Annual Pass Questions...

[mommy2allyandaveri]

What kind of perks come along with an annual pass? Do you get any with the delux version?

They are valid 1 year from activation right?

I'm not sure what we should do. Maybe someone can help. We go every year, without fail for at least 5 days.

Total price for 2 adults and 1 child:
5 day hoppers: $552
Delux passes: $723 (I get a discount through work)

The only draw back is that we usually go in December and we would have to go 1 week earlier than normal next year, but if we use them we will save a bunch of money.

I already checked the blackout dates and the first few weeks of Dec isn't blacked out. Do the black out usually change much from year to year?

The other option is to get 2 delux passes and one premium so that we could get the perks that go along with the premium. That would be $843. I'm not sure if the discounts would be enough to justify the extra money.

What do you guys think?

 

[ScooterL]

Check out www.disneyland.com/ap - there's a section there that will let you compare the different APs and what you get with them. They all get various discounts on food, though the Premium gets a larger discount in a few places. The Premium also gets you a 10% discount on most merchandise. The Premium AP that also includes parking - if you're staying off-site and driving to DL that will save you money, too.

The blockout days don't change much from year-to year - mainly just the dates around Easter, since those can vary a lot.

 

[pixiewings71]

10% on food, 10% at some stores, I never remember who gives it but I always ask. If they say no I pull out my Disney Visa and get 10% that way. LOL We have the Deluxe, we are talking about getting Premium next year (or did I say that we backwards? We have the ones with blackout dates) because we want to go on blacked out dates/weekends. The price for a black out pass is $40 per person, last year it was $30.

FTR, I'm in Suisun so we are about an hour farther than you are in Sac, we go about once a month currently but that will slow down a bit as we gear up for summer.

 

[oldenewguy]

Buy the 5-day park hopper to get the magic morning and then upgrade to APs.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We are going a week earlier this June then we did last June so that we can use our AP's one more time. It is saving us a bundle this way. We also used them in October though, so they've more then paid for themself. We had 3 day park hoppers last June, then upgraded them on our last day to the deluxe AP's. This way we got MM, and just paid the difference to get the AP's.

I don't think I'd go up to premimum to just get the discounts. I guess it depends on if it's worth it to you or not. We use the 10% discount with the deluxe and quite a few places. We don't need parking so the premimum wouldn't have helped us there either. The shopping discounts might be nice though, but not sure it's worth the up charge.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you are ONLY going to go once in a year, then the comparison of the 5 day hoppers to the cost of the AP shows you that the AP isn't the best choice.

But if you're willing to commit to making the second vacation a week earlier, then you have to include TWO sets of 5 day hoppers, and then the math makes beautiful sense.

With deluxe and premium you get 20% discount on tours.

Deluxe, 10% off most food.
Premim, 15% off most food, 10% off most merchandise.

As far as I know, all of them give you access to the AP pages and the quarterly magazine, which gives you access to specials as they come out. Over the holidays there was a $20 off a $100 purchase coupon, and that was lovely.

Before POTC3 was released, they had a link on the website (or it was an article in that same coupon quarterly magazine, maybe, that pointed me in the direction) that allowed me to order the special edition of POTC AND the special matted picture of one of the ships, a piece of the sailcloth from that ship, and some silly little coin. That was the combo being sold to AP holders on the DAY OF release, limited edition, but b/c I checked out the magazine and/or AP site, I got access to it, and it was delivered to our home. Made a most excellent combo present (POTC3 for me and hubby, matted thing for hubby).

If you're only going to do the one trip inside of 365 days, figure out how much you usually spend on food, and figure out if 10% of that amount would bring you beyond the cost of the AP upgrade (if you upgrade ONE person). If it's more than a "wash", upgrade one person.

But again, if you're willing to make the two trips inside the 365 days, then it's as easy a decision as it was for us. For us, our 5 day hopper in December and planned-at-the-time ONE day visit on the visit to my brother we knew we'd make, would have cost us MORE than the deluxe AP, so it was obvious the AP upgrade made sense to us!

One little warning though...remember, we only planned the 5 day trip in September, and a visit to my brother sometime later in the year which would have involved the one-day visit to DLR. Check out my trip reports to see if that was all we've done... Having an AP makes things just so...accessible...

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Buy the 5-day park hopper to get the magic morning and then upgrade to APs.

This would be a great idea if we were going to upgrade at the park. But if I buy the AP through my job I get like $25 off of the regular price per pass.

 

[audrabolster]

Buy the 5-day park hopper to get the magic morning and then upgrade to APs.

second this!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

This would be a great idea if we were going to upgrade at the park. But if I buy the AP through my job I get like $25 off of the regular price per pass.

Unless you're going at an insanely busy time, you'd be better off saving the $$ vs. MM. I haven't done EE/MM in years and I go at the busy times. I always say I will use it, and then end up sleeping in. (I'm on vacation!)

 

[pixiewings71]

Unless you're going at an insanely busy time, you'd be better off saving the $$ vs. MM. I haven't done EE/MM in years and I go at the busy times. I always say I will use it, and then end up sleeping in. (I'm on vacation!)

Exactly how we feel! We are on vacation, sleeping in is required.

 

[bumbershoot]

You two should tour with my hubby and son. I'm a late sleeper at home, but at DLR I am up and ready as the sun is coming up!!!!