Annual pass question

[Disnsyncey]

Yeah if I can clarify, they will definitely raise prices. $125 for a 6 day PH would be extraordinarily large. More typical would be $20-$50. But anything is possible.

yes, makes sense.....now just trying to predict what prices will be NEXT next year....that might get to the $125 raise.....thanks for the insight!

 

[diznee princess]

We currently have 4 day one day tickets, due to a last minute trip. We will be down for a few days in November to get some stuff done for our daughters wedding. And thinking we may want to go to the parks, since we are staying at the swan. And we are thinking of staying a day or two after her wedding, just thinking about if we will want to do Disney again. A lot to think of and big decision

I say every year "we are not renewing next year" especially when there is another price increase! and yet every year for the past 4, when the renewal discount is offered I do it

IMO it pays to have an AP, if you can afford one, if you visit 2x or more in a year.
The perks are worth it, even if only 1 person has one for parking, merch and TS discounts as well as Resort rates if you plan to stay on property.
There's also additional offering to AP such as The Tables in Wonderland if you dine out and enjoy adult drinks a lot.
We also like the freedom to come and go often during our stays. We don't feel we are wasting a ticket day if we want to go half day or sleep in some days.

If you decide to upgrade to annual passes you can apply those tickets to the upgrade price. Just make sure you do so before the last day your ticket is used. In other words before you leave the park on the last day at Guest services. Your annual pass will have an experation date that coincides with the first day of use on your tickets. When you first entered the park.

I purchase tickets through undercover tourist since they are always a savings when compared with Disney total after tax gate prices and online prices. Then we upgrade. (I also purchase WDW gift cards at a 5% discount at warehouse clubs and Target with my target red card to use for payment balance). Disney used to bridge the tickets at gate prices which offered better savings, but I think they now give you credit for discounted price you paid for toward the AP cost. Still a savings though

Bottom line, If you know for sure you are coming back and will use it, it's worth it. Gate prices will probably rise before your next visit. But if you not sure or anyone in your party may not be able to return, then that would be money wasted at any savings.

 

[Brook1099]

I’m getting an AP just for my hubby the 4 of us regular 7 day park hoppers
Because of the discounts
Photo pass
Merchandise
Table service discount with a TIW we are 5 eating table services and include alcohol.
We are planning on returning for a few days next year for the same discounts as a party of two. I’ll just get regular ticket and no hopper as we only hop when kids are with us .
Not doing the math end just feel it works best for us
Note we saved a couple hundred dollars by purchasing gift cards to buy tickets that saving with get his TIW card

 

[cakebaker]

I saved money on my first trip of just 5 days but stayed at a deluxe resort with a 40% AP discount saving me nearly $200 a night more than the best public discount. Added to that was photopass, shopping discounts and discounts on a couple DAH events. I will have gotten a total of 4 trips totaling 25 days out of this pass before it expires in mid October. I have a voucher at the old price I’ll activate sometime next spring so it will be a while before I have to calculate at the higher rate, but I’m sure an AP will still save me a bundle. You just have to do the math as everyone is different.

 

[markjeremy]

I’m so sorry if this isn’t suppose to be posted here (I couldn’t find anything fitting) but does anyone know if there are special holders for your annual pass? I got mine in a plastic one, but it’s already falling apart

 

[disneygirlsng]

Mine nearly paid for itself after one 3 day weekend trip, so it varies for sure. I saved about $200/night for 3 nights at the GF with the AP discount. Add in other discounts and memory maker, I got pretty close to $800 in savings right there. Now I did purchase it before the recent price increase, but you do have to look at multiple factors. And honestly, that trip wasn't even planned when I initially purchased the AP, I added it because I had already bought the AP.

 

[cakebaker]

I added it because I had already bought the AP.

The curse of an AP. I made 2 trips that would have not been made without the AP.

 

[igrsod]

We did 4 park days during the January Marathon weekend. With park tickets, the Photopass ($169) and a 15% discount for two pricey tickets on the Backstage Magic Tour, I was only like $200 away from upgrading to a platinum Annual Pass (This is before the recent price increases. I may pause now that the difference is $400+).

The Photopass was the tipping point for me. That would be $169 per trip and it includes photos from the RunDisney events (of which I am doing 3)

It’s a Catch-22 in a good way. Getting the Annual Pass means I am visiting Disney more than I expected (Disney is making money off me) and I get an enhanced experience with each visit (free photos, discounted gifts, discounted meals, discounted tours).

An ironic side effect of an Annual Pass is not feeling pressured to be in the parks. If I bought a ticket with cash, I’d feel obliged to be in there open-to-close. With the Annual Pass, half my days are planned with downtime at the resort since the parks are the ‘freebies’ now.

That is so true. Since getting annual passes, we go at a much slower pace and don't stress if we don't get to do something. Sometimes we only go for a few hours and then hang out at the resort pool. We never did that when we paid for tickets.

 

[cakebaker]

That is so true. Since getting annual passes, we go at a much slower pace and don't stress if we don't get to do something. Sometimes we only go for a few hours and then hang out at the resort pool. We never did that when we paid for tickets.

Same here! I always felt like spending so much on a deluxe resort was a waste of money because we were on the go all the time. We almost always took afternoon breaks, but they were just long enough to rest a bit, change clothes and back out we went. Now I plan in resort mornings or afternoons and on days it's just a break, it's a longer one. It's so much more relaxing and fun not going 90 mph all the time.

 

[disneygirlsng]

The curse of an AP. I made 2 trips that would have not been made without the AP.

Haha, it worked out well. My mom wanted to go some time over the summer, so I treated her and got an amazing deal on her dream hotel. The trip probably would have happened anyway, but it sure did make it easier with the AP.

 

[iivye]

We usually do a long weekend trip and get 3 or 4 day parkhoppers. We bought season passes this year because we have three trips planned. Anything less than 3 trips for me isn't worth it. Of course, like other say, once you have a pass you start to try and fit in extra trips.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

DH and I have for the first time, it was about the same price as 2 hoppers for our 2 planned trips (even after the big increase) but the savings of not buying memory maker and the TIW savings (we’ll be a party of 8 on the longer trip) will have us saving quite a bit.

Because the tickets are so front loaded it’s really the number of trips (two seems to get you close) plus discounts that are worthwhile to you, not necessarily the number of days IMO.

 

[Gentry2004]

I can buy two 10-day tickets for way less than the cost of an AP. I agree frequent shorter trips would make the break even happen sooner.

I don’t count park hopper or memory maker in the breakeven analysis because I wouldn’t otherwise pay for those.

I feel like the AP prices rise more quickly than the regular ticket prices.

 

[cakebaker]

I can buy two 10-day tickets for way less than the cost of an AP. I agree frequent shorter trips would make the break even happen sooner.

I don’t count park hopper or memory maker in the breakeven analysis because I wouldn’t otherwise pay for those.

I feel like the AP prices rise more quickly than the regular ticket prices.

When I look at my costs, I only factor in how much more of an increase in room discount I get vs using a public discount. We always buy memory maker so I do include that, but we rarely do sit down dining so No discount for food. I shop, but I don’t really count the discount on that because it varies a lot. In the end, it’s the room discounts that make it worth buying for me. We rarely have everyone in the family with AP’s as just 1 will get us all those discounts. This year we do because we’ll be making a 14 day trip next summer so getting them all AP’s for the trips they were with me this year made sense.

You really have to watch how you compare to be accurate in figuring your break even point.

 

[CastAStone]

Disney used to bridge the tickets at gate prices which offered better savings, but I think they now give you credit for discounted price you paid for toward the AP cost.

Disney doesn't know what you paid if you bought via a third party. They give you credit for the full price of the ticket at the time the reseller purchased it. You know how resellers like Undercover Tourist and Boardwalk Ticketing and the like are always selling tickets for the old prices after a price increase? Those are worth the old full price toward an AP.

So lets say you bought a 3 day ticket worth $350 right before a price increase for $300. The cost to upgrade to a $1200 AP is $850.
Then after the price increase, the new price at the discounter is $350 and the new list price is $400, if you buy the $350 ticket, it will cost you $800 to upgrade.
But if, right after a price increase is implemented, you snag one of the old $350 tickets for the old $300 price, you still have to pay the higher upgrade rate for that older ticket, which is $850. So that $50 you saved was eaten by the price increase in the mean time.

That's why, depending on when you bought your tickets, it can seem like the bridging went away.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

An ironic side effect of an Annual Pass is not feeling pressured to be in the parks. If I bought a ticket with cash, I’d feel obliged to be in there open-to-close. With the Annual Pass, half my days are planned with downtime at the resort since the parks are the ‘freebies’ now.

This can not be overstated. I started doing AP's a few years ago. The difference it made is that when I arrived by plane, I felt like I could hit the park for dinner and maybe 1 or 2 rides and I was not "wasting" money. Or on my fly home day I can leave at 2pm instead of 9am and get in a little park time without "wasting a ticket". On resort days I may still pop into the park for dinner (favorite restaurant?) or ride spaceship earth or something else with no wait. Previously I would never have done these are they cost too much.

 

[Mango7100]

This can not be overstated. I started doing AP's a few years ago. The difference it made is that when I arrived by plane, I felt like I could hit the park for dinner and maybe 1 or 2 rides and I was not "wasting" money. Or on my fly home day I can leave at 2pm instead of 9am and get in a little park time without "wasting a ticket". On resort days I may still pop into the park for dinner (favorite restaurant?) or ride spaceship earth or something else with no wait. Previously I would never have done these are they cost too much.

We are considering an AP for this reason. We have a 2 day park ticket for our 4 day vacation coming up (going to MNSSHP on a non park day)—so we can get credit for that ticket. We also plan on a week trip in summer and another 3-4 day trip as well. By getting the AP, we may hop to a park after dinner just to do 2-3 rides and maybe get dessert—I would never do that on a regular ticket since I would feel pressure to squeeze every last hour out of that ticket cost. Of course I know by getting an AP, I’m still paying to be there but I think I would feel more relaxed

 

[Robo]

This can not be overstated. I started doing AP's a few years ago. The difference it made is that when I arrived by plane, I felt like I could hit the park for dinner and maybe 1 or 2 rides and I was not "wasting" money. Or on my fly home day I can leave at 2pm instead of 9am and get in a little park time without "wasting a ticket". On resort days I may still pop into the park for dinner (favorite restaurant?) or ride spaceship earth or something else with no wait. Previously I would never have done these are they cost too much.

I agree and understand your point.
But, with the very low cost of adding days to a 5-day (or longer) ticket, we do the same thing if we have, say, an 8 full day stay, I'll add the extra 2 days (for about $10 per day) and go into a park late on arrival day and early on departure day.
Heck, for an extra $10 per, you can't go wrong.

(Now, if we had MULTIPLE trips within the year, the AP is the only way to go.)

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I agree and understand your point.
But, with the very low cost of adding days to a 5-day (or longer) ticket, we do the same thing if we have, say, an 8 full day stay, I'll add the extra 2 days (for about $10 per day) and go into a park late on arrival day and early on departure day.
Heck, for an extra $10 per, you can't go wrong.

(Now, if we had MULTIPLE trips within the year, the AP is the only way to go.)

100%. If I was only planning on a single 6+ day trip, I would just buy an extra day. Although TBH I would more likely not buy a day and just go to Disney Springs or the hotel pool.

We alternate years. So we try to figure out how many times we are going in a year. If 1, we just ticket it. If we are going to squeeze in some long weekend trips, we will AP it for the reasons I stated. Even if the AP comes in more expensive by a few dollars. Because that way I can change that 3 day trip to a 4 day trip and not worry about ticket prices. Or fly a little earlier or later and get a few extra hours that if I was purchasing tickets I wouldn't do.

 

[KMWoolley]

I went for 7 days in Aug and upgraded to the AP ($672). Photopass, food discounts and merch savings that trip, at least $350 total. Another fall long weekend trip; again photopass, tix and merch estimate of $500 savings (probably much higher on merch thanks to DW). Easily paid for itself and likely an anniversay trip still to come in April. Hopefully an AP room discount gets announced that I can jump on.
The only down side is my DW keeps getting mad at me when I show off my AP....