DVC annual pass

[Dano1182]

We are trying to figure out if it is worth getting annual passes for this year.
Using DVC discount?
We are a family of 4.We typically only go to parks during our 8 days in Disney area.We stay five days in DVC and the rest offsite mostly Marriott Vacation club paying cash.

We always go for Easter week.

I am thinking that since next year Easter will be within the calender year it maybe worth gettign APs this year.

Are the discounts worth it.

Does it make any sense to get 1 AP just for discounts.Is there any disavantage in only having one AP for family beside entry to parks?

How much of a discount is there on DIsney hotels?

Are the blackouts for easter??

Any advice??

 

[mousefan1972]

I wouldn't buy an AP just for the perks. First, they aren't that great. A regular tourist AP will get you 10% off most merchandise, and a Premium or Premier AP will get you 20% off. There are some restaurant discounts, but most are for lunch M-F at less popular places. The resort discounts can be pretty good, but the week before and the week after Easter are historically blacked out. They were last year for sure. We went that week (ugh, never again) and tried to add a night to our DVC stay with an AP rate and they were blacked out.

To see if buying APs "makes sense" for you, add up the price of what you would pay for admission for the 2 trips. If it adds up to more than the cost of a DVC AP, you have your answer. Don't forget that APs include park hopping, so factor that cost in to your calculation.

 

[NoMatter]

Remember you can get the discounts with your DVC card at most of the restaurants around Downtown Disney. If you are still undecided you can buy a park hopper and then within 14 days of first use you can upgrade to an annual pass if you decide it is worth it.

 

[DebbieB]

An AP would give you free theme park parking for your offsite days.

 

[Geomom]

If you can do 2 trips (of 5 or more days) within 12 months, it will be worth it to get the DVC annual pass. You can also get the TIW card for $75 vs the DVC rate of $100. We do the annual pass when we're doing more than 1 trip within 12 months...we actually managed to squeeze 3 trips into our last annual pass. We are not doing an annual pass this year as we're only doing a February trip, but we will get one in 2013 as we'll alternate April and February vacations.

 

[Dacky619]

If you can do 2 trips (of 5 or more days) within 12 months, it will be worth it to get the DVC annual pass. You can also get the TIW card for $75 vs the DVC rate of $100. We do the annual pass when we're doing more than 1 trip within 12 months...we actually managed to squeeze 3 trips into our last annual pass. We are not doing an annual pass this year as we're only doing a February trip, but we will get one in 2013 as we'll alternate April and February vacations.

Isn't that what we use to figure out if it is worth it without the DVC rate for the AP? The DVC AP should be $419, which is cheaper than two 3 day base tickets. So the AP should be the better way to go as far as tickets are concerned.