Annual Passes or 10 Day Non-Expiring Tickets?

[bonrea]

I searched for this but didnt find the answers I was looking for. So many threads and so many posts to read through.

We go to WDW once or twice a year. When we go we go for a week or a little more. We only go to the parks maybe 3 to 4 days at the most and spend time at the pool and doing other activities that we enjoy.

My question is this: which is the better value for a family of 3 all adults in the eyes of Disney. Three annual passes or 3 sets of 10 day non-expiring tickets used over 3 to 4 years?

Im not that great with the math so help me out. Please.

 

[smcabee]

Well the 10day No exp parkhopper from Undercover tourist is currently 657.59 x 3 adults=1972.77 if you go 3 years and use 3 park days each year you will have 1 park day left over and not spend another dollar for a ticket.

The current DVC AP price is 452.63 x3=1357.89 the current renewal rate is 410.03 x3 for the second year is 1230.09 and if the price doesnt change its the same 1230.09 for the 3rd year to =3818.07 spent on those same 9 days worth of park admissions.

So your looking at a difference of 1845.30 saved using the 10day No exp parkhopper if you really only do the 3 days in the park each trip over the course of those 3 years.

 

[hakepb]

With the current ticket prices (and the math may change after the 2013 increases) the 10 day NE really only makes economic sense if you get 3 full trips out of that ticket.

So if you can do trips of 3, 3, and 4 (or 3,4,3) park days, the NE is probably the best option. But if you wind up doing 4,4,4 (and have to buy another ticket on the 3rd trip ) you didn't save anything vs normal MYW tickets.

Now, if you are getting 3 trips within a 365 day period (ie 7/13, 12/13, and 6/14) then an AP may be a better deal (and I love the flexibility of an AP because you can decide to have dinner in EPCOT on a "non park" day)

 

[hakepb]

Well the 10day No exp parkhopper from Undercover tourist is currently 657.59 x 3 adults=1972.77 if you go 3 years and use 3 park days each year you will have 1 park day left over and not spend another dollar for a ticket.

The current DVC AP price is 452.63 x3=1357.89 the current renewal rate is 410.03 x3 for the second year is 1230.09 and if the price doesnt change its the same 1230.09 for the 3rd year to =3818.07 spent on those same 9 days worth of park admissions.

So your looking at a difference of 1845.30 saved using the 10day No exp parkhopper if you really only do the 3 days in the park each trip over the course of those 3 years.

If the trips are timed right, ie July '13, July '14 and June '15 then only 1 renewal is needed and the difference reduces to ~615. Still doesn't make sense unless you add in 1 or more "bonus" trips within that time.

 

[ELMC]

I searched for this but didnt find the answers I was looking for. So many threads and so many posts to read through.

We go to WDW once or twice a year. When we go we go for a week or a little more. We only go to the parks maybe 3 to 4 days at the most and spend time at the pool and doing other activities that we enjoy.

My question is this: which is the better value for a family of 3 all adults in the eyes of Disney. Three annual passes or 3 sets of 10 day non-expiring tickets used over 3 to 4 years?

Im not that great with the math so help me out. Please.

The general rule is that if you are going to spend more than 11 days at the parks then it is more cost effective to buy the AP. But there are other factors here. We used to use the 10 day no expiration tickets and we found that we didn't go to the parks on some days because I didn't want to "use up" an admission day. Now that we are AP holders, we'll spend all day at the resort and go to Epcot at 8pm for dessert and Illuminations. Or we'll go to DHS in the morning to ride Toy Story a few times and leave at 10am. It definitely adds value to your vacation. Also, if you plan your trips to overlap, you will only need two annual passes every three years.

Example:

If you visit in April and October, make one of your trips the following year before April and you can use the same AP. Then buy another AP in October of that year and it will be good for 3 vacations.

So depending on exactly when you go, how you go and what you'd like to accomplish the answer can vary. But for an oversimplified example, see below. I used adult prices and rounded to make things simple:

3 years of vacations. Assuming non overlapping so a new AP will be needed each year.

Going once a year:

Adult AP for three years $1,250 ($450 first year, $400 thereafter assuming DVC discount) used for 10 days in the parks over three years is $125 per day.

1 adult 10 day no expiry tickets with park hopper $700 used for 10 days in the parks over three years is $70 a day.

But look how it changes if you go a second time in a year:

Adult AP for three years (2 trips per year) $1,250 ($450 first year, $400 thereafter assuming DVC discount) used for 20 days in the parks over three years is $62 per day.

2 adult 10 day no expiry tickets with park hopper $1,400 used for 20 days in the parks over three years is $70 a day.

So at first glance, it would look like the 10 day ticket is the way to go. But here's the problem...once you go on this plan it is very hard to get off. Either you will run out of admission days in the middle of a vacation or you will have other days left over and nothing to do with them.

I know this was a long post, so I'll sum up. I'd go with the AP for a year and see how you like it.

 

[thepops]

Be sure to check some of the other options on UT as well. Using the link from the Mousesavers newsletter (which gets you another little discount) I was able to get a great deal on some 8 day non-expire hoppers with waterparks as well. The savings on that one was more than any of the other options.

 

[bonrea]

We are DVC members with 620 points. We have been doing more WDW wrapped around a DCL cruise with days in the parks getting few a far between now. We have even done most of the itenariues on each of the cruises. Alaska was FANTASTIC and we will do it again in a few years.

Starting in June 2014 we will be doing more WDW and will need park tickets. I’m torn between the great information you all have provided and will take some time to figure it out.

I’m thinking we bank of our points for 2014 and borrow all from 2016 and do an adventures by Disney thing. Or go to Hawaii and spend two weeks.

We have done the parks. We have seen and have enjoyed just about everything. I can’t say it is getting old or boring. Oh not at all! I guess we are just wanting more and needing to spend less. Sad I know. Like the magic is fading for us.

I guess I most sad because when DVC was new we got park tickets as part of the deal. That perk evaporated quickly.

Thank you all for your responses.

 

[Lisa P.]

Making things a bit more complicated, consider whether you would get any use out of the Water Parks & More option (WP&M). If you would already be adding Park Hopping to a non-expiring pass, it's only about $16 more to include Water Parks & More at UT.

10 Day Non-Expiring - $606.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper - $657.95
10 Day Non-Exp WP&M - $660.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper WP&M - $673.95

By adding WP&M to a 10 Day non-exp park hopper, you get 10 visits to the Disney water parks, Oak Trail golf course, DisneyQuest, ESPN Sports and/or daytime play at the Disney miniature golf courses. The regular AP does not include these and the Premium AP is very pricy!

We find that when we're spending a week at or near Disney, 2-3 days of theme park visits are plenty for us, plus a day or two doing the WP&M type activities, plus a day or two visiting the beach or a non-Disney park or state park for canoeing and a couple days just enjoying all the resort(s) can offer. So we can easily get 3-4+ trips out of a 10 Day Non-Exp passes, and this is made even easier by cheaply adding the WP&M option to our passes.

We also have family in other parts of Florida, so if we're driving to see them, it's great to spend a night to break up the drive and include a few hours' visit to one of the WP&M venues and a meal, for a mini-Disney-fix. The WP&M visits are also great for using on your travel days, at the beginning or end of your regular Disney vacation.

Since you've mentioned that you tend to visit the parks for only 3-4 days per trip, this may work well for you and save you money. The main downside is that you'll hesitate to visit the parks for a partial day when using the passes. With APs, you'd pay more for that option, even if you only buy an AP every other year and use it for two trips within 365 days (schedule your 2nd trip to end within 365 days after starting the 1st trip). If you want that freedom with the AP, it'll cost more. Also, if you tend to eat at certain restaurants and shop a lot at Disney, and you'd benefit from the AP discount, that should be considered - but it's subject to changes so don't count on it.

 

[LSchrow]

The general rule is that if you are going to spend more than 11 days at the parks then it is more cost effective to buy the AP. But there are other factors here. We used to use the 10 day no expiration tickets and we found that we didn't go to the parks on some days because I didn't want to "use up" an admission day. Now that we are AP holders, we'll spend all day at the resort and go to Epcot at 8pm for dessert and Illuminations. Or we'll go to DHS in the morning to ride Toy Story a few times and leave at 10am. It definitely adds value to your vacation. Also, if you plan your trips to overlap, you will only need two annual passes every three years.

ditto
with regular passes, we had to plan every day, and make sure to be frugal with each and every one of them. there was no spontaneity, no deviating from "the plan". entering a park with the first thought "today will cost $xxx" didn't make for the relaxing vacations we now have
with APs, we can lay by the pool, play minigolf (AP 50% off, DVC 15% off), then decide on a whim to watch illuminations, play pinball at MK, ride TSM (or at least get FPs and come back later), have a grey goose slushie, etc.......

the only planning we do is timing our vacations to get at least 2-3 (10-12 day) trips out of each AP - that way, every precious vacation minute is spent relaxing and enjoying how fortunate we are

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

my wife and I went to DW 3-4 times a year for 4-5 nights and stayed at DVC.

We bought annual passes every year. The minimum number of days in the park we had each year was average of 12. With the DVC annual pass discount it cost us less than $33 a day for admission. Some years we got in 20 days in the parks off of them. That was $20 a day. it was a no brainer for us to buy the annual passes.

I am what my wife refers to as a cheap *******.....I run the numbers and see what the best deal is. The annual passes were definitely the best deal. If we were going to have a gap between trips where our AP's expired I did not renew until the next trip to maximize the number of trips.

I know Disney will be eliminating the no expiration tickets soon so it may be a moot point down the road, but any you buy now will still be honored. I know people who bought up the play 4 days for $99 passes when they didn't expire and are laughing all the way to the bank

 

[lodge]

ditto
with regular passes, we had to plan every day, and make sure to be frugal with each and every one of them. there was no spontaneity, no deviating from "the plan". entering a park with the first thought "today will cost $xxx" didn't make for the relaxing vacations we now have
with APs, we can lay by the pool, play minigolf (AP 50% off, DVC 15% off), then decide on a whim to watch illuminations, play pinball at MK, ride TSM (or at least get FPs and come back later), have a grey goose slushie, etc.......

the only planning we do is timing our vacations to get at least 2-3 (10-12 day) trips out of each AP - that way, every precious vacation minute is spent relaxing and enjoying how fortunate we are

Very nice post..... convincing on your point also!

 

[BestDadEver]

That seems pretty simple I'd you spread it over 3 trips 10 day tic are better option if you get the water parks tic for a few more bucks you will have those too .

I bought the ten no expire I using 5 this trip and five the next when ever I go not sure when ill use them but that 5 days will be long paid . Also you have to remember the tix go up every year so you beat the increase paying in advance . I wasn't to happy to revive paper tix but I got them swaped out to credit cars type cards on my visit .

 

[G'sMaman]

Making things a bit more complicated, consider whether you would get any use out of the Water Parks & More option (WP&M). If you would already be adding Park Hopping to a non-expiring pass, it's only about $16 more to include Water Parks & More at UT.

10 Day Non-Expiring - $606.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper - $657.95
10 Day Non-Exp WP&M - $660.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper WP&M - $673.95

By adding WP&M to a 10 Day non-exp park hopper, you get 10 visits to the Disney water parks, Oak Trail golf course, DisneyQuest, ESPN Sports and/or daytime play at the Disney miniature golf courses. The regular AP does not include these and the Premium AP is very pricy!

Thanks so much for the helpful post. We'd like to visit the waterparks, but only have a regular AP and the waterpark tickets can be pricey. Instead of renewing next year, we will get the non-exp park hopper and WP&M. Wth a 5 year old, there is only so much we can do in a day anyway!

 

[thepops]

Making things a bit more complicated, consider whether you would get any use out of the Water Parks & More option (WP&M). If you would already be adding Park Hopping to a non-expiring pass, it's only about $16 more to include Water Parks & More at UT.

10 Day Non-Expiring - $606.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper - $657.95
10 Day Non-Exp WP&M - $660.95
10 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper WP&M - $673.95

By adding WP&M to a 10 Day non-exp park hopper, you get 10 visits to the Disney water parks, Oak Trail golf course, DisneyQuest, ESPN Sports and/or daytime play at the Disney miniature golf courses. The regular AP does not include these and the Premium AP is very pricy!

It also pays to look at the other tickets as well and you may even do better!

8 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper - $582.95

8 Day Non-Exp Park Hopper WP&M - $565.95

Yes! LESS to add on the WP&M than to not have it! Get 'em while they are still in stock!

 

[Tink Fans]

just called UT but no one was there to take call. I just wanted to clarify about the extra Water Parks and more option.

with the Water Parks and more option...the 10 extra fun visits do not expire either, right?

I'm was looking at the 10 day park hopper, non expiring for $655 but if those 10 FUN VISITS don't expire it would be worth it to pay the $671.95.

I'm going this Christmas and will probably only do 2-3 days in the parks at most.

Thanks for any help on this.

 

[bumbershoot]

just called UT but no one was there to take call. I just wanted to clarify about the extra Water Parks and more option.

with the Water Parks and more option...the 10 extra fun visits do not expire either, right?

I'm was looking at the 10 day park hopper, non expiring for $655 but if those 10 FUN VISITS don't expire it would be worth it to pay the $671.95.

I'm going this Christmas and will probably only do 2-3 days in the parks at most.

Thanks for any help on this.

The visits do not expire if you have the no expire option. It's why those tickets are so fabulous for those who take shorter trips and love to use a wp or dq etc option every so often.

 

[G'sMaman]

just called UT but no one was there to take call. I just wanted to clarify about the extra Water Parks and more option.

with the Water Parks and more option...the 10 extra fun visits do not expire either, right?

I'm was looking at the 10 day park hopper, non expiring for $655 but if those 10 FUN VISITS don't expire it would be worth it to pay the $671.95.

I'm going this Christmas and will probably only do 2-3 days in the parks at most.

Thanks for any help on this.

We had the exact same question! Talked to someone at UT and they confirmed that a 10 day non-expiring park hopper with the fun visits essentially gives you 10 of each so you could use it over 20 days if you spread out your visits and only do one thing each day.

 

[Tink Fans]

Thanks!
i thought so but being the neurotic me...had to be sure! And, with all those past trips (at least 20 over the last 10 years) we've never done Disney Quest or the miniature golf so this is just awesome and will come in handy!

Maureen

 

[Lisa P.]

If we were going to have a gap between trips where our AP's expired I did not renew until the next trip to maximize the number of trips.

My understanding is that this is getting harder to do. At one time, you could buy your AP, for example, June 1st and use it for an early June trip. Then you could visit again at the end of May the following year. Then you could order your renewal voucher and you could activate renewal the following year in June again and repeat this, only purchasing a renewal every other year (nearly).

However, if I understand it correctly, Disney is now back-dating the start of renewed APs to be more closely associated with the expiration of the prior AP. So it's going to be harder for those who visit less frequently to maximize the number of trips they may take on each AP. Is this true?

Of course, as you mentioned, Disney will also be discontinuing the Non-Expiring passes shortly anyway, so this will become a moot point then. Glad we've got a recent purchase. Wish we had a little more expendable case available - we'd buy extra to put in our safe deposit box. Years from now, I'm sure we'll wish we still had them. Ah well, we'll just have to enjoy what we've got while we've got it.

 

[vicki_c]

My understanding from Cheshire Figment is that renewals have always started at the end date of the prior AP, there was never any gap allowed on a renewal.

I think the PP was just talking about getting a new AP on their next trip, not a renewal. But I could be wrong, but I don't believe a renewal with a gap was ever allowed.