Annual Pass Purchasing Help - AAA, UT, Other?

[pam0909]

We are a family of four adults (2 true adults and two "Disney" adults 14 & 12). We will be purchasing Annual Passes for our Sept 2015 trip in anticipation of taking several more trips thru Sept 2016. I want to purchase tickets now in anticipation of a ticket increase soon. What is the best way to financially save on Annual Passes?

Annual passes are currently $676/person (rounded up).

1. Use our AAA discount? $604/ticket

2. Buy thru Undercover Tourist and "bridge" the tickets at guest services in Sept? If so, which UT ticket would save us the most money in the end?

3. Other suggestions?

Thanks for any help!

Pam

 

[ConnieB]

The problem with bridging is that you pay the current gate price for the upgraded ticket, which means the raised price. So if you buy a 10 day hopper at UCT for $420, and lets say the price of that goes up to $445 (just a wild guess). Use the ticket first and then bridge it, you will get credit for the $445 as that is the current gate price. But the problem is the annual pass that you will be purchasing and getting a $445 credit towards, will have gone up and that raised price is what you'll be charged. So if AP is $676 now and goes up to $700.....you will basically lose your bridge discount.

My best guess is that the tickets aren't going to raise high enough to make the $72 savings of your AAA discount, so I would buy that now.

 

[Robo]

We are a family of four adults (2 true adults and two "Disney" adults 14 & 12). We will be purchasing Annual Passes for our Sept 2015 trip in anticipation of taking several more trips thru Sept 2016. I want to purchase tickets now in anticipation of a ticket increase soon. What is the best way to financially save on Annual Passes?

Annual passes are currently $676/person (rounded up).

1. Use our AAA discount? $604/ticket

2. Buy thru Undercover Tourist and "bridge" the tickets at guest services in Sept? If so, which UT ticket would save us the most money in the end?

With UT (or other discounter) you would be saving the amount that you save when you BUY the UT to begin-with.

 

[mort1331]

If AAA is that big of a discount, JUMP ON IT. I now have to check with CAA, they were only showing day passes no APs. There is no way that the savings at UT or any other is going to be that big.

 

[Music City Mama]

We are a family of four adults (2 true adults and two "Disney" adults 14 & 12). We will be purchasing Annual Passes for our Sept 2015 trip in anticipation of taking several more trips thru Sept 2016. I want to purchase tickets now in anticipation of a ticket increase soon. What is the best way to financially save on Annual Passes?

Annual passes are currently $676/person (rounded up).

1. Use our AAA discount? $604/ticket

2. Buy thru Undercover Tourist and "bridge" the tickets at guest services in Sept? If so, which UT ticket would save us the most money in the end?

3. Other suggestions?

Thanks for any help!

Pam

You need to also include the tax on the AAA discounted AP just as you did for the Disney direct AP (so, $634/AP through AAA). It's a $32 discount from Disney's price (once tax is figured in). I just did this about 10 days ago. You might be able to save a little more by, as Robo said, purchasing a UT ticket that has the biggest savings now (that's not greater than the cost of the AP), but even if you could save $40/ticket vs. the $32 through AAA, for me, I didn't think it was worth it to deal with a CM that may not understand price-bridging and dealing with all of that.

 

[pam0909]

Thank you all for your responses! It sounds like my best bet and easiest option would be to go ahead and purchase our tickets thru AAA. Thanks Music City Mama for the included tax and the full price of AAA tickets.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Best savings through UT would be $72 with a 6 day PH with WPF&M option no expiration.

 

[pam0909]

Best savings through UT would be $72 with a 6 day PH with WPF&M option no expiration.

If I got the WPF&M wouldn't I have to upgrade to the Premium Annual Pass? We want the Regular Annual Pass.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Not if you do not use a water park or more entry. Just enter one of the 4 theme parks, then do your upgrade to a regular AP.

 

[pam0909]

Not if you do not use a water park or more entry. Just enter one of the 4 theme parks, then do your upgrade to a regular AP.

We could definitely do that. Now...help me understand the math. Where do you come up with a $72 savings? I never was any good at math.

 

[Robo]

We could definitely do that. Now...help me understand the math. Where do you come up with a $72 savings? I never was any good at math.

You just need to look at the amount the UT ticket costs in relation to the full Disney price.

UT tells you how much "savings" there is on their tickets in relation to the full Disney price.

 

[hakepb]

We could definitely do that. Now...help me understand the math. Where do you come up with a $72 savings? I never was any good at math.

The 6 day ticket may or may not be a problem. With the 6 day, you could only make 6 days of advanced FP+.
The 6 day doesn't matter if your 1st trip is 6 or fewer days, and your additional trips are at least 60 days after you upgrade to an AP.

 

[pam0909]

You just need to look at the amount the UT ticket costs in relation to the full Disney price.

UT tells you how much "savings" there is on their tickets in relation to the full Disney price.

It says "Save $37 vs Adult gate price".

 

[Dan Murphy]

It says "Save $37 vs Adult gate price".

6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration
Save $72 vs Adult gate price
$577.47

 

[pam0909]

6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration
Save $72 vs Adult gate price
$577.47

I was obviously looking at the wrong ticket. Thanks for pointing that out! I think that is the way we're going to go!

 

[pam0909]

The 6 day ticket may or may not be a problem. With the 6 day, you could only make 6 days of advanced FP+.
The 6 day doesn't matter if your 1st trip is 6 or fewer days, and your additional trips are at least 60 days after you upgrade to an AP.

1st trip is 6 days. Additional trips are definitely 60 days after we upgrade to AP.

 

[Minniekins]

Best savings through UT would be $72 with a 6 day PH with WPF&M option no expiration.

6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration
Save $72 vs Adult gate price
$577.47

Okay, so, spelling this all out even more, for my benefit and to get verification that I'm looking at this correctly, lol. Buying a 6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration at UCT would cost $577.47. Buying this ticket with tax thru Disney would cost $577.47 + 72.00 = $649.47. And, if I buy the ticket at UCT, and then enter my first park on arrival day, the ticket's value will then be $649.47, just as if I'd bought that ticket thru Disney originally. Then, I can go to GS and ask to upgrade and bridge that ticket to a regular AP. If they bridge it correctly, it should cost me the difference between the value of the 6 day tickets that is now $649.47 and the Disney regular AP cost of $675.21. So, I'd pay an additional $25.74 at the GS counter,(if they quote me any other amount, we'll ask for manager or stop the upgrade and move to another GS). Making my total payout for the regular AP $577.47 + $25.74 = $603.21, saving $72.00!! I definitely like seeing it all spelling out like that, lol!

The 6 day ticket may or may not be a problem. With the 6 day, you could only make 6 days of advanced FP+.
The 6 day doesn't matter if your 1st trip is 6 or fewer days, and your additional trips are at least 60 days after you upgrade to an AP.

I am wondering why the next trip needs to be at least 60 days after the upgrade? Does it have something to do with the FP+ or something else? Hadn't heard that before and my DD24 is going to do the above ticket buying for her end of Sep trip with BF, and then our trip will be at the beginning of Dec, so she will just barely make the 60 days if she upgrades on her first day(which is her plan as she'll get the TIW card then).

TIA!

 

[hakepb]

Okay, so, spelling this all out even more, for my benefit and to get verification that I'm looking at this correctly, lol. Buying a 6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration at UCT would cost $577.47. Buying this ticket with tax thru Disney would cost $577.47 + 72.00 = $649.47. And, if I buy the ticket at UCT, and then enter my first park on arrival day, the ticket's value will then be $649.47, just as if I'd bought that ticket thru Disney originally. Then, I can go to GS and ask to upgrade and bridge that ticket to a regular AP. If they bridge it correctly, it should cost me the difference between the value of the 6 day tickets that is now $649.47 and the Disney regular AP cost of $675.21. So, I'd pay an additional $25.74 at the GS counter,(if they quote me any other amount, we'll ask for manager or stop the upgrade and move to another GS). Making my total payout for the regular AP $577.47 + $25.74 = $603.21, saving $72.00!! I definitely like seeing it all spelling out like that, lol!



I am wondering why the next trip needs to be at least 60 days after the upgrade? Does it have something to do with the FP+ or something else? Hadn't heard that before and my DD24 is going to do the above ticket buying for her end of Sep trip with BF, and then our trip will be at the beginning of Dec, so she will just barely make the 60 days if she upgrades on her first day(which is her plan as she'll get the TIW card then).

TIA!

On the 2nd part, yes the 60 days is just to have a valid ticket in MDE for FP+ reservations (if staying on site)

And FYI,price bridging doesn't happen automatically, it's the process the CM is supposed to use while upgrading used tickets.

 

[Minniekins]

On the 2nd part, yes the 60 days is just to have a valid ticket in MDE for FP+ reservations (if staying on site)

And FYI,price bridging doesn't happen automatically, it's the process the CM is supposed to use while upgrading used tickets.

Thanks! I've price bridged our tickets once and it all went very smoothly. I said I wanted to upgrade and asked if he knew how to price bridge and the CM smiled and said "Of course!", which was great! But, I know that not all CM's know about price bridging or will do it, so that's why I'd ask for a manager if the CM is having a problem with it, quoting me a wrong price or refusing to do it, and if they're not helpful, I'd just pass and go to another GS.

 

[Dan Murphy]

...Okay, so, spelling this all out even more, for my benefit and to get verification that I'm looking at this correctly, lol. Buying a 6-Day Park Hopper® + Water Park Fun & More - No Expiration at UCT would cost $577.47. Buying this ticket with tax thru Disney would cost $577.47 + 72.00 = $649.47. And, if I buy the ticket at UCT, and then enter my first park on arrival day, the ticket's value will then be $649.47, just as if I'd bought that ticket thru Disney originally. Then, I can go to GS and ask to upgrade and bridge that ticket to a regular AP. If they bridge it correctly, it should cost me the difference between the value of the 6 day tickets that is now $649.47 and the Disney regular AP cost of $675.21. So, I'd pay an additional $25.74 at the GS counter,(if they quote me any other amount, we'll ask for manager or stop the upgrade and move to another GS). Making my total payout for the regular AP $577.47 + $25.74 = $603.21, saving $72.00!! I definitely like seeing it all spelling out like that, lol!...

Spelled out exactly correct.