Is the Annual Pass worth the money?

[brunette8706]

Hi All!

I'm new here...We're planning a trip to Disney, (boyfriend and I) we were thinking about getting the Annual pass $403.00 per person. The annual pass lets you get discounts on Disney hotels...Wilderness Lodge for example (wooded view double occupancy $154.99 per night. What do you all think??? Does it have any other advantages...?

thanks!
Brunette

 

[GoofysPrincess]

The Annual Passes can provide significant savings in the off-season, especially on higher priced properties. However, many of the 'code' deals get you pretty close to AP rates. For our trip last November, we stayed in the WL Villas, had two rooms for 7 nights and saved $1600 off our rooms. This savings was greater than we would have had with any codes that were available to us.

Note that only one person in your party has to have the AP to get the room discount -- so the 'extra' you're paying is just the difference between the pass and what you'd pay for admission otherwise. For a short trip or a trip during 'peak' season, an AP may not deliver all that much in savings.

 

[brunette8706]

Hi Princess...

How do we get the codes??? What's the difference between the Wilderness Lodge and Villas?? ARe the Villas bigger or do they have more than one bedroom or a kitchenette?

Thanks Much!
Brunette

 

[Doc and Family]

brunette,

The AP is worth the money if you plan on going on multiple trips, or one long trip, with a break even point of approximately 8 days in the parks.

We always get them because we do multiple trips each year. We average anywhere from 20 to 35 days in the parks over several trips.

Also, you can save on hotels, IF WDW is offering a discount. You only have to ask the CM on the phone for an AP rate. The codes you are asking about can be found in the DIS--look for the discount section. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[ktglads]

The advantages of the AP for me don't even take in account the hotel discounts. I do not depend on those for the trips and am not upset if they are not released since they are not garunteed. What I get my AP for is admission over 8 days in the park. After that you have hit the break even point. Next, there is a nice 10% discount at World of Disney. You can save quite a bit of money with that if you do a lot of shopping. There are also several dining discounts that really make the AP worth getting.

Plus, with admission paid for, planning a second (or third) trip in a year are just way too easy!

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by brunette8706
What's the difference between the Wilderness Lodge and Villas?? ARe the Villas bigger or do they have more than one bedroom or a kitchenette?

I'll take this one...

The Wilderness Lodge consists of your "standard" hotel rooms. I know some people will take offense to that since WL is a Deluxe resort, but comparitively speaking, that is the case. You get one or two beds, bathroom, TV, etc. Unless you get a suite (I'm assuming WL has suites), your accommodations are limited to a single guest room.

VWL (Villas at the Wilderness Lodge) is part of the Disney Vacation Club, which is basically a timeshare. DVC sells ownership in the Villas, and members can reserve rooms throughout the year using their annual allotment of points.

That said, Disney also keeps a portion of the points themselves so that they can rent out the rooms for cash. If you go to the main Disney web site, look under the "Home Away From Home" resort class and you will find VWL listed separately.

There are three classes of rooms as part of VWL. A Studio is basically one step up from a "Standard" room. It has a single queen bed, fold-out sofabed, standard bathroom and a kitchenette (mini fridge, microwave, sink and some paper/plastic utensils.)

The next class room is a One Bedroom. This is a MAJOR upgrade over just about any non-DVC accommodations on property. You get a full kitchen (stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, silverware, dishes...the works) a separate bedroom (king bed, tv) and living room (sofabed, TV, DVD player), a washer and dryer in-room, a large bathroom which includes a whirlpool tub and at least one balcony. Truly luxurious accommodations.

DVC resorts also have Two Bedroom units which are essentially a One Bedroom plus a Studio.

Take a look at the Disney site and you should be able to find more info and even a floor plan.

As you can imagine, the rooms are not cheap. But they should be available at any discounted rates offered at the time...pending availability. And the availability can be key. VWL has fewer than 200 rooms total (studios, 1Bs and 2Bs combined), so it can be difficult to book. If you're interested, the sooner you get your reservation, the better.

 

[KBFinFan]

This is my first year having an AP, and I think it's not worth it.

Why? Because now I keep trying to plan more and more trips in this year.
I am already going this Summer, but am now looking forward to going in October and December. The AP gives you too many chances to have a good time!


Seriously, it is worth it if you plan or want to go several times in one year. The AP hotel rates are appealing, but are not neccessarily guaranteed for any specific time. As said, if you are planning on being in the parks for 8 days, then its financially worth it. Good Luck and have a great time!

 

[brunette8706]

Doc and Family-

Thanks for your comments!

ktglads-

Great insight! I didn't know about the 10 percent discount at Disney Shops...Thank You!

tjkraz-

WOW! Thank you so much for the detailed explaination and your thoughts...Your insight was valuable to me.....Thanks Again!

KBfinfan-

HA! I was thinking the same thoughts as you....We want to plan more trips in a year to WDW because we have the annual pass.....I guess it's costing us more money....but I look at it that you can go to WDW for FREE after the 8th visit! Thanks so much for your comments!

Brunette

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by brunette8706
Great insight! I didn't know about the 10 percent discount at Disney Shops...Thank You!

ktglads' got it right but I just want to clarify based upon your statement above. The 10% discount is ONLY at World of Disney in Downtown Disney. I believe there are also a couple other shops (Basin?) that have a discount, but the 10% is NOT applicable to ALL shops. None of the theme park shops have a discount, and I know the toy store at DD is also not listed.

Very nice discount, nonetheless.

 

[happyrebster]

Does anyone here know whether Disney has ever offered an annual pass that is good at both WDW and Disneyland?

 

[abitjaded]

Originally posted by happyrebster
Does anyone here know whether Disney has ever offered an annual pass that is good at both WDW and Disneyland?

Not ever. Bummer, being in Colorado we have always hoped.

Carla

 

[bunnyfoo]

Deb's site has got a list of AP benefits ...

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/apass.htm

Originally posted by KBFinFan
This is my first year having an AP, and I think it's not worth it.

Why? Because now I keep trying to plan more and more trips in this year.
I am already going this Summer, but am now looking forward to going in October and December. The AP gives you too many chances to have a good time!

Isn't that true ... I wasn't planning to go last December but since the airfare was decent and Disney had some great hotel rates, we thought why not?

 

[DisKim]

This is my first year having an AP, and I think it's not worth it.

I'm experiencing the same problem with my annual pass!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Originally posted by DisKim
I'm experiencing the same problem with my annual pass!

OH! I feel your pain! I started out with two trips validating an AP, now I'm up to four trips in a year's time -- trying to get our money's worth!

 

[Poohbear Fan]

Originally posted by DisKim
I'm experiencing the same problem with my annual pass!

Me too!!! I'm 10 days away from my fourth trip in a year. Mine will expire right after I return...think I'll have to not renew and recover (financially) from all these "unplanned" trips.

I've been lucky in that I've been able to get an AP resort rate for every trip. So mine has really paid off in that respect, too.

Poohbear

 

[kangaandroo]

I love mine!

 

[Grumpy37]

I agree with those that said it has caused us to spend more that we ever *dreamed* at WDW. Our neighbor bought a BMW roadster, I think we got the better deal.

 

[javaj]

This is probably a dumb question -- are APs good for fastpass? I assume so???

 

[abitjaded]

Anyone can get a FastPass as long as you have your pass to get in the gate. The method at WDW is much more egalitarian than Universal, where only those that stay at their expensive resorts get to jump the line.

Carla

 

[DebbieB]

It is dangerous! I had 5 trips last year! One of them was an "extra" I would have never done without an AP (5 nights in early Oct for MNSSHP). One was an add-on to a business trip, I probably wouldn't have gone a day early if I have to pay admission and had to pay regular rate for the hotel.