Any annual passholders out there?

[Cindy F]

I spoke with a Disney rep at length last night and was told pointblank that it isn't worth it to get the annual passes unless you're going 8-12 times per year because pass holders don't qualify for any of the discounts and promos.

Gee, thanks for valuing our business for the past 7 pass holder years

Is this correct? Have any passholders out there qualified for anything at all? Free dining, bounceback offers, etc?

I'm just hoping she was wrong. If not, no more passes for us. A 10 day hopper pass with no expiration costs $20 more than annual passes but will allow us to participate in the different offers........unless the offers aren't good for current ticketholders--which really would not surprise me. That would allow us two 3 day trips and one 4day trip throughout the year.

Any info ya'll can provide is appreciated!

 

[disneymomjcs]

We've been passholders since 2001. You can get room discounts not at all times.

When free dining is offered in Aug we've gone twice . We purchase the package with a 1 day pass and get the free dining. Then we just use our A/P. Not a discount per say but we get the dining this way.

You can save % off at Resorts for lunch. and % off at the World of Disney Store also you can save a few dollars on MVMCP and MNSSHP.

Don't know why he would say that . Also free parking at the parks. Good if your staying offsite because otherwise its included onsite.

Save few dollars at waterparks and minigolf.

I think you can sign on and put in your passholder info to access this info.

 

[disneymomjcs]

If you are going more then 10 days in a year its a good deal . If you can make two trips in 12 months then its an even better deal.

December one year and October the next with 12 months would be a bonus. Especially if you can get an ap rate for your room. Best of luck.

 

[bookwormde]

Advantages

Unlimited park visits, parking, park hopping, ½ price miniature golf, room discounts (when available typically about 25% off and out before GP discounts), toll free line to special AP cm’s for info and reservations, a separate section in the web site, and % off for some dining, events, and merchandise.

Downside

The cheap annual pass cards that cannot be integrated into the KTTW cards.

Notes

Sounds like you got a CM who was not well informed, I would be skeptical about any information you received from this CM.

As a DVC member I get a $100 discount on the passes.

We do 2 trips within 1 year and then take of 14 months so we get 20-24 days on each pass.

bookwormde

 

[karliebug]

i used to get an AP, but lately the codes available have been better than the AP discount and seem to be more available. There have been many posts where AP holders are finding limited availablity booking AP rooms.

 

[sherry8253]

We get AP's because we always go 2 times (trips average 9 to 12 days each) in 12 months. We got our AP in Jan '08 and are going again in Dec '08. We will get our next one in Jan '10 and go again in Dec '10. If we get an AP rate at our resort great and if not, there is always AAA - or in the case of this year NO DISCOUNT for our AKL room . But, we do save on the price of tickets. We enjoy dining in epcot and often go to two parks in one day - so with regular tickets we would have to add on park hopper. My DH always plays 3 or 4 rounds of golf and we get an AP discount on golf. Also, we get the DDE card and save on food. AP's are not always the way to go but they seem to work for us.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've had an AP for the past four years now. I never get it in order to get room discounts. I get it to get into the parks. Paying that amount of money in order to 'possibly' save a small amount down the road just isn't smart anymore.
Disney used to have some sweet deals on rooms for AP holders. Not so much anymore. I'm finding that I can get the same deal using my AAA card. Sure, you can get a small discount of lunches, but I tend to eat counter service at lunch so that doesn't matter to me.
If you are going to be in the parks for 12+ days, then get an AP. I've been in the parks 18 days this year...my cost, per day, is about $20. But....I own DVC so get a discount on my AP, which brings my cost per day even less. Having an AP also encourages you to go more often....not a money saver in that regard!!

 

[TJA]

I think an annual pass costs around the same as a 9-day hopper no expire pass. So if you plan to be in disney for 10 or more days in a year's time, then the annual pass is a better deal. As far as room discounts, you can still book a general code or bounceback or free dining if the offer is better than the AP offer. As someone above posted, if it's a package where you have to buy passes, then just get 1-day base tickets and save them to apply towards the cost of an upgraded ticket such as new annual passes.

To us, what is important (besides discounts) is the mere fact that we feel more freedom with annual passes. We like knowing that we can go to a park and then just leave whenever we want to. When we had MYW passes, we felt like we needed to get our money's worth, so we stayed at the parks a lot longer. With annual passes, sometimes we play at the pool all day and then go to Epcot for a late dinner + illuminations. If we had MYW passes, we would not waste a day on our pass just to do that.

 

[Cindy F]

Thanks for the responses everyone! So far this year we've been 12 days, will have 4 more days in October and 5 days in Dec.

The reason I'm asking all these questions and looking into discounts etc. now is because our annual passes are the Florida Resident Seasonal passes which are a bit more restrictive and don't offer things like free parking or some of the other discount BUT they are really very inexpensive all things considered and meet our needs. I think we paid right at $700 for 3 passes.

However, we no longer live in Florida and will not be able to renew our seasonal passes when they expire. So, I'm looking into other options. Without the annual/seasonal passes I know we won't go as much-probably 2 maybe 3 times a year. We're accustomed to staying 4-5 days when we go.

TJA, that's what I was worried about-we are used to being able to have the freedom of just hanging out, maybe shopping a little bit then head to one of the parks for Wishes, Illuminations, Fantasmic,etc. and I don't know if I would want to give that up, then again millions of people do the magic your way passes and go once or twice a year without any problem--some folks will never see the inside of any Disney park their entire lives so I guess I shouldn't gripe about twice a year.

Sigh...this bites. No more seasonal pass, no more Epcot after 4 passes, no play 4 days passes. There again, I feel like a spoiled brat for griping but it's all about what you get used to and 7 years of resident passes have spoiled us a bit I guess and the thought of paying almost double per pass for regular annual passes really blows.

 

[Shmily1]

That CM was WRONG!!! I got my AP last year for Christmas and I activated on my b-day three weeks later. We saved more on it and the DDE than we spent!! Actually, the discount this past week when I was there was better for AP than for a regular discount. The regular discount was $59/ night and I had $54/ night. I always check to see where the best deal is before I book. If it's with the AP then that's how I book it and since this year started, it's always been that way. I've been six times so far since I got it and it had paid for itself and the DDE in savings before the second stay was up!!! The rest of the time, I'm just going for free!!!!

If you want to do free dining, you could do like I was going to do. You can book free dining with the one day pass then use it to cash in on your renewal. There are ways to make it work for you, so use all the discounts you can get to your advantage!!!

 

[goofy4tink]

That CM was WRONG!!! I got my AP last year for Christmas and I activated on my b-day three weeks later. We saved more on it and the DDE than we spent!! Actually, the discount this past week when I was there was better for AP than for a regular discount. The regular discount was $59/ night and I had $54/ night. I always check to see where the best deal is before I book. If it's with the AP then that's how I book it and since this year started, it's always been that way. I've been six times so far since I got it and it had paid for itself and the DDE in savings before the second stay was up!!! The rest of the time, I'm just going for free!!!!

If you want to do free dining, you could do like I was going to do. You can book free dining with the one day pass then use it to cash in on your renewal. There are ways to make it work for you, so use all the discounts you can get to your advantage!!!

I do the same thing with my one day passes. It's a great way to get each AP renewal.
The thing I have an issue with is that Disney just isn't putting out nearly as many great AP room discounts anymore. They used to be wonderful rates. But, not so much anymore. Now, maybe it's the times I've been looking for...perhaps Disney didn't see the need to offer discounts for that time period. Don't know. But, I do have to say that I love my DDE card..oops TW card. That has saved me much more than the initial cost!!

 

[rt2dz]

We go for 10 days every year. We buy APs because by day 11 in a 365 day period it becomes less expensive than MYW tickets (presuming hoppers). We just always plan the next year’s trip within the 365 days. Last year we went right after DS#3 turned 2 and will return this year right before DS#3 turns 3; that was by design too.

There are tons of discounts out there—dining (and then you can purchase the DDE card), free parking (if off site), discounts at retailers, discounts on Disney Quest/water parks/miniature golf, and so on. Those are the regular perks. Then there are the room discounts, they do exist! Last December the AP discount on the BWI room saved us over the cost of two adult APs and then we also got a dining card. This year (October) the AP discount wasn’t worth squat for us—a better deal via GP package code (and tickets to be upgraded later), but earlier in the year there were other good deals. Which brings me to my next point...

Having an AP doesn’t exclude you from any other discounts out there. You can still take advantage of bounceback offers, General Public offers, Disney Visa offers, PIN discounts, etc. AP discounts are just another avenue to explore.

 

[NorweJenNY]

When free dining is offered in Aug we've gone twice . We purchase the package with a 1 day pass and get the free dining. Then we just use our A/P. Not a discount per say but we get the dining this way.

Would someone mind clarifying the AP holders and free dining scenario for me?

I'd like to get annual passes for our family in July 2009 - dh, me, ds(5), ds(4). We plan on returning again some time in the fall, and again around late spring or early summer in 2010... that's why we'd like to have AP's. We have family who would like to join us on the fall trip, and they'll probably just get MYW passes... they want to stay during the free dining promotion (if it's even offered again).

If this is the case, we'd be getting 2 rooms, probably at a value resort... we'd have the 4 of us, plus 3 more adults and one toddler. Last year we were told that IF we did free dining, we'd each need our own MYW passes. So would we still need to get 1-day tickets for each of us to qualify for the "free" dining (about $300 for my family)? Or do we just need an individual in each room to have a MYW pass (in which we could just move people around so there's an adult already buying a MYW pass in each room)? And if you only have 1-day tickets, could you still have your entire stay - however long (3 days, 10 days, etc.) - with free dining?

Also, would we be paying full price for the Value Resorts in order to get free dining? I'm just thinking, if we could find a $54 rate for Values next fall (save $30/nt) and don't need to order the $300 in MYW passes, then if we decided to do a four-night trip, we'd be better off just paying discounted room-only prices and adding on a dining plan for $96/day for the family.

One more question (sorry for so many)... can we (or should we) book the trip for when we want to stay next year and then call later when free dining or discounted rates are offered? Would we be able to add on those promotions at a later date? Would we have to pay a penalty if we cancel a reservation or change it to different dates, or would any deposit just be credited to us or to the new reservation?

 

[rt2dz]

If this is the case, we'd be getting 2 rooms, probably at a value resort... we'd have the 4 of us, plus 3 more adults and one toddler. Last year we were told that IF we did free dining, we'd each need our own MYW passes. So would we still need to get 1-day tickets for each of us to qualify for the "free" dining (about $300 for my family)? Or do we just need an individual in each room to have a MYW pass (in which we could just move people around so there's an adult already buying a MYW pass in each room)? And if you only have 1-day tickets, could you still have your entire stay - however long (3 days, 10 days, etc.) - with free dining?

In order to get free dining you must purchase a package with room and tickets. Everyone in the room, adult and child, must be on the same package. You can just purchase one day base tickets and then upgrade the tickets at the guest relations (after first use) to the tickets you want for those members, if AP holders and MYW people will be in the same room. If you have just AP holders in the room, you can save the tickets to be used for a future trip and use your APs for the trip. The length of your ticket and the dining does not need to match. Dining will be for the number of nights you stay for each person (age 3 and up) in the room.

Also, would we be paying full price for the Value Resorts in order to get free dining? I'm just thinking, if we could find a $54 rate for Values next fall (save $30/nt) and don't need to order the $300 in MYW passes, then if we decided to do a four-night trip, we'd be better off just paying discounted room-only prices and adding on a dining plan for $96/day for the family.

You will be paying rack rate for whatever room you get with free dining. Free dining is not always a good value. Disney wouldn’t offer it if it wasn’t profitable. Frequently during the free dining promotion AP discount rates are offered. This with the DDE/Tables of Wonderland card, in my case personally, has always been less money than free dining. In evaluating whether a dining plan is worth it or not, use menus (I use them on All Ears) to plan where and what you want to eat. Then figure out how it fits into Disney’s various dining plan offers. Remember to figure in tips (not included with the dining plan) and any OOP costs—and the cost of the DDE card, along with the DDE discount and tips (on the pre-discount price). Compare the two costs. Go with the better deal. It can be a real eye opener for some people since many don’t eat the way the plan is designed (and Disney counts on that, I believe).

One more question (sorry for so many)... can we (or should we) book the trip for when we want to stay next year and then call later when free dining or discounted rates are offered? Would we be able to add on those promotions at a later date? Would we have to pay a penalty if we cancel a reservation or change it to different dates, or would any deposit just be credited to us or to the new reservation?

You may always modify an existing reservation with a discount, or change the dates. If a package, you will be charged a $45 change fee if within 45 days and you lower the cost of your package—not sure about date changes; I would assume so. There is a $100 cancellation fee if you change from a package to a room only ressie within 45 days. No fees to upgrade.

I think that covers everything. Is it clear as mud?

 

[rt2dz]

NorweJenNY--

Please keep in mind that Disney will charge an extra fee for any additional adults (18+) staying in the same room, over 2.

You can also purchase the MYW tickets for the exact need (suggested) if only MYW ticket people will be in the same room. Make sense?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

We have had our AP's for almost a year now and we love them. We are able to go more often because we do have them. I have gotten an AP discount on our rooom for all of our trips taken since we got them.

We have saved on food, shopping, and tours, as well.

I have not regretted getting my AP and probably will renew it.

Suzanne

 

[NorweJenNY]

In order to get free dining you must purchase a package with room and tickets. Everyone in the room, adult and child, must be on the same package. You can just purchase one day base tickets and then upgrade the tickets at the guest relations (after first use) to the tickets you want for those members, if AP holders and MYW people will be in the same room. If you have just AP holders in the room, you can save the tickets to be used for a future trip and use your APs for the trip. The length of your ticket and the dining does not need to match. Dining will be for the number of nights you stay for each person (age 3 and up) in the room.

So I could purchase one day base tickets for each member of the family, if we need it for the free dining package, and if we use just annual passes that we already had, are those single day passes good for an unlimited amount of time if we don't use them? And we could upgrade them in the future to be an annual pass, or a 10-day pass, or whatever... as long as we don't use them for that trip?

You will be paying rack rate for whatever room you get with free dining. Free dining is not always a good value. Disney wouldn’t offer it if it wasn’t profitable. Frequently during the free dining promotion AP discount rates are offered. This with the DDE/Tables of Wonderland card, in my case personally, has always been less money than free dining. In evaluating whether a dining plan is worth it or not, use menus (I use them on All Ears) to plan where and what you want to eat. Then figure out how it fits into Disney’s various dining plan offers. Remember to figure in tips (not included with the dining plan) and any OOP costs—and the cost of the DDE card, along with the DDE discount and tips (on the pre-discount price). Compare the two costs. Go with the better deal. It can be a real eye opener for some people since many don’t eat the way the plan is designed (and Disney counts on that, I believe).

I thought it was rack rate for resorts for free dining... thanks for the confirmation...

And yes, I'm sure Disney counts on people not using the full value of the dining plan... Snack: fruit ($1), CS: burger ($7), TS: sandwich platter ($16)... Total value: $24... yet the meal plan would have cost $39... I'm sure people do that. I'm not one of them... when I get the meal plan (which I've never had before because we're usually cheap), I am going to GET the meal plan... to the best value for food I really enjoy but never splurge on because of the money! (Although, not going totally overboard as I know tips for TS are not included.)

You may always modify an existing reservation with a discount, or change the dates. If a package, you will be charged a $45 change fee if within 45 days and you lower the cost of your package—not sure about date changes; I would assume so. There is a $100 cancellation fee if you change from a package to a room only ressie within 45 days. No fees to upgrade.

I think that covers everything. Is it clear as mud?

So I can make temporary plans and change them later on, but reserve a spot in the mean time, just in case those plans to go through. Good to know. Before 45 days in advance, I hope I would know for sure!

That was a very thorough explanation... thank you, rt2dz!

 

[rt2dz]

So I could purchase one day base tickets for each member of the family, if we need it for the free dining package, and if we use just annual passes that we already had, are those single day passes good for an unlimited amount of time if we don't use them? And we could upgrade them in the future to be an annual pass, or a 10-day pass, or whatever... as long as we don't use them for that trip?

Yup. The tickets are good for an unlimited amount of time as long as they are not used. They can be upgraded at any point in the future to any kind of ticket; just use them once first to bring the value of the ticket up to full gate value. They are still upgradable for 14 days after first use, even if the entire ticket has been used.

One correction from my previous post, it is a $50 change fee. I think I had 45 days on the brain.

 

[NorweJenNY]

Yup. The tickets are good for an unlimited amount of time as long as they are not used. They can be upgraded at any point in the future to any kind of ticket; just use them once first to bring the value of the ticket up to full gate value. They are still upgradable for 14 days after first use, even if the entire ticket has been used.

One correction from my previous post, it is a $50 change fee. I think I had 45 days on the brain.

Good to know... just have to keep those tickets in a safe place!