Is a deluxe ap worth it?

[Ozziebuttercups]

Hi All, I'm planning a 2 week trip to disneyland in September 2013 and trying to do the maths, I can't see why more folk don't do what I'm planning and would love your inputs on whatever I must be missing.

It will be just my DH and I on this trip and I'm looking at getting him a 10-day pass (its around au$350 I believe) and me getting the deluxe annual pass (us$469). I've checked and September\October are pretty much not booked out for the parks (does anyone know if the deluxe passes are park hoppers?) at all in the time we're looking to go.

So its around $169 extra just on the pass. I'm also looking at staying PPH theme park view which for the dates I'm playing with is around $2600, if I get 10% off that for the annual pass ($260) I seem to be $90 ahead, minus the other discounts on food, etc and this seems to work out pretty well, too well really

Is there something I'm missing here? Has anyone else done this recently?

Love to hear your thoughts.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome to the DisBoards and to Disney Fuzzy Maths.

I believe that the deluxe APs are park hoppers.

The answer to your question depends on whether you really want to stay on-site or whether you prefer to trade off the accommodation costs for somewhere cheaper. PPH, even at a 10% discount, works out to over $200 per night. There are a number of Good Neighbour hotels around Disneyland that you could stay at for a lot cheaper.

It also depends on how much you think you'll spend on food and souvenirs.



Me personally? At DLR, I tend to stay at a Good Neighbour hotel. But there are a number of others here that do prefer to stay at a Disney hotel.
Now....If this was a trip to WDW, my personal preference is completely different.



It will come down to your choice and what you prefer to do.

 

[Caroline NZ]

I agree with what PIO says above, it all comes down to personal preference. It certainly seems to be the logical choice for your travel plans.
We however have booked a 3 bedroom condo ( full kitchen, living,laundry, shared pool/spa, parking included at Disney etc) in Anaheim, for a similar cost to staying in one onsite hotel room. This works for us as our children are reaching the age where a hotel room is just not big enough for extended stays

 

[alicia1506]

we are also staying offsite (desert inn & suites) as it is closer to the dlr & dca main entry gates than PPH and DLH, and we save $$$ on the nightly rate ($120/night for a 2 bedroom suite capable of sleeping up to 8 adults, versus $200/night + at PPH for a regular room which only sleeps 2-4 adults if they are very friendly)

i love disney fuzzy maths, because it really does depend on your circumstances, your budget, the type of experience you want etc.

for us, we need the extra room as we have 4 related fully grown adults all coming on a trip, so would need either a 2 bedroom villa or 2 x standard rooms, which becomes $$$ staying onsite. staying offsite therefore becomes much more affordable which means more money to spend on souvenirs, dooney & burke, dining, character experiences etc.

however if you want to stay onsite, then staying at PPH and getting the AP may work for your situation. just be aware that AP discounts are not always offered for all dates.. WDTC have advised that the AP discount may be offered, but it doesn't guarantee that your dates will be valid for AP discounts, as there are some blackout periods/styles of rooms etc.

an AP gives full access to DLR and DCA, similar to a park hopper. an AP lets you enter either park as many times as you like, any & every day of the year, as long as it's not a 'black-out' date.

 

[aussie shaz]

Hi. We're going in May and I debated the same thing. We are not staying on site though, but at the Hojo. I do believe Hojo offers AP rates though, but not sure it's much more than the 15% discount I'm already getting.

Also, we are going over Memorial day weekend, so there were a few blackout days. We are there for 16 days and were hoping to be able to get in every day, but with the blackout days, we wouldn't get many more than the 10 day pass anyway.

The discount for food and merchandise, would be nice, but I don't think it would be worth it for us.

Caroline NZ, where are you staying in the condo. We have the second part of our stay in a condo on the other side of Disneyland, off Walnut I believe.

 

[Ozziebuttercups]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the responses

I'm thinking that we'd really like to stay onsite, and I want to make it a bit of a luxe trip so am looking to maximise the niceness and luxury for the least amount possible

Its our 15th wedding anniversary and its just the two of us so am looking to really enjoy myself with least effort possible.

 

[Caroline NZ]

aussie shaz - we are staying at this one:
http://www.flipkey.com/anaheim-cond...propertyname&utm_campaign=rbo_inquiry_confirm

We have stayed at Hojos our last 2 trips ( and I first stayed there way back in 1987!) Good choice

 

[aussie shaz]

aussie shaz - we are staying at this one

ohhh, I looked at that one. Very nice. Will you walk to Disneyland or catch a shuttle. I think we can walk (maybe 20 mins) or walk to the parking lot and take the Disney tram. I guess we'll see how we feel as to which we do.

Also really looking forward to the Hojo. I remember selling it in packages when I was a travel agent, and it's always been so popular. We stayed at Park Vue in 2011 and were very happy there, but can't wait to try Hojo.

 

[Caroline NZ]

The condo we are staying at comes with a parking pass for DLR for the duration of the stay ( we will have a car).

 

[aussie shaz]

Sounds good. We'll have a car but no free parking, so walk and/or tram or us.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

aussie shaz - we are staying at this one:
http://www.flipkey.com/anaheim-condo-rentals/p340427/?utm_source=flipkey&utm_medium=email&utm_term=propertyname&utm_campaign=rbo_inquiry_confirm

We have stayed at Hojos our last 2 trips ( and I first stayed there way back in 1987!) Good choice

Caroline, that condo looks gorgeous. Great find!

 

[alicia1506]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the responses

I'm thinking that we'd really like to stay onsite, and I want to make it a bit of a luxe trip so am looking to maximise the niceness and luxury for the least amount possible

Its our 15th wedding anniversary and its just the two of us so am looking to really enjoy myself with least effort possible.

I was going to do this for my last trip but we cancelled due to factors out of my control. I hope you get a great deal.. Sounds like a great trip for your 15th anniversary

 

[melbarkwith]

We did this on our last visit, and I think it was well worth it. I still have the long expired AP I won't be getting an AP for our trip this year because we are also at DL on Memorial weekend. DD's birthday is the 26th of May and I have promised her a very special day in the parks.

 

[Sugarglider]

Wow Caroline NZ that's a fab condo!

Maybe I'm missing something but I wouldn't stay based in Anaheim for 2 weeks. I found that I was happy with only 4 or 5 days at DLR and then was ready to go do other stuff. And anaheim is a long drive to the other main sight seeing spots.
I stayed off site at the Sheraton - and whilst nice i don't recommend it cause you can't walk to the parks. I then stayed at the GCH and that was amazing! best location - and although I got a 40% general public discount rate it was still 3 times more expensive than a place like the Candy Cane Inn.

I would think that you could get a deeper discount than 10% - have a look at a few sites like MiceAge, Laughing Place, Mouse-savers

 

[Ozziebuttercups]

I'd love to get a 40% discount on GCH I can wish!

 

[Kristin5]

Post is below

 

[Kristin5]

Hi All, I'm planning a 2 week trip to disneyland in September 2013 and trying to do the maths, I can't see why more folk don't do what I'm planning and would love your inputs on whatever I must be missing.

It will be just my DH and I on this trip and I'm looking at getting him a 10-day pass (its around au$350 I believe) and me getting the deluxe annual pass (us$469). I've checked and September\October are pretty much not booked out for the parks (does anyone know if the deluxe passes are park hoppers?) at all in the time we're looking to go.

So its around $169 extra just on the pass. I'm also looking at staying PPH theme park view which for the dates I'm playing with is around $2600, if I get 10% off that for the annual pass ($260) I seem to be $90 ahead, minus the other discounts on food, etc and this seems to work out pretty well, too well really

Is there something I'm missing here? Has anyone else done this recently?

Love to hear your thoughts.

We were going to do the same, but then we were able to book GCH using gay day rates, and you can't also use AP discount, so it made the AP not worthwhile for us. If you are planning to go in late September, you can also get the gay day rates. Let me know if you want more info and I can find the link for you.

Btw we have been quoted AU325 for the 10 day pass.

Caroline NZ, amazing condo! Maybe I should look into that type of thing instead of Hojos/Fairfield for the first 10 days of our Anaheim stay? But then, we like the proximity of the hotels to DL.

Sugarglider, we always stay for 2 weeks in Anaheim, using it as our base. But we do go to DL a lot! (Last trip, we went there on 14 days, sometimes only for a very short time though). Then we do day trips/ tours up to LA or down to San Diego, or just to shopping centres/outlets. And we go to local sporting events (eg baseball, or ice hockey).There's always plenty to do!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the responses

I'm thinking that we'd really like to stay onsite, and I want to make it a bit of a luxe trip so am looking to maximise the niceness and luxury for the least amount possible

Its our 15th wedding anniversary and its just the two of us so am looking to really enjoy myself with least effort possible.

Congratulations. 15 years is worth celebrating.

 

[Ozziebuttercups]

Kristin5 that would be great if you could get me info or a link on the gay day rates If you prefer I can give you my email address?

Thanks PrincessinOz, he's pretty gorgeous and well worth celebrating!

 

[areweindisneyyet]

We were in DL in Dec 11 and had the Premier Paapss as we needed access all days. There were six of us staying at the DLH which we love. I have stayedon site and off site. Our last two trips have been celebrations so staying on site added to it, we were also there for eight days each time. Disney was the sole focus of the trips. As part of a larger trip off site would be fine.

The pass more than paid for itself during our stay and we did not use it for an accommodation discount. We used it for food both in the parks and at some venues in Downtown Disney. We used it for a tour in the park and for our souvenir shopping. As long as you think you will save the amount you have paid extra you are fine. You do loose the early morning entry that you get with a park hopper pass BUT staying at an onside hotel you get them each morning offered as you are a hotel guest with your key. Everyone else had park hoppers and I had the AP and there was never an issue with different access.

Tried to convince DH I needed to go back and use it one more time, FAIL.

Have a wonderful celebration.