General AP Rate Q

[DznyDreams]

I am trying to decide if Investing in APs (passes for the 4 majors only) is still a good investment. We are likely going back to WDW in Oct 2013, March 2014 & June 2014. Are the room discounts, etc still significant enough on 2-3 trips per year to offset the initial AP investment?

I used to have time to investigate this stuff myself, but circumstances have changed. I am relying on the valuable knowledge of a new generation of WDW discount experts now. ;-)

TIA!!!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Forget the room discounts briefly but for 3 trips in 12 months this is definitely the way to go. 3 sets of park tickets would be more. (Even a 10 day park hopper with no expiration is more than an AP).

There still have been AP room discounts, usually an additional 5% off than what the general promotions have been. However, they have been coming out later so sometimes the inventory is limited.

HTH!

 

[teentoddlermom]

Forget the room discounts briefly but for 3 trips in 12 months this is definitely the way to go. 3 sets of park tickets would be more. (Even a 10 day park hopper with no expiration is more than an AP).



Spot on!

 

[StrwLady]

The only thing that would make an AP not a better deal is if you are making 3 very short trips. Consider this..

Lets say you are taking 3 5 night 6 day trips. 1 6 day park hopper would cost you $357 (including tax). Where as the annual pass would cost you $611 (including tax). 3 6 day park hoppers are $1071. So there is a huge savings on tickets to start. Add to that the AP room discounts. Which I might add are not always subject to blackout dates and the GP rates sometimes are. Like others have said the discount is normally 5% more.

Then you can add all the little 10% discounts you can get with an annual pass. Pretty much anytime you go to spend money ask if they have an AP discount. Several downtown Disney restaurants offer 10% to 20% discounts and there are a few Epcot and resort restaurants offer 10% discount. For MNSSHP they normally have certain days that you can attend for a discounted price. Many stores in DTD offer 10% discount.

That are just some of the benefits of an AP.

Have fun planning.

 

[Diz Kids]

Be aware of the hidden cost of the AP. We purchased APs last August for the first time knowing taht we would be returning in January for 2 nights before and 2 nights after our Cruise. With the split up stay we figured any package discount that came out probably wouldn't apply, did the math and decided that the AP would be a savings for us. We also ended up booking the BB offer for FD while we were there in August and this saved us only a little, as we had to purchase the 2 day tix anyway, but now we will have a set of 2 day passes for future use.

Had this remained as it was, we would have saved a few hundred dollars; however, we also went on a last minute trip in late November to see the Christmas lights and DH and I are going again in May for our Anniversary. These extra trips have far surpassed our original savings.

In all seriousness though, if each of your trips required only 2 day park passes (assuming 3 trips) upgrading to the AP would cost about $50 more per adult - this isn't too much more than adding park hoppers, and the AP will allow you to park hop. I am also guessing that you would probably be getting more than 2 day tickets for some of these trips.

You can also use the AP for merchandise discounts at most of the Disney shops, and there are some limited dining discounts at some restaurants too.

Sounds like you have a fun year ahead with Disney trips!

 

[MommaBerd]

I'm looking at this very thing myself. Don't forget free parking! We drive down, and five days of parking (at least) costs $70. I think it's all the little things that add up to make an even bigger difference...