Better Bargain: Premier AP or Vacation Packages?

[Jeff in BigD]

We are looking at trying the following:
DL in late January (or early Feb) 2015
WDW in September 2015
DL in early January 2016


The Disneyland trips would likely be spent staying with family & friends, so we wouldn't need rooms in OC.

With WDW (my wife's first time) we might be traveling with 2-4 friends, so we might be looking at a villa.


We are looking for tools to calculate the best way to go about it.
Does anyone know of a few easy resources to look at the brass tacks breakdown of costs?
Premier AP-vs-Vacation Packages
Car-vs-Flights-vs-Flight+Rental

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Also, the official Premier AP site is pretty vague about the discounts & perks:
-Merchandise and dining discounts at select locations
(no percentages are mentioned)

-Discounts and special offers (from time to time) on select car rentals and Disney Resort hotel stays
(again no percentages & more vagueness...)

-Exclusive special events and privileges (excluding special events requiring separate admission charge)
(I don't even...whuuuu...?)


I realize that sometimes companies need to use CYA Vague-speak, but knowing what kind of discounts (if any) are applicable are kind of helpful when trying to make an informed decision.

 

[kaybird]

For us the AP's have been the bigger bargain. The expense often is the tickets, can usually find a deal on a room, and you can still get dining plan at WDW. If you have a place to stay at DL, would guess you will find it very cost saving!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Pretty sure it's 20% merchandise. Dining discounts, at least at WDW, would probably be the same as regular AP dining discounts. All or any of this could change before September 2015.

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Needless to say, it was a lot easier when I lived 15 minutes away from Disneyland & could make a monthly payment for my annual passport.

 

[DebbieB]

You may want to compare to the DL Deluxe AP, the one with blackout dates. There are no blackout dates in January or early February, so it might save you money and then buying separate WDW tickets.