Go for Annual Passes??

[mhmcduff]

Thinking about getting annual passes this year- can everyone tell me the best benefits of the annual passes?

 

[Chellymouse]

There are a few additional discounts available to AP holders, however, it seems that those discounts coincide with member perks. I will say, if you are planning on being in the parks for 8 or more days per year, it is less costly to purchase an annual pass than it is to purchase unexpiring tickets. DH and I both bought PAP this year and it was worth the $$ as we are spending a collective total of 24 at WDW this year.

 

[CarolMN]

Other than admission t0 the theme parks for an entire year, I think the best perk attached to the AP is the ability to buy the DDE card.

The name of the Disney Dining Experience program was recently changed to "Tables in Wonderland" and it offers the holder a 20% discount on food & beverage (including alcoholic drinks) at selected WDW restaurants.

TABLES IN WONDERLAND (Formerly Disney Dining Experience)

 

[drusba]

We have APs and we are there enough per year that they are cheaper than anything else you can buy with the DVC discount. They provide some discounts which are sometimes somewhat better than DVC alone. However there are two programs they provide that we consider significant:

1. As an AP member, you can buy the annual Tables of Wonderland card (formerly known as Disney Dining Experience) for $60 (and $25 for an extra card) and then you get 20% off (both food and drink) at almost all sit down or buffet restaurants almost any time of year (restrictions for holiday times). Since we have a sit down or buffet dinner at WDW for 4 to 6 people 25 or more times a year it makes for a huge savings.

2. You get 10% off all purchases at the big Disney store in Downtown Disney.

It also used to be a significant discount for golf -- 30% off regular rates that we could use for all the before 10 a.m. times but now you get a discount (somewhat better most times of year) for before 10 a.m. times by buying the DVC member annual golf discount card (DVC discount used to be for only after 10 a.m. times).


They sometimes have special things for AP members like prime designated seating areas for parades or just special sitting areas you can go to to (particularly at AK) where you can sit down, take a break, and have a cup of punch.

 

[culli]

Honestly the best perk for us is coming in and out of the parks whether for a few minutes or hours and not feeling like I just cost myself a days ticket. Don't feel like I have to make the most of every park trip that I take. I know that yes in reality you are paying but I like the state of mind it puts me in. Plus being paid in advance if we sneak an extra trip or 2 in it is nice to know I don't have the expense of the park tiks to worry about.

 

[Anal Annie]

We got 3 trips (14 nights) out of ours last year! I love that they include the park hopper option on them. We also got the DDE card (which was nice but a stretch for us to break even being only a family of 3 but we finally did on our 2nd trip). I loved knowing that our park admission was covered for our 2nd & 3rd trips! It's a hit up front, but if you price regular park hoppers for a week they're really, really expensive (an adult 7 day park hopper is $278) so the AP's are a good deal.

I would not buy them tho unless I KNEW you'd be going again before the year was up... When we orig. purchased ours in Aug. of last year we knew we were going back in July of this year...but then we started feeling guilty, like we really should use them AGAIN so we planned a 3rd trip inbetween. That actually ended up being a lot of additional cost (for us) because we were out of points so we booked a unit with the DVC cash discount and then of course had the additional cost of the flights...so they DO lead to more trips... We let them expire in August as we knew we couldn't go back before next summer...but we'll probably buy them again and plan additional trips for the following year. I can see this being our pattern. One year with 2-3 trips then 1 year "off". Then the next year resume our multiple trips...

I vote yes if you're sure you're going for an extended time or if you're planning multiple trips before they expire.

 

[adminjedi]

It worked out for us to buy APs for our family of 7 - we originally had 2 family trips planned for end June/July 2008 and mid June 2009.Our first trip for 14 nights, our second trip for 11 nights.
Then, unexpectedly, we decided that just the two of us would go in January, so we got a 3rd trip in on the AP!
I feel like we got our money's worth!

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

we purchase ap's when we know we will have three trips in 12 months. Usually two of the trips are for Food and Wine. That is really the beauty of it. Stay at BWV or BCV and use your pass to go in and just grab a snack and drink, wander a bit etc. You don't feel compelled to 'get your money's worth' each day you enter.

We don't get one every year as our family doesn't head to the parks everyday anymore. Some trips we don't head in at all ! We plan ahead and decide which years will have more trips into the parks. We have a few older MYW passes with non expiry, for the alternate years.

 

[np4gp]

What makes me value my annual pass every time I go?? Driving right through to the parking lot while everyone else has to stop and pay $12...the parking we have not paid for in our 3dozen + trips alone has more than paid for one of the annual passes.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

Go for it, they have been great for the 21 or so days we have used them.

 

[mhmcduff]

We are going for it!! thank you all - between the number of trips, the convenience of not feeling guilty if we just go to dinner, the parking and DDE it seems like a no brainer now!!! Here we come WDW- Nov and Dec (crazy right?) 08

 

[I'mNoPrince]

We have been doing them for several years now.

We go late June /Early July to start them maybe a Fall winter smaller trip and then Early June to finish them off . Averaging 25 days per pass so far.

If we go down in the Fall/Winter of an Off year we just do US/IOA and SeaWorld.