Annual pass - how many days makes it worth it?

[Minnie824]

We have some time until our annual passses expire (Nov actually) but we're starting to plan vacations for next year. We're deciding if we should renew our annual passes or not. Doing the dvc renew seems like a good deal, but I'm trying to figure out how many park days would make it worth it? Is there a compare out there somewhere that would show that? Thanks!

 

[dianeschlicht]

For buying the initial AP, I always think 8-10 days total is a rule of thumb. As for renewing....Unless you are going to return in 2-4 months, I see no reason to renew and waste the time when you aren't traveling. We don't ever renew, but just buy new vouchers if there is at least 3 months before our next planned trip.

 

[IknowDoYou?]

I'm guessing that this is not quite what you were looking for, but this is how we make APs give us the best bang for the buck: we schedule two "yearly" trips in one calendar year.

Our kids have breaks from school that are usually two weeks long, so this is an example of what we've been doing (Mid-October break):

Year #1 we buy APs and go from 10/18/2009 (Sunday) through 10/25/2009 (Sunday).
Year #2 we go from 10/10/2010 (Sunday) through 10/17/2010 (Sunday).

Rinse and repeat.

By going the second week of our break in year #1, and the first week in year #2, we're making yearly trips around the same time while keeping within the AP calendar year. This spreads the AP cost over two years, and we only have to buy an AP every other year.

Not sure if this helps or not....

Ryan

 

[Anal Annie]

I figure about 10 park days per year to get our money's worth...or at least 2-3 trips. I agree with Diane about not doing the rewewal unless you have another trip planned for right after the renewal starts. There's no point letting the clock tick on them & I don't think the savings is THAT good on the renewal rate. Sometimes it's a hard choice to decide between AP's and the 10 day non-expiring. The AP's are cheaper than those if you're going for at least 10 days tho - and that's the longest time frame available on the non-expiring ones. That's how I figure it anyway...

 

[MrsG]

Please refresh my memory. We activated our AP's on Feb. 15, 2009. We used them for 6 days and will use them for another 3 this July. We will be staying in BLT in 2010 From Feb 13-20. Are our AP"S good for Feb 15th 2010 or do they expire on Feb. 14, 2010????? I guess we'll buy a park hopper pass for the additional days but would like to squeeze as many days out of the AP as possible.

Thanks

 

[dopeygirl76]

Your APs are good until the 15th - I think the wording on the back in good through February 15, 2010. Disney actually gives you 366 days on the AP.

We also do two trips in a calender year and this year almost made three - but we will renew because ours expire April 20th and we arrive April 26th so the savings is worth it.

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

If this helps, all prices are before taxes:

MYW 10-Day Park Hopper ~~ Price $287 ~~ Price/Day $28.70

MYW 10-Day Park Hopper ~~ Price $437 ~~ Price/Day $43.70
w/ No Expiration

MYW 10-Day Park Hopper ~~ Price $537 ~~ Price/Day $53.70
w/ Water Parks n More
& No Expiration

DVC AP ~~ Price $369 ~~ Price/Day $36.90 (10 visits)

DVC AP Renewal ~~ Price $324 ~~ Price/Day $32.40 (10 visits)

DVC Premium AP ~~ Price $474 ~~ Price/Day $47.40 (10 visits)

DVC Premium AP Renewal ~~ Price $434 ~~ Price/Day $43.40 (10 visits)


As you can see with AP's, the more days you take advantage of, the better your per day cost will be. We have AP's that expire in Sept. We have gotten 13 days on them so far, and will use another 5 days in July. So in the end, for this AP year, my cost/day/adult will end up being $20.50/day (before taxes). We plan to renew as long as we get the discount and we plan on taking at least 10 days worth of parks each AP year.

 

[spiceycat]

had a day pass left over (Pop last year free dinning) - so my price was $311

have a 10 day pass/hopper/no expiry - that I have yet to use.

kept getting the annual pass - since for my stays it is the better bargin.
so excited about BLT - can't wait for it open.

generally don't renew it. although might next year - will go back in March.

 

[jennypenny]

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DDE/TIW CARD!

This factors very heavily in our calculations. We feel our break even point is 7 days since we eat at a TS at least once per day per trip. And on some trips (like when we travel with family) we get much more than that out of the DDE card. It's also good at places like Artist's Palette and the Beach Club Marketplace. And all alcohol.

So, with the $100/$125 discount per ticket, add in the $60 for the DDE, then subtract 20% from a significant part of your dining bill, it adds up fast. And we like to use it when we travel with family (we are travelling with 11 in Feb) which is a nice perk (you can use it for up to 10 people).

There are other perks we've gotten (discounts on rooms, DCL onboard credit, discount on water parks, etc) that we just consider that--perks--that don't figure in to our calculations. We like the freedom we feel we have with the annual pass and not having to worry about using parkhopper days *effectively* to get our money's worth.

 

[Disneypirate85]

We use it not only for gate admission but the "perks" that go along with it, Has some great room discounts especially around the Holidays.

 

[twinklebug]

Getting more into the perks... there are some pretty complicated formulas I've seen out there that people have come up with to decide it an AP is worth it.

For most discounts, you only need 1 AP.

To decide if buying APs for all is the best deal I stick with the question "will I be in the parks with my kids 10 or more days of the AP year?" Answer for this year for us is yes. Who knows for the future as these AP prices go up and the lure of Universal, SeaWorld, Kennedy Space center and the beaches call to us.

 

[disneynutz]

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DDE/TIW CARD!

This factors very heavily in our calculations. We feel our break even point is 7 days since we eat at a TS at least once per day per trip. And on some trips (like when we travel with family) we get much more than that out of the DDE card. It's also good at places like Artist's Palette and the Beach Club Marketplace. And all alcohol.

So, with the $100/$125 discount per ticket, add in the $60 for the DDE, then subtract 20% from a significant part of your dining bill, it adds up fast. And we like to use it when we travel with family (we are travelling with 11 in Feb) which is a nice perk (you can use it for up to 10 people).

There are other perks we've gotten (discounts on rooms, DCL onboard credit, discount on water parks, etc) that we just consider that--perks--that don't figure in to our calculations. We like the freedom we feel we have with the annual pass and not having to worry about using parkhopper days *effectively* to get our money's worth.

FYI - The TIW card is now $75.

 

[Dean]

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DDE/TIW CARD!

True but you don't have to have an active AP to use it, only to buy it.

 

[DopeyDave]

For buying the initial AP, I always think 8-10 days total is a rule of thumb. As for renewing....Unless you are going to return in 2-4 months, I see no reason to renew and waste the time when you aren't traveling. We don't ever renew, but just buy new vouchers if there is at least 3 months before our next planned trip.

We do the same thing. We buy annual passes just before a trip (generally 9 nights), and then make two more trips prior the passes expiring. Then we take a year / year-and-a-half off prior to another "DisneyWorld year." I believe there's a SLIGHT discount for renewing, but with our plan, it's more worthwhile just letting them expire and purchasing new ones for the next trip.

 

[granmanh603]

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DDE/TIW CARD!

This factors very heavily in our calculations. We feel our break even point is 7 days since we eat at a TS at least once per day per trip. And on some trips (like when we travel with family) we get much more than that out of the DDE card. It's also good at places like Artist's Palette and the Beach Club Marketplace. And all alcohol.

So, with the $100/$125 discount per ticket, add in the $60 for the DDE, then subtract 20% from a significant part of your dining bill, it adds up fast. And we like to use it when we travel with family (we are travelling with 11 in Feb) which is a nice perk (you can use it for up to 10 people).

There are other perks we've gotten (discounts on rooms, DCL onboard credit, discount on water parks, etc) that we just consider that--perks--that don't figure in to our calculations. We like the freedom we feel we have with the annual pass and not having to worry about using parkhopper days *effectively* to get our money's worth.

The TIW card is now $75. I was at WDW and purchased 3/3 and they had gone up the day before....I wish I had known about that before I would have ordered before I left.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

In addition to the complicated mathematical formula you're building, there's also a psychological aspect as well.

We found that on years when we had non-expiring MYW tickets, we'd ask ourselves, "is it worth it to go to the Magic Kingdom for 4 hours today, or should we save a day for the next trip?" With the annual pass, there isn't any question. If you want to run over to the Magic Kingdom and ride Splash Mountain one last time, you can do it. Likewise for doing a non-park day, but wanting to have dinner at Epcot.

There's value in that flexibility that doesn't necessarily show up in the bottom line.

 

[Anal Annie]

In addition to the complicated mathematical formula you're building, there's also a psychological aspect as well.

We found that on years when we had non-expiring MYW tickets, we'd ask ourselves, "is it worth it to go to the Magic Kingdom for 4 hours today, or should we save a day for the next trip?" With the annual pass, there isn't any question. If you want to run over to the Magic Kingdom and ride Splash Mountain one last time, you can do it. Likewise for doing a non-park day, but wanting to have dinner at Epcot.

There's value in that flexibility that doesn't necessarily show up in the bottom line.

That's so true... With an AP you don't feel like you're wasting anything to just come & go as you please.... We always park hop & often only go to a given park thru lunchtime then we go back to our villa & go to the pool & go back out in the evening... Have been known to hit 3 parks in one day too in order to finish up our trip & ride our favs one last time...

 

[spiceycat]

it is also used if you are staying offsite (other timeshares) - no paying for parking.

plus it like DVC has some discounts for other things - meals.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We just bought our 1st APs and are thinking about using the AP rates to stay at a moderate or value resort for a 3rd stay this year.

(Yes, we need to add on points!!)

 

[photobob]

In addition to the complicated mathematical formula you're building, there's also a psychological aspect as well.

We found that on years when we had non-expiring MYW tickets, we'd ask ourselves, "is it worth it to go to the Magic Kingdom for 4 hours today, or should we save a day for the next trip?" With the annual pass, there isn't any question. If you want to run over to the Magic Kingdom and ride Splash Mountain one last time, you can do it. Likewise for doing a non-park day, but wanting to have dinner at Epcot.

There's value in that flexibility that doesn't necessarily show up in the bottom line.

That is an excellent point. We did the DVC AP for our trips from late June 2007-early June 2008. There were days that we just hung around the resort during the day and went to a park for just a few hours in the evening and may have not done that if we had MYW non-expiring tickets. The freedom of using the AP is a big bonus. To get the best value with them does require some planning and forethought, but so does being a DVC member!!