Considering 1 annual pass

[MamaBelle4]

Am I completely crazy? I've got time to think about this. We aren't going again til Dec. 2020, then again Dec 2021.

We usually go for 5 park days (live in PA). The 20% merchandise discount and the discount on MVMCP (if still applicable) plus memory Maker is really appealing to me since we are going to two trips in a year. There are 7 of us (3 Disney adults, 3 kids and one freebie for 2020), so merchandise adds up as the kids save all their birthday money to spend on Disney trips. We do the dining plan because we love it (relieves stress for me, I know not everyone has that outlook). And we are DVC (resale past 2016, so no AP for us), so no parking fees anyway.

Would you get an AP for one of the adults or no? For what it's worth, I'm hoping to make our 2021 trip a longer one, but don't know yet if we will

 

[bumbershoot]

The trips have to fully fall inside that 365 day period from first use of the AP for it to work, so make sure that second trip fits.

You’ve made sure to check that two sets of tickets for everyone is less expensive than getting everyone APs?

It’s basically just a math problem. How much is normally spent souvenirs, so how much can you hope for in terms of discounts, how much is a second ticket, how much is memory maker for the two trips...

 

[Marionnette]

Am I completely crazy? I've got time to think about this. We aren't going again til Dec. 2020, then again Dec 2021.

We usually go for 5 park days (live in PA). The 20% merchandise discount and the discount on MVMCP (if still applicable) plus memory Maker is really appealing to me since we are going to two trips in a year. There are 7 of us (3 Disney adults, 3 kids and one freebie for 2020), so merchandise adds up as the kids save all their birthday money to spend on Disney trips. We do the dining plan because we love it (relieves stress for me, I know not everyone has that outlook). And we are DVC (resale past 2016, so no AP for us), so no parking fees anyway.

Would you get an AP for one of the adults or no? For what it's worth, I'm hoping to make our 2021 trip a longer one, but don't know yet if we will

Just an FYI - DVC members do not get free parking at the theme parks unless they're staying onsite. AP holders park for free at the theme parks no matter where they are staying. AP holders do not get free overnight parking at the resorts. DVC members do. Since you're DVC members, I'll go with the assumption that you will be staying at a DVC resort on points...no charge to park at your resort or the theme parks. Having an AP will not make a difference in savings.

The MVMCP savings for AP holders is small...$5 per ticket...and only on select nights. Late December dates are excluded from the discount.

MM is a savings only if you would have paid for it anyway.

No AP discounts on the dining plans but there are dining discounts at select locations.

The Disney Visa gets a 10% merchandise discount on purchases of $50 or more when you use the card. There's no annual fee unless you get the Premier Disney Visa. The AP gets a 20% discount. You need to purchase a lot of stuff to make up the difference between a couple of multi-day park passes and a single platinum AP when you consider that it's only an additional 10% discount vs. the FREE Disney Visa.

I don't know how much you normally spend on merchandise or how many MVMCP tickets you would purchase. So it really becomes a math problem for you to put to paper once you take everything into consideration.

 

[Vertical]

We have one annual pass for our family, but we did it because the math worked. We new that my husband would be there twice and that when the family went we would buy MM. So the combination of the two trips and MM pretty much broke even or put us ahead by a little bit. But now we are doing an After Hours event which has a significant discount. Plus we are getting a room discount. So for us it was worth it. I'm not sure it would have been had we not planned to purchase MM or DAH. I know you said you will get the dining plan, but if you have an annual pass you can get some discounts for Table Service meals. That won't be possible on the dining plan, so you're losing some of the benefit there.

 

[QueenElinor]

I am getting an AP for a 5 night stay. The room discount (beyond the regular room discount) more pays for the AP. It's an expensive room, but there are 5 of us so we need the space.
Basically, my "ticket" will be free. This doesn't even count any other kinds of discounts or perks.

It's a little scary pulling the trigger on a $900 ticket I'll only use for 6-7 days, but when I do the math, we more than come out ahead.

And if we go back again, which I highly doubt, I'm set!

 

[vinotinto]

I really don't see a lot of savings with an AP if you are:

1) staying DVC so not looking to save in the room with a Passholder rate
2) getting the DDP, so the 10% off food at most Disney TS wouldn't save you anything
3) as @Marionnette noted, the free Visa cards gets you 10% off merch. You would need to buy A LOT to make the additional AP discount worthwhile.
4) only staying 5 days

Unless the two December trips would be entirely within one year, then you may do better with an AP.

 

[Vertical]

I am getting an AP for a 5 night stay. The room discount (beyond the regular room discount) more pays for the AP. It's an expensive room, but there are 5 of us so we need the space.

Yes. The room discounts currently available for AP's are great for the more expensive hotels. We always stay value so for us the discount doesn't add up as quickly. I have gotten so close to booking a higher tier hotel because of these great AP discounts, but just can't make myself do it since we are never in the room that much. Maybe some day.

 

[cakebaker]

I am getting an AP for a 5 night stay. The room discount (beyond the regular room discount) more pays for the AP. It's an expensive room, but there are 5 of us so we need the space.
Basically, my "ticket" will be free. This doesn't even count any other kinds of discounts or perks.

It's a little scary pulling the trigger on a $900 ticket I'll only use for 6-7 days, but when I do the math, we more than come out ahead.

And if we go back again, which I highly doubt, I'm set!

This is me too. I bought my AP last October for what might have been my only trip, but between the room discount and the included memory maker, I saved much more with the AP for a 4 night stay over regular tickets and a regular room discount. Of course it ends up I’m going back this May, saved 40% off our YC stay of 5 nights. We will definitely make a quick 2 night stay when Illuminations has its last showing, hopefully before my AP expires in October! This doesn’t even include dining and merchandise discounts. In the end, I will have saved much more than the original cost of the AP. I won’t renew as we definitely won’t return until Summer 2021. But I’ll buy another AP for that trip as it’s going to be a 2 week stay.

 

[MamaBelle4]

It would be within the 365 and I would purchase memory Maker each trip (I love it!)

My husband was injured a while back and while we are working on rebuilding our credit, neither one of us is in a position for a Disney Visa (unfortunately). We are staying at a DVC resort.

 

[annemce118]

I just bought an annual pass for myself for the first time. I’m planning at least two trips, so I knew it would be worth it. I already got a discount for my room at All Star Sports for the first trip over Easter. Yea!

 

[JJ2017]

How are you able to see passholder discounts for hotel rooms?

 

[Marionnette]

How are you able to see passholder discounts for hotel rooms?

You need to have an AP and be logged into MDE when searching hotel prices.

 

[JJ2017]

You need to have an AP and be logged into MDE when searching hotel prices.

So how do you know if getting that AP is in your favor based on the room discount?

 

[Marionnette]

So how do you know if getting that AP is in your favor based on the room discount?

You don't. However, when a passholder room discount is announced, it will often be promoted as "up to X% off of the rack rate". There usually are a limited number of rooms available at those rates and not every resort may be included. People sometimes purchase APs with the anticipation of getting some kind of room discount. If they're flexible with their dates and are not dead set on a particular resort, they usually find something. There are never any guarantees that Disney will offer AP room discounts.

 

[Vertical]

So how do you know if getting that AP is in your favor based on the room discount?

You can also call and ask for a quote using the passholder rate. It's not as convenient as checking online, but it's an option.

 

[Tomh]

If you are travelling in December, tickets are expensive . . . Using December 2019 prices as a guide, depending on the starting date of your stay, a 5 day base ticket could be anywhere from $412.58 up to $451.50. Just doubling those prices to get an idea as to what it might cost for 5 day tickets for 2020, and 2021, we get basically $825, and $903. Currently, an Annual Pass sells for $894. If you travel on the more expensive dates, you could already be at break even just on the tickets.

While the MVMCP discount isn't very much, the merchandise discount can be significant. The Memory Maker can be a big deal if you would have bought that anyway. You might not save a ton, but it looks like you would at least break even. If your second trip is longer than 5 days, then the numbers work out even more favorably for you.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I did this when my extended family came for a one and only trip with the whole fam. in 2013. There were 7 of us and we had 10 day hopppers. My ticket was upgraded to an AP.

I used it for:
- 3 room discounts at Pop - sidenote: AP room discounts aren’t what they used to be.
- merchandise discounts
- dining discounts
- party ticket discounts

No car but free parking would have helped sway the decision as well.

I did have another trip booked within the year but I would have upgraded anyways due to the savings. The discounts we received paid for my AP.

 

[courtney1188]

Do the math as much as possible. We are going in August 2019 and June 2020. So for us it totally makes sense to get annual passes for all four of us. I priced it out, and since we're doing six days in the park for each trip, here's how the math breaks down (with current ticket prices - realistically the plans that involve us buying tickets for summer of 2020 will cost more because of ticket price increases.)

If everyone buys a 6 day park hopper for both trips: $4140
If 3 of us buy 6 day park hoppers and one person gets an annual pass: $4038
If all 4 of us buy annual passes: $3808

So for us, an annual pass makes complete sense even before we add on free parking and such. (We're staying off-site and love to park hop - either of those things being different could change the math!)

 

[QueenElinor]

So how do you know if getting that AP is in your favor based on the room discount?

I called, and they were happy to help. The email they sent with the confirmation had the same name as the regular discount "Sun and Fun" but the price was correct. The CM said Disney just names it Sun & Fun PASSHOLDER discount so it's very confusing! As long as the total is correct, as far as I'm concerned they can call it whatever they want.

You must have an activated AP by the time you check-in or they will charge you rack rate, though.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

The past 2 years only I have had an AP.

We usually go at least twice a year (live within driving distance) and it has saved a lot on our hotel stays, deluxe (usually 35 to 40%). Last visit it saved us $50 for the 2 nights we stayed in LK suites at AofA. Also booked 2 rooms at the Poly and saved $250 a night per room. Also, different room levels are discounted, versus the general discount.

We don't do dining plans so the 10% adds up when dining with 5. Only a few shops give the 20% (got a great discount on a DB purse) but most give the 10%.

I have absolutely LOVED having the MM. The pictures I have of my 2 young grandchildren are priceless! Even the "ride" photos/videos are included.

This year I was able to renew my pass before the price increase and saved $125 on it. Just hope Star Wars opens before it expires end of November.