Do You Buy An Annual Pass To Save Money?

[Madi100]

I've read this is done a lot. Do you find that you save a lot of money this way?

 

[teachingmykids]

It depends on how often you go. If you drive, it will save parking fees and there's a discount at a few resturants and the big store at DTD. That alone is probably not enough reason to buy. We have them because we go several times a year. (There's also an AP rate for the resorts, but we only used that once.) You'll just have to do the math and see if it works for you. It may be that you only need ONE AP.

 

[DisneyPhD]

yes, and no.

It is liking getting something great on sale, you save alot, but you spend to get it.

So you can save a lot by getting an AP and then going 2 twice within those 12 months (like say March 2005 and then Jan 2006) But it always insipres other trips. For example we just went in March, but we are going back in less then 2 weeks. It is like WDW is calling your name and you have to go back.

People wonder how we can afford to go so often, it is one of those the more you go the less it costs things.

We most likely will go back in Jan 2006 before it expires too. (but we aren't 100 % sure of this yet.)

 

[Claire L]

I have saved loads with our AP's. We saved about $2000 on two rooms at AKL last November for 10 nights and we are saving $900 on a room at the Yacht Club in June Have also had various discounts at the shops in DTD.
So in all yes the AP's for the two us have saved more $$ than we paid for them.
Claire

 

[Madi100]

I guess I need to specify more. This would be for ONE trip. It would be me buying one annual pass to save on the hotel and eating. We are going to be in the parks for six days. But, with the new tickets, we were going to get tickets so that we could be in the parks for the whole time we were there. I'm just wondering how many people have bought an annual pass for ONE trip.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I know it was definitely worth it for us. We stayed for 8 nights at GF last year and are staying for 12 nights this year. The hotel alone saved us $680 last year and hopefully even more this year. Plus 20 nights at around $400 per person is about $20 per day for the parks. Plus this year we are getting DDE so I know we'll have great savings because we like to eat.

 

[Stiff]

last year our trip started memorial day weekend
this year it starts may 6th

I wish I would have bought APs last year, but I had no idea we would be going back so soon

 

[cdntourguide]

I have always bought PAP's because I go for 14days per year. Save the price of 3days, plus the discounts on some meals and some purchases.

Now I attempt to go when AP discounts are given on rooms and I save even more: well at least going is within my budget because of the AP.

 

[tbelfonti]

We saved over $750 on our room charges by buying an AP instead of a MYW 8 day, PH (w/ expiration).

That's not counting the money we're going to save with the DDE card on meals, plus the AP discounts, etc.

Yes, we'll end up making a second trip but it'll be right before the year is up so we'll get two trips of admission for me for the price of just over 1 trip's admission.

 

[DisneyPhD]

As said before the new MYT ticket system makes it much longer to say money. Also DDE is good (with AP) but the new MYW dining program is a good deal too.

I guess it would really come down to if you got a very good AP room rate.

But as I said before, it calls you back. I would guess most people who get AP don't only one once in the 12 months. You can hear it calling your name softly at night, "come visit me, you already have a ticket, if you come, you can play."

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Oh and DVC gets 100 of AP. I LOVE that!

 

[tbelfonti]

But as I said before, it calls you back. I would guess most people who get AP don't only one once in the 12 months. You can hear it calling your name softly at night, "come visit me, you already have a ticket, if you come, you can play."

Shhh, don't tell my husband but I haven't even activated mine yet and it's ALREADY making me want to plan my next trip

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

I guess I need to specify more. This would be for ONE trip. It would be me buying one annual pass to save on the hotel and eating. We are going to be in the parks for six days. But, with the new tickets, we were going to get tickets so that we could be in the parks for the whole time we were there. I'm just wondering how many people have bought an annual pass for ONE trip.

It depends - you need to do the math. Have people done it? sure. Is it worth it? Only you can decide that - you will save more on a deluxe resort vs a value resort, but you will also pay more for the deluxe resort.

Mary at Mousesavers did an analysis here http://www.mousesavers.com/packagevsap.html

 

[4orm]

We bought an APs since we are staying for 11 days, but since we have APs now I talking the DH into taking another trip in the fall! YES!!
Anyhow...with the PAP we saved over $400 on our AKL stay this spring (that pays for the whole AP right there!) then we plan on buying some things at World of Disney (10% off) and we bought the DDE ($50, but we plan on spending $1000+ on food, so that saves a load too!!)
In our case it's totally worth it, even if we were to only do one trip. It's also nice to have the park hop/water park option without thinking about pluses.

 

[scrump]

I guess I need to specify more. This would be for ONE trip. It would be me buying one annual pass to save on the hotel and eating. We are going to be in the parks for six days. But, with the new tickets, we were going to get tickets so that we could be in the parks for the whole time we were there. I'm just wondering how many people have bought an annual pass for ONE trip.

Under the old pricing system, yes we bought an AP just for one trip. I did the math, and it was cheaper to buy the AP (we were past the breakeven point, which was probably around 7 nights?)

We're still figuring things out with the new pricing system. We're planning on trying to book the AP rate and getting an AP, but if that doesn't work out, we'll probably do the MYW thing. And this is likely to be for one trip, though if we could go back, we certainly would.

 

[becka]

If you are staying at a deluxe resort in value season for a week long trip you can often save money on one trip by one person buying an AP to get the AP discount. You really have to do the math. If it will cost you $200 extra to get an AP but your room discount is $600 then you still have a $400 net savings. You can of course also factor in other discounts as well if you think you will use them.

The problem at least for me with AP's is what everyone else said. You really talk yourself into going on more trips and in the end I don't think I really saved us a whole lot of money but hey I got to go to WDW 3 times the year we had our AP's so I can't really complain!

On our next trip I hope to get a great AP rate so we can stay at AKL with a savannah room. If I can get a code rate that is within $30/night of an AP rate I will not get the AP but I will get one if the AP rate is really good but I know the danger. It might be easier to talk myself out of an extra trip because DH and DS won't have AP's so that will factor in.

 

[Beln]

We're staying at POR and are only planning this one trip this year, but I purchased an AP for my husband yesterday. I purchased the rest of our tickets from Ticketmania. When I did the math, we ended up saving $117. Not as much as some, but it's at least a nice meal for my family. An interesting aside, when I was ordering the AP, the CM asked why I wouldn't rather buy it for my 8 year old instead of my husband. She said we could use her AP to get the rate on the room. Too bad I'd already bought the other tickets. And I want to buy a DDE too, so I'm OK with the $ I saved.

 

[LovePug]

I guess I need to specify more. This would be for ONE trip. It would be me buying one annual pass to save on the hotel and eating. We are going to be in the parks for six days. But, with the new tickets, we were going to get tickets so that we could be in the parks for the whole time we were there. I'm just wondering how many people have bought an annual pass for ONE trip.

If you are only buying one in order to get an AP discount on a room, I'd wait until the discounts are announced and you already know you'll have the room discount. Buy it after you have the reservation . You can reserve a room with an AP discount without actually having the AP at the time you're making the reservation. You just have to have the AP when you check in. Don't buy it beforehand hoping you'll get the discount! If, for some reason you don't get it, you'll be out a lot of money for only 6 days and you'll feel cheated.

 

[rt2dz]

We bought the APs last year because we were going to be in the parks for 9 days, at that time the break even point was 8 days. Now it is 11 days basic. You have to figure out what you want for the MYW tickets & compare the cost to the AP. Hopping is included with the AP, not the basic MYW ticket.

Last years trip I had a postcard rate that came in under the AP rate, so we didn't use it there. We did use it at a few stores for some extra discounts. We never buy anything we wouldn't buy anyhow otherwise you're not saving money.

We're sneaking in another trip next month on the same AP. Parks are free this time around. We're also using the AP discount code since it came out. Saving around $1000 on the room. Would have stayed there without the discount so it is a TRUE savings. In that case though, only one member of your party (the one whose name is on the ressie, I think) could get the AP & you'd get all the discounts.

 

[skiwee1]

Of course! We save money on admission. Two years ago we went so much that it equaled out to $9 a day! That is great savings!

 

[cobbler]

No I don't save money with an annual pass. Any savings I do get is spent going down again and again and again. Figured out how to do 3 trips in my one year period.

So I end up spending more because I am "saving" kind of an oxy moron.