New Disney World AP Pay and get less?

[emilymad]

So somehow I went from wanting to buy a Gold AP to I will "maybe" get a 4 day no PH ticket. Only after I see how this Genie+ works out will we decide. So not only is Disney get less of my money this trip they will get less over the course of a year because I won't be back within my AP period. As people who took 2-3 trips a year it is disheartening. I am not seeing a reason to keep visiting. I am sure I will continue to some extent but it may end up being once every 5 years instead of 2-3 a year.

We did a resort only stay earlier this year as we had DVC points to use. We did to 2 park days but we easily said we would have been happy with no park days. Which also meant we ate more offsite then ever before.

I know Disney doesn't care now about the repeat visitor but at some point the masses will stop coming.

 

[brightlined]

You are 100% correct. I don't think I am shocked at the price increase, more that they didn't extend other options.
My shock was completely based on my following post edit, self inflicted.

I'm still feeling the shock from the $200+ price increase in 2019. I mean, my November 2018 Platinum renewal was $759. That wasn't even three years ago. It'd be $1104 today, $1200-ish if I decided to keep PhotoPass.

 

[dunkindonut]

Wish they had something similar to the Enchant Key.

 

[QueenBeeMB]

I'm still feeling the shock from the $200+ price increase in 2019. I mean, my November 2018 Platinum renewal was $759. That wasn't even three years ago. It'd be $1104 today, $1200-ish if I decided to keep PhotoPass.

I remember paying 1299 if my memory serves for a Premier (dual coast) pass ... maybe circa 2014 .... I could be off here so don't quote me. Yeah, feeling the sting of everything overall. We have reached that threshold evaluation point for the majority I would say.

 

[North of Mouse]

Blog says "after Passholder feedback" they've designed new Passholders. Say what? We would actually 'ask' for it to be $1300 for almost no perks and photo opps taken away, and other horrible changes made since Covid?? Do they think we're totally insane? Dh & I have bought our last ones two years ago, and at this point have no desire or plans to even return to Disney. Last great trip was pre Covid. We were buying AP's every other year and going back for 8-10 days 3 times in those years, so Disney got quite a bit of our $$$'s - so long Disney.

 

[DavidNYC]

I did a chat today and received this information :

I have to assume this is incorrect information or more likely a misunderstanding. If you have a voucher for a current pass, you should not be able to "activate" it into a new pass type first, because they're not the same product and second, Disney cannot unilaterally change the benefits of pass after you've purchased it. (Now - they can offer you a refund if they can no longer provide you with what the purchased but they cannot sell you, for example, a pass that includes photopass and then just take it away.)

My guess is that she was answering about a renewal as the answer is consistent with what we've heard so far. If you renew a pass prior to the new passes taking effect, you will renew into your current pass. If you renew afterward, you'll have to select one of the new tiers.

 

[HashberryOTG]

I saw another post where the CM are no longer allowed to use your camera. They had to grab another guest to take the picture for them. It was the only post I saw on the subject. So take it with a grain of salt.

This started during covid restrictions, so the CM didn't have to grouch your grimy, germy phone (they really are awful, omg!). Because they can be dropped or damaged so easily, I really wouldn't be surprised for this to be a permanent rule. It sounds so simple to snag someone's phone and grab a pic, but if they dropped that phone and it broke?? The idea of being without your phone starting the morning of your 1st vacation day with everything being so phone and app-centric can't be appealing to anyone.

 

[KCMA]

Has anybody read or happen to know know if I will be able to make park reservations if I purchase a AP but don’t activate it.. plan is buy next week when they become available but not use it until April ( it will be Easter week so that’s why I would like to make reservations ASAP)

 

[squirrel4569]

Blog says "after Passholder feedback" they've designed new Passholders. Say what? We would actually 'ask' for it to be $1300 for almost no perks and photo opps taken away, and other horrible changes made since Covid?? Do they think we're totally insane? Dh & I have bought our last ones two years ago, and at this point have no desire or plans to even return to Disney. Last great trip was pre Covid.

They tried this with Genie too. I've never gotten a survey about APs or FastPasses in the last year. No where would I say that I wanted to pay more money for less.

Disney has absolutely priced me out. I've been DVC since 2006 and I'm just done. I was there over Spring Break and told my wife I didn't want to come back until the magic was back and things were back to normal. I never expected that the new normal would be to charge extra for everything and raise the prices anywhere from 20-80% of what they were pre-Covid. I get that some things still aren't back to normal due to Covid protocols, but at the same time we're seeing incessant money grabs from Disney in the past couple of months. The Galactic Starcruiser experience is insanity. $200+ pp for the holiday after hours experiences. Genie+. No more Magical Express and now this ridiculousness of the AP increase and removing the photopass benefit in the process. Disney is alienating their core fan base. I'm going to have to figure out a plan for my DVC membership, which is depressing because we have loved using that and visiting the parks 4-5 times a year. Now between dues and APs (even just tickets for a family of 5 for one week is nuts) I'm looking at $7K in costs and that doesn't count travel expense or food.

I fear the dining plan is the next thing to get Chapek-ed. I shudder to think what they are going to do to that.

 

[rangerxenos]

Has anybody read or happen to know know if I will be able to make park reservations if I purchase a AP but don’t activate it.. plan is buy next week when they become available but not use it until April ( it will be Easter week so that’s why I would like to make reservations ASAP)

I bought a Platinum voucher back in June (my pass expired during the pandemic), linked it to my account, and made my park reservations, no problem. I am staying on property.

 

[Bearval]

Disneyland’s Magic Key Program would like a word. (Dream, Believe, Imagine, Enchant)

How about poverty, low class, middle class, upper class

 

[Bearval]

Someone on the News forum pointed out you only need to get one Photopass per person in your family - so there is at least that.

They will probably pixalate the faces of everyone in the picture except the actual photo pass holder that is unless you purchase PhotopassPlus for nominal fee of course

 

[rtravels]

I'll go back to giving the Disney photographers my camera to take photos. Unless they're going to start charging for that as well. I won't have the magic shots, but so be it.

Unless they changed something recently, since reopening, cast members won’t touch your phone

 

[OKW Lover]

They will probably pixalate the faces of everyone in the picture except the actual photo pass holder that is unless you purchase PhotopassPlus for nominal fee of course

LOL-ing.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Why are people acting surprised that out-of-staters can only buy the most expensive pass? That's not new, they could only get Platinum (or Platinum Plus) APs before. With the exception of DVC members (same as now). I'm confused.

 

[SL6827]

The names of these APs really suck.

 

[focusondisney]

Why are people acting surprised that out-of-staters can only buy the most expensive pass? That's not new, they could only get Platinum (or Platinum Plus) APs before. With the exception of DVC members (same as now). I'm confused.

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[brightlined]

Why are people acting surprised that out-of-staters can only buy the most expensive pass? That's not new, they could only get Platinum (or Platinum Plus) APs before. With the exception of DVC members (same as now). I'm confused.

Not really "surprise" so much as disappointment.

DLR was the same way until two years ago - they finally offered a mid-level, blocked-out, reservations-occasionally-required pass for out-of-staters that cost $599. It worked, and they arguably rebuilt their AP program around it, so there was hope that WDW might (finally) do the same.


Aside - some people commented here that they thought park reservations were a response to COVID. Disney had already test-driven the tech at DLR with the Flex pass in 2019. It was basically inevitable that they were coming in some form - COVID just gave them the opportunity to implement them.

 

[JFDIS]

We just renewed our silver ap’s but my husband and I decided today this would be our last year.

 

[ILove2Travel]

Has anybody read or happen to know know if I will be able to make park reservations if I purchase a AP but don’t activate it.. plan is buy next week when they become available but not use it until April ( it will be Easter week so that’s why I would like to make reservations ASAP)

I was wondering about this as well. We are going this November and I’d like to get the AP when they go on sale so I can finally make our park reservations. Don’t really want to lose two months of AP if it activates upon sale and reservation.