Any other former APs having a hard time with ticket prices?

[cruisehopeful]

I have a lot of potential visits coming up. For reference, I live about 90 miles away and while I mostly visited for a half day or full day, the month before the closure, I decided that I would start staying a couple nights every couple months. Since the park closed on the start day of my next planned overnight stay, I haven't been back. Now, I am looking at all these potential one and two night stays and the cost of parkhoppers for 2 days on multiple trips is higher than a Signature AP. I won't be able to keep all these plans.

*Gay Days September: Want to go, but not sure after looking at the discount tickets. 2 people, 2 days parkhoppers was around $530 (convention rate).
*One night stay at VGC in October: Love Halloween at the parks. Haven't priced tickets, yet, but it's a midweek stay so maybe I will get away with a less expensive level and just buy one day instead of two.
*One night stay at VGC in November. Couldn't resist a random night that I was able to book, but I want to go to Dapper Days which is another weekend. Not sure I will want to pay for a day or two admission if I am going to Dapper Days the following week.
*Two nights booked for Dapper Days in November: I haven't even thought about park tickets at this point. I'm really hoping for afternoon tea to be back and I'd rather be all dressed up for that. There will be convention tickets available, though and I know that when I am walking around DTD, I always want to go to the park for just one thing or just two things.
*No booked stays, but love Disney at Christmas. Maybe just go to hang out at the hotels?
*Two nights VGC in February: I rented a reservation from someone else. So, this is not something that I will cancel. Way too far into the future to even think about tickets at this point.

It was easy when I had a Signature AP. Once, when I wanted to go to Gay Days but didn't have time for a whole day, I just drove up and got my rainbow cake and rainbow tumbler, did a couple things. It was super crowded, so I probably only spent 4 hours in the park. On days that I departed the Grand, I usually went to DCA for about 2 hours in the morning before checking out and leaving. If I went to Steakhouse 55 for dinner or tea and suddenly decided that I wanted to see a show or parade in the parks, it was easy to go do that. Now, I feel like everything has to be planned out and I can't see myself paying over $100./ to just take a train ride, look at new Dooney bags and eat a pretzel - which was the way I used to do things.

 

[abent]

Me! I am! I live in Utah, and would come out for 2-3 times a year for 4 day trips. Annual passes made it ”doable” for me, and I enjoyed everything about it. I now have 2 upcoming trips in October and December, and I am hoping a replacement rolls out prior that works as well for me!

 

[BadPinkTink]

You just have to adjust your touring style to be like how all those of us who never had AP.

You can get 5 day tickets, which are valid for 13 days after first use. That way you could do a 2 day trip and then a 3 day trip within 13 days.

You can do like all the rest of us do, stay offsite and drastically reduce hotel outlay.

Now you see why many of us without AP used to do open to close, because we have to maximize our time in the park due to the high ticket cost.

Ive been doing Disneyland on a budget for years, you just have to adjust your expectations and if you want it badly enough, you will make it work.

 

[amyg1975]

Yes! When we had APs we were there at least every two months. We went on opening day and we won’t be back until August. After that trip, our next trip won’t be until November, unless they finally announce their new plan.

 

[msteddom]

I am local. With my AP I used to go about once a week. Now, there is no way I can do that. I have been a few times since the reopening, but not nearly as frequently as I used to. It has gotten me used to the idea of buying a lower level pass (I used to have Sig +) when they eventually come back. I am fine with going less often.

 

[starry_solo]

Resort only stays are nice but I agree, you need to replan your trips for a 5 day ticket good for 14 days.

Otherwise, see if you can get discounted park hoppers at charity auctions (our charity typically gets $100/hopper but maybe its because people are cheap?)

 

[LilyJC]

We’re local as well and have always had APs. As I mentioned in another thread a few days ago, we’ve been boycotting DLR since reopening. I have no desire to buy regular tickets. We currently have VGC reservations for November and February, but I have no problem canceling those and using my points at Aulani. I’m even tempted to cancel a big trip we have to WDW in December if they don’t start selling APs again as well. The closure showed us we have plenty of other things to fill our time. We love Disney, but without APs it doesn’t feel worth it and the desire to do full days is lacking for all of us!

 

[onelove8187]

did you have an AP at time of park closure?

 

[JWelch62]

The new reality will definitely take some getting used to. While our trips usually involved a stay at GCH and multiple days in the park, it was not uncommon for us to drive up from San Diego just to shop in the parks, and maybe ride a few rides. Until the new AP/Rewards program rolls out it will be tough to be spontaneous.

 

[DizMe]

Yes. I'm 500 miles from DLR but still in CA. I used to love to go to all the "Days"--Dapper Day, Gay Days, Adventureland Day, etc. I loved to go on Disneyland's anniversary. I loved to go for my birthday and my friends' birthdays. But that's out the window for now, and I really, really miss the spontaneity. One year, my friend told me we should fly down for my birthday and come back the same day. So we flew into SNA very early, played all day in the parks, ending with a fun time at Trader Sam's, and flew back home in the evening. We booked the flight on points, had a free meal at Rainforest and another at Naples, so it felt like it was almost a free birthday trip. It's one of my favorite memories.

 

[PirateBrigade]

Yes -- we have curtailed our DL trips until some form of passes are back. I'm not optimistic they will return just as they were before, but here are my thoughts:

1) My cost per visit in the Before Times was about $35/day (Flex Pass $699, we live an hour flight away in the Bay Area, visited 5x/yr at 4 days per visit (Friday-Monday or Saturday-Tuesday).​

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2) This included partial days on day 1 (fly in, check in) and day 4 (fly out, check out). Absolutely not worth it paying full ticket price to do this.​

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3) My personal threshold is ~$50/day (which is a $1000 pass at 20 days/yr), anything more than that, and we will switch to one annual trip (3 day PH, $365), or twice a year visits (2 x 3 day PH, $730). We own at VGC, and that type of visiting actually would dovetail nicely. We would cut out spontaneous weekend trips and our stays on Harbor.​

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4) On paper, paying $730 for 6 days vs. hypothetical $1000 for 20 days (or more) doesn't seem like a lot more, and that's the mental gymnastics I'm trying to work through (there are also 3 of us), but it's also hard without definitive pricing/plans. It's also hard to put a value on the ability to go whenever vs. balancing that with paying for a benefit you don't use.​

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My next trip is for a work conference at DLH in November, I'm hoping we can upgrade our tickets (not yet purchased or reserved, too soon) and jump back into the AP of the future at that point, but my gut says DLR will do to AP what airlines did with their frequent flier programs some years ago. I hope I'm wrong!


ETA: Additional thought. This long break from Disney let us reevaluate and do other things. Whenever we would plan trips to so-cal (where we are originally from), they would inevitably be centered around Disneyland, if anything to "make our passes worth it" and drive down our daily average cost. This came at the expense of other experiences. Last summer, we spent a week in San Diego at a beach house and just spent our days on the sand, riding bikes, hiking, etc... had DL been open, we would not have spent an entire week there and it would have been more rushed. I've lived here all my life, but a closed DL helped reopen my eyes to everything else CA has to offer.

I don't need to be there every month, and I'm way okay with that.

 

[PirateBrigade]

We’re local as well and have always had APs. As I mentioned in another thread a few days ago, we’ve been boycotting DLR since reopening. I have no desire to buy regular tickets. We currently have VGC reservations for November and February, but I have no problem canceling those and using my points at Aulani. I’m even tempted to cancel a big trip we have to WDW in December if they don’t start selling APs again as well. The closure showed us we have plenty of other things to fill our time. We love Disney, but without APs it doesn’t feel worth it and the desire to do full days is lacking for all of us!

You should consider selling those VGC reservations as the market rate for those stays is higher than what you can procure at Aulani. I'm with you as well, I have VGC lined up for November and April 2022...I might sell one and we might just become annual visit type of people (which is what Disneyland was for me when I was growing up).

 

[smeg3030]

I'm bummed because I would arrive around 3-4pm from Northern California and head into the parks just to enjoy the atmosphere. I'm not willing to pay a full day's ticket just to do that.

 

[dieumeye]

I know a lot of former APs have already done a few trips to DL since the reopening. I wonder if this is going to have an effect on sales of the future AP/Membership.

If someone has already dropped hundreds on a few visits, might they wait before dropping, say another $1000 on a new membership?

Of course, there are people who are going to pay whatever it is, but it’s something I’m curious about.

I keep telling myself that I want to “hold off“ on doing a lot of visits until they announce the new membership program, but I’ve already visited a couple of times, and have a third visit in July. So I guess I’m not really holding off.

I’m just really anxious for details on the new membership program so I can figure out what the future of my park visits actually looks like.

 

[AquaDame]

I hear you... the few years I had an AP we visited more frequently for shorter periods. It makes sense that for now while capacity is low Disney wants to remove folks who will only visit for a couple hours and not spend as much in preference to those that stay all day. It's not forever...

 

[disneycat321]

*changed my mind about this post and can’t delete.*

 

[LilyJC]

You should consider selling those VGC reservations as the market rate for those stays is higher than what you can procure at Aulani. I'm with you as well, I have VGC lined up for November and April 2022...I might sell one and we might just become annual visit type of people (which is what Disneyland was for me when I was growing up).

That’s definitely not a bad idea - especially for my November reservation. February I can cancel and bank those points for later. Although I will say I love Aulani, and I will look for any excuse to head back sooner than later!

 

[BayouQueen]

Yeah....it's just super different. Both lack of AP's and having to make reservations.
When our kids were little, if they had done something nice and were ahead on school work, I used to just spur of the moment let them miss school and we'd head to DL. Those reward trips paid off. They both went to great colleges and have fine careers now. I'd like to see them create those special memories with their own kids, too.

 

[SherylLC]

We were SO MISSING Disney over the closure that we took the whole family in May. Six park hoppers = $$Yikes$$!

OK, actually my hubster and I bought two-day passes.

OK, whole truth be told, hubster and I also went Monday following opening weekend.

We REALLY, REALLY missed it.
BUT, it was pretty darn expensive and we absolutely missed the APs.
Pocketbook said OUCH!
We'll happily do other outings until the fall (COME ON AP RELEASE!!!)

 

[sjmac42]

OP, you have time. I’d just book cancellable accommodation somewhere on Harbour and see what happens with AP’s/new membership program between now and then.