AP Passes - when does it become worth it to buy?

[Checkers]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but does anyone know if when your pass expires (PAP) and it was one that was upgraded last year with the special promotion, if you are required to again buy a PAP in order to get the renewal price or can you go back and get the the renewal price on a regular AP (DVC)? Also, in the past you could renew a month before and up to a month after expiration. Is this still the case?

 

[DaisyNY]

Thanks for all the information...considering we're going for five days now and another six + within the year, I think we'll buy the DVC AP pass and purchase tickets for a day at TL while we're there if we decide to go! This should save us considerable $$$...

 

[PKK/MJK]

Consider this option also. We used to go for 2 weeks at the beginning of August in year 1 and went the last 2 weeks of July in year 2. That way we get 4 weeks for the price of 8 days. When you are buying for a family of 5 this savings really adds up.

 

[lilkitty819]

We have had APs for years, certainly since joining DVC and for as long as DL has offered them. (CA resident and past DL cast members zillion years ago) We now do WDW twice a year, but even when we did only one trip per year we would arrange it so it fell within the same AP year. (Take a trip the end of Oct this year and the beginning of Oct the following year, same AP but "two years" of vacation) With the DVC discount we always saved money.

We do the exact same thing...We get 2 years of vacation time..We will be there at the end of Oct. this year and the beginning to the middle next year!!!
Also considering a 7 day hopper is $360.+ AP are the way to go with DVC

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

The general rule of thumb for DVC members is that an Annual pass will be less expensive if your travel follows any of these rules:

1) If you will be doing three or more different trips with any number of park days in one year to Disney World.

2) If you will be doing at least 11 park days in a one year period.

3) You will be doing 10 or more park days over two or more different trips in a one year period.

There are a few exceptions to the rules above and they all depend on your specific scenarios... for example, if you do three 1-day visits to disney world, it will be less expensive to buy 1 day tickets.... but if you do three 2-day visits, then it's cheaper to do a DVC annual pass.

If you do two (or more) typical Disney vacations (between 4-10 days) per year, then it will make sense to buy a DVC annual pass. If you only go once a year, then it will make sense to buy the normal MYW tickets.

 

[DaisyNY]

Thanks for the help in sorting this out...I think we will purchase the DVC AP passes and just the one day pass to TL in June! We're lucky to have lots of points to use in the next year...Disney here we come!

 

[mnlovesdisney]

Just wondering if anyone knows if you can purchase DVC AP at your resort when you check in. We are thinking of doing the AP this year since we will be going in May and then again next spring in probably March (so same 12 month period).

 

[jimim]

Just wondering if anyone knows if you can purchase DVC AP at your resort when you check in. We are thinking of doing the AP this year since we will be going in May and then again next spring in probably March (so same 12 month period).

Guest services at any park. Not at resort.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[kenny]

You can buy them at the resort as well. We bought ours last year at BLT. We only had to go to guest services for TiWL

 

[BrerNashville]

The general rule of thumb for DVC members is that an Annual pass will be less expensive if your travel follows any of these rules:

1) If you will be doing three or more different trips with any number of park days in one year to Disney World.

2) If you will be doing at least 11 park days in a one year period.

3) You will be doing 10 or more park days over two or more different trips in a one year period.

I think it's simpler than that -- if you are doing at least two trips, consisting of at least three park days each trip, then the DVC AP makes sense.

You might go so far as to say that a three day/two day combo would be worth it -- if you are getting park hoppers.

 

[bumbershoot]

You can buy them at the resort as well. We bought ours last year at BLT. We only had to go to guest services for TiWL

I could be wrong, but I believe that last year they started to sell APs at some resorts. But then they stopped it. I don't think you can buy an AP at *any* resort *now*.

 

[DizGirl20]

We were at SSR this weekend and told resorts do not sell APs anymore. Was told I had to go to Guest Relations at one of the parks. So picked mine up at MK on Monday!

 

[dianeschlicht]

They're valid for one year from your first use. We go twice a year for 7-10days each trip and for us its worth it. We like having the park hopper option, but Im not sure it would be worth it if you didnt want the hopper option- and depends on how many days you plan on being in the parks.
I also like that even if we take a day off from the parks we can still do dinner in the parks & its not "wasting" a ticket day.

One cool thing about the APs from Disney is that they are actually good for 366 days instead of 365, since they include the date of the day you start the ticket the next year. Example: First use is on June 2, 2013, and you will also be able to enter the parks the last day of your pass on June 2, 2014.

 

[starry_solo]

Since they jacked up the price of the no-expiration option, nearly any year with two separate trips will make it easy to justify APs when you qualify for the DVC rate.


I'm hedging my bets for now by buying 5 day base tickets from UT for $25 off for my New Year's trip. If I can swing the Thanksgiving trip I'd like to do to see DS's marching band perform (airfare is so high anymore!), then I'll upgrade to AP's while we're there in November. I'll be able to upgrade for around $120, less if rack rates go up between now and then.

I don't think you can upgrade in Thanksgiving. You have to upgrade within 14 days of purchase and there still needs to be 1 day left (or upgrade on the last day of use)?

 

[DenLo]

It depends too if you buy the Annual Pass or Seasonal Pass. We live in FL and we get the Seasonal pass cause there is no way I am going to Disney in the summer. And we don't like the two weeks of Christmas or Spring Break because it's too crowded. So if you're ok not going during those times, it makes it much more valuable, IMO.

But don't you have to pay for parking at the parks with Seasonal Pass. At $14 a pop, 10 trips to WDW adds on another $140 to the cost of your ticket.

 

[aes74]

But don't you have to pay for parking at the parks with Seasonal Pass. At $14 a pop, 10 trips to WDW adds on another $140 to the cost of your ticket.

True, so in our family I buy the annual pass so I can use it to park with, and we purchase a season pass for the rest of the family.

 

[peabody58]

We now have all bases covered - we have AP vouchers, 10 day no expire and 5 day MYW tics locked away in the safe deposit box for trip planning through 2018.

This year we are using our DVC PAP - 28 days total at WDW. We are finding we are not doing parks every day anymore, but the overall savings is still there using an AP. Our trip last week we stayed off-property at WBC, so the AP saved us on parking at the parks, an added plus.

 

[disfanforlife]

We now have all bases covered - we have AP vouchers, 10 day no expire and 5 day MYW tics locked away in the safe deposit box for trip planning through 2018.

This year we are using our DVC PAP - 28 days total at WDW. We are finding we are not doing parks every day anymore, but the overall savings is still there using an AP. Our trip last week we stayed off-property at WBC, so the AP saved us on parking at the parks, an added plus.

We are planning on AP for the first time this year. It will be our first time since becoming members to travel twice in a year. Yahoo!! Hopefully it won't be the last. I plan to stock up a bit on tix too. But we also have three kids to get the, for too....

 

[Fiveisaparty]

Is there a difference between dvc ap and ap? I am not a dvc member but thinking about getting an ap because we will be back twice in 12 months at 6 or 7 days each time. Also can you get tiw with a regular ap pass or does it have to be the 699 one? Thanks!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Is there a difference between dvc ap and ap? I am not a dvc member but thinking about getting an ap because we will be back twice in 12 months at 6 or 7 days each time. Also can you get tiw with a regular ap pass or does it have to be the 699 one? Thanks!

The lower priced DVC APs are only available to DVC owners and their immediate family (living at the same address as the owners). Other than that, there is no difference.

TIW is available (at an additional cost) to any AP holder, regardless the price.