Annual Pass Questions

[bakerworld]

We bought our AP in Feb - used it one day, again 3 days in April and will probably use it about 4 days this coming January. I didn't feel like we made such a smart purchase until I checked out the ticket prices.

AP w/ taxes & discount ~ $450
4D Hopper $298 (last yrs price) & if you add the non-expire, which we would've needed, it would have been $400+

The AP works - it could've worked better but DH became really sick on our 1st visit (cold from home) and our daughter was visiting without a park ticket. We should've just bought her a ticket but we were distracted by DH's cold and need to rest.

Then we added a week at the Dolphin for F&W in October so the AP really become a game changer there.

 

[skirby]

If you went with the non-expiring option, why wouldn't you go ahead and get the 10 day? For $626, you can get the 10 day hopper with no expiration on Undercover Tourist. Without the hopper, it's $604. I know that's more than an AP, but if you only spend a few days in the parks per trip, it might be worth it. Granted, it's a larger up-front cost, but if it's manageable, the per-day price is better. In our immediate future, we only see trips every other year, but if we ever reached a point where we went in consecutive years, I would try for trips 51 weeks apart and get an AP.

 

[ford91exploder]

Also dont forget that the AP entitles you to a 10% on merchandise and discounts on tours and dining.

So if you tend to buy lots of Disney 'stuff' the AP helps amortize its cost in other ways as well. Plus there are special AP rates for rooms. I've seen rooms in the value resorts as low as $59 in the off seasons.

So the AP is valuable in other ways as well.

 

[MichelleVW]

If you went with the non-expiring option, why wouldn't you go ahead and get the 10 day? For $626, you can get the 10 day hopper with no expiration on Undercover Tourist. Without the hopper, it's $604. I know that's more than an AP, but if you only spend a few days in the parks per trip, it might be worth it. Granted, it's a larger up-front cost, but if it's manageable, the per-day price is better. In our immediate future, we only see trips every other year, but if we ever reached a point where we went in consecutive years, I would try for trips 51 weeks apart and get an AP.

We're just buying into DVC and I'm thinking that when we start going I will probably get an AP and get DH the 10 day non expiring hopper. He doesn't like to go as often as I do, so the 10 day would probably last him a few years.

 

[Pirate Granny]

My thoughts is the bonus of having 10 days of water parks, @$50 a visit...it's really a great deal....SMILE...worth $500. I've been thinking of getting the non-expiring ten days just for the water park tickets....he,he,he

 

[Disney52303]

you might also find yourself planning trips you normally would not with an AP. we are going in December and are going to buy APs so we can go again in October. then, we found out a cousin is getting married in Antigua in May so we are going to stop for a day or two before in Orlando since we will have APs.

I SO agree with this. We have 2 2013 trips planned and priced out AP's and no-expiration passes - AP's were a lot less plus we will be able to get the TiW discount. We have a couple nice restaurants planned so will easily benefit from this.

We recently booked a 2 night stay this December thanks to a special $128 flight. We will be able to acive our AP's and still have them for 2013. That, coupled with our DVC stay made it a no-brainer to fly to WDW instead of driving to Storyland for a weekend!

 

[denneg]

I just decided today to buy the AP for our next few trips, since we are planning on going at least 4 weeks over the next year. My parents are DVC members, and are joining us a few days into the trip. But in order to get the current DVC $399 rate, one of them would need to be with us when we activated the AP, right? Does anyone know if they will let me do it with one of their cards - they live with us in an in-law apartment, so we have the same address, so we qualify. If not I'll just have to pay the difference to change their flights, because $399 is too good to miss out on!

 

[Fiveisaparty]

It is worth it, but I bought myself and my 3 kids AP in June because I knew we would be back with extended family for Thanksgiving. I then went back in October with just one kid for a 3 night / 4 day trip and just booked another trip for Spring break "since we have the annual passes" 4 times in one year when it used to just be 1 time a year. I am pretty sure my "good deal" on annual passes turned to to an extra 10 K for disney in resort fees / food / souviners haha

 

[jasonv1]

The January PAP special was a no brainier for us, but only if planning a 5+ day park visit and at least 1 additional weekend visit.

Day 0 arrive Orlando, visit Disney Quest (Epcot only resort still open that day, and then only for an hour so no worth a visit). Didn't even stay at Disney that night since we arrived at 7:30PM (gotta love free rooms at a nearby Hilton earned by some work travel.
Next, 5.5 days of park visits.
2.5 days next May for a Star Wars weekend.
2.5 days next September/October for the Halloween party (which is what we went for last month; what fun!).

For me, hopping is a must as I like early and late park visits. I figure if I can squeeze 6 days out of it I'm in good shape, even if I just break even. Figure each of us spends $50-$60 on souvenirs, which is another $15-$18 saved.

Don't take much work to make the AP the best choice. Plus let's be honest, the special AP MagicBand delivery is pretty cool (even if you don't get it until you activate, which for us didn't occur till we were at the park. Boo!)

 

[DebbieB]

Note this thread is from 2012, prices quoted in post #7 are old.

 

[TeeterTots]

When you renew an AP does it have to be at the year mark or just within that same year? For instance, we would buy in April, travel April (end of the month), October, April (first of the month), would we have to renew in April or could we wait until our next October trip?

 

[supersnoop]

When you renew an AP does it have to be at the year mark or just within that same year? For instance, we would buy in April, travel April (end of the month), October, April (first of the month), would we have to renew in April or could we wait until our next October trip?

To get the renewal rate, you have to renew within a set time (30 days?) after the pass expires, and the expiration is extended one year from the previous expiration date.

 

[TeeterTots]

Thank you! Makes sense.

 

[kristenrice]

We typically take 5-night trips to WDW. Depending on our arrival time, this translates into 4 full park days and 1 partial day. I try to plan our trips so that we take an early-summer trip followed by a spring break trip the next year. That way, we get two trips out of one set of AP's. If we didn't get AP's, we would have to purchase two sets of 5-day PH passes from UCT.

(2) sets of (4) adult 5-day PH passes: $2928.40

OR

(1) set of (4) NON-EXPIRING 10-day PH passes: $3020.04

OR

(4) DVC AP's: $2066.12

By purchasing AP's and strategically timing our annual vacations, we can save almost $900.

 

[KandiB47]

We are also in with the groups that go twice in 51 weeks with the AP. We were unable to that this year and the regular passes are so expensive comparatively. The next planned trips are mid December 2015, then early December 2016 with one set of AP's.

 

[DenLo]

I think if you have an AP, you will find your restriction to one park per trip is out the window since it doesn't matter how many times you use an AP.

However, if you do not do 10 park entrances in the 13 month life span of the AP, you are wasting money purchasing an AP.

 

[DebbieB]

When my mom was alive, we had a regular schedule of May Mothers Day at OKW and early December at BWV. We had AP's and only had to buy them about every 18 months because of the 51 weeks after purchase for the last trip, got 3 trips out of them (sometimes more for me when I also went with friends).