Are AP's a good deal?

[TheDisneyDoll]

Hello! I have been struggling with the decision to buy an Annual Pass or not.
I have so far 2 trips to Disney World planned out, and I've compared park tickets to the prices of the Annual pass and there is between a $50 to a $100 less to get regular tickets, but I am just curious if the discounts that come with the Annual pass really add up?

I also have another question that might seem silly, but online it says it starts from the activation day. Does that mean from my first entry into the park?
I was considering buying an AP online but my trip isn't until May i just don't want to cheat self out of 2 months.

Just as an extra question (since i haven't asked enough) I also have a trip to Disneyland planned and comparing prices it's for the Premier Passes and it's about the same as tickets prices the same $50-$100 difference.

I just really want to know if the discounts really add up?

Also I'm really sorry if this is in the wrong section, I scoped it out a bit and I wasn't to sure where to place it. I am a long time Disney lover but first time Disboards poster.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Not a stupid question at all Yes it means it starts from the day you first enter the park and expires 1 year after that date.

Whether it's a good deal or not really depends. For us it's a great deal!
If you are taking one trip then no. If you are going twice within a 12 month span and plan on going to the parks more than a few days each time then yes.

The discount in basically all of the Disney shops is 10% off.
Also if you are staying onsite there is often AP deals that come out for a % off room rates.

We buy ours and then go at least twice in that time. For example we are going in Sept and then again early next year so this makes it worth it. I always end up scamming a 3rd trip in the middle as well (this year it's over Xmas). Last time we had an AP we went in Oct one year and then again a couple of weeks early the following year and took a small trip in between.

With Disneyland it would depend. I am not 100% sure on those.

Although even saving $50 I would consider it worth it. And the discounts really depend on your spending habits. I usually buy a fair amount of souvenirs. But we are also DVC members so we get the discount either way.

 

[eyor44]

Yes, an AP is a good deal. If your trips total more than 10 days in the parks, it is a good deal. Plus, you get the discounts and believe me, that adds up. Check carefully, because you can also get discounts at some restaurants, although a couple are lunch only.

Thanks for mentioning about going to DL and the Premier. It is time to renew DH's AP and we are going to DL also. I am going to compare prices for us.

 

[lovesdumbo]

If you get a WDW AP you can purchase Tables in Wonderland which gives you 20% off most table service restaurants including adult beverages. I find TiW works much better for my family than DDP. You can get some dining discounts with just AP without buying TiW but it's usually 10% and most often only lunch.

If you get the premier pass for both WDW & DL you get a premium AP which gets you the water parks & Disney Quest. At DL the premier gets you lots of dining discounts.

Be warned though once you have an AP you'll want to figure out how to go for more than two trips.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello! I have been struggling with the decision to buy an Annual Pass or not.
I have so far 2 trips to Disney World planned out, and I've compared park tickets to the prices of the Annual pass and there is between a $50 to a $100 less to get regular tickets, but I am just curious if the discounts that come with the Annual pass really add up?

I also have another question that might seem silly, but online it says it starts from the activation day. Does that mean from my first entry into the park?
I was considering buying an AP online but my trip isn't until May i just don't want to cheat self out of 2 months.

Just as an extra question (since i haven't asked enough) I also have a trip to Disneyland planned and comparing prices it's for the Premier Passes and it's about the same as tickets prices the same $50-$100 difference.

I just really want to know if the discounts really add up?

Also I'm really sorry if this is in the wrong section, I scoped it out a bit and I wasn't to sure where to place it. I am a long time Disney lover but first time Disboards poster.

If all that you're looking at is the price of admission, then an AP is going to cost you more money than the MYW tickets.

But, if you're staying offsite and driving to the parks, then you will save $15/day just on parking. Multiply that by the number of park days and you will see that you will break even at around 5-8 visits just on parking alone.

If you're staying onsite, then there are room discounts that range from 5% up to 35% off of the rack rate. Now, most people don't pay the rack rate anyway, so it's best to compare your savings as an AP holder vs. the savings that the general public gets. Most of the time, AP holders get an extra 5% over what the general public gets. At a value resort, that means maybe an additional $5-$6 per night. At a deluxe resort, it's more in the range of $30-$40 per night.

Dining discounts and merchandise discounts are 10%. The dining discounts are at limited locations and can have time restrictions. The merchandise discount is nice because, unlike the Disney Visa, there is no minimum spending amount in order to qualify for the discount. With an AP, you also qualify to purchase the Tables in Wonderland card, which is good for 20% off your entire bill at most TS locations and a few CS locations. The cost is $100 for AP holders, which means you would have to spend $500 on food and beverages to break even.

So, you can see that the value of the discounts will vary according to how you would use them. I own DVC. I already have my room paid for, I don't need a room discount. I can purchase the TiW for the same price that an AP holder pays. I get merchandise discounts with my membership anyway. And since I stay onsite, parking is free for me. The only value an AP holds for me is that it pays for my admission to the parks. In order for that to make it worth spending that much, I need to visit a park 10-12 separate days.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

Not a stupid question at all Yes it means it starts from the day you first enter the park and expires 1 year after that date.

Whether it's a good deal or not really depends. For us it's a great deal!
If you are taking one trip then no. If you are going twice within a 12 month span and plan on going to the parks more than a few days each time then yes.

The discount in basically all of the Disney shops is 10% off.
Also if you are staying onsite there is often AP deals that come out for a % off room rates.

We buy ours and then go at least twice in that time. For example we are going in Sept and then again early next year so this makes it worth it. I always end up scamming a 3rd trip in the middle as well (this year it's over Xmas). Last time we had an AP we went in Oct one year and then again a couple of weeks early the following year and took a small trip in between.

With Disneyland it would depend. I am not 100% sure on those.

Although even saving $50 I would consider it worth it. And the discounts really depend on your spending habits. I usually buy a fair amount of souvenirs. But we are also DVC members so we get the discount either way.

Thank you! You answered the most important question, I was so curious about the passes activation, it seemed odd that it didn't say when you first enter so I had to ask just to double check!
That definitely makes the pass worth more to me now!

Yes, an AP is a good deal. If your trips total more than 10 days in the parks, it is a good deal. Plus, you get the discounts and believe me, that adds up. Check carefully, because you can also get discounts at some restaurants, although a couple are lunch only.

Thanks for mentioning about going to DL and the Premier. It is time to renew DH's AP and we are going to DL also. I am going to compare prices for us.

The premier ones aren't that much more, which is why I was looking into it.

If you get a WDW AP you can purchase Tables in Wonderland which gives you 20% off most table service restaurants including adult beverages. I find TiW works much better for my family than DDP. You can get some dining discounts with just AP without buying TiW but it's usually 10% and most often only lunch.

If you get the premier pass for both WDW & DL you get a premium AP which gets you the water parks & Disney Quest. At DL the premier gets you lots of dining discounts.

Be warned though once you have an AP you'll want to figure out how to go for more than two trips.

I have a few more trips in the works for spring next year, but I wasn't to sure how these passes worked. I am doing the ToT run in October and want to do Princess next year so this is a good thing to have.
Thank you so much!

 

[bumbershoot]

Hello! I have been struggling with the decision to buy an Annual Pass or not.
I have so far 2 trips to Disney World planned out, and I've compared park tickets to the prices of the Annual pass and there is between a $50 to a $100 less to get regular tickets, but I am just curious if the discounts that come with the Annual pass really add up?

I also have another question that might seem silly, but online it says it starts from the activation day. Does that mean from my first entry into the park?
I was considering buying an AP online but my trip isn't until May i just don't want to cheat self out of 2 months.

Just as an extra question (since i haven't asked enough) I also have a trip to Disneyland planned and comparing prices it's for the Premier Passes and it's about the same as tickets prices the same $50-$100 difference.

I just really want to know if the discounts really add up?

Also I'm really sorry if this is in the wrong section, I scoped it out a bit and I wasn't to sure where to place it. I am a long time Disney lover but first time Disboards poster.

Which AP are you looking at? There's the normal one that gives you admission to the 4 main parks, and then there's the Premium which gives you the 4 main parks and waterparks and Disney Quest. If you don't need the other things, just look at the basic AP.

How long are your trips? Let's say you have two 4 day trips. Right now the WDW price for tickets is 313.11 for each set of 4 day tickets. If you want hopping, that's 377.01 for each set. (this is assuming you buy both sets now)

A normal AP is 675.21. That includes hopping. So if you were going to get hoppers anyway, you are ahead of the game if you buy the AP.


The Premier AP gives you Premium APs for both Disneyland and WDW. I believe at DLR that means a higher discount on food/merchandise. At WDW it means the waterparks etc. You get parking at the themepark lot at Disneyland, too. Since you have two separate visits to WDW and one visit to DLR, take all those tickets and add them up. Does it make financial sense to get the Premier? If you decide that to get a WDW AP makes financial sense for those visits, does it make more sense to just buy the DLR ticket, or does it make more sense to upgrade to the Premier?

Only you know your exact plans.


WDW AP (including Premier) gives you access to purchase the TIW card, which many people find to be a great help. There are also discounts on some food and on merchandise. The food discounts should be looked at thoroughly ahead of time; some people's dining plans mesh perfectly with the AP discounts. Others don't.



You wrote "there is between a $50 to a $100 less to get regular tickets", so I'm definitely curious as to what tickets you're looking at, and what AP.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

Which AP are you looking at? There's the normal one that gives you admission to the 4 main parks, and then there's the Premium which gives you the 4 main parks and waterparks and Disney Quest. If you don't need the other things, just look at the basic AP.

How long are your trips? Let's say you have two 4 day trips. Right now the WDW price for tickets is 313.11 for each set of 4 day tickets. If you want hopping, that's 377.01 for each set. (this is assuming you buy both sets now)

A normal AP is 675.21. That includes hopping. So if you were going to get hoppers anyway, you are ahead of the game if you buy the AP.


The Premier AP gives you Premium APs for both Disneyland and WDW. I believe at DLR that means a higher discount on food/merchandise. At WDW it means the waterparks etc. You get parking at the themepark lot at Disneyland, too. Since you have two separate visits to WDW and one visit to DLR, take all those tickets and add them up. Does it make financial sense to get the Premier? If you decide that to get a WDW AP makes financial sense for those visits, does it make more sense to just buy the DLR ticket, or does it make more sense to upgrade to the Premier?

Only you know your exact plans.


WDW AP (including Premier) gives you access to purchase the TIW card, which many people find to be a great help. There are also discounts on some food and on merchandise. The food discounts should be looked at thoroughly ahead of time; some people's dining plans mesh perfectly with the AP discounts. Others don't.



You wrote "there is between a $50 to a $100 less to get regular tickets", so I'm definitely curious as to what tickets you're looking at, and what AP.

Regular tickets are $50 to $100 less when comparing it to the Premium WDW Annual Pass.
With that number I am factoring in the Disneyland admissions and the Premier Pass as well.

I have little to no interest in the Tables in Wonderland, that out of all the things i'm pretty familiar with and it just doesn't have any added appeal for me.

This is all in a solo trip, I don't plan on having any family travel with me for my scheduled plans at this point

 

[Sandi]

For me, it costs more because I get such a sweet discount at the Deluxe Resorts. When I don't have an AP, I usually settle for Pop Century or a moderate. When I do have an AP, we stay deluxe. Stayed at Poly in December with my mom, BWI with my DD earlier this month, and trying to decide on a resort for a summer trip.

Seriously, the AP is a good value for me. The discounts are very nice. YMMV.