Help! Just bought annual pass and kind of nervous.

[mad madam mim78]

Ok. I've done it. I bought an annual pass. While I am thrilled I am also freaking out that I'm going to lose my butt.

I've already booked a couple of trips which the pass hasn't been able to save me much in the way of hotels.

I can't look up all the benefits of the AP until I get it. I am dying for consolation. Can anyone link a website of benefits or give me some hope that I didn't just screw myself. I need to know where I can save on dining without TIW.

I think I've gone crazy.

 

[Fire14]

Check mousesavers or all ears for AP benies. I believe wdwinfo.com ( home of dis) also has info listed somewhere. I will go try to get into AP site and post chow discounts for you.

 

[mad madam mim78]

Check mousesavers or all ears for AP benies. I believe wdwinfo.com ( home of dis) also has info listed somewhere. I will go try to get into AP site and post chow discounts for you.

 

[Fire14]

Dining Locations* at Epcot Theme Park

Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages Monday through Friday during lunch hours** at participating Epcot Table-Service locations listed below.

• Restaurant Marrakesh®
• Teppan Edo
• Tutto Italia Ristorante
• Via Napoli
• Nine Dragons Restaurant®
• San Angel Inn® Restaurante
• Tokyo Dining

* Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013, Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013; and New Years Eve December 31, 2013. ** Lunch hours vary by location. Inquire at time of booking.
Dining Locations* at Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park

At Hollywood & Vine, save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages at breakfast, lunch and dinner.**
Dining Locations at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Save 10% on the regularly priced lunch and dinner entrées at the following venues:

• Yak & Yeti®*
• Rainforest Café®

Dining Discounts at Downtown Disney Area

Enjoy a variety of dining discounts at Downtown Disney area. Reserve online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 †, unless otherwise noted.
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant:
Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages during lunch and dinner. Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Valentine's day, February 14, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013; Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013; Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 and New Years Eve, December 31, 2013. Special events excluded.
Earl of Sandwich:
Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Fulton's Crab House:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch, if seated by 3:30 p.m. Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages for dinner. Reservations are available by calling 407-934-BOAT (2628) or 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463).
Ghirardelli® Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop:
Save 10% on any purchase.
House of Blues®:
Save 20% on food and non-alcoholic beverages daily in the restaurant prior to 4:00 p.m. Save 10% on food and non-alcoholic beverages after 4:00 p.m. Valid for the Passholder and up to 5 Guests.
Paradiso 37:
Save 15% on food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Planet Hollywood®:
Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Pollo Campero / Bodie's All American - Downtown Disney® Marketplace
Save 20% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily. Valid for the Passholder only.
Portobello Trattoria:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and beverages during lunch. 10% discount off the regular price of food and beverages during dinner.
Rainforest Café®:
Save 10% on regularly priced lunch and dinner entrées. Call (407) 827-8500 for reservations.
T-Rex™:
Save 10% on regularly priced lunch and dinner entrees. Call (407) 828-8739 for reservations.
Wolfgang Puck Café®:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch. Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages during dinner.
All Downtown Disney dining discounts exclude alcohol, applicable tax and gratuity and are valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests unless otherwise stated. Dining hours may vary; inquire at time of booking.


Dining Discounts at Disney Resort Hotels

Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages during various meal periods at select Walt Disney World Resort Table-Service locations. Reserve online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463, unless otherwise noted.
Participating restaurants include:

Disney's BoardWalk Entertainment District

• ESPN Club(Lunch and Dinner)
• Kouzzina by Cat Cora™ (Breakfast and Dinner)
• Flying Fish Cafe (Dinner Only)

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

• Sanaa (Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Contemporary Resort

• The Wave (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

• Trail's End Restaurant (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• Grand Floridian Café (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
• Citricos (Dinner Only)

Disney's Old Key West Resort

• Olivia's Cafe (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Saratoga Springs

• Turf Club (Dinner Only)

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

• Whispering Canyon Café (Breakfast. Lunch and Dinner)
• Artist Point (Dinner Only)

Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts

• Captain's Grille (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

All Walt Disney World Resort dining discounts exclude alcohol, applicable tax and gratuity and are valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests unless otherwise stated.
Dining hours vary by location; inquire at the time of booking. Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Valentine's day, February 14, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013; Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013; Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 and New Years Eve, December 31, 2013.


Dining Discounts at Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course

At Sand Trap Restaurant, save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages. Valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests. Valid only for seated parties dining in the restaurant.

 

[seashoreCM]

Ok. I've done it. I bought an annual pass. While I am thrilled I am also freaking out that I'm going to lose my butt.

I've already booked a couple of trips which the pass hasn't been able to save me much in the way of hotels. :

The main purpose of an annual pass is to give you more days of admission than you can get using other kinds of tickets.

I think that you cannot get more than twelve days with hopping for less than the cost of an AP. And if you make three trips in a year, the AP is almost always the best buy.

 

[zurgswife]

The main purpose of an annual pass is to give you more days of admission than you can get using other kinds of tickets.

I think that you cannot get more than twelve days with hopping for less than the cost of an AP. And if you make three trips in a year, the AP is almost always the best buy.

Exactly. The years I purchased APs it was to save on park entrance fees. The discounts for dining are low. I usually got what used to be called "Disney Dining Experience" to save on dining....

 

[Marionnette]

It's all about the numbers and I agree with the PPs about only considering the park admissions when you decide on an AP. The other benefits can be taken away at any time.

There are a lot of irate DVC owners who purchased the discounted PAPs (and it WAS a good discount!) because they wanted the 20% merchandise discount instead of the 10% discount that AP holders got. They factored those savings into their calculations and they got burned. The 2013 PAP benefits only includes a 10% merchandise discount, just like the APs.

Don't count on those discounts when you're purchasing an AP. You could get burned!

 

[Colleen27]

AP discounts seem to average 5% better than general public offers and often have fewer blackout dates, so there is a benefit there.

You also get 10% off merchandise in certain shops, and dining discounts in a handful of locations.

Plus there's access to the Tables in Wonderland card, which has an added cost but gets you 20% off of nearly all Disney's sitdown restaurants and lounges.

Buying the AP just for the discounts seldom makes sense, but if you're planning at least two trips within 12 months the discounts are frequently enough to tip the scales in favor of the AP over buying two MYW tickets.

 

[North of Mouse]

Ok. I've done it. I bought an annual pass. While I am thrilled I am also freaking out that I'm going to lose my butt.

I've already booked a couple of trips which the pass hasn't been able to save me much in the way of hotels.

I can't look up all the benefits of the AP until I get it. I am dying for consolation. Can anyone link a website of benefits or give me some hope that I didn't just screw myself. I need to know where I can save on dining without TIW.

I think I've gone crazy.

Even though you can save somewhat on restaurants, it's not really enough IMO to get an AP for.

We get AP's because it saves us on park tickets. On the years we get an AP we plan to go to Disney at least 3 times (usually 10 nights per trip), even though we don't plan exact times for the complete year at once. We bought AP's last April for F&G Festival, went in Dec. and have another trip in April again (all within our year). It's well worth it for us.

What discounts we get otherwise (can usually get better ones than AP on rooms, etc.) is usually just on a few meals.

 

[mad madam mim78]

Dining Locations* at Epcot Theme Park

Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages Monday through Friday during lunch hours** at participating Epcot Table-Service locations listed below.

• Restaurant Marrakesh®
• Teppan Edo
• Tutto Italia Ristorante
• Via Napoli
• Nine Dragons Restaurant®
• San Angel Inn® Restaurante
• Tokyo Dining

* Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013, Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013; and New Years Eve December 31, 2013. ** Lunch hours vary by location. Inquire at time of booking.
Dining Locations* at Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park

At Hollywood & Vine, save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages at breakfast, lunch and dinner.**
Dining Locations at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Save 10% on the regularly priced lunch and dinner entrées at the following venues:

• Yak & Yeti®*
• Rainforest Café®

Dining Discounts at Downtown Disney Area

Enjoy a variety of dining discounts at Downtown Disney area. Reserve online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463 †, unless otherwise noted.
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant:
Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages during lunch and dinner. Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Valentine's day, February 14, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013; Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013; Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 and New Years Eve, December 31, 2013. Special events excluded.
Earl of Sandwich:
Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Fulton's Crab House:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch, if seated by 3:30 p.m. Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages for dinner. Reservations are available by calling 407-934-BOAT (2628) or 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463).
Ghirardelli® Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop:
Save 10% on any purchase.
House of Blues®:
Save 20% on food and non-alcoholic beverages daily in the restaurant prior to 4:00 p.m. Save 10% on food and non-alcoholic beverages after 4:00 p.m. Valid for the Passholder and up to 5 Guests.
Paradiso 37:
Save 15% on food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Planet Hollywood®:
Save 10% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily.
Pollo Campero / Bodie's All American - Downtown Disney® Marketplace
Save 20% off the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages daily. Valid for the Passholder only.
Portobello Trattoria:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and beverages during lunch. 10% discount off the regular price of food and beverages during dinner.
Rainforest Café®:
Save 10% on regularly priced lunch and dinner entrées. Call (407) 827-8500 for reservations.
T-Rex™:
Save 10% on regularly priced lunch and dinner entrees. Call (407) 828-8739 for reservations.
Wolfgang Puck Café®:
Save 20% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages daily during lunch. Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages during dinner.
All Downtown Disney dining discounts exclude alcohol, applicable tax and gratuity and are valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests unless otherwise stated. Dining hours may vary; inquire at time of booking.


Dining Discounts at Disney Resort Hotels

Save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages during various meal periods at select Walt Disney World Resort Table-Service locations. Reserve online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463, unless otherwise noted.
Participating restaurants include:

Disney's BoardWalk Entertainment District

• ESPN Club(Lunch and Dinner)
• Kouzzina by Cat Cora™ (Breakfast and Dinner)
• Flying Fish Cafe (Dinner Only)

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

• Sanaa (Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Contemporary Resort

• The Wave (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

• Trail's End Restaurant (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• Grand Floridian Café (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)
• Citricos (Dinner Only)

Disney's Old Key West Resort

• Olivia's Cafe (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Disney's Saratoga Springs

• Turf Club (Dinner Only)

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

• Whispering Canyon Café (Breakfast. Lunch and Dinner)
• Artist Point (Dinner Only)

Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts

• Captain's Grille (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

All Walt Disney World Resort dining discounts exclude alcohol, applicable tax and gratuity and are valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests unless otherwise stated.
Dining hours vary by location; inquire at the time of booking. Discount not available on the following dates: New Year's Day, January 1, 2013; Valentine's day, February 14, 2013; Easter, March 31, 2013; Mother's Day, May 12, 2013; Independence Day, July 4, 2013; Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2013; Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013; Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 and New Years Eve, December 31, 2013.


Dining Discounts at Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course

At Sand Trap Restaurant, save 10% on regularly priced food and non-alcoholic beverages. Valid for the Passholder and up to 3 Guests. Valid only for seated parties dining in the restaurant.

Thank you so much. I've done some math and made myself feel a little better. With this earliest trip I've "saved" 187 dollars on tickets and 175 dollars on room so I'm about half way there with one trip. I'm hoping with 2 more trips I'm wanting to take this year it will pay off. If anything I'm sure I"ll at least break even.

For now I'll convince myself it was a good purchase. It will also give me an excuse to take weekend trips. LOL I'll keep a running tab. Including lame %10 percent discounts.

I would love to hear any stories about people who got the most out of your AP's.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The major problem with Annual Passes concerns when they are in a drawer more than 100 miles from Disney World and they whine a lot and scream:

Use Me!

 

[bumbershoot]

I would love to hear any stories about people who got the most out of your AP's.

Admission and the ability to buy the TIW card and thereby get 20% off most places we eat, as well as on the occasional boozey beverage I might get (can't get the discount on that with the AP). From the list of discounts given (which is from the disneyworld site), we have exactly one ADR at a restaurant on the list during the time you're allowed to use the AP discount. There might be another, depending on what we do for food while at SSR. You can see how that's not worth it to me, while the TIW is!

 

[delmar411]

we get them with the DVC discount ($100 off) and this year we got PAPs (not the $399 discounted PAPs), We used those PAPs for 45 days of park admission plus the 20% discount on merchandise plus I got the TiW card for $75 and saved plenty with that over the year.

I have no idea about a breakeven point but I'm sure we hit that pretty early on.

 

[manning]

http://www.allears.net/pl/apass.htm#bene2013

 

[Fire14]

I would love to hear any stories about people who got the most out of your AP's.

For me it caused me to buy more goodies than I normally would.
The year I had a premier ( dl/wdw combo AP) I some how manged to come home with a PM Doll signed by designer, a Dooney and Booke Purse, not to metion all the bottles of coke I bought from store vs cart because of my discount. I honestly don't think I've ever "lost" money on my AP. THe thing I love is the ability to use ap discount in most stores not just wod in dtd leading to more impulse buying on my part. Oh and I bought myself a new Tiara from crystal store in DTD.

 

[mad madam mim78]

The major problem with Annual Passes concerns when they are in a drawer more than 100 miles from Disney World and they whine a lot and scream:

Use Me!

Oh I know!!!! I have a feeling I'm going to be putting serious miles on my car this year.

 

[karice2]

I also find that it is great for saving money when staying off site. Most of my trips are off site so I don't have to pay for parking. I also do TiW and go to Victoria & Albert's at least twice on my annual pass. When I get the pass, I am down there with for two weeks. Any trips that take place after that put me over the break even point.

 

[WeLuvDiznee]

We always get the AP,but we live 25 min.away from the world! So,we save a lot of money. I'm not sure if this is a rumor,I heard they were going to still charge for parking even with an AP. I hope it is a rumor.

 

[beansmom]

we DON'T live 25 min away...we live 1200 miles away. if we have an AP, we generally go 3 time in a year (once year i think we went 5 times!). we save on food with the TIW and we are totally spoiled by the free valet parking with the TIW. We also love the room discounts--our AP saved us $$$ on our AoA ressie for next month.

with an AP, we make a reason to go! and we enjoy it.

so, if i was going twice a year, i'd get an AP. only one trip, i wouldn't.

we have APs in our pockets right now with 4 trips planned over the 12 month period. It pays off for us.

 

[Colleen27]

we DON'T live 25 min away...we live 1200 miles away. if we have an AP, we generally go 3 time in a year (once year i think we went 5 times!). we save on food with the TIW and we are totally spoiled by the free valet parking with the TIW. We also love the room discounts--our AP saved us $$$ on our AoA ressie for next month.

with an AP, we make a reason to go! and we enjoy it.

so, if i was going twice a year, i'd get an AP. only one trip, i wouldn't.

we have APs in our pockets right now with 4 trips planned over the 12 month period. It pays off for us.

That's how my analysis always comes out too. On admission only there are sometimes cheaper ways to do two trips in a year but not by much and the other AP perks easily make up the difference.