Are you renewing your AP?

[hunnypotmama]

I just got a note from Disney today telling me I'll get a $35 discount on my AP if I renew before my anniversary date.

I ended up getting a good AP rate at the Swan for my last trip, but I didn't appreciate the way Disney delayed releasing AP codes, or at least saying one way or the other whether they were going to at all. Seems like package deals are the way to go now, and in fact I have 2 kids, ages 3 and 8, who would travel free under the latest Disney Visa offer, so I'm thinking seriously about not renewing my AP.

What will YOU do?

 

[punkin]

good question...I don't know. I'm not sure it's worth it just to save $35. I think I'll wait to buy new ones when I need them. That way I don't have to second guess myself if they come out with another FTP.

 

[Praise2Him]

We've had PAP's for the past 2 years and are not renewing them this year. We've decided to *gasp* travel to other places than Disney for awhile. We have been making about 5-6 trips a year, but we'll probably just come about once every 2 years for awhile. DS is a Senior in high school and wants to go to Ireland next summer, so that's our *big* trip for next year.

 

[Gary M]

We are in the same situation. We received the letter about the $35 discount to renew our AP's before they expire on Nov. 4. Without the "room only" discounts we will not go to WDW the 3 to 4 times a year as we have for the last eight years. If packages are the discounts of the future, then AP's are not for us.

We got great room rates for Vegas and New Orleans, plus good air prices, so will go there this winter and only go to WDW once or twice. If the reports about the large crowds at WDW holds up for this winter, then our other trips work best for us. We have been to WDW during Jan. and/or early Feb. for the last 8 years and except for weekends the crowds have been very light. This was pre and post 9/11 and good and bad economic times. Maybe the package only deals will fill the resorts and room only discounts won't be offered.

 

[CamColt]

Im not renewing ours which will expire in August, but only because we plan to skip the parks the following year(2005) and do a 7 night cruise instead. We will have gotten 3 trips out of these APs(8/03, 12/03, 7/04).
We will probably get APs again starting them up in 8/06 and get 2 summers worth of vacations out of them...Not that Im planning ahead or anything.

 

[crs7568]

I am also planning to let my annual pass membership expire in August. The deals definitely seem to be geared toward packages and I have been paying more for my vacations with the AP than I would have been paying without it. I will still go to Disney though and hope for good package deals. This probably means that the rest of you should keep your AP's because my luck would be that package deals will go back to being a rip off and the AP deals will be a bargain once I am no longer an AP holder.

 

[judi]

We've had APs for as long as I can remember and we keep renewing. We don't renew for the room discounts but because we are there 4 weeks every year and to buy hoppers each time wouldn't make sense. I also remember when AP discounts wouldn't be released until the first of Jan to be used through the beginning of Feb. You would never see AP discounts released and last as long as they do now. Everyone has to decide for themselves if they want to renew or not. Just don't renew because of possible room discounts.

 

[DebbieB]

Remember if you renew, it will be effective the same date as the expiration of your old one, not on first use. If you buy new on your next trip, you will have more time available. For example, we go May & December. We bought new ones in May 2003. Our trip in May 2004 is right before they expire. So I'll buy new ones in December 2004 that will be good until December 2005. Renewing would only be good until May 2005.

 

[crazy4wdw]

I'll probably renew mine at least for one more year (my renewal date is in 12/03). I have about $75 on my Disney Visa Rewards that I plan to use for the renewal. This will also be the last year I can renew my AP with the Disney Club discount. I usually stay seven to eight days for my annual December trip so I feel the AP is the best value for my stay. I also take a five to six day trip in May. However if there are no AP rates for 2004, I will not be able to take two trips. If there are no AP rates for '04, I don't know if I will renew again.

 

[sm4987]

I did not renew. I'd prefer to wait until closer to my time. I want a full year out of my ap. If I would have renewed this past summer, I would have only gotton one trip out of it since we can only go during the summer. This way, if I just pay flat out (or use disney club before it runs out) I can go this summer 2004 and the next on one annual pass.

 

[BCV23]

Didn't get the letter but we're renewing only two out of four that expired this month and may renew our eldest sons if he thinks he'll be with us enough next year to justify it. The two whose APs we're letting expire will probably be going to Italy instead of WDW for spring break. Even if they change their minds and go to WDW with DS2 and me, I think it makes more sense to spread renewal days out through the year given the new emphasis on packages. For our trip next month we're could only get AP rates for our first night. I booked a Winter Dreammaker package for the other nights. Worked out to be a little less than if we had renewed the APs for those two, bought a pass for DS1's GF and been able to get AP rates if I called back a zillion times. I think if we spread our renewal dates out, for any given trip we can book a room on a package if need be.

 

[CarolA]

Yes, my AP has never been about hotel discounts.

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by CarolA
Yes, my AP has never been about hotel discounts.

Carol, may I ask if you do not use AP room discounts because you stay DVC exclusively or stay off site?

I do agree that I would never buy an AP if I didn't plan to be there often enough to make it cost effective for admission alone.

 

[MLAinVA]

We have rarely used our APs for room discounts becasue we stay at SOG. We truly use ours just for the parks and will still be going 3-4 times a year. We will renew this year in January but we won't renew until we actually need to use a new pass rather than exactly on the expiration date.

I agree that it seems as though packages are the way to go if you want to stay in a Disney hotel.

 

[miko]

I am undecided about renewing ap. We have had them for about 7 years. I travel to Orlando 2-3 times a month on business and usually stop by a park at night depending on season or at least go to Downtown. I have used the AP rates for hotels but that was not primary reason for purchase. AP discounts at restaraunts and in stores are being deminished each year. I do use those frequently. We normally take at least one and usually 2 vacations in Orlando each year. I have ap for SeaWorls and UV. I have found myself this year choosing them over Disney quite frequently.
I know my non-renewal will not have much impact on Disney but my reduced business dinners at Downtown and Hotels, reduced purchases in stores might "hurt" a little especially since I will be diverting dollars to UV and SeaWorld.
I would like to see Disney up the ante a bit on AP perks, at least give you a plastic card rather than a carboard one!
When it comes time to renew (December) I think I will send a letter explaining why I am not (if that is decesion) and see what happens in the next year or so.

 

[MEM]

Despite the savings involved, I have never renewed my AP, but buy it new on the first day of each visit. Our vacation funds (and my work schedule) are just too variable to be able to plan a trip every year. This upcoming year, unfortunately, the funds aren't there for a trip to WDW. We may end up buying the AP every other year. For my family, an AP is justified if only because we stay at least 9 days at a time. We have always gotten excellent passholder discounts on rooms, except for our very first visit when I had a nit-wit "Disney Specialist" from AAA who had us paying rack rate for POFQ (but that is another story).

 

[Cinderella37]

We don't "renew" our passes, but buy new ones every year (usually December). Since we go every July and now December, it doesn't make sense to renew in July and pay for 5 months that we know we won't be using.

APs make sense for us simply because of the length of our July stays. UPHs are more expensive than APs for 11 days. Plus, we get at least 2 vacations out of our APs. The hotel discounts are just a bonus ( a great one, though).

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We did not renew our AP's when they expired last year, due to the lack of discounts. However, we'll be buying them again next year, after becoming DVC Members, we have most of our nights paid for (we'll probably pay cash for 4-5 of our 20 nights next year). It would be wonderful to see AP resort rates, though!

 

[*Flower*]

We'll be renewing ours also....

We are also SoG users, and it helps to keep the cost down. My DH likes to look forward to his weekends 'away' to destress from work.
I 'made the mistake' of getting him a regular AP for his birthday, and now he's a 'Mickey Maniac".......

 

[mkymouse4ever]

If we lived in a 600 mile radius of wdw I would say, NO we only get the ap for the extremely frequent use of the tickets! I wish! BUT from northern Illinois lets be practical, yes I do count on the discount's about 1/2 in my mind as for a reason to buy it. This year we let it lapse about 4 months because of the date thing and have bought new passes for our trip in nov/dec. planning for 14 nites then and again will stay 3 weeks next summer before they expire. BUT before I bought the passes I worked out all the deals throughly and the ap was still the best way for us to go, in the long run.

Now if I can just figure out how to drive to wdw for the weekend and get back to work on monday morning in time?

MKY