Benefits for AP holders??

[weschmom]

I've just begun planning my Jan 07 trip, and I can see already that I'm going to want to return to WDW very soon!

Just wondering about the benefits of an annual pass, how much do you have to visit to get your money's worth, any other perks for pass holders, etc?

Thanks!

 

[Kick Save]

The break even point depends on what kind of MYW tickets you were going to buy, but I've read 11 days here and heard something similar on WDW Today recently. We've bought them a couple times and planned trips within 11 months of each other and got our money's worth out of them easily.

Other benefits: You can buy the Disney Dining Experience card for $60, that gets you 20% off your meals at practically every TS resturant there. INCLUDING alcohol.

Various room discounts will be given throughout the year at all levels of resort.

Some dining discounts with just the AP, don't remember how much or which resturants as we've had the DDE for a while.

Discount at the World of Disney at Downtown Disney.

 

[mill4023]

They aren't always available, but when they are, AP discounts at the resorts can be good enough to make buying an AP worthwhile even for just 1 trip. Over the past couple years, it seems like the average AP savings on rooms has been around $20-$25 per night for values, $40-$45 for moderates, and $80-$100 for deluxes.

And depending on how you like to dine while at WDW, being able to buy the DDE card can save you a lot of money. We took a 2 week trip last March, staying offsite for 4 nights, at ASMo for 6 nights (2 rooms), then at POR for 4 nights. We ate quite a few table service meals, and between the DDE and the room discounts, we probably saved close to $1000 from buying 1 AP.

But everyone's situation is different, so you'd have to do the math. Just remember that AP room discounts aren't a guarantee. I doubt Disney will stop offering them, because regardless of what anyone says, it is one of the reasons a lot of people have AP's. But you never know.

You also get free parking at the parks with an AP, so if you are someone who stays offsite, that saves you some money.

 

[Eeyore2003]

What we usually do to get the best deals at WDW is get an AP and use it 3 times within a year and then wait a year and do it over.

This last year we went November 9days/April 6days/October 9days and now we'll wait until next October again and go 3 times then. Saddest part is the year wait, which is what I have right now!!! This way we really make the most of our AP's.

We get the DDE card. I would never get the DDP. Way to much figuring and limits. In the year we have literally saved hundreds since we do eat at least one or two TS/day.

For our room we rent points from DVC owners, but once we did take advantage of the AP deal and stayed at AK-savannah view for $100.00 off per night.

Then we also have the Disney Visa and I charge pretty much everything and then pay it up monthly. It paid for a little over 1/2 our meals last week with the DDE card discounts.

The DDE card does not include many DD restaurants, but with those you usually get a 10% discount from your AP.

You also get 10% off of all merchandise at the World of Disney and Basin in DD, so we usually look around the parks for what we might want to buy, but then get it from the World of Disney. Personally I think it's worth it.

 

[civileng68]

Don't forget, AP holders get free parking. With parking now at $10 a pop, that is an incredible savings. Last year, I saved over $300 in PARKING ALONE!