Annual Pass or Park Hopper.... Questions!

[dptabrown]

Hi there! I am trying to figure out the best ticket options for our trip in June. Our trip is somewhat flexible, and we have a variety of options for purchasing tickets, but the most days we can go is 5 full days and one morning.
So I was initially thinking of buying discounted 5 day fast passes on one of the websites recommended on here for around $191 adults $169 kids.
Now I'm thinking maybe at least one of us should get a Deluxe AP ($329) for all the discounts.
We plan to do at least 2 (maybe 3) character breakfasts, BBB, and plenty of dining in the parks and DTD.
I'm having a hard time distinguishing what discounts are offered to Deluxe APs once their promotion is ending. I see the dining is 10% off in parks, but what about:
1. dining in DTD
2. at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
3. any other discounts (merchandise will no longer be discounted right?)

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated!
To give you a bigger picture... we will be staying at a good neighborhood hotel across the street from park entrance, we fly in from Seattle area, and there is maybe a possibility that we could come back if we did get AP.

Oh and are kids' APs the same price as adults???

Sorry for all the questions! I'm having such a hard time figuring out what tix to buy!
Our other option for buying tix is my cousin buy us 3 day park hoppers w/ military discount (he's going w/ us) for $99 ea. But then we don't get 5 days in park! aaack!

 

[brookies_mommy]

Hi there! I am trying to figure out the best ticket options for our trip in June. Our trip is somewhat flexible, and we have a variety of options for purchasing tickets, but the most days we can go is 5 full days and one morning.
So I was initially thinking of buying discounted 5 day fast passes on one of the websites recommended on here for around $191 adults $169 kids.
Now I'm thinking maybe at least one of us should get a Deluxe AP ($329) for all the discounts.
We plan to do at least 2 (maybe 3) character breakfasts, BBB, and plenty of dining in the parks and DTD.
I'm having a hard time distinguishing what discounts are offered to Deluxe APs once their promotion is ending. I see the dining is 10% off in parks, but what about:
1. dining in DTD
2. at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
3. any other discounts (merchandise will no longer be discounted right?)

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated!
To give you a bigger picture... we will be staying at a good neighborhood hotel across the street from park entrance, we fly in from Seattle area, and there is maybe a possibility that we could come back if we did get AP.

Oh and are kids' APs the same price as adults???

Sorry for all the questions! I'm having such a hard time figuring out what tix to buy!
Our other option for buying tix is my cousin buy us 3 day park hoppers w/ military discount (he's going w/ us) for $99 ea. But then we don't get 5 days in park! aaack!

If you think your going to go again I would get it. Other than that idk..

 

[twopeasonepod]

We live in Hawaii so it's not like we can just "go to DL" one day here and there. But we are making two trips in the year and it just makes sense to get the APs. I wouldn't plan on getting it if you aren't going again. The discounts aren't worth it, unless you plan on spending over $1000 on food.

 

[brookies_mommy]

We live in Hawaii so it's not like we can just "go to DL" one day here and there. But we are making two trips in the year and it just makes sense to get the APs. I wouldn't plan on getting it if you aren't going again. The discounts aren't worth it, unless you plan on spending over $1000 on food.

What discounts come with it?

 

[HydroGuy]

FWIW, the 10% discount on merchandise has been set to expire a number of times and they keep extending it.

I do not know exactly how to answer your question. If getting an AP purely for the discounts is the idea, then you will need to spend over $1300 to save 10% ($130) to make it come close to being even.

Some here are some thoughts...

I know people who teach in the California School system and you can get a discount off a DAP thru them. See below (3Tinks is my SIL). Looks like their current price is $317. Also, if you buy the DAP thru Disney I think they may charge you CA sales tax of something like 9%, while if you do it thru the link below there is no tax.

DAPs can be used for room discounts at certain times so depending on whe you go there is additionla savings there.

When we went last July we were there for five days with a group of seven people and we ate at DLR alot. We also bought a bit of merchandise. So the DAP paid for itself. Plus I got to use it for a solo trip in Sept over three days when I was in SoCal on business.

HTH

You can also buy discounted Deluxe APs through TSA if you are a current or retired teacher or administrator in California. The Deluxe AP through TSA costs $279 as compared with $299. They also have discounted one, two, and three-day Parkhoppers though the savings are so-so at the current listed prices. Keep an eye on them, though, because they buy new batches periodically and can end up with a better deal.

FYI - TSA is a credit union for educators in California and there is no membership requirement. Any current or retired member of California Teachers Association (CTA) or Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) is eligible for their extra services (like buying theme park tickets or renting a car) whether or not they use TSA as a credit union because it's a benefit of your union dues. An important note to consider here is that you are also eligible if you're related to a current or retired teacher or administrator in California.

HydroGuy, if you buy the Ares hopper for $179 and DLR credits you to the full $209, you'd be better off with that option since you would save $30. However, if they only credit you with the price of purchase because the price is embedded in the ticket, you might be better off looking into the TSA option.

Here's the link to the entertainment/theme park ticket portion of the website: http://www.tsaspecialservices.com/entertainment.htm#themepark

Unless TSA has changed policy in the last six months, there's no need to get the CTA or ACSA member to purchase the AP or parkhopper for you, you just need to give the member's name and the city (or maybe school district?) for which they work or worked and your relationship to them.

 

[HydroGuy]

What discounts come with it?

See http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...nts?name=AnnualPassholderUngatedDiscountsPage

o 10% off most food purchases at DL, DCA, the hotel restaurants and DTD
o For a limited time 10% off most merchandise purchases
o Discounts on tours

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

So I was initially thinking of buying discounted 5 day fast passes on one of the websites recommended on here for around $191 adults $169 kids.

What website did you see these prices for June? Did you enter your travel dates? This pricing matches up with the current ticket promotion that ends in April. Tickets have to be used by April 14.

For example: if you just look at ticket prices on getawaytoday.com it comes up with similar prices based on today's pricing, but if you change your travel dates to June it has higher prices. I don't want you to buy the wrong tickets!

 

[GrandBob]

Also, if you buy the DAP thru Disney I think they may charge you CA sales tax of something like 9%, while if you do it thru the link below there is no tax.

I'm pretty sure that they don't add sales tax to the price of DAPs. At least, there was no sales tax when I bought ours at Costco a year and a half ago.

-Bob

 

[blackjackdelta]

My wife bought a DAP last year prior to the price change and we are going again prior to the expiration. She always buys a highend souvie plus we get the eating discounts so it saved us a chunk of money and will this next trip if the 10% is extended. The rest of us get park hoppers and if we go again to club 33, we will need less days on the park hoppers(even though extra days are cheap.)
We had not thought of the second trip when she bought it but it worked out well for us. Since we stay on site we get two MM visits which do not come with the AP so that helps also.

Jack

 

[skiingfast]

Oh and are kids' APs the same price as adults???

With this are you getting at can I buy my kid one cheaper so we get the discount? No.

Discounts only apply when the passholder pays.


It's really simple to evaluate.
Will you be going enough days that ticket costs equal pass costs?
How much will you spend on food, is 10% of that equal to the difference in ticket and pass cost?

You might wantwhoever carries the cash to have an AP.

 

[skiingfast]

I just wanted to add, because often there is follow up questions on this.

When you get an AP you can't get the MM that the PH offered.

So you will want to use the MM right away and then get the AP to start getting discounts. In reality your plan may not allow this, so it's not quite as simple as I said.

 

[twopeasonepod]

I just wanted to add, because often thier is follow up questions on this.

When you get an AP you can't get the MM that the PH offered.

So you will want to use the MM right away and then get the AP to start getting discounts. In reality your plan may not allow this, so it's not quite as simple as I said.

Absolutely right. Unless you are staying on property, where you can go to all the MMs.

 

[pixiewings71]

You won't be charged taxes, the prices are listed with tax.
Children's APs are the same price as adult APs.
We had PAPs last so I can't help with discounts, we got discounts on everything you could.

 

[Lorinda]

what website did you see these prices for june? Did you enter your travel dates? This pricing matches up with the current ticket promotion that ends in april. Tickets have to be used by april 14.

For example: If you just look at ticket prices on getawaytoday.com it comes up with similar prices based on today's pricing, but if you change your travel dates to june it has higher prices. I don't want you to buy the wrong tickets!

this

 

[dptabrown]

So can anyone answer if we will get a discount at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique with the DAP????
And what about dining in Downtown Disney?
These of course will make a substantial difference for us!

What website did you see these prices for June? Did you enter your travel dates? This pricing matches up with the current ticket promotion that ends in April. Tickets have to be used by April 14.

For example: if you just look at ticket prices on getawaytoday.com it comes up with similar prices based on today's pricing, but if you change your travel dates to June it has higher prices. I don't want you to buy the wrong tickets!

lastminutetravel! And yes, I put in my June dates!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Here's the math:
The difference in price between what you plan on paying for an adult 5-day hopper and the current price for a Deluxe annual pass is $138.

You get merchandise and dining discounts at most locations. Sorry can't help with BBB since I don't know. Most DtD restaurants including La Brea, Jazz Kitchen, ESPN, Rainforest, Naples, House of Blues, etc. give a 10% discount with AP. Not all of their quick service locations give the discount, so that's hit and miss. There are also some restrictions due to holidays or special events, but you're mostly not going to run into that problem and can always check in advance.

The merchandise discount is 10% and continuing through 1/31/11 according to the AP website. Most Disney merchandise locations give this, crystal shop and silhouettes and probably a few other places excluded. Many places in DtD offer a 10% discount too including the Lego shop and Build-a-Bear.

So if you spend $1380 at locations where you can get a 10% discount, you will break even. If you spend more than that, you will start saving money.

You can see it takes a bit of spending to make the AP "pay off." If you were getting an AP hotel discount or returning to the parks again within the same year, the math would be different.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you can sit and plan a second trip (that ends by the month/day of the first day you'd use these tickets) right now, then I'd get the AP for everyone up front.

If your budget needs to take babysteps but you KNOW you can plan a second trip, get tickets now from disneyland.com, and budget to upgrade them.

If you aren't sure how much you'll like it, buy from wherever, and budget the money to upgrade to APs for all. When you upgrade, you will "lose" your discount, you will always end up paying, in total, the amount of the APs at Disneyland, FYI.


As for just one getting it...look at the menus here and at allears.net, figure out what your family might eat, what 10% off of that will look like, etc. See if it would work for you guys! Also, if you're staying offsite and will be driving in, see what the parking costs will be to compare to upgrading all the way to a Premium, where parking costs are included.

Doing the math is a PAIN, but it's worth it!


We're in Tacoma, but my brother lives in San Diego. In '07 we decided we wanted to do a proper trip (vs the day trips we'd been taking while visiting my brother) to DLR. So we got a package and budgeted to upgrade, we upgraded, and that trip's tickets plus a ONE day ticket (because we knew we'd visit my brother again during that 365 day period and would do a one-day trip at least) would have cost MORE than the APs.

We had DLR APs for two years, despite living up here, and made ample use of them!

 

[pixiewings71]

fyi you can add parking to your DAP at the going rate, I think it's $59 but it may have gone up since I did that. Before we upgraded our DAPs I had parking added to mine.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Also keep in mind that if your summer visit includes any deluxe blackout days, the deluxe AP holder(s) will have to pay for a blackout ticket. And as soon as you upgrade to that AP, you lose any perks such as early entrance directly linked to the ticket that haven't been used because Disney takes your old PH ticket and replaces it with an AP.

I love having an AP, but my first AP was a deluxe and I should have gotten a premium. Everyone told me how the deluxe was the better way to go, and I didn't do any research. I had to skip going down with friends because my pass was blacked out and also had to make sure that I planned my visits around blackout days, which have been known to come up as a late surprise due to higher than anticipated crowds. Even with all that, one blackout visit and a piece of artwork that I hadn't planned on (and again didn't do my research) made it a lesson learned.

Do your research and find out if the AP is the right decision for you. I advise basing your decision on park days. The discounts are nice, but if you're only making one trip in 365 days, you'll have to spend a lot of money to 'save' the money. Honestly, if you know you'll be making a 2nd visit within the 365 day window, the AP makes sense. But otherwise, do your research and determine if it's right for you.

 

[dptabrown]

All great things to think about! Thx!

So the dining discounts in DTD are ALWAYS available to those with only a deluxe AP?
And no one knows if you get the discount at BBB with only a DAP?

And yes, I already checked our dates in June. We're not going on a Saturday so we're good! Thx!