Annual Passes ... worth it? Looking for thread.

[lc1965]

I'm sure there's a thread on whether the annual pass is worth it -- can anyone direct me there. I can't seem to find it. Having SUCH a Monday. Many thanks.

 

[sorcerermick]

Sorry, I don't have the link, but go to WDWIG.com, Deb Wills' site..she has a break-even analysis there that compares costs of all passes vs. annual passes. good luck!

 

[vettechick99]

I think mousesavers.com has one too!

 

[lc1965]

Very cool. Thanks!

 

[poohj80]

Here's the direct link:

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

 

[elaine and the boys]

We bought one just for my husband so we could take advantage of Disney's Best Rate Program. Yes it cost about $200 more than a 7 day hopper pass, but we were able to save $800 on our resort ressies........so it was definitely worth the $600 we netted!

 

[lc1965]

I guess I have sort of a limited view of the AP. I belong to AAA, so I get some pretty good rates on hotels. Would need AP probably only for admission, so I guess if I plan on going 8 days or more it's worth it. Not sure there's any other way for me personally to view it. Will have to look into it. There's so much information -- it's just overwhelming sometimes & I want to throw my hands up & just hand them my credit card & say, "Whatever."

 

[poohj80]

We're members of AAA too and we've found AAA resort discounts to be few and far between and not as large as AP discounts. This will depend on whether you prefer value, moderate, or deluxe resorts.

 

[lc1965]

We almost always stay at Riverside, a moderate. The AAA packages are the best I've found & certainly the least trouble. HOWEVER, if I'm going to get the AP, it'll probably all even out & -- I'm hoping -- be more valuable than AAA. Thanks for your input! I like to hear what everyone has to say.

 

[poohj80]

Packages are a completely different story. I thought you were talking about booking room only reservations with a discount. This is when AP rates are usually much better.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The old rules for determining whether to buy an AP have been complicated by the new MYW passes and the more restrictive way that WDW is booking AP room rates.

MouseSavers.com has a formula for calculating whether an AP would be beneficial to you over purchasing a MYW pass. It does not take into account the number of days that you will use on the AP, only the number of days on a MYW Pass that you might use if you were to purchase one instead.

http://www.mousesavers.com/annualpass.html

However, this does not take into consideration that there are other perks like the DDE card, WoD discount, free parking and AP holder previews. Those perks also have value.

My own feelings are that if you are going to visit the parks for more than 11 days in a 365-day period, then the AP is a good choice for you. If youplan to make fewer park visits than that, you will need to determine whether the added perks of an AP will make up for the additional cost you would pay over the cost of MYW hoppers.

Mousesavers.com also has a short paragraph entitle "Are Annual Passes For You?" that you might also want to read.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Remember that APs are for park admission first, any discounts provided after that are a bonus. In the past there were AP rates at the resorts, sometimes at all, sometimes at value only. The new "Best rate" program for AP holders seems to be taking the place of the AP discounted room rate. I have an AP because I do go for more than the number of break even nights. I have been able to get great room rates and standard rates depending on when I booked, where I was staying, etc. Currently you also get a discount of 10% at most Epcot Table Service restaurants, at a few places in DTD, merchandise discounts at a couple of places in DTD, and $25.00 off the price of a Disney Dining Ecperience card. That card gives you 20% off dining at just about everywhere, including alchohol. FOr me, the DDE and the AP are great ways to save on what I have to buy anyway,park admission and food. THe rest is just a nice extra.