP's look like the way to go even if I have to buy 12 one day tickets that we won't use. That just seems crazy to me...plus I get a room discount?

You don't get a room discount on any packages. You MUST book a package to get the DDP. If you don't want the DDP, then the APs would be a good idea.

Are the 12 one day tickets transferable? Do they expire if I do not use them? Is it against any WDW rules to sell them?

By WDW rules, passes are not transferrable. However, if they are unused, there is no reason that you would not be able to purchase a pass for someone else as a gift. People do it all the time.

The passes will not expire until they are used. Passes with multiple days on them will expire 14 days after their first day of use, unless the no-expiry option is purchased.

You cannot resell passes. There was a recent post on the Budget Board where a DISer sold her unused passes on eBay. A Disney rep saw the auction and the picture of the reverse side of the pass with the numbers on it. The pass was voided by Disney as stolen. The OP of that thread had to refund the purchaser's money AND she had no longer has valid tickets, either.

What I should do is I buy each person a 7 day ticket for our 1st ressie, a 1 day ticket for our 2nd ressie and a 7 day ticket for our 3rd ressie, it costs $652 per person = $2608 for all 4 of us. That saves is $482 from the AP price.

This sounds like a plan to me. Your actual numbers are off. I'm not sure what kind of 7-day passes you're looking at, but you need to redo your calculations to include the sales tax to see how it all adds up.

So, here are the big questions…
How much can I save on our rooms with my AP discount?

Nothing. You're wanting to book the DDP and that requires a package. AP holders do not get discounts on packages since they already have tickets. If you were lookin gto book room-only ressies, the savings will vary according to season and resort type. Sometimes, there are no AP discounts to be had and then there are other times when they are only offered at specific resorts.

Can I apply an AP discount to existing reservations?

Only if it is a room-only reservation and only if there are AP discounted rooms in inventory for the resort and dates that you want.

Can I sell the 12 one day tickets to re-coop some of my $$$?

Yes and no. Disney's rule is that the passes are non-transferrable. They discourage the resale of their tickets by non-approved sellers. If they find out that you've sold the passes, they may void them. However, there's nothing to stop you from taking the risk.

Can anyone else see a better way of doing this?

I appreciate the help and I hope I have not confused anyone!!!

Here's what I would do if I had my heart set on doing the DDP:

• 
  
  [*]Reservation #1 (12/30 & 31). Book a package with the DDP. Buy 2-day passes for everyone. Cost of 4 adult 2-day MYW hoppers = $754.04
  [*]Reservation #2 (1/01 - 1/06/08). Book a package with the DDP and get 1-day passes for everyone. Cost of 4 adult 1-day MYW base tickets = $285.44
  After you check in, upgrade those passes to PAPs. The cost will be $2095.92 after you are credited for the value of your 1-day passes.
  [*]Reservation #3 (August '08). Book an AP holder room-only ressie if a discount is available. No DDP. Instead, purchase a membership in the DDE (Disney Dining Experience), which will entitle you to 20% off of your dining bill at participating WDW restaurants for up to 10 people. Cost of membership this year is $65 for AP holders.​

​

Your OOP expenses for tickets and the DDE membership will be $3200.40.

You can reduce your costs by eliminating the DDP to begin with on your original ressies. Get the APs for your first ressie and book your rooms with the AP discount if one is available. Get the DDE card to save on your dining costs at TS restaurants. Total cost for the passes + DDE = $2446.36 but you'll pay OOP for your food.

 

[HannaBelle]

TY for the response MadMouse! I did not realize that the AP discounts were not a flat % savings and I did not know that you could not use the discount in conjunction with the DDP.

I really like the DDP b/c my DH and DS14 are big eaters. With the DDP, they can eat whatever is on the menu and I do not have to stress about the budget! It keeps everyone happy and I can budget BEFORE the trip and have it all paid for.

I am just going to have to talk to my DH and see what he thinks. It looks like we could save a substantial amount on the room with the second trip if we do not use the DDP. I think I may work up some sample menus on what we *might* spend w/out the DDP.

Thanks again!!!

 

[mike&amy1508]

Not sure if this would help you any, but you could get the DDE with your AP ticket. This would get you 20% off at most table service restaurants and some counter service. Check out allearsnet.com for more info!

 

[ParrotBill]

We did the DDP on our last visit but this time will do APs and DDE. The DDE lets us get a small meal or a large meal and still get 20% off... including adult beverages. We like that flexibility as opposed to the incredible amount of food you get on DDP.

 

[mcgypsy]

Quick question for all you AP guru's along the same lines.
I have a trip for 4 with the complete package - room, tickets, DDP.
Everything is paid for already for this July trip.

Can I upgrade only my ticket to an AP as soon as we arrive without disturbing the package? I want to also get a DDE card as this would pay for itself during this trip alone with all of the character meals that my kids are doing.

Also, can I upgrade the other 3 tickets on the last day that we plan to use them for AP's so we'll have them for the next couple of trips we are planning?

Thanks in adavance for your knowledge!