Is anyone an non-Florida annual pass holder?

[mmiller]

Hi: Trying to decide if the cost of the annual pass over the normal park hopper plus is worth the difference in cost in terms of resort room rentals and other junk they "throw" in? I know only one of us has to have the annual pass to get the extras. Any thoughts from Annual passholders? Thanks so much..melissa

 

[Tiffany]

Hi: Trying to decide if the cost of the annual pass over the normal park hopper plus is worth the difference in cost in terms of resort room rentals and other junk they "throw" in? I know only one of us has to have the annual pass to get the extras. Any thoughts from Annual passholders? Thanks so much..melissa

My husband and I are in MA and we are long time AP holders.

 

[Mandabella]

We're PAPers, but also DVC members. We took advantage of the discount we were offered by DVC to puchase PAPs.

 

[DVCajun]

We live in NC and are AP holders. We like to go to WDW often, so it's the better value for us.

 

[byoung]

Depends on how many days a year you will visit.

 

[SeaChristine]

I live in Kentucky and this year the AP has paid off for me because of a trip with friends and a conference I had to attend. In a normal year, however, it wouldn't. It totally depends on how many trips you have planned.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We live in MI and have had AP twice. The 1st year (2003) we did 3 trips total (March, Aug and Jan) We did 24 days in the parks that year. After the Aug trip we decied never again in the summer. This time we are doing 3 trips also (March, May and Jan) and it works for us. We don't have enough points to do 3 DVC trips a year (even in a studio with borrowing, since we are in a constant state of borrowing because of AP in the past. ) So we did one trip at PORS at a great rate.

If you do 2 trips in 12 months it is worth it. We like to get our money's worth!

 

[jaysue]

We are in Canada and are DVC members who now have discounts on the AP/PAP - we have found them to be a good value even though we do not use them to secure less expensiev ressies - we like to visit the parks every day and park hop as well - with the AP's we are ok with going for 1 hour or lots of hours - relieves the pressure to "get your money's worth from the MYW tickets"

Of course, we tend to visit 2 times per year so the AP makes financial sense for us on that score alone

cheers
jaysue

 

[sunny04]

We are, but are considering not renewing this year because we aren't sure we'll go enough days to make it worth it. The 10-day non-expiration might be a better deal than the AP if we only go once this year. That way we can still use the other days any time we go. Since we have the AP, we go 2-3 times a year, which is WONDERFUL, but we know money-wise, etc. we're gonna have to start slowing down a little. We're still deciding, but the APs are only worth it if you are going at least as many days as it would cost to buy park-hoppers for the same price. If are going the same or more days, then it is definitely worth it because you get good deals on rooms, etc. with it too.

 

[krbq]

We got the AP's this year because we plan to go again within 12 months and the savings on park admissions alone made it worthwhile. We haven't found any deals on resort stays that appeal to us, but we took advantage of the DDE card and have already saved a bundle.

 

[cobbler]

Yep, MI AP holders here.

 

[plutospup]

Pennsylvania - AP holders for many years. It's been well worth it since we normally get 2- 4 trips/yr.

 

[bcvgal]

We live in NC also. Bought ours last Thanksgiving (5 day trip) went again in June (12 days) and used again in Oct(5 days). We got our monies worth!!!

 

[mill4023]

I just bought an AP and there's a good chance we'll only make one trip this year.
A 7 day hopper would cost me about $220 with my company discount.
The AP cost me $420.

I saved $416 by using the BRP instead of the AAA discount for 2 rooms at ASMo for 6 nights and 1 room at POR for 4 nights.

Then buying the DDE membership will cost us $50 and, based on my current ADR's, will save us about $225:
Chef Mickey's - $21
Whispering Canyon - $26
Plaza - $18
Boma - $30
PSB - $27
Biergarten - $26
Sci-fi - $19
Boatwrights - $14
Marrakesh - $24
ASMovies food court - at least $20

Total extra cost: $200 (AP instead of MYW) + $50(DDE card) = $250
Total discounts: $416(BRP over AAA) + $225(DDE) = $641

Total Savings: $391
So it was worth it for us even with only one trip.

 

[BunsenH]

I am a first time AP holder from MA. The savings on the BC room rate in January just about paid for the cost of a standard AP. We will do our best to return before the end of 2006 and really save money!

 

[disfanRN]

Michigan AP holders here- it makes sense if you spend more than 11 days there per year, it used to be better with resort discounts, the new program is not as good. Since we spend 20-30 days per year in WDW it works out for us!!

 

[tzuhouse]

I bought an AP because I was planning on getting a great discount at POR, but then the Best Rate plan came and that great discount didn't happen. I did buy MVMCP tickets, Family Magic Tour tickets, etc. and got an AP discount on all those, so I've already saved the difference in the cost, or almost have. I have a DDE card, so we'll be saving 20% at each meal, which will save a lot over the 11 days we are there.

So, am I glad I bought it. Yes. Do I wish that discount had occurred as it historically has? Yes, but those discounts are never guaranteed, so I took the risk.

If I was going at a time of year that didn't have a lot of things going on that I could get discounted tickets for, I don't know that it would be worth it, unless there was already a great discount for AP holders being offered.

Mary

 

[GoofyDad869]

We are Tennesseans with Annual Passes. We did the calculations and figured that they paid for themselves around 7-8 days in-park. We do not hold the super-duper ones which allow entry into the Water Parks, as we tend to get our kicks at Stormalong Bay at BCV.

 

[Mom Of 2 Girls]

We live in Colorado and all 4 of us have APs. We go 2 - 3 times a year and stay 15 days each time. The APs are well worth it for us as we have also taken advantage of some WDW hotel AP discounts.

 

[mill4023]

Maybe it's just because I haven't been an AP holder over the past years, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but the BRP worked out great for us.
Even just for our 4 nights at POR, the difference between BRP and AAA rates just about made the AP cost break even. The savings at ASMo and with the DDE were a bonus.

If you stay at a deluxe resort, it doesn't take very many nights for the $133 per night discount to make an AP worthwhile.