Annual Pass

[Sunkissed]

We're going in early Dec., but are now also planning a May '05 trip. Already have accomodations and passes for 12/04, but wondering if we should look at an annual pass? Can anyone give advice? THanks!

 

[WDW LOVR]

It really depends on how many days you plan on visiting the parks, what kind of rooms you typically stay in and how much you eat at sit down restaurants.

I've read that if you plan on visiting more than 8-9 days in a year that an annual pass makes sense. But if you do a little homework you can save more than the cost of a AP by watching for room discounts that are offered most times of the year. Factor in food discounts and an AP can very quickly pay for itself in just a few days.

For Example. Let's say you plan on visiting for 4 days, spending one day at each of the parks with an evening at DTD. The cost of a 4 day park hopper pass from an online ticket broker is around $215. The cost of a regular annual pass is around $400. That's a difference of $185. Depending on the time of year you go and what resort you stay at, the AP room discounts can range from $40 to sometimes $150/night. Even if you stay at one of the value resorts and only save $40/night for the 4 nights, that = $160. Throw in one sit down lunch for 4 at Epcot one afternoon which could easily save $10, a visit to The World of Disney at DTD (where you recieve 10% off) and the cost of an AP is paid for. Another thing we've done is buy an AP for a trip and then schedule another trip before the 12 months is up and the tickets are paid for.

To get the discounts on rooms, meals etc only one person in the party (usually the one paying) must have the AP. In addition, you don't have to have the actual AP when you make reservations. As long as you have one when you check in you're ok.

If you plan on visiting for 9-10 days or more in any year, then AP's for the whole family might make sense. There is a very good price comparison for AP vs. PH tickets on Allearsnet.com.

One thing you have to be careful of is an AP can be dangerous. With the great room discounts that can be had with an AP and you already have the admission tickets paid for, if a cheap flight shows up you'll be considering a weekend trip every time you turn around. Hope this helps.

 

[Sunkissed]

Thanks!

I have, VERY reluctantly, given over control of the May trip to another in our group (not easy for a commando planner like myself). I will wait to see what he cooks up for us before making a decision. Though I do hope that one day, our trips are frequent enough on a regular basis to get an AP.

 

[KristaTX]

I will buy my third AP in December. If you are fairly confident that you'll be going twice within one year, go ahead and get AP's. There is some good info here:

http://allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm

http://allearsnet.com/pl/breakeven.php

But I'll warn you. While having an AP makes each individual trip cost less, you may find yourself planning more trips and not actually saving money in the long run. AP's tend to call out at you in the middle of the night. "Come back. COME BACK" .

 

[LeftCoaster]

Originally posted by Sunkissed
We're going in early Dec., but are now also planning a May '05 trip. Already have accomodations and passes for 12/04, but wondering if we should look at an annual pass? Can anyone give advice? THanks!

What kind of passes do you have for your December trip? You could always use them to upgrade to an AP when you get there. since you have two trips planned within the next year, it owuld make sense to have an AP.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Originally posted by KristaTX
But I'll warn you. While having an AP makes each individual trip cost less, you may find yourself planning more trips and not actually saving money in the long run. AP's tend to call out at you in the middle of the night. "Come back. COME BACK" .

Agreed, but that's not really a bad thing - is it?

I'm doing the same. I just got back from a trip last week and bought an AP because I will be taking my niece the first week of October next year, so the pass was already going to pay for itself.

I stayed for six nights this time, and did parks all seven days (even on arrival/departure days). This was great - because I didn't feel like I was wasting a park hopper day by going the evening I got there or the morning before I left and got to squeeze as much magic in as possible.

However, you are right - the new AP rates are out for the first of the year, and I already booked a four-night trip the second week of January. With the AP rate of $49/night, and airfare discounts getting me a roundtrip ticket for about $120, I get five days of magic for about $350 including ground transportation. Several cast members I spoke to who knew it was my last day kept saying "Aw, that's too bad!" but knowing I had an AP and would be back soon made me think that leaving wasn't so bad.

I've also priced it out, and a weekend trip sometime isn't out of the question. If you live near a airline hub that has cheap airfare it's really tempting. With the resort discounts it can really add up to savings - it feels so great to know that WDW is waiting for you and that you can go to any park any day you want.

APs aren't for everyone, and yes, you may visit more...but again, I think it's a good thing. Not having to add $50+/day/person in admission really brings down the price of a WDW trip, takes the pressure off of feeling you need to get your "moneys worth" every day, and makes me smile every time I open my wallet and see Mickey staring at me.

AEfx