Annual Pass Question

[laekia]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place!

I'm trying to figure out if buying an AP is worth while or if I can even do it. We are heading to WDW in December with our kids and we have free dining for the trip (8 nights 9 days) my husband and I are planning to go back in October 2015 for our anniversary just the 2 of us. I've looked at the numbers but I can't figure this out for some reason... Added to it we are Canadian and I'm not sure if there's any restrictions? Will it mess up my free dining promo? I would think not since we would change the tickets to AP when we were there? Will I actually save anything doing it this way? We would only change mine and hubby's to AP since the girls won't be back.

 

[LaurenT]

if the two separate tickets that you would have to buy to cover both trips add up to more than the AP, then the AP makes sense.
There's no need to upgrade until you get there. There aren't restrictions for Canadians that I know of.

 

[katt789]

An annual pass works out to be less than:
2 trips of 5 days with park hopping tickets.

No exclusions for Canadians (here! )

Do know that for future trips though it'll be one heck of a mess if you want free dining. I have an AP, but my Mom do not, so last year when there was free dining, we booked the promo with the lowest amount of days, and then gave my "2 day ticket" to my Mom to cover a total of 4 days of the trip, it gets confusing if you travel with non ap holders and want that specific promotion, but the room discounts are still pretty awesome!

 

[puffkin]

Something else to consider is that it may work out cheaper to get the AP's for this trip and do a room only AP discounted reservation in stead. You would also be eligible for the Tables in Wonderland card which could be used on both trips. Depending on how your family likes to eat (or if you like alcohol with your meals), this could possibly work out to be a better deal than a rack rate room and free dining. Don't forget to factor in the TiW savings on the trip next year too.

 

[jcvalenti]

Also, when deciding if APs are "worth it", you also need to factor in (a) whether you need parking (free to AP holders) and (b) do you spend money on merchandise (many stores offer AP discounts).

I used to do the math each trip and it always averaged out to the AP being worth it if a person was spending around 10 total days in a year (especially with park hopping), but I haven't done the math since the last few price increases.

We've kind of fallen in to habit where we go for 12 days one year and around 10 more before the passes expire, so even though paying off that $2500 charge is tough, APs are always "worth it" for my family. Of course, we much prefer TiW over DDP for the way we eat.

 

[laekia]

Is it possible then to switch the 8 day tickets we have now for APs once we get there or does it not work that way? We have 8 days of tickets for this trip and we would have at least 6 for the October trip next year. I'm not sure why I can't grasp this concept...

 

[harbin]

You can apply the cost of the 8 day tickets to upgrade to AP's. Then cancel the October tickets (because you won't need them anymore) and book that reservation as room only, hopefully with an AP discount!

 

[Robo]

1. Is it possible then to switch the 8 day tickets we have now for APs once we get there or

2. does it not work that way?

1. Yes.

2. You simply USE the 8-day ticket to enter a theme park at least one time BEFORE you do the upgrade.
Then, you will get the price that you paid for the 8-day tickets applied to the AP upgrade transaction.

You can check-in at the resort (even if you book an AP resort discount room) without having an AP in-hand
at the time of the check-in.
If (IF) the resort wants to see your AP, you can do the upgrade to AP that first day,
then bring the AP back to the resort desk the next day as proof. Standard procedure.

 

[Wendybird55]

Just please note if you upgrade to APs, you cannot have free dining unless you also purchase a 2-day park ticket for everyone.

HOWEVER, in the long run I think APs are better value if you plan to be at Disney 10 or more days within a year. As PPs mentioned with AP you can:
-save on room cost by getting available room discount (for APs or non APs - with free dining you have to pay full room rate)
-save on many purchases as most stores in parks offer 10% discount to AP holders
-save on some restaurants (there are AP only food discounts but they are very limited. You can purchase Tables in Wonderland for $100 which you can use for both trips. TiW is good primarily for TS (there are a few CS) and is 20$ savings and includes alchohol. If you plan on spending more than $500 on TS food for both trips then get TiW as at $500 it pays for itself (20% of $500 is $100) and anything over is true savings.
-You AP discounts for certain recreations and tours

I have a son and find using AP discounts and TIW a much better value. With Tiw you are not restricted to what you order and can make substitutions, etc. which is great for kids. Sometimes kids choices don't appeal to your child or aren't enough food. Or you would rather an appetizer and entrée instead of dessert and entrée. I find TiW allos us more flexibility in our dining food options at a restaurant and we can order exactly what we want and int the long run save $$.

I think APs are the way to go as all the savings and discount opportunities I think far outweigh the value of free dining with full-rate rooms.