Annual pass questions

[wannabebelle]

Can anyone tell me if there's a "break-even point" with the annual pass even if you aren't planning multiple trips and don't live close to WDW?

My husband and I are going to WDW in Dec. We'll probably go to the parks four or five days plus a night for MVMCP. Is buying an annual pass worth it for the discounts? Have planned on staying at a value resort, but would consider a moderate if AP discount was good.

Also, I'm going to Orlando for a work conference Sept. 6-9. My husband will probably not be joining me. If I don't get an annual pass, I probably won't be going to the parks at all while I'm down there. However, if I get the AP, I'm sure I'll be at the parks all four nights. That's just a bonus though--I don't want that to factor into my decision to purchase or not.

Are the AP room rate discounts guaranteed? I really don't know what AP discounts are available.

 

[44disney]

It may be worth it for you to buy an AP, but not for your husband. Check out www.mousesavers.com for a lot of monetary information, as well as info on AP discounts.

 

[WillCAD]

To calculate a break-even point on an annual pass, you can now easily compare them to MYW passes with park-hopping, no expiration, and no plus pack.

An AP is $420.68
A 10-day MYW with hopping, no expiration, and no plus pack is $366.36

So the break-even point of an AP is now above 10 days, when you don't factor in the room and dining discounts.

AP room rates are not guaranteed; they are different every year and only so many rooms at each resort are available at the discounted rates. However, the AP dining, merchandise, and tour discounts are guaranteed (though Disney always "reserves the right to change at any moment with no prior notification"), and the room discounts for AP holders don't usually sell out except in very busy periods.

Your situation seems to call out for a multi-day MYW pass with no expiration.

This is a list of all the WDW tickets and thier prices:
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/ticketchart.htm

And this is a page all about AP bennefits:
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm

 

[Minnow]

There are also discounts for dining, rooms, merchandise,
Alamo car rental, Water Park admissions.

 

[ccgegg]

As suggested on Mary's Mousesavers web site, wait until the AP rates are available (IF they become available) before you buy an AP. You don't need the AP in hand when you make the resort reservation. And only one adult needs an AP to get the room discount. Then it's pretty simple math to determine what you'd save on the resort vs the cost difference of the AP pass.

 

[tjkraz]

You only need one AP in your party to get discounted room rates. Sounds like you might be a good candidate for the AP while your husband could get by with the MYW.

As stated, you don't need the AP in hand to book at the discounted room rates. I'd suggest waiting as long as possible to buy your passes. The last price increases were January '05, so it seems very unlikely there will be another increase this year.

If you decide to get the MYW pass, you can order it as late as the night before you leave via the Internet and still get the pre-purchase pricing. Simply choose the "will call" option during check-out and you'll be able to buy at the lower price.

APs cost the same no matter when or where purchased.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Don't buy the AP just for the discounts unless you have the discount booked. Currently, with no discounts considered, the break-even point is eleven park days. Many people use it for two trips - one the second week of October and one the next year the first week of October, for instance. However, as I have found (being an AP holder that lives more than 1K miles away) that with the discounts shorter trips in the middle become very possible (especially when there is good airfare deals).

N.E.D.