Get an AP or not?

[pdmeroc]

Need some help from all you Disney Pros
Family of 5 going June 15th to June 26th
Plan on staying at POR.
Should I get an AP?
If I do, when should I get it and when should I start trying to book a room?

 

[Allison]

If the only value you are looking for in an AP is to get a room discount, please know that these are not guaranteed. They are based on availability. You may find there are no discounts or just a few rooms available for what you want that someone else gets first.

Sorry if you already knew this. I just wanted to point it out.

If you will be in the parks more than 10 days, then you should consider it based on that factor.

Think about if you are willing to spend the difference in cost between the AP and the ticket you otherwise would have bought for the chance of a discount on your room. That would help your decision.

Of course, there are other AP benefits also.

 

[cyndibelle]

if you are only planning one trip to disney this year....dont do it..we got them for last year and went three times..soo that was worth it....some of the perks arent guaranteed like discount room rates...so dont count on those..

 

[disneylifer]

Yeah, I definitely would not buy for the perks alone... we bought for our family of four last year because we go every spring break and the year's break is almost two weeks earlier so we could use for two trips.

I had always heard of the benefits of the ap and if I had bought just for the discounts, etc., I would have been dissapointed.

 

[pdmeroc]

If the only value you are looking for in an AP is to get a room discount, please know that these are not guaranteed. They are based on availability. You may find there are no discounts or just a few rooms available for what you want that someone else gets first.

Sorry if you already knew this. I just wanted to point it out.

If you will be in the parks more than 10 days, then you should consider it based on that factor.

Think about if you are willing to spend the difference in cost between the AP and the ticket you otherwise would have bought for the chance of a discount on your room. That would help your decision.

Of course, there are other AP benefits also.

All right, so if I understand this correctly, I would be buying a chance at a room discount for about $275 (AP Price of $575 - 10 day premium ticket price of about $300). We eat in the parks twice a day so we could get discounts for that as well and would get parking for free. Parking would be roughly $80 (If we get a car). Dining discounts would cost an extra $50. I would most likely be able to cover that, but no guarantees on anything else (or even that really). It would seem that if I get the discount for the room, it is a good deal, but there are no guarantees.

Thanks for the info......I think my thought process is correct...

 

[luvthatduke]

All right, so if I understand this correctly, I would be buying a chance at a room discount for about $275 (AP Price of $575 - 10 day premium ticket price of about $300). We eat in the parks twice a day so we could get discounts for that as well and would get parking for free. Parking would be roughly $80 (If we get a car). Dining discounts would cost an extra $50. I would most likely be able to cover that, but no guarantees on anything else (or even that really). It would seem that if I get the discount for the room, it is a good deal, but there are no guarantees.

Thanks for the info......I think my thought process is correct...

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong,
but it you're staying onsite (as we do, and drive also),
parking is free for guests at all the parks.
We are also AP holders, and I just checked this info out
as we may not be renewing AP's after they expire.

 

[Allison]

All right, so if I understand this correctly, I would be buying a chance at a room discount for about $275 (AP Price of $575 - 10 day premium ticket price of about $300). We eat in the parks twice a day so we could get discounts for that as well and would get parking for free. Parking would be roughly $80 (If we get a car). Dining discounts would cost an extra $50. I would most likely be able to cover that, but no guarantees on anything else (or even that really). It would seem that if I get the discount for the room, it is a good deal, but there are no guarantees.

Thanks for the info......I think my thought process is correct...

If you are onsite, you wouldn't save anything on parking with the AP because it is free anyway.

The 20% card is only good at table service restaurants and counter service where no table service is available(such as a value resort). The cost is now $60, so you would need to spend more than $300 on table service restaurants to break even on the $60.

You could POSSIBLY get a room discount but you might not even make back the $275 if you do.

You could get a AAA membership for $70 and use that discount.

 

[DebIreland]

Need some help from all you Disney Pros
Family of 5 going June 15th to June 26th
Plan on staying at POR.
Should I get an AP?
If I do, when should I get it and when should I start trying to book a room?

I do think you should consider buying the annual pass. Last summer I bought one and we made great savings between POFQ and WL. Of course this year's rates are different, the AP is dearer and there's no guarantee of discounts but I can't see why Disney wouldn't give AP discounts for time of year again.

These are the savings we made at POFQ (please note these are all last year's figures):

June 24th to 29th - rack rate 166 incl tax per night x 5 nights = 830
We paid 121.50 per night incl tax = 607.50, saving 222.50 in 5 nights.

Had we stayed for 11 nights as you are we would have saved 11 x 44.40 (nightly discount) = 488.40 MINUS the EXTRA cost of the annual pass (at last year's rates) which was 200 we would have saved 288.50 (we actually saved a lot more because we got 100 per night off at WL but I must admit I wouldn't have even considered staying at a deluxe resort if it wasn't for the annual pass so having the pass kind of upped my plans a bit. )

11 nights is a long stay (good for you!!) so I am sure you will make a lot of savings on the Disney Dining Card too. Our trip was the same length as yours and we had 10 sit down meals as well as 3 eligible counter service meals and we saved approx. 200 dollars minus the cost of the card, at that time (50) so we saved 150 dollars. So at last year's rates, overall you would have saved 438.50 staying at POFQ for 11 nights.

Oh but we did shopping too at World of Disney and saved 5%.

I'm shocked at the price of the Annual pass this year though. 575 is so expensive compared to last year - I paid 395 plus tax coming out at around 444.

And if we're being TOTALLY realistic, the savings I quoted for 11 nights at POFQ (or POR) of 288.50 could be compared to AAA rates (if available) instead of rack rate which brings your discount down significantly. From what I recall AAA discount was 15% last year.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[pdmeroc]

I do think you should consider buying the annual pass. Last summer I bought one and we made great savings between POFQ and WL. Of course this year's rates are different, the AP is dearer and there's no guarantee of discounts but I can't see why Disney wouldn't give AP discounts for time of year again.

These are the savings we made at POFQ (please note these are all last year's figures):

June 24th to 29th - rack rate 166 incl tax per night x 5 nights = 830
We paid 121.50 per night incl tax = 607.50, saving 222.50 in 5 nights.

Had we stayed for 11 nights as you are we would have saved 11 x 44.40 (nightly discount) = 488.40 MINUS the EXTRA cost of the annual pass (at last year's rates) which was 200 we would have saved 288.50 (we actually saved a lot more because we got 100 per night off at WL but I must admit I wouldn't have even considered staying at a deluxe resort if it wasn't for the annual pass so having the pass kind of upped my plans a bit. )

11 nights is a long stay (good for you!!) so I am sure you will make a lot of savings on the Disney Dining Card too. Our trip was the same length as yours and we had 10 sit down meals as well as 3 eligible counter service meals and we saved approx. 200 dollars minus the cost of the card, at that time (50) so we saved 150 dollars. So at last year's rates, overall you would have saved 438.50 staying at POFQ for 11 nights.

Oh but we did shopping too at World of Disney and saved 5%.

I'm shocked at the price of the Annual pass this year though. 575 is so expensive compared to last year - I paid 395 plus tax coming out at around 444.

And if we're being TOTALLY realistic, the savings I quoted for 11 nights at POFQ (or POR) of 288.50 could be compared to AAA rates (if available) instead of rack rate which brings your discount down significantly. From what I recall AAA discount was 15% last year.

Good luck in your decision.

Great reply..this helps a lot! Decisions, decisions, decisions.....