FL Resident-Seasonal Pass VS. Annual Pass

[WeLuvDisney05]

We are looking into getting FL Res. Annual passes to Disney. I like the price for the Seasonal Annual Passes But would also like to get one regular (adult) Annual Pass, So we don't have to pay for parking....

Is it worth it to do that?

Are there any other differences in these two passes (other than the parking?)....Like, Does the reg. AP get you more of a discount off of merchandise, food & hotels compared to the Seasonal pass?....If so, what is the difference?

TIA!!!

 

[All Aboard]

The only differences between the Seasonal and the Annual are:

- Price
- Blockout Dates
- Parking

all discounts (if/when available) are the same. So, in your case since you are contemplating just one, you need to balance the price difference between the two passes and the cost of parking. Keeping in mind, of course, that if you do stay at a Disney Resort, parking is free.

The price difference including tax is $118. So, the 14th time you would have otherwise paid for parking, you'll come out ahead with the AP.

 

[Eljay]

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm
All the info you need is right here.

 

[WeLuvDisney05]

Thanks for the quick responses!!!!!

 

[DisneyClay]

I just got my trip planning cd in the mail today,and there is a coupon for Florida residents to get the 3 day one park per day for 120 dollars. Then it is 20 more dollars if you want to add park hopping. Myself I always go with the Florida resident yearly pass.

 

[GoofyGirlnPrincessV]

because of the blackout dates. It makes planning trips much easier and I don't worry about dates.

 

[tkd lisa]

For myself, I used that $100 difference to buy water park APs. We have the DDE, which pays for parking if you eat at a DDE restaurant within 3 hours of arrival (you have to take your parking and meal receipt to guest services). And we often stay a few nights at a resort if it's a long visit.

I think I've paid for parking 3 times since February, and we've visited the parks 13 or 14 days. And I really paid every time I was supposed to. Didn't park at DTD or any of those other tricks!

As far as the blackout days, it can be a pain. Not for a planned trip, but a couple of times, I've had friends who want to meet while they're at WDW. But it's during the blackout dates. I'd love to do the parks with them, but instead we end up meeting for a meal at one of the resorts, or doing a water park together.

 

[rlovew]

We get the Seasonal Passes and have found that even doing a number of day trips we tend to prefer spending the night. In both of the years we have done this we wouldn't have come out ahead getting a Annual for just the parking savings.

I have found that I don't want to be at Disney during the blackout dates becuase it is too hot or crowded.

 

[makinorlando]

I have found that I don't want to be at Disney during the blackout dates becuase it is too hot or crowded.

We have gotten APS since we moved here - 3 years ago yesterday! - The second year I tried the Seasonal pass, and then realized the "No Free Parking" - (I didn't DIS then, and had not researched that part) - eventually, I wound up upgrading both to APs, as we had someone visiting that we wanted to spend time with during one of the black out times.

Normally we DO NOT go during the blackout periods as the PP said - too hot or crowded, so once DD requires an adult ticket, I think I will buy one of each - Annual for the free parking. - we go frequently enough during the non blackout times - sometimes multliple days per week - that it is worth it!

If something comes up that we need to enter a park during the blackout times - I will upgrade her pass!

 

[tmarquez]

We always buy the seasonal passes. Like other have said, the blackout periods are usually too crowded and/or are just times we are busy doing other stuff (holidays, spring break, etc). I do buy 1 regualr annual pass for the parking, we go often enough to make it worth it, it just depends on how often you go and how often you spend the night on-site.

 

[DisneyIsTerrific]

We have had the Seasonal Pass for years and it works great for us. But, we normally stay overnight. We don't do many daytrips there so don't worry about the parking. As for the blackout dates, those are times when we don't want to be at the parks anyway so it works great for us.

Think about what will work best for your family and go with it!

 

[jkester]

For those of you who have upgraded your Seasonal Pass to an Annual Pass - how does Disney handle it? Do you pay the full difference or is the difference prorated for the remaining time?

We will be visiting the 1st 2 weeks of January and may want to visit the parks before the 5th... if it doesn't cost $100+ per person.

thanks,
James in Va

 

[Cheshire Figment]

For those of you who have upgraded your Seasonal Pass to an Annual Pass - how does Disney handle it? Do you pay the full difference or is the difference prorated for the remaining time?

We will be visiting the 1st 2 weeks of January and may want to visit the parks before the 5th... if it doesn't cost $100+ per person.

thanks,
James in Va

First of all, to get a SP you must have proof of Florida residency.

To upgrade to any level of AP from any lower ticket (MYW or SP to AP or AP to PAP) you will pay the difference between the current gate price of the old ticket and the current gate price of the new ticket. The expiration date of the AP will be one year from the date of first use of the original ticket.

 

[The Mick]

I like the AP mostly because of the freedom it allows. I live about 30 minutes from WDW, so it makes sense for me. For people who can't just up and go because they live too far away, it may not be worth the extra price. In comparison, parking and disounts are just extra perks. For me the overriding factor is all about being able to go whenever I want and not having to worry about it (although free parking really goes hand-in-hand with this).

 

[MiniGirl]

We are seasonal pass holders. I have considered getting 1 AP for me for the free parking. Truth is, however, I don't think it would pay for itself. We do numerous trips throughout the year, but generally stay overnight. In that instance parking is free anyway since we stay on the property. I think we do maybe 3 true day trips a year. Also, as others have mentioned, we have no desire to go during the blackout dates because of the crowds. In fact, our passes expire in March, and we are considering a non-expiring 10 day ticket for my dh. My girls and I go all the time, but dh seldom joins us. I need to see, when we go this month, just how many times he has used his ticket.

I think when you upgrade to a AP that it is prorated for the unused portion. In other words, if we were to upgrade our seasonal passes now, we'd only pay the AP price for 3 1/2 months we are upgrading. We wouldn't have to pay a full upgrade price, but our tickets would still expire in March. Don't quote me on that, but I think that is correct.

 

[zuzanne]

We did the seasonal pass one year, as mentioned before we did not know about the free parking with the annual pass. We have since upgraded to the annual pass as we do like to visit the parks during the holidays and other blackout dates. Since there is just the two of us it just made more sense for us to have the annual passes. We are 3 hours away and being able to just drive up on a whim is great, since we don't have to stop and check if are passes are good for that time or not. Also not having to pay for parking sorta makes up the difference in ticket prices for us.

Suzanne

 

[ticktock]

We are seasonal pass holders. I have considered getting 1 AP for me for the free parking. Truth is, however, I don't think it would pay for itself. We do numerous trips throughout the year, but generally stay overnight. In that instance parking is free anyway since we stay on the property. I think we do maybe 3 true day trips a year. Also, as others have mentioned, we have no desire to go during the blackout dates because of the crowds. In fact, our passes expire in March, and we are considering a non-expiring 10 day ticket for my dh. My girls and I go all the time, but dh seldom joins us. I need to see, when we go this month, just how many times he has used his ticket.

I think when you upgrade to a AP that it is prorated for the unused portion. In other words, if we were to upgrade our seasonal passes now, we'd only pay the AP price for 3 1/2 months we are upgrading. We wouldn't have to pay a full upgrade price, but our tickets would still expire in March. Don't quote me on that, but I think that is correct.

Sorry but this is wrong. We drove down to go to Star Wars weekends the first day of the blackout period when we had seasonal APs. Urgh. We looked into upgrading, it costs the same weither you have a year left or a day. NO PRORATING. I still think the seasonal pass is the best deal Disney has. Just be mindful of your dates!

 

[Metro West]

because of the blackout dates. It makes planning trips much easier and I don't worry about dates.

That's the main reason NOT to buy the Seasonal Pass. If you live close enough to go whenever you want and you have family/friends who visit, the AP is the way to go. If family/friends come down during the blackout dates, you'll have to buy another ticket to get into the parks....where's the savings?

 

[MiniGirl]

Sorry but this is wrong. We drove down to go to Star Wars weekends the first day of the blackout period when we had seasonal APs. Urgh. We looked into upgrading, it costs the same weither you have a year left or a day. NO PRORATING. I still think the seasonal pass is the best deal Disney has. Just be mindful of your dates!

Thanks for correcting this Ticktock. It had been several years since we looked into upgrading our seasonal passes, and at that time we were told it was prorated. That's why I wanted to make it clear I wasn't sure. thanks for the updated info. (Then again, the person we spoke to could've been incorrect at that time, too. Sometimes it seems like you will get 10 different answers if you ask 10 different people.)

 

[jcriket]

For myself, I used that $100 difference to buy water park APs.

I didn't know they had these, how much are they?