Annual Pass versuses 10 day hopper pass to Disneyland

[mellyB]

Researching ticket options for our trip to Disnleyland next year.

Has anyone bought an annual pass instead of the hopper pass? I'm wondering if I get one annual pass and the rest 10 day hopper passes. So we can get discounts on food and merchandise and maybe even accommodation.

 

[losfp]

I'm looking into doing something similar myself.

I think it comes down to your individual circumstances and running the numbers.

A 10-day pass is about $360 (I think, it's one of the ones you need to get through an Aussie travel agent) and an annual pass can be $520 (with blockout dates, 10% off dining and merch) or $700 (no blockouts, 15-20% off dining and merch). If you think you will get $160 or more in discounts, then go for it! Accomodation alone might cover that, depending on how you go.

My calculation is going to be a bit more complex. I'm looking to visit Disneyland AND WDW in the same trip, so I'll be comparing the cost of 10-day passes vs the premier passport.

Premier passport is $1029

Disneyland 10-day pass is $360, WDW 10-day pass is $470 = 830

So I'll need to find $200 in savings. I'm sure I'll save that much in merchandise alone

There's no point for my case (or yours) getting everyone annual passes as many of the benefits can be received by having one person in the party with an annual pass, and the park entry is met by the existing normal tickets.

 

[aussie shaz]

We decided against the annual pass because there were blackout days on our 2 weekends. Also it doesn't offer an early entry.
We also werent staying onsite so wouldn't get the savings to make it worthwhile.

 

[losfp]

Also it doesn't offer an early entry.
We also werent staying onsite so wouldn't get the savings to make it worthwhile.

Ah yes. This is definitely a consideration. If you're not staying onsite, I would lean towards getting the regular park hopper tickets.

I loved early entry, we got so much done in that first hour!

 

[mellyB]

Ah yes. This is definitely a consideration. If you're not staying onsite, I would lean towards getting the regular park hopper tickets.

I loved early entry, we got so much done in that first hour!

Hmmm, I don't know what to do. We are planning on staying onsite for 6 of the 10 nights we are at DL. Glad I have plenty of time to think about it.

 

[zanzibar138]

Hmmm, I don't know what to do. We are planning on staying onsite for 6 of the 10 nights we are at DL. Glad I have plenty of time to think about it.

If you're staying at the DLH for 6 nights, then I would think the hotel discount alone would more than cover the cost of your AP. It's also worth noting that a lot of the off site hotels offer an AP discount too. Off the top of my head, Portobello Inn & Suites (which is where we're staying), HoJo, Hotel Menage, and I think the Anabella all offer an AP discount.

Even at the Portobello for 7 nights, the savings on the AP rate covered the cost of my AP.

We're going at an off-peak time though so didn't have to worry about black-out days. Also, we have a split-stay which meant more than 14 days between the first use of my ticket and the last use, so I kind of had to get an AP. The discounts make it even more worthwhile though.

It's also worth noting that you can upgrade your 10 day hopper at any point before it expires. If you still want the early entry, you could get a 10 day hopper (or even just a 3 day one), use the early entry on the first day, then upgrade to an AP.

 

[jacs1234]

We did but we stayed 14 days so entry alone was cheaper with the annual pass than buying a 10 day hopper plus a 4 day hopper. 5 of us got deluxe passes and hubby got the premium due to the greater discounts. We had our family of 6 and my sister in law, mum and a niece and nephew so we used his annual pass for food so it was a bigger discount. We got 30% off our accomodation at the grand for 10 nights, so we really came off quite well. It is soooooooooo expensive to travel there from here.

 

[Babysaurs]

In looking into doing this too mostly to get a discount staying onsite

 

[alicia1506]

If you are considering getting an AP, make sure the person getting the AP is going to be the person paying for things (standing in line to order food, buying merchandise etc). My SO loved the idea of being the AP holder, but since I'm the one shopping while he's off riding the horse drawn carriage, or I'm the one standing in line for food while he's the one standing outside watching characters, it made for some *fun* experiences...

We certainly learnt from that... also, even though they have your photo on file and signature on file, they often asked him for verifying ID (drivers license or passport) when using the AP for merchandise discounts...