DVC and tickets

[wareagle]

We will be using our points for the first time this fall. We have reservations for SSR for the first week of October. I am trying to decide what type of passes we should get. Our kids love DQ and will want to go there often. We were spoiled last year with out UPH passes. What passes do you get? We will arrive on a Friday, stay (hopefully at PC with a disc. code) for 2 nights and then move to our DVC resort. We will not go into the parks on Friday, maybe Saturday, depending on our passes. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[tjkraz]

If you plan on continuing your tradition of annual September / October trips, get Annual Passes. You can get two years' worth of trips under the same pass if you stagger your dates a bit. In other words, if your first date of use is 10/1/04, the pass will expire on 10/1/05. Plan your 2005 getaway for the last week of September and you will get both trips under the same pass.

The breakeven point for the standard annual pass (which only covers the 4 main theme parks) is about 8 park days. For the Premium Annual Pass (which is basically an annual UHP) the breakeven is more like 11 days. But if you are frequent DQ visitors, the PAP is the only way to go, IMO.

 

[drusba]

With DVC you get a 10% discount on the UPH when you buy at the DVC resort when you arrive; there are no other DVC ticket discounts. The problem you have is splitting between two resorts as the UPH cannot carry from one resort to another and there would be no discount when you buy it at PC. In other words, you would have to buy one at PC for the time there and then another for the time at SSR and the combined cost will be substantially more than if you could buy one just for the week. If you intend to do DQ a lot that may still be the way to go because DQ is not included in any other ticket other than the Pemium Annual Pass. Nevertheless, your best shot, price wise, may be (a) to get a five or 6 day hopper and pay for DQ separately -- there is a small DVC discount for DQ tickets, or (b) just get a one-day/one park pass for that Saturday at PC and buy the UPH at SSR on Sunday.

BTW, I assume you are either an Auburn graduate (great college) or are, instead, prepared for the huge lawsuit you will get (to have you tarred and feathered) for using its mascot's name.

 

[wareagle]

Thanks for the info. We had annual passes 2 years ago and really enjoyed getting 2 trips out of them. We will not be able to do this the next 2 years due to timing of our school's fall break. With 2 kids (ages 9 & 6 at the time of the trip) in school, we have to go according to the scheduled break (usually the first 2 weeks in Oct) and there is a chance we may loose our fall break in the coming years. I'm trying to decide between the UPH and a 5 day PHP and do DQ just one day-maybe Saturday. I know the boys loved DQ so much (as did my DH) that I'm afraid they will want to go more than just once.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Single Day admission at DQ is $31 pre-tax for adults, $25 for kids; if you take off 10% for DVC discount, then add back 11% tax, I would think you're about even. Notable the DQ annual passes are $79 pre-tax for adults and $63 for kids, so it only takes 3 visits to DQ in a 1 yr period for these to be a good deal. Add those on to some regular 5 day PHs ($217 and $172, respectively), since you plan to enjoy you new "home" a few days anyway, and you've saved $$$ ($296 total for adults or roughly $330 after tax); any PH days you don't use can be save for next time..

On the other hand, a 6 night UPH will run you $326 pre-tax ($362 after tax), $261 for under 10 ($290), purchasing in advance, while PAPs will run you $489 ($543 after tax), or $416 for kids ($462).

Looks to me like a minimum of $30 per adult savings going the DQAP plus the 5 Day PH route.

Hmmmmm, then again there are the AP holder hotel discounts that you can use for weekend nights to consider....