Help. Which AP should I buy?

[mel3073]

Hi,
Long time lurker, first post. I am going to Disneyland at the end of December with my 3 year old son. It will be my son's first time, and I haven't been there in 10 years. We have 3-day park hoppers and on the 3rd day, my plan is to upgrade to So Cal. annual passes at $269 each, plus another $99.00 for parking for my pass only.

I share custody of my son so I plan on doing some Disneyland trips in 2012 without him. I am wondering if I should pay the extra $135 (for me only) to get the Premium annual pass, which includes parking, has no block out dates and bigger park discounts?
$269 + $99 parking = $368
$499 premium pass - $368 what I would pay for So cal pass = $135.

We live 100 miles from Disneyland so day trips are reasonable for us.

Money is tight but I can manage it if I really want to.

What would you do? Is the extra $135 worth it? I would still get the So Cal. pass for my son at $269.

Thank you!

Melissa

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Can you see yourself going more than 2 days that would be otherwise blocked out (block out tickets are $59)? If so, I'd go for it. Also you know you can split the upgrade cost into monthly payments, right? If you didn't want monthly payments for both passes, pay for one upgrade in full and split the other into manageable monthly payments.

 

[Disneygrandmareno]

I say get the premium AP. With that pass you get 20 percent off purchases and you get a discount on your meals. If you like to shop like me it more than pays for itself.

 

[sonnyjane]

I say get the premium AP. With that pass you get 20 percent off purchases and you get a discount on your meals. If you like to shop like me it more than pays for itself.

All AP types get a discount on food. The difference is that the Premium gets a 15% discount whereas all other levels get a 10% discount. The merchandise discount for PAP's is 20% whereas it is only 10% for the other types.

I live about 90 miles from Disneyland. I chose the Premium because I like to go about once a month, but couldn't be blocked out during Spring Break because family visit me each year and we go together during those times. A Deluxe would have worked for most of my days, but after you added parking to the Deluxe, it was really not very much more to just go "all the way" and get a Premium.

No matter what you choose, since you said money is tight, I'd recommend doing the monthly payment plan, which is available to all California residents.

 

[IndayMichelle]

I would consider upgrading to AP as soon as you use your MM and not waiting until the third day. Food and merchandise discounts!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I would consider upgrading to AP as soon as you use your MM and not waiting until the third day. Food and merchandise discounts!

If OP gets a Premium, yes. The SoCal passes ate blOcked out most of late December, so that's why I'm assuming OP would get the 3 day pass first.

 

[mel3073]

If OP gets a Premium, yes. The SoCal passes ate blOcked out most of late December, so that's why I'm assuming OP would get the 3 day pass first.

Thank you everyone for your input and advice. I've decided to get the Premium pass and make payments on it. Great idea to upgrade to the Premium pass on the first day to take advantage of the extra discounts!

I'm looking forward to my first trip there in 10 years. I have the weekend free so I'm even tempted to go tomorrow!