AP will be expiring - Need help w/ticket questions please!

[luvthatduke]

Oh, the agony!
DH, DS and I went to WDW April 2005,
looking forward to using our AP's again before
they expire on 4/10/06, and hoping to go by 1/31
so DS would still be free.
As of now, it looks like:
a)We will be going after 1/31
b)We will likely be going the last week of April thru first week of May.
We liked our 2 week stay this (last) year so much,
plus it's a loooonnnggg drive, that we decided to do 2 weeks again.

My Problem:
We're thinking about doing the Dining Plan
(just for DH & I, DS can still eat off of my plate and order sides for him).
We'll need 14 days admission to the parks for all 3 of us,
and would definitely want PH's
(no water parks, tho, and 'no expiration' tix don't seem necessary).
Obviously, if I do the math with a 10 day Hopper + 4 day Hopper
for DH & I, plus the child's for DS, it makes much more sense
to get the AP's again - even if it's just for the tix this trip
w/no room discount & no return trip next year.
But, that would mean buying 2 base tix in order to get the Dining Plan.

We can do w/out the Dining Plan,
and would likely get a discount on our room (POFQ)
if we book thru AAA if we book in time,
but is there some sort of add-on or pro-rate $$ that is less
than adding on a 4 day Hopper?
i.e. Would AAA or any of the ticket websites, or Guest Services
allow us to purchase 4 days of park hopping on top of our three
10 day Hoppers, without paying the huge price for the 4 day Hopper?

Sorry to include my whole story here,
I debated just putting in a one-line question
but I know the pros here could share some light on my thinking!
I really don't know what to do...
Any help is appreciated - feel free to offer any advice
or work the numbers any way that makes sense to you!

 

[tjmouse]

It is definately cheaper to renew your AP's. I just checked for me too. A 10 day MYW with hopping and no expiration is more than an AP renewal.

The dining plan is good, but I don't know that it's worth it for just you and dh. If you have a couple of kids that are considered adults, I think it's definately worth it, but just your free ds, I think you would do almost as good using the DDE. You save 20% on most TS meals. Hard decision! Take my opinion for what it's worth - about 2 cents!!

 

[luvthatduke]

Don't sell yourself short - thanks for the input!

 

[seashoreCM]

With 14 days in the theme parks, annual passes are the best bet. Order one day for the required base tix and be careful to insert only AP's, not room keys, in the turnstiles. (You can expand, i.e. upgrade, the base tickets as needed at a distant future date when you don't have AP's.)

As far as I know, there is no way to expand a pass beyond 10 days at reduced per-day prices.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/dispass.htm

 

[Hopefully]

A thought - If I read your post correctly, your DS will be 3 after 1/31 and you are planning on purchasing a pass for him also. If this is the case, you will be required to add him to the Dining Plan as well. All people in the room need to be on the same plan. It doesn't matter how much or how little he eats, if he needs a pass he will need to be added to the Dining Plan.
This may impact your decision.

 

[luvthatduke]

A thought - If I read your post correctly, your DS will be 3 after 1/31 and you are planning on purchasing a pass for him also. If this is the case, you will be required to add him to the Dining Plan as well. All people in the room need to be on the same plan. It doesn't matter how much or how little he eats, if he needs a pass he will need to be added to the Dining Plan.
This may impact your decision.

Ahhh.... And the light goes on above my head, thanks to the DIS!
In the words of Johnny Carson, "I did not know that!"
Yes, that adds another eleven bucks on each day...
And as so many have pointed out, it's a lot of food!

I forgot to mention that because of having to change our plans,
one strike against renewing the AP's was if we had to wait
until November of this year (that would be the last option after April/May).
Part of me was desiring the Dining Plan because the Character Meals
are usually our budget buster for our food budget
(we really can't afford more than 2 - one each week).
And the other part of me was thinking it would be nice to not even have to think about how much something cost twice per day,
as well as making ADR's for character meals as often as I could get openings.

Thanks so much for your answers, they really helped me solidify my choice,
which will be no Dining Plan (not worth it for 2 weeks + base tix).
I'll just maybe budget a little bit more each day for our meals,
as I would have been paying out more for the Dining Plan than
I normally budget for food...