Annual Passholder

[DaisyMinnie]

We've been going to Disney World at least three times a year for the last few years and I'm thinking of getting AP. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. So I have a few questions.
1. We use a disney chase visa card for discounts. If I have AP, will I get an additional discount for AP or do I have to use one or the other?
2. For three trips a year, will I have to make park reservations for each trip?
3. Is there a discount on Memory Maker? If I buy it with AP do I pay for it once a year?
4. Will the AP be on my My Disney Experience app?
5. Do they have a discounts on resort packages all the time or do they do various offers during the year on room discounts with AP?

I appreciate any advice and tips for getting AP. Thanks!!

 

[RuntheMouse]

We've been going to Disney World at least three times a year for the last few years and I'm thinking of getting AP. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. So I have a few questions.
1. We use a disney chase visa card for discounts. If I have AP, will I get an additional discount for AP or do I have to use one or the other?
2. For three trips a year, will I have to make park reservations for each trip?
3. Is there a discount on Memory Maker? If I buy it with AP do I pay for it once a year?
4. Will the AP be on my My Disney Experience app?
5. Do they have a discounts on resort packages all the time or do they do various offers during the year on room discounts with AP?

I appreciate any advice and tips for getting AP. Thanks!!

1. Discounts aren’t stackable. Tell the CM what you have, they will give you the best discount.
2. Yes
3. I believe it is $99 for MM, for the year
4. Yes
5. AP room discounts drop several times a year

 

[RickNJane]

We have the Sorcerers pass from DVC. For us it is worth it. It comes down to cost. Will park tickers cost more or the AP? If you go several times a year then AP should be worth it. We got about 3 weeks a year and it is cheaper for us.

Discounts do not stack. We have AP and DVC. Only get 1.

You do have to make reservations if using your AP, at least for now.

You have to renew the AP every year. We don't use memory maker so can't help you there.

You link the AP to Disney Experience just like any ticket or pass. Works well.

We are DVC so cannot tell you anything about Resort Packages.

Hope this helps.

 

[LoveToDisney]

We just get MM on one of our APs, not both.

 

[focusondisney]

When you say you’ve been doing 3 trips a year, how many park days are you doing each trip? An out of state AP is about $1540, or $1648 with photopass (memory maker). Renewals get a 15% discount. And yes, just get MM on 1 ticket, not the whole families. Even if you’re not together when a photo is taken, as long as you’re linked in friends & family, the person with the MM will be able to see & download all the photos.

If your ticket costs exceed that, then an AP will definitely make sense. I let my AP expire because we weren’t going enough to justify this year. I used the Disney Visa for dining discounts, but there are many more restaurants that participate in AP vs Disney Visa for discounts. Also, an AP discount is 20% for most merchandise, the Disney Visa is 10%.

 

[Miffy]

What @focusondisney said!

The AP is not worth it for the discounts at this point, since the current bounceback offer is often better than the AP room discount. So for someone who knows they're going 3x/year, booking bounceback makes sense.

And sometimes even the Undercover Tourist room discount rates are the equivalent of an AP discount.

That being said, if you're spending an equivalent amount of money--or more--on park tickets, then an AP is a no-brainer. My sister and I are both out-of-state AP holders and our WDW addiction has made them an economical choice. Even at this crazy-high rate.

 

[scrappinginontario]

It’s recommended you run the numbers, taking into account the BB room discount offer.

An out-of-state AP is often only economical for those who make multiple trips each year but there are too many variables unfortunately to say ‘x’ number of trips or park days makes an AP worth it.

 

[hertamaniac]

For me, the AP was economically worth it just for the discounted resort rates. The dining discounts made it even more favorable. I purchased the Pixie Dust pass and don't go into the parks that often. Although there are several good-to-go days spread throughout the year, the reservation system is required.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For me, the AP was economically worth it just for the discounted resort rates. The dining discounts made it even more favorable. I purchased the Pixie Dust pass and don't go into the parks that often. Although there are several good-to-go days spread throughout the year, the reservation system is required.

I would highly recommend looking at BB offers. Each time you stay you can book BB offers for future stay. Current resort BB discounts are 25-35% off room rates. You may get a discount without purchasing an AP that it sounds like you may not use often.

 

[focusondisney]

For me, the AP was economically worth it just for the discounted resort rates. The dining discounts made it even more favorable. I purchased the Pixie Dust pass and don't go into the parks that often. Although there are several good-to-go days spread throughout the year, the reservation system is required.

Which type of pass you’re eligible for certainly makes a difference in deciding if you should buy or not. The Pixie Dust pass is less than 1/3 the cost of an Incredipass that out of state visitors have to buy. It’s a lot easier to make up less than the $500 Pixie pass cost with resort discounts than it is over $1500 for Incredipass.

 

[hertamaniac]

I would highly recommend looking at BB offers. Each time you stay you can book BB offers for future stay. Current resort BB discounts are 25-35% off room rates. You may get a discount without purchasing an AP that it sounds like you may not use often.

This past summer, using my AP, we were able to get 35% off at YC and an additional 10% off TS dining (I want to say it made it 30%). The dining discount certainly fed into the AP cost justification.

We enjoy the flexibility of not committing to the resort rates even with the BB offer (even though we were enticed to make the decision to stay at YC).

Typically, over the past 5-6 years, we purchase a DVC reservation that is aging or close to expiring. We often decide to stay in a DVC villa about 1-2 weeks prior to booking. We are rotating between the DVC villas and really aren't target fixated on a particular one (certainly there are personal favorites), but our flexibility allows us to save significant money.

Many thanks for the recommendation.

 

[hertamaniac]

Which type of pass you’re eligible for certainly makes a difference in deciding if you should buy or not. The Pixie Dust pass is less than 1/3 the cost of an Incredipass that out of state visitors have to buy. It’s a lot easier to make up less than the $500 Pixie pass cost with resort discounts than it is over $1500 for Incredipass.

I think I paid $465 this past January. This pass has paid for itself in just 2 nights discount staying at YC. The rest I look at it as just a bonus or even free-park entries for a year.

 

[focusondisney]

I think I paid $465 this past January. This pass has paid for itself in just 2 nights discount staying at YC. The rest I look at it as just a bonus or even free-park entries for a year.

Definitely makes sense!

 

[DaisyMinnie]

When you say you’ve been doing 3 trips a year, how many park days are you doing each trip? An out of state AP is about $1540, or $1648 with photopass (memory maker). Renewals get a 15% discount. And yes, just get MM on 1 ticket, not the whole families. Even if you’re not together when a photo is taken, as long as you’re linked in friends & family, the person with the MM will be able to see & download all the photos.

If your ticket costs exceed that, then an AP will definitely make sense. I let my AP expire because we weren’t going enough to justify this year. I used the Disney Visa for dining discounts, but there are many more restaurants that participate in AP vs Disney Visa for discounts. Also, an AP discount is 20% for most merchandise, the Disney Visa is 10%.

We go three times a year and get park passes for at least 3 days of each trip. I wasn't aware that AP discount was 20%. That's really good to know. Thanks.

 

[DaisyMinnie]

It’s recommended you run the numbers, taking into account the BB room discount offer.

An out-of-state AP is often only economical for those who make multiple trips each year but there are too many variables unfortunately to say ‘x’ number of trips or park days makes an AP worth it.

How do you get a BB offer?

 

[lanejudy]

How do you get a BB offer?

Bounce-back offers should be available in your WDW resort room. If not, there is a number you can call to find out. You don't mention where you stay, so if you stay offsite it won't help.

Can you add up what you spent on tickets in the past 12 months? Assuming you go at the same times each year, that should give you a ballpark of whether the AP is within range of your regular ticket expense. At 3 trips of 3+ days... maybe. It depends on time of year. If the figures are close, the AP discounts might make up the difference. But if your current tickets are considerably below the AP cost, I would not plan on discounts making up that difference -- especially if considering APs for a family.

 

[NikkiKahne]

We've been going to Disney World at least three times a year for the last few years and I'm thinking of getting AP. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. So I have a few questions.
1. We use a disney chase visa card for discounts. If I have AP, will I get an additional discount for AP or do I have to use one or the other?
2. For three trips a year, will I have to make park reservations for each trip?
3. Is there a discount on Memory Maker? If I buy it with AP do I pay for it once a year?
4. Will the AP be on my My Disney Experience app?
5. Do they have a discounts on resort packages all the time or do they do various offers during the year on room discounts with AP?

I appreciate any advice and tips for getting AP. Thanks!!

1. If you have an AP, you won't get additional discounts. It's one or the other.
2. Yes - You will need to make park reservations for each trip, UNLESS they are specified as "Good To Go" days, which will appear on the calendar.
3. Yes - There is a discount on Military Maker if you purchase with the AP. If purchased as an "add-on" at the time of AP purchase, you will pay for it once per year - The photos will be there in your account for the entire year as well.
4. Yes - The AP will be on your Disney Experience app under Tickets & Passes.
5. They vary the time when these discounts on resort packages are available, so it's not all the time.