Need advice regarding AP...

[chocovrdmicears]

I have been trying to run numbers but there are so many factors that I am having a hard time getting it straight ( or even to make sense)....so I am looking for some experts to help with Disney math.

Here are the things I know:
1. We are planning to go in May and Oct in 2011.
2. We will be staying at POP both times.
3. We will need 7 or 8 day tickets each trip, both with PH.
4. We love the Dining Plan.
5. We are 2 adults + 2 kids.

The unknowns...what kind of specials or deals will be offered for May and or Oct? (obviously no way to know now). Should we skip the Dining Plan and invest in TIW? The Dining Plan would cost us $113.96 a day..can we save money using the TIW to get a better value? I know we can still add the Dining Plan if we book an AP rate.... If there is an AP rate for POP available is it really worth it if they offer a better deal being that it is a Value? I think if we stayed Deluxe or even a Moderate, I would feel more confident of the potentail savings...

I know there is absolutely no way to know for sure pending possible GP offers...but based on your experience, would you invest in AP's?

Any thoughts, suggestions, speculations or guesses would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

 

[ChattaDIS]

just based on the park tickets you need, I think the annual pass is a good deal.

 

[snykymom]

The "break even" point for APs seems to be about 14 days base ticket, or about 12 days park hopper. Anything more than that and the extra days are pretty much free. So I'd get the AP.

We love the TiW, but then again, I do not like the DDP. But if you're on the DP and want an appetizer, or an adult beverage, you can get it and get 20% off.

Remember, too, that if a GP promotion comes out, you can still get it, but you'd have to buy whatever tickets are required.

 

[free2div]

We are going this Oct and AP rate for Pop was 30% off room rate..we just added dining plan and it was 126.00 cheaper than booking with FD. We also went this past April/May and had a 40% off at POP..also just added DP. To me buying TIW is not worth it. You pay around 75.00 and then only get a discount off...thats just me.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

The "break even" point for APs seems to be about 14 days base ticket, or about 12 days park hopper. Anything more than that and the extra days are pretty much free. So I'd get the AP.

We love the TiW, but then again, I do not like the DDP. But if you're on the DP and want an appetizer, or an adult beverage, you can get it and get 20% off.
Remember, too, that if a GP promotion comes out, you can still get it, but you'd have to buy whatever tickets are required.

Wait a second...hold everything...you can use the TIW for adult beverages!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We are going this Oct and AP rate for Pop was 30% off room rate..we just added dining plan and it was 126.00 cheaper than booking with FD. We also went this past April/May and had a 40% off at POP..also just added DP. To me buying TIW is not worth it. You pay around 75.00 and then only get a discount off...thats just me.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
For the sake of numbers, how many are in your party? With 2A and 2C I am curious if the AP rate for POP is better than Free Dining....I know you can apply any ticket requirements towards your future AP's..but DH is twitching at the idea of having AP's for 2 years. LOL.

 

[sumertime]

You've gotten great advice! We have APs, and so far we haven't gotten the TIW card. If it worked on CS meals (besides the handful at resorts), I'd feel better about it. But we won't be buying alcohol and prefer desserts, so I don't think that it works for us. But I really want it to. lol

 

[free2div]

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
For the sake of numbers, how many are in your party? With 2A and 2C I am curious if the AP rate for POP is better than Free Dining....I know you can apply any ticket requirements towards your future AP's..but DH is twitching at the idea of having AP's for 2 years. LOL.

2 AD 1 C in the AP room..but there are 14 of us total!!!!

 

[snykymom]

Wait a second...hold everything...you can use the TIW for adult beverages!

Yup. (But not a kiosks like the slushies in Epcot. Just TS places and resort lounges.)

You've gotten great advice! We have APs, and so far we haven't gotten the TIW card. If it worked on CS meals (besides the handful at resorts), I'd feel better about it. But we won't be buying alcohol and prefer desserts, so I don't think that it works for us. But I really want it to. lol

If you're on the DP, then TiW might not be worth it. I don't like the DP; I often prefer appetizers to desserts, or 2 apps and no entree, etc. And we like some of the restaurants that don't take the DP but do take TiW. So it works very well for me. Just as with any of Disney's other promotions, you have to run the numbers for yourself, and determine your comfort level.

 

[lovesdumbo]

It is hard to beat free DDP at a value with 4 in the room but I don't know how likely you are to get free DDP in May or Oct.

I would wait to see what discounts are available for May. You can book the best deal and if that best deal is not AP than you can upgrade tickets from that package to APs for your Oct trip. The AP's will save you about $488 over 2 sets of 8 day PH tickets. So unless you are sure you could get a better deal that is $488 better than AP discount in Oct you should upgrade to AP passes in May.

I happen to prefer TiW over DDP. I prefer to order and eat what I want rather than what it offered with DDP. TiW does get you a 20% discount at Pop's food court. But when my kids were all under 10 I did get the regular DDP as it was worth it because we enjoyed doing character meals.