Can someone please explain the annual pass thing.

[stitcharoo]

It seems so cheap and I am wondering if there are any strings attached and how in the world I havent heard of this sooner! What are the pros and cons of having this?

 

[JTDisney]

Not sure what you mean by cheap but anyway here are my two cents. I have an annual and the time to consider it is if you are looking to purchase a 10 day park hopper with no expiration. There are some great benefits that most folks do not know about which usually can make it a no brainer. You can save hundreds on hotel rooms with the annual pass if you go at the right time. I saved over $600 earlier this year at the Beach Club with the AP. I also purchased the Disney Dining Experience which is now called something different although still referred to as Dining Experience here on the boards. It is a membership that costs $60 for the year and you receive 20% off of up to 10 people at your table for most table service restaurants in WDW. If you visit a couple of times in a year and stay mostly on prem then this is a great discount program.

The bottomline is do your research to see if the AP makes sense for you. You only need one AP holder in your family to take advantage of the discounts. Checkout a better description below:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts/discounts-ap.htm#General

 

[badgirlgiz]

Our family purchases 1 AP and 2 10-day passes for a 15 day trip and and got good AP rates saved 945.00 on our trip. we are staying at a Mod. resort.

 

[squirrel]

Are there certain times that AP holders get discounted rooms? It only has Jan and Feb of 2009 posted.

I'm trying to figure out if it is worth it for me when I go in October 2009 for Free Dining. How would I go about finding out what the room discount would be if available?

 

[mamaminnie]

Are there certain times that AP holders get discounted rooms? It only has Jan and Feb of 2009 posted.

I'm trying to figure out if it is worth it for me when I go in October 2009 for Free Dining. How would I go about finding out what the room discount would be if available?

Discounts are released slowly but there are usually discounts most times of the year.

I think that for free dining you need to book a package (room plus tickets) so an AP won't help you there.

 

[JTDisney]

I do not think that the AP will help you get free dining. What I do is book the room at full rack rate for whatever time I want to go if there is no AP discount announced for that time. When the AP is announced I call and get the discounted room rate but those rates are limited so you have to be paying attention to wdwinfo.com for the announcement. Also, you can just tell them you have an AP to get the discount even if you have not purchased it yet. The day you get here just head over to one of the parks get the AP to show at check in. Sometimes they do not even ask for it!

 

[puffkin]

AP's are NOT cheap. I think they are about $480 for an adult pass right now.

Unless you are planning more than one trip a year or are staying a long time at a deluxe resort without the dining plan I don't think they are worth it. You cannot get free dining with an ap unless you book a package with a 1 day pass (so extra cost) AND you wouldn't get the room discount.

We get AP's though for the following reason:
1. We take 2 trips a calendar year, but 3 on each AP. For example, we went October 2007, January 2008, October 2008 on one pass. We will then go May 2009, December 2009, May 2010 on the next pass. That brings our ticket cost down substantially.

2. We are DVC so we get a $100 discount on the passes.

3. We usually stay Friday and Saturday night at a Disney resort before checking into DVC (because weekend points are so high) and we can usually get a room discount.

4. The dining plan isn't really for us, but we do use the Dining Discount Card (now called Tables in Wonderland). We time it to expire the same as our AP's, so we get 3 trips off of one membership fee ($60 right now for a year).

5. We also have used the AP for discounts at World of Disney, Typhoon Lagoon, MNSSHP and a few other places in the past.

AP's are GREAT, but you really have to run the numbers for your situation to see if they are worth it because they are expensive.

 

[Trena]

"my preciousssss.......it burns us" I become obsessed, like Gollum, when I have one.

It really does burn a hole in my pocket. I want to go to WDW all the time, because, I've already got my ticket paid for, I have to eat no matter where I am, so I just have to pay for hotel.

Well my groceries don't cost that much at home and other expenses add up fast. I swear it must cost me more in the long run to have an AP.

I love my AP!

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Are there certain times that AP holders get discounted rooms? It only has Jan and Feb of 2009 posted.

I'm trying to figure out if it is worth it for me when I go in October 2009 for Free Dining. How would I go about finding out what the room discount would be if available?

You can't get free dining with an AP.

 

[Alesia]

You can't get free dining with an AP.

Yes, you can. They just started it recently.

 

[squirrel]

That's what I heard that you can get free dining with the AP.

I'm just trying to figure out if it would be worth getting an AP. Does anyone know if you can get a room discount and the free dining with an AP? Or can you only get one at a time with an AP.

Last time we stayed for 14 nights and have booked another 14 nights with the free dining bounceback in Ocober. We also had a 10 day park pass with WPAM and also bought MNSSHP tickets. We would probably do the same next time.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Just remember that there is no guarantee that they will offer free dining in September, so don't base your decision on that. I'm a firm believer that until Disney puts it in writing that they are offering it, don't hold past history as gospel that they will repeat something. It is truly their perrogative.

That being said, you just need to take a look at how you are planning on vacationing and see if that meshes with the AP.

For instance -

• We are DVC, but since we live in CA and not MO anymore, we don't get down to WDW enough to make an AP worthwhile - we only stay 7 days at a shot, every 12-18 months or so.
  
• Our friends are doing a 3 week honeymoon to WDW at the end of the year (DL pros doing their first visit to WDW). They definitely qualify as needing the AP.

Bottom line is like any other product - buy what you need to get the best dollar value!

 

[christa112]

How does the Annual Pass run? If I were to purchase Nov 2, 2008 would it go until Nov 2, 2009? I am assuming that is how it works, but just want to double check.

 

[Nie0214]

How does the Annual Pass run? If I were to purchase Nov 2, 2008 would it go until Nov 2, 2009? I am assuming that is how it works, but just want to double check.

Yes it works like that. If you go on Vacation 11/2/08-11/8/08, then went again next year from 10/27/09-11/2/09, you could use the pass on both trips.

That's what I heard that you can get free dining with the AP.

I'm just trying to figure out if it would be worth getting an AP. Does anyone know if you can get a room discount and the free dining with an AP? Or can you only get one at a time with an AP.

Last time we stayed for 14 nights and have booked another 14 nights with the free dining bounceback in Ocober. We also had a 10 day park pass with WPAM and also bought MNSSHP tickets. We would probably do the same next time.

To get free dining with an AP, you must book a package vacation (rack-rate room & one-day tickets for everyone in the room). You can use those one-day tickets on another trip (if you buy no expiration), but you must buy them because free dining is based on buying a package from Disney. You cannot get a room discount AND free dining, it doesn't work that way, you have to pay full price for the room. Depending on where you are staying and your family's eating habits/size, the AP discount on a room rate might be a bigger savings than getting the "free" dining.

 

[katied]

AP is a great deal for me. I go about 2 - 3 times/year. I own DVC, so I get a good discount on the AP. My other trips are normally work related, so I'm staying offsite. Even if I don't get room discounts (because onsite stays are normally DVC) I save a lot on parking. This year alone parking savings for offsite stays will be about $100. Plus, I tend to do my souvineer shopping at WOD in DTD, where my AP provides for a 10% discount.

 

[christa112]

It definately sounds worth it if you are going to make a couple of trips in one year or live in or near FL.

 

[disneyfreak89]

Can I jump in here and ask another question about the AP?

I noticed we can only book 1 room per passholder. My question is, if my DH and I book a room for ourselves using my AP, can he book another room for his parents using his AP without actually occupying that room himself?

Thanks for any info.

 

[disneyfreak89]

Never mind, I'll post a separate thread for this question.