Break point for AP?

[snykymom]

How many days do you need to spend with a Park Hopper (no additions) to make it worth buying a non-FL resident AP, considering room discounts and DDE? Just trying to see if it makes sense at all.

And if you go with tickets, and do a bounceback, will they credit your tickets towards an AP, or do you start all over again?

Thanks!

 

[wdwmaw]

Yes, they will credit you toward an AP from a pkg bounceback offer.It must be done at a guest services location.Here is the info from here about it...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684&referrerid=116130


Now, about the break even point. As the tickets go about 14 days (1-10day hopper and 1-4 day hopper) are equal to 1 AP in price. Now, as far as your room goes for most travel dates you will save about the same with AP"s as you will with most general public codes.With the DDE card that also depends on your dining situation (do you order drinks?), how you like to eat and where you stay. The DDE card is good at counterservice for Value resorts and that makes the card far more attractive for us since we do not drink.

Depending on how many days we travel (we all have AP's now) but usually we just get 1-AP and DDE card and the rest just buy discounted tickets from UT. You need to answer questions a few questions...
How many days will you go?
What time of year will you go?
Do you drink?
Will we stay at value for counterservice savings?
How many meals do you usually eat
How old are kids in your party?

Let us know so we can help you better.

 

[snykymom]

1) We'll be there for 7 days
2) January 4-11
3) Yes, we drink but not heavily. Although I've heard great things about the margaritas at CSR!
4) Value resort? Not this time - staying at CSR.
5) 2-3
6) 19; no kids.

Thanks!

 

[disneyfan55]

We usually make at least 2 trips to WDW and have found the AP worth it. The DDE card costs 60 with the AP, so if you will spend 300 you break even with that. We did purchase the DDE card in May and it was especially good since we were staying at ASMu and ate in the food court a few times. It is also good in AK for a few of the CS places. For a 7 day trip, I honestly don't think the AP is worth it, but go again within the year and the second vacation really becomes a bargain!! The DDE card is good for about 13 months - somewhat longer than a year. We purchased on May 18 and it expires on June 30, 2009, and you only need one of these cards per up to 10 in a group. The holder must be present to use the card also.

 

[wdwmaw]

Do you plan on returning for another visit? If not then I can not see AP's for you. Are you on bounceback for this upcoming trip ? If you are then you would not save anymore with an AP. Do you have the dining plan booked with your current reservation?In my experience the dining plan is really worth it when you add the counter service meals. You would not save anymore at your resort so AP again would not save you at CS. I would not do AP's for all of you.For just one upgrade ticket from an 8 day hopper to AP would be $253.83 counting cost of DDE. You would not save anymore on your room if you are on bounceback so I don't think it would be profitable for you. I picked 4 meals we have planned for our trip and I would save about $140 on those 4 meals. You would still be in the hole $110 for this upgrade in ticket. I hope you can understand what I am saying and do I make sense.

 

[snykymom]

OK, I think I understand. We're not on bounceback this time. I was thinking that if we did get a bounceback and decided to book within a year, would it be worth it? And the answer seems pretty much No unless they'll credit the tickets for this time onto the AP and the next trip is about 7 more days. That really does help.

And we're not on dining yet - can't book it. And that's a whole different set of calculations!

Thanks!

 

[wdwmaw]

If you are not on bounce back then you would have somthing to think about. Her is the info on discounts form the last few years.
[http://www.mousesavers.com/historicalwdwdiscounts.html#codetrends
You will know before you arrive if bounce back is being offered. Those started in the fall and will be reported here widly. You could use the AP discount on your Jan trip and if you knew bounceback is being offered then yes you should go with AP. I still would probably just go with 1 AP. The breaking point seems to be 14 days so factor that in on your tickets. You should also add your dining up. Go here to menus and add up what you would eat randomly then compare 20% off with DDE / dinning plan. With AP you can now book the AP dine pkg. Let us know, all of this can be so confusing, what would we do without these boards.

 

[garada3]

12 day trip
July 19 - July 30, 2009
Yes to drinks/bottles of wine
GF
8 TS at this point (3 of these signature)
Sons will be 14, 12 and 10 at time of travel (will eat alot if they like the food, not very adventurous eaters)


I am considering purchasing tickets from under cover tourist this month to get 2008 pricing. Sons absolutely love water parks and Disney Quest, so a 10 day park hopper with water parks and more seems to be a good fit. Therefore the annual pass would need to be a premium so that I could keep up with the family.

DH absolutley does not want to use a dining plan (unless it is free dining) as he does not like prepaying and then feeling tied to the meals/credit use (did DDP in 2006) I like the idea of a DDE discount but I am thinking that the break even with the Premium would require alot of eating and drinking. Do non-restaraunt bars give the DDE discount (pool bars, AK bar, HS bar, World Showcase kiosks)

I am thinking that I should buy 5 10 day hoppers with WP&M from UCT and then wait to see if there are AP room codes released and then buy the PAP and return 1 hopper if the AP rate is better than what I have booked. BUt then I try to think about the DDE and

Thanks.

 

[Dancemom03]

Don't know about you but when we travel with five our TS meals are in the $200 range. That's approx $40 off with DDE per meal, which makes the card a definite savings for us.

Looking at just the cost of the DDE, I figure anything after 2-3 meals is a savings. It doesn't work for counter service inside the parks and I don't think it's good for pool bars either but you can use it for beaches and cream at the BC/YC in addition to standard TS meals and resort food courts.

I get TA discounts, which are slightly better than AP rates but the cost of DDP, added to a TA or AP rate, is much more than using the code for room only and our DDE discounts on dining.

Oddly enough, I am having just the opposite ticket quandry this year, trying to decide whether to buy DH a ten day MYW by upgrading a 7 MYW to non-expiring or whether to buy two 7 day MYW because he has a work break of 10 days in between our first week of vacation and the third week in wdw but probably won't go back until Fall 2009, making an AP more expensive I suspect.
We could use 7 days, then upgrade another 3 days and no expire (because it'll be after the first 14 days before he can use them all) but it still isn't enough park days that way, unless he buys two non expiring MYW 10 day and saves 3 extra days on each, but that's $191 extra just for non expiring, making an AP still a consideration.

Ever feel like a dog chasing his tail?