AP - Worth it?

[Pamela M]

For those of you that have AP's do you think they are worth it? How many days do you go to make it worth while.

Also it you get a discount on select items/ restaurants. - Can you tell me what those are?
Are there any other benefits that you get?

If I get an AP I'll probably get the cheapest one as I don't have kids so can go during quieter times.

I'm heading to the parks in a week and I'm considering doing an AP instead of a park ticket. The reason I'm thinking this is that I'm already thinking of planning a trip in late April early May which would mean 2 visits in one year.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I have an AP and it's totally worth it! If you live in SoCal and get the SoCal select you basically only need to go three days to make it worthwhile. You will also have to pay $20 to park every time you visit, but that's no big deal to me. I go with my son several times a month, sometimes as much as once a week, although my pass is blocked for big chunks in the summer. You get discounts on merchandise and any food that isn't snack food from carts (10% for the cheapest pass). There are sometimes other AP special deals like popcorn bucket with $1 refills and AP discounts on Disney hotels.

 

[JeannieJay]

DH and I live in Canada and we upgraded our 3 day parkhoppers to deluxe annual passes last week. We ended up going every day for a week. We are bringing our adult children for a week in April, and only one of the days is blocked out for us. That alone makes it more than worth while for us. We saved 10% on merchandise and most of the food, which ended up being at least $250 or $300 in discount savings (we did some Christmas shopping in the parks).

We are going for a few days in December to see Disneyland decked our for Christmas.

We stayed onsite last week, in April will be staying across the street on Harbor, and in December, will stay either onsite or on Harbor, so parking at the parks was/is a non issue for us. It was definitely worth it to upgrade to the annual passes. It was also worth it to add the $75 max passes to the tickets.

 

[wingednike]

I was debating this last night (is it worth it to renew) and ultimately decided it was. I have a Signature pass where parking is included, dining discount is 20% and merchandise discount is 15%. The only blockout dates are in the last two weeks of the year so that's good for me and my impromptu visits. Photopass is also included but I'm not a picture person so that was not a factor.

Cons for me renewing this pass: I do not go for rides or shows. I go mostly for food and to soak up the atmosphere. Practical me kept saying I could get this at a mall, but I went to the parks last night and the mall does not have a statue of the Headless Horseman cackling at night.

 

[StormyCA]

Sure, it's worth it if you're going to have enough visits to justify the cost. Based on the per day price of a 5 day hopper you'd 'be ahead' on your 9th visit.

 

[whoever]

It used to be the cost at 5-day park hoppers broke even at day 11. That being said, the discount on food and merch pretty much pays for itself alone. All things being equal, it actually COSTS You more because you will go more and spend more. That means more food, merch, and hotel stays. I'm in Phoenix and I had a Premium (until they discontinued it) and now live with a Signature. The rest of the family all got deluxe one year when we did a Loooong trip and several per year. An AP will only cost you money, not save you money, but if you are going to go anyway, its a good choice.

 

[DharmaLou]

For me it was worth it. I live out of state, but had 16 days at the park in the year I had it. It enabled me to stay further out to save money on hotel since parking was free. The discounts on food (15%) and merchandise (20%) with the Signature pass probably saved me at least $500 as well. It may have "cost" me money, but if I was going to go one way or another, it saved me money on everything I did.

 

[PHXscuba]

I agree with the "burning a hole in your pocket" problem of an AP costing you money over time! The food and merchandise discounts (you can see them on the AP website and they are available almost everywhere within the parks (except freestanding food kiosks) and many places in DTD) are nice but they don't add up very quickly unless you are paying for an expensive handbag or a large group for a character meal. The hotel discounts lately haven't been an increase in the percentage discount but my AP price last month came with an extra FP and a $20 food certificate.

So it really comes down to how many days you'll spend in the park -- for a Deluxe AP you could come out ahead on two 3-day trips or three 2-day trips (assuming you would normally buy and use a parkhopper). You could come close enough on one 2-day plus one 4-day trip, especially if you would be buying a lot of food in the parks while there.

PHXscuba

 

[Kender]

I did a spreadsheet a few years ago to decide what I would spend in various scenarios. I knew I was doing a second trip my first year with an AP and that played a big role in the savings. Now it's because I know I want to go every chance I get, haha! Plus since I do runDisney events, it helped me not feel like I was wasting a ticket when I went in the parks for only a few hours during race weekends.

Something to consider is the different perks and what value they could add. For me, parking is absolutely necessary. A Deluxe would actually cost me more in the long run because of the $20/day parking cost.

The discounts are a nice bonus (vary depending on level), but I take them as that: a bonus. I don't actually know how much I'd spend food and merchandise wise so it's hard for me to get a solid number of what savings I get from that. So I don't include them in my calculations.

For me it's worth it. Disney is my happy place and how I recharge. It takes planning because I live 400 miles away, but I make it down every six to eight weeks on average for a few days at a time. If I lived within a day's trip distance, there's no question I'd always have one.

I have a Signature pass where parking is included, dining discount is 20% and merchandise discount is 15%.

You've got the percentages reversed. It's a 15% for dining, 20% for merchandise.

 

[MacMama0930]

I have gotten my money's worth out of my AP, which started as a So Cal and upgraded mid way to deluxe. I think I've had 15 park days? And I'll have two more before it expires. I love having an AP, now I'm trying to figure out if the Sig will be worth it for me.

By the way, I'm about 4 hours away from DLR.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We live plane ride far away. We go a week each trip. We buy a deluxe. Usually two trips a year.

 

[YukonMommy]

Were from Canada and will end up spending 30ish days in the parks (give or take a few depending on flight deals) in a year. With the discounts on food and merchandise its worth it for our family of 6 as we would be going anyway!

 

[wingednike]

I did a spreadsheet a few years ago to decide what I would spend in various scenarios. I knew I was doing a second trip my first year with an AP and that played a big role in the savings. Now it's because I know I want to go every chance I get, haha! Plus since I do runDisney events, it helped me not feel like I was wasting a ticket when I went in the parks for only a few hours during race weekends.

Something to consider is the different perks and what value they could add. For me, parking is absolutely necessary. A Deluxe would actually cost me more in the long run because of the $20/day parking cost.

The discounts are a nice bonus (vary depending on level), but I take them as that: a bonus. I don't actually know how much I'd spend food and merchandise wise so it's hard for me to get a solid number of what savings I get from that. So I don't include them in my calculations.

For me it's worth it. Disney is my happy place and how I recharge. It takes planning because I live 400 miles away, but I make it down every six to eight weeks on average for a few days at a time. If I lived within a day's trip distance, there's no question I'd always have one.



You've got the percentages reversed. It's a 15% for dining, 20% for merchandise.

Thanks for the correction! My weird brain kicks in again

 

[wench]

I live in the Seattle area. From May 2015 to 2016, my son & I spent 26 days in the parks. This year we have the Premier passes. We did 15 days at WDW & will have at least 8 at DLR before they expire.
The discounts are amazing & we're so excited to try MP on this trip. I honestly can't imagine Doing DLR without an AP anymore.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'm heading to the parks in a week and I'm considering doing an AP instead of a park ticket. The reason I'm thinking this is that I'm already thinking of planning a trip in late April early May which would mean 2 visits in one year.

It will boil down to if there are any black out dates that you'll be there. Having to buy a full priced ticket when you already have an AP is really expensive.

The discounts are minor for the lower level passes. They do help, but unless you spend a lot of money, they won't add up to that much. Make sure you don't limit yourself to the lowest level AP. Compare the benefits of buying a Signature if you are going to park and make sure that whatever you purchase doesn't have black out dates when you plan on visiting.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

When I did the math on our signature passes, the break even point was about 10 days in the park. We planned on a 4-5 day trip at the beginning of our year and another at the end to cover our normal yearly trip with 1-2 weekend trips in between that would be a "bonus". So far we have 25 days in the park with 10 more planned before our AP's expire in January. We've saved hundreds with the dining and merch discounts, free parking and photopass. We've also spent thousands on trips we normally would not have taken because the AP's made it so convenient, so although we didn't "save" any money, we have gotten a lot of value out of them.

I would figure out the price of the tickets for trips you have planned, check blackout dates to see what pass would work for you and then figure in the extras like how much you would normally spend on food, merch, parking, etc.

 

[GatorChris]

$619 is a lot of money for sure. But if you're planning on doing at least two 4+day trips about a year apart, then it's worth it monetarily. We realized that we were going to hit DL for a 5 day trip every Nov for years to come, so back in 2014, we decided to just do the AP and make the next year's trip a week earlier to fit into the dates. Then we take a year off and get a new AP for the next pair of November trips. We're currently in our second cycle of APs.

I can say that it gives DL a whole new dimension. Instead of just 5 days (showing up on a Sunday and hitting the parks M-F), we now can go back into the parks on Saturday and even stay the weekend. And then if we want any other trips in-between, we can add them in. I had a conference back in August, so while I was in meetings, my family went to the parks and I joined them later. And this week, my daughter has a drama backstage "camp" she's going to, so we're all going along for the ride and making a fun mini-trip out of it. And then we get to return in November for another week long trip. And to top it off, we're ending that trip at the Great Wolf Lodge for a few days. So before we do the waterslides in the afternoons, we'll hit the parks, and then go back in the evening for WOC or something. It really does make DL feel different when you know you can just walk in practically any day you go to SoCal.

 

[DisDINK]

Depends on how many times you are planning to go. We will be finishing up our first time AP at the end of November and we made out like bandits. We live out of state. We got it because all the bonuses of the 45th anniversary offered really helped out. The 13 months for the price of 12 covered was awesome as was the 20% off dining at tons of restaurants. We saved a ton of money on all the things we were going to do anyway. I understand people saying the burning a hole in your pocket. However, we priced out ahead of time to see if it was worth it. Meaning, we looked to see how much the things we were already planning on would cost with and without the AP. It was a no brainer for us for this past year. There are a lot of AP's who do it every year. After our up coming and longest trip so far at 11 nights we will have been to WDW 7x in the last 4 years. I don't think we will do AP's again for a while.

 

[scrapshappen]

I agree with what everyone else has said. We're on our second go around with APs. We originally thought we'd squeeze three trips in with it this time around. Instead, we've been four times and have three more trips planned before they expire. While I love Disney, it has sucked up all our vacation time and budget this year for sure. We have APs so we might as well get the most out of them, right? So add us to the spent-thousands-to-save-hundreds list. Haha!

I'm not trying to discourage OP from getting them. Just think seriously about if there is other travel you want to do during the time you have APs and if it will change those plans. Also, I have a signature pass and everyone else in my family has a deluxe. That way we have parking and the higher discounts but didn't pay to upgrade everyone's.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

$619 is a lot of money for sure. But if you're planning on doing at least two 4+day trips about a year apart, then it's worth it monetarily. We realized that we were going to hit DL for a 5 day trip every Nov for years to come, so back in 2014, we decided to just do the AP and make the next year's trip a week earlier to fit into the dates. Then we take a year off and get a new AP for the next pair of November trips. We're currently in our second cycle of APs.

I can say that it gives DL a whole new dimension. Instead of just 5 days (showing up on a Sunday and hitting the parks M-F), we now can go back into the parks on Saturday and even stay the weekend. And then if we want any other trips in-between, we can add them in. I had a conference back in August, so while I was in meetings, my family went to the parks and I joined them later. And this week, my daughter has a drama backstage "camp" she's going to, so we're all going along for the ride and making a fun mini-trip out of it. And then we get to return in November for another week long trip. And to top it off, we're ending that trip at the Great Wolf Lodge for a few days. So before we do the waterslides in the afternoons, we'll hit the parks, and then go back in the evening for WOC or something. It really does make DL feel different when you know you can just walk in practically any day you go to SoCal.

We are doing the same thing. We'll take a year off starting in January 2018 and then probably get AP's again in time for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in 2019.