Annual Passholder Question

[auntpolly]

I'm like - stunned. Am I reading this right?

I always thought that 8 or more days of a park hopper and you were better off getting an annual pass. Usually, I get one, I've gotten good deals at the resorts with them too.

But since this year, for the first time in a long time, I got no discount, I thought, I'll see what a plain hopper costs.

A 10 day hopper is 250 and a regular annual pass is 430? (about that)?????

Am I crazy? Didn't you used to save money with an annual pass if you were there a little over a week?????

 

[WillCAD]

That's right.

However, you can also compare the 10-day hopper with the no-expiry option, which is $435.59 at the gate. If you're not doing a single long trip, you'd need the no-expiry option so the unused days of the hopper wouldn't expire.

APs have always been a better deal for MULTIPLE trips per year, but those who make a single long trip have always been on the fence as far as whether the AP is a better option.

 

[G's mommy]

I always thought that 10 days was the break-even point, but only if the 10 days was all in one trip. If you plan on making multiple trips that would put you in the parks 10 or more days, then AP is the way to go. We spring for the AP's as we make 3-4 trips per year with 15-20 days in the parks.

 

[auntpolly]

So I just need to do some real math - hate that! And try to figure out how many days I think we'll be there and how much I'd spend in hoppers.

If it had helped me with room rates this year i wouldn't even have questioned it.

It used to be 8 days to break even - I guess that was a long time ago!

So the "no expiration" on a hopper means absolutely NO expiration?

 

[goofy4tink]

So I just need to do some real math - hate that! And try to figure out how many days I think we'll be there and how much I'd spend in hoppers.

If it had helped me with room rates this year i wouldn't even have questioned it.

It used to be 8 days to break even - I guess that was a long time ago!

So the "no expiration" on a hopper means absolutely NO expiration?

Yep, that's exactly what it means. We are DVC owners, so get our APs at a discounted rate. However, my dh doesn't go to WDW yearly. So, last year I got him a non-expire. 10 hopper. He used it for 3 days last May, 1 day in Jan, and will use it for 5 days in August. Expensive? Yes, but he has been able to use it for more than year. I always have an AP...I go at least twice a year. My dd, 13, is no longer able to miss much school, so an AP isn't in the cards for her anymore. Her AP expires next month...I'll be getting her a 10 day, non-expire. hopper for our trip in August. It should run about $450.
I always base my pass buying on the days I will be using it. Those that get an AP with hopes of getting a good room rate may find they don't get the great discount they were hoping for. It's a nice perk I suppose, but nowhere is it a 'given' that Disney will put out AP room discounts at any given time.

 

[auntpolly]

Yep, that's exactly what it means. We are DVC owners, so get our APs at a discounted rate. However, my dh doesn't go to WDW yearly. So, last year I got him a non-expire. 10 hopper. He used it for 3 days last May, 1 day in Jan, and will use it for 5 days in August. Expensive? Yes, but he has been able to use it for more than year. I always have an AP...I go at least twice a year. My dd, 13, is no longer able to miss much school, so an AP isn't in the cards for her anymore. Her AP expires next month...I'll be getting her a 10 day, non-expire. hopper for our trip in August. It should run about $450.
I always base my pass buying on the days I will be using it. Those that get an AP with hopes of getting a good room rate may find they don't get the great discount they were hoping for. It's a nice perk I suppose, but nowhere is it a 'given' that Disney will put out AP room discounts at any given time.

Thank you! It's so funny, because just when you think you have it all figured out at WDW you realize you don't!!

Off to do my math - I really never know how many days any of us will get there this year - I don't know whether to be realistic or hopeful!!

Thanks again!

 

[tarheel]

goofy4tink, if you have the Mousesavers newsletter you can get the 10 day non-expiring hopper for $411.95--better than $450. It's from undercovertourist.com.

 

[goofy4tink]

goofy4tink, if you have the Mousesavers newsletter you can get the 10 day non-expiring hopper for $411.95--better than $450. It's from undercovertourist.com.

Yep, that's what I plan to do. But that's not an offer that is open to everyone so I didn't post it.

 

[Dan Murphy]

So I just need to do some real math - hate that! .........

Some of the work may have been done for you, here.........

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

 

[auntpolly]

Some of the work may have been done for you, here.........

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

Thank you Dan!!!!! Yes, any help for this lazy woman is appreciated!!!

The baby is adorable BTW!

 

[lillygator]

our premium renewal is $426 adult...$375 child.

 

[Tom Kurowski]

As for us, we get the premium annual pass....this way we HAVE to go to disney more than once a year!
tom & Deb

 

[MommyPoppins]

Wouldn't a AP only cost 10-30 more than a 10 day no expire plus hopper ticket?

 

[auntpolly]

Sorry you guys I feel guilty - I wanted immediate gratification and when no one answered here I went to the CB and asked there - I think I have it all figured out over there.

You have to do 12 days, and the AP discounts aren't quite as good as they used to be , so I just have to think before I do anything. It won't be as easy for DD to go this year and DH is unpredictable so I want to explore the hoppers first.

It used to be 8 days for it to be worthwhile and I always got an AP rate on a resort, so I never used to think twice about it.

 

[fAnnF]

I normally go for 2- 7 day trips and last year I got an AP. I'm now going on 4 trips with my AP and I saved the difference of 1 7 day ticket with the discount I got for June. So, sometimes you have to see what discounts are avalible for the time your going.

 

[jksgrammy]

When comparing AP vs. park hopper tickets be sure to factor in parking at $10 per day if buying the park hopper tickets (unless you stay onsite and use Disney transporation). We normally stay offsite, so drive to/from each park to our condo. If we do stay onsite, we still drive to parks because it's so much faster than using Disney transportation (just my opinion).

 

[goofy4tink]

Wouldn't a AP only cost 10-30 more than a 10 day no expire plus hopper ticket?

A regular AP (no pluses) would be $462 ($419 to renew). A 10 day, no-expire, plus (6+s) hopper would be $496. The difference is this...the AP has no +s, while the other does. If you compare the AP with pluses, it would cost you $595. So, in all reality, the 10 day non-expire hopper with 6+s is $452 vs AP with pluses at $595....a $100 difference.

I don't do the water parks all that much, so can make do with my AP..especially since it only costs me $355 through DVC. My dh only goes to WDW every 18 months or so, he gets a 10 day, non-expire hopper, no pluses. Dd gets a new pass this summer. Her AP expires in May and since she can't be missing school anymore, she will get a 10 day, non-expire hopper with 6 +'s. That will get her through at least 2, if not 3, trips to Disney in the future.