Annual Pass Numbers Game

[mazoo77]

Thanks for the replies/information on the AP upgrade. I'll plan on doing this in June. That's almost $100.00 savings for the 4 of us.

Also planning on the TIW card. We've done the DDP the past few years but I think the flexibility of the TIW card will work better for us. It will be a nice change enjoying some of the other deserts in the park. With the DDP there is no room left to enjoy all the other goodies.

 

[momhmmx2]

I have a premium AP up for renewal soon. Can I downgrade to a regular AP at renewal rate?

 

[Carolie29]

So it looks like I figured out yearly passes work for us since we can cover the upfront costs.

 

[CarolMN]

yup, makes no sense.. I DO THE SAME illogical thing too! Somehow paying up front is okay, but 64$ on the spot for 1 person's dinner cannot justify. ........(snip).....

Most of us can say the same. After all, isn't this the whole premise of DVC itself?

Somehow, making monthly payments and spending points (credits) makes DVC seem like such a great value. What's a few more points to get a castle view or a 1 bedroom instead of a studio or maybe Grandma & Grandpa would like to come with us! Lots easier to spend points than dollars, LOL!

Why else would so many of us treat friends and family? We'd hardly ever (or never) do it if we were paying "cash" for those lodgings. And in many cases our friends and family would not feel right about accepting the "free" room, either, but if all we are doing is paying with points (credits), well, no big deal!

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I've got two pieces of advice to add to the conversation, and admit up front that they may seem counter-intuitive to one-another.

First, don't just jump in and buy a PAP. Consider how often you use the Water Parks or Disney Quest. DVC Members get a discount on Water Park and DQ single-day tickets. The discounted price is $48.19 (adult) / $40.67 (child) for water parks, and $41.22 (adult) / $35.47 (child) for DQ. The difference between the AP and PAP is $105 (adult) / $97 (child). This means you need to visit the Water Parks/DisneyQuest at least 3 times during the course of the ticket for the PAP to pay for itself.

But wait, don't stop the comparison there. Maybe one person in your group should still get the PAP even if you won't go to the Water Parks/DisneyQuest that many times.

The Premium Annual Pass gets a 20% discount on purchases as compared to the 10% on the regular Annual Pass. (Note, the passholder discounts are only on merchandise, and not on food.) Even if you never visit a Water Park/DisneyQuest, but spend more than $1,050.00 in merchandise over the life of a pass, it may still be worth it for one person in your family to get a PAP instead of an AP. (Hey, if you're using the pass for two-years worth of trips, that's $525 per year. Believe me, it's not an unreachable amount.) If you're doing a combo -- some water park days and some merchandise -- figure out your own breakeven point and determine if a PAP for at least one person makes sense.

The down side of having a PAP for a single person in your family is that this person has to be the one to pay for all merchandise. (Believe me, they're strict. You not only have to show your PAP and photo ID for the 20%, but the name on the PAP needs to match the payment card.) I was that guy on a recent trip, so I never had the option to say, "No, I don't feel up to going to Downtown Disney, tonight. You guys go ahead without me."

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I have a premium AP up for renewal soon. Can I downgrade to a regular AP at renewal rate?

Yes, you can. You'd pay the AP renewal rate.

You can also go the other way and renew an AP as a PAP by paying the PAP renewal rate.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

It has been said before, you'll have to use your ticket at least once in order to update the price in the system from the UT price to the official Disney price, but only use the ticket at one of the 4 main parks, not a water park or Disney quest, as this will make the ticket invalid for upgrade.

To clarify a technicality, you can use the MYW ticket at a Water Park if you plan to upgrade to a PAP. However, if you want an AP, Brandis is correct in warning against using any WPF&M options on your MYW ticket. Once you do, the only annual pass the MYW ticket can be used to upgrade to is one that includes WPF&M admissions (aka, the PAP or DVC PAP).

The best UT ticket for upgrading to a DVC AP is the 6-day MYW Hopper, which wouldn't have water park admissions on it anyway. This ticket will get you a $29 discount off the gate price if you're using the MouseSavers.com newletter link to UT.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Yes, it is worth it to buy the UT ticket and upgrade at the parks. Just be sure to use the ticket at least once before doing the upgrade. This should bridge your ticket so you will then only pay the difference between the gate price and the AP price. Do the math yourself beforehand so you know if the CM has done everything correctly.

As long as your time has no value.

This was such a hassle I won't ever do it again!

 

[joy!ous]

The program suggested by HellerJ below was a double treat for my crew--behind the scenes, educational tours included in a very reasonable price. And, for anyone who has previously suffered through timeshare sales pitches for discounted or free tickets, this should be a real pleasure, by comparison. Three hours of interesting, educational material, presented a la Disney!

Many years ago, we planned our vacation around Disney Institute classes, held where Saratoga Springs since was built. We had grand experiences with golf lessons and cooking classes--and built some family memories with my departed Mom that are so precious to me now!

I look forward to the YES program and will report back in early July whether it lived up to my expectations.

 

[hakepb]

As long as your time has no value.

This was such a hassle I won't ever do it again!

I can understand that.
Depending on how you do it it may not be as big of a deal.
With UT tickets in hand you can enter the turn styles (without waiting in line) and head straight to rides. Then when we were heading out of the park for an afternoon break we stopped into guest relations to upgrade and pickup our mvmcp tickets.