NorCal AP holders, how often do you go?

[julesann]

We usually take SuperShuttle. It used to be $7 OW from SNA to the hotel but SS raised the rate and travelocity stopped giving the good coupon discount so it's now $10 pp with coupon/$11 without. For a family, you can get a taxi for ~$40 each way for everyone.

Dizme, I've never used SuperShuttle. Do you get a reservation ahead of time or just get it when you arrive. Also, how long does it usually take to get to your hotel? We took the DLE once and we weren't staying on-site and it took a long time! Lately we've taken taxis, but I'm trying to save a little mney and that rate looks good. And do you have any suggestions about where would I find my coupon? Thank you so much!

 

[AmberStar]

We live in Modesto, so it takes about as much time to drive as it does to drive to the airport (90 minutes), wait 90 minutes from when we first arrive, fly about 75 minutes, wait 20 minutes for luggage, and another 20-30 for transport to the hotel. Assuming no delays, it takes about an hour more of travel time in the van and only costs me less than $80 for the whole family of 5. Flying is for going to Florida!

Exactly what he said plus add about 20 because we are east of modesto. So funny because I was going to type the exact same thing. By the time we pay for 5 tickets regardless of the deal we are saving no time or money.

We planned our very first 5 day disneyland trip for December with extended family. Before we left we got the urge that this would be a wonderful tradition and to do it again next year. So we bought the passes. Now we have 3 more trips on the books and I really want to nail down a trip in late August and another in October too!

 

[DizMe]

Dizme, I've never used SuperShuttle. Do you get a reservation ahead of time or just get it when you arrive. Also, how long does it usually take to get to your hotel? We took the DLE once and we weren't staying on-site and it took a long time! Lately we've taken taxis, but I'm trying to save a little mney and that rate looks good. And do you have any suggestions about where would I find my coupon? Thank you so much!

You can do it either way, julesann. I used to reserve it ahead of time because the travelocity coupon code (UYR59) gave you $3 off each way per person when you booked and prepaid online. You could also pay the tip online which I really liked because there was no need to bring any cash for the fare or tip. Now you just get $1 off with the coupon code plus the rate went up so I don't really bother to reserve ahead these days. It saves $2 RT for one person (if you want to reserve ahead, be sure to bring a copy of your receipt because they usually ask for it and the website doesn't tell you you'll need it). If I am going with my family, we take a taxi. But anyway, you just walk over to where the taxis and shuttles are and they will set you up with a shuttle. Doesn't have to be SuperShuttle; I take whatever they direct me into if I don't have a reservation already.

If you're staying onsite (or if you happen to be in the lobby of GCH), ask for a flat-rate taxi voucher. That gives you a rate of $35 back to the airport and it's good from any area hotel but you can only get them from the DLR properties as far as I know.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

Dizme, I've never used SuperShuttle. Do you get a reservation ahead of time or just get it when you arrive. Also, how long does it usually take to get to your hotel? We took the DLE once and we weren't staying on-site and it took a long time! Lately we've taken taxis, but I'm trying to save a little mney and that rate looks good. And do you have any suggestions about where would I find my coupon? Thank you so much!

Hi julesann! We're neighbors!! DizMe and I hate that drive down also and always fly Southwest. We've made reservations in the past for Super Shuttle, but now we just show up and hop on a shuttle. It isn't always supper Shuttle, and that doesn't seem to matter. The shuttles are all lined up ready to go. Sometimes we have to wait a short time for the shuttle to fill but, but its not usually long. Then it's about a 20 minute ride to the hotel, give or take a few minutes, depending on if you're the first one dropped off or the last.

 

[julesann]

Hi julesann! We're neighbors!! DizMe and I hate that drive down also and always fly Southwest. We've made reservations in the past for Super Shuttle, but now we just show up and hop on a shuttle. It isn't always supper Shuttle, and that doesn't seem to matter. The shuttles are all lined up ready to go. Sometimes we have to wait a short time for the shuttle to fill but, but its not usually long. Then it's about a 20 minute ride to the hotel, give or take a few minutes, depending on if you're the first one dropped off or the last.

Disneyluvr and DizMe my fellow Chicoans...thanks for the great advice. I like the idea of showing up and getting on the next shuttle and arriving at DLR asap! So...is the shuttle area in the same place as the taxis? I think we'll try this in two weeks! Sorry to miss you both at DD! Maybe September or February 2016

 

[PinkBudgie]

We are in Sonoma County, north of SF. It takes us 8 hours. This is what we do:
We buy Deluxe APs (DH and I) and go down end of July for 6 days. Then we usually tend to go over Veteran's Day weekend because that's my sister's birthday. Then we go again the next summer before the APs expire. After that, we let them lapse until the next summer. This year, however, I hope we can get down a few more long weekends. But to make it worth it, we really need to allow 4 days- two days at the parks and a day on each end to drive.

We love driving down because we can bring what we want. Flying to WDW last summer was hard because we had to think carefully about everything we brought- we couldn't just toss it in just in case. Besides flying to DLR takes just as long as driving down when you add in all the time it takes to get to the airport and through security.

 

[Nicolette11785]

I live in the SF Bay Area.

I am single mom with a 9 year old son and we both have AP's. His is the Deluxe, mine is the Premium.

We went in June for 7 full days. December for 5 full days. February will be 3 days. May will be 6 full days. 21 days total.

I always go on priceline and do the name your price deals. Saves so much money on hotels this way.

I always drive but that is because I am trying to save money and it is cheaper to drive (especially with gas prices decreasing). I go to sleep early the night we leave and then drive down around 3am so we can have full park days. On the way home I leave around 9-10pm so we don't have to stay another night at the hotel. I am used to getting no sleep so I never have a problem with it.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

Disneyluvr and DizMe my fellow Chicoans...thanks for the great advice. I like the idea of showing up and getting on the next shuttle and arriving at DLR asap! So...is the shuttle area in the same place as the taxis? I think we'll try this in two weeks! Sorry to miss you both at DD! Maybe September or February 2016

I'm going to miss you by a week, julesann! I'll be down there next weekend, then in Feb for Dapper Day.

When you come out of the terminal, turn left and keep walking. It seems like a long walk when you're hauling a bunch of luggage! LOL. The shuttles are across from the big American flag and the John Wayne statue. You'll see them all lined up. Have fun on your trip!

 

[oktracy]

Hello All!! We live in the East Bay. As a family of 4 we all have Deluxe AP's. We travel in January for 3 to 4 days and October for 2 days for Halloween. We are DVC members and always stay at the Grand and we always fly. I hate lines and love to take advantage of the extra magic hours when staying on property. This past year, we snuck in a November Veterans Day weekend trip. The park was quiet! Hubby and I want to attend Dapper Days without the kids but can't seem to carve out enough time or find a babysitter for the weekend. I would love to venture out on a solo trip one day. We have stayed at the Candy Cane and the new Springhill Suites near the convention center. We usually fly SW and catch a taxi from the airport. Love that 20 minute ride to the park from SNA! Our go to flight home is the 9:10 pm from SNA to OAK. That way we get to stay in the park or relax until 7:30 pm when sadly we all turn into pumpkins for the ride home.

 

[DizMe]

Disneyluvr and DizMe my fellow Chicoans...thanks for the great advice. I like the idea of showing up and getting on the next shuttle and arriving at DLR asap! So...is the shuttle area in the same place as the taxis? I think we'll try this in two weeks! Sorry to miss you both at DD! Maybe September or February 2016

Yes, the shuttles are in the same place as the taxis. The taxi "island" is first and right behind it is the shuttle "island." From the terminal building, you cross at the same place for both.

We're just going to have to go together sometime! That's how Disneyluvr2 and I first met--through this board, and then we met up in DL, and then we started going together

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

We are from Elk Grove-so really close to you. My AP expired on Thursday-probably not renewing this time as we have a big WDW trip planned for December and only an August DL trip planned (if any meetings or workshops drop on calendar then I will probably get an AP). I got 6 trips in the last 12 months. Two trips were drive down fly back-dropping my Daughter and her car off in Long Beach for school (2 days each time in the parks). Two trips were whole family (3 days each)-fly. Two trips were solo (fly) as I was in the "area" for workshops-evenings of 4 days and 2 whole days in the parks by myself. This last AP was totally worth it for me.

 

[julesann]

Yes, the shuttles are in the same place as the taxis. The taxi "island" is first and right behind it is the shuttle "island." From the terminal building, you cross at the same place for both.

We're just going to have to go together sometime! That's how Disneyluvr2 and I first met--through this board, and then we met up in DL, and then we started going together

I think that is a great idea!!

 

[MommyWithDreams]

Hi Neighbors!!! I'm in Carmichael, right within Sacramento. I had an AP a few years ago and unfortunately we only used it once. We are once again getting them when we go back in 7 days. We have another trip planned already for June and hopefully something in late August or October.

We are flying and have credit for our June trip but don't really know much about how the Southwest points work. I'll have to read up on that. I hate long road trips but hate flying too. At least flying it's over sooner

 

[crystal1313]

We usually go 4-5 times a year. Usually multiple days. Sometimes we just go one day. We always drive. Easier and cheaper with 4 of us. We like to stay within walking distance. Our go to places are Ramada maingate and candy cane. We are trying hojo for next trip in feb and dessert inn in march. We usually get premium but got a deluxe in Dec. we figure if we need to upgrade later, we will. Liking the cheaper monthly payment! And we always get our money worth from our AP's. But, it will create a monster and you'll probably go more then you think! Lol.

DH and I usually take one solo trip a year without the kids. DL is our happy place. We don't take any other "big" vacations. The way I look at it is, my kids are little, they love being with us right now and they love DL. We are going to do that as much as possible now. When they're older, we can do other trips. Right now I want to hold onto watching the magic in their eyes when we are in the parks.

 

[Pucka1378]

We live in the San Jose area and we got our AP's in Sep. I have been 3 times since then with another trip planned next month.

Totally worth it!

 

[grifta67]

I know this thread is a bit old, but figured it's the best place for my question since we live in SF too.

My gal and I are heading down in August for a 2 day stint at the park and got to thinking if we should just get APs. I'm a bit of a math nerd, so I've been doing some calculations and it seems to me that 3 trips is the tipping point that makes the AP worth it, yea? That's totally doable from the SF area!

When comparing costs, I'm using our most common visit scenario for the non-AP cost: 2 days in the park with park hopper. That's $450 per trip, which is $1,350 for 3 trips... vs $1,098 for a pair of Deluxe APs. About an 18.5% savings! Add in estimated food and pin discounts, and it still holds to about 17% savings. I'm a frugal deal hunter, so even *any* savings gets me excited.

We typically rent a car and drive down seeing as I don't mind the drive, so impromptu trips are fairly easy to pull off. We also ended up with 2015 "APs" for Universal this year, so I know we'll be down there at least once even without Disney APs. And I know we'll be back in October-ish, as she wants to try and get tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party.

I'm thinking it's pretty likely we'll be joining the AP club!

 

[tanyaegangibson]

I'm a bit of a math nerd, so I've been doing some calculations and it seems to me that 3 trips is the tipping point that makes the AP worth it, yea? That's totally doable from the SF area!!

Hi, I'm in the Bay Area, too, and I agree that 3 trips is usually the tipping point, but it can be even sooner than that if you're folks who want to stay over 5 days at a time. (That's how we started getting APs after DLR eliminated the longer than 5 day passes.) We have Deluxes and go for 7 days during the fall (during times when there aren't any blackouts) and also go for 5-7 days during the summer (but have to skip the park during blackout days). This year we added in a surprise birthday trip for my daughter in March, too, over a long weekend. We feel like the AP discounts on DLR hotels (which are sadly lacking this year but were stronger in the past) and at Hojos help offset the cost. Because we really love TS and character meals, the food discount also makes a large difference.

We sometimes fly and sometimes drive--depends who is going (inlaws don't want to drive), when, for how long, and how good the SW rates are.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Hi, I'm in South Sac, almost in Elk Grove. This is our first year with APs. My mom and I surprised my daughter for her birthday in October. I got PAPs for my daughter and myself. We had a family trip for 8 days in January (me, DH, and DD (8) and picked up a PAP for DH). DD and I went with friends for 3 days at the end of January. DD and I met my brother for 4 days for Easter. She and I then took my mom and met up with my brother for 5 days in May. DH, DD, and I will be going for another 5 days in July. Then finally wrapping up our APs with DD and I going for 9 days in Sept/Oct. So, DD and I will have taken a total of 7 trips by the time our APs expire.

When DH is with us we drive, otherwise I try to find good SW deals and fly.

We have stayed at the Castle Inn, PPH, DLH, GCH, BWPPI. Our next trip will be at the Candy Cane Inn and the last will be at DLH.

 

[grifta67]

Hi, I'm in the Bay Area, too, and I agree that 3 trips is usually the tipping point, but it can be even sooner than that if you're folks who want to stay over 5 days at a time. (That's how we started getting APs after DLR eliminated the longer than 5 day passes.) We have Deluxes and go for 7 days during the fall (during times when there aren't any blackouts) and also go for 5-7 days during the summer (but have to skip the park during blackout days). This year we added in a surprise birthday trip for my daughter in March, too, over a long weekend. We feel like the AP discounts on DLR hotels (which are sadly lacking this year but were stronger in the past) and at Hojos help offset the cost. Because we really love TS and character meals, the food discount also makes a large difference.

We sometimes fly and sometimes drive--depends who is going (inlaws don't want to drive), when, for how long, and how good the SW rates are.

That's a good point. We've always done 2 day trips in the past partially because of ticket costs, but having an AP might give us a reason to stick around a little longer on one of the trips.

We're very low key when it comes to a place to stay. Sure a DLR hotel would be pretty nice, but we just need a decent bed for the night. I haven't looked into the Hojo, but definitely will if they give AP discounts - thanks for that tip. Our normal spot is the Motel 6 near the park, typically ~$99 a night and only a 10-15 minute walk.

 

[pikaboo27]

We're in Natomas (just north of downtown Sac) and we've had PAPs for about the last 8 years or so. We used to go 6-8 times a year, usually for 3 or 4 days each trip. We go a lot for half marathon weekends. Once DS came along, we started going a little less frequently, maybe 4 times a year. Anything more that 2 three day trips and the PAP pays for itself. DS just turned 3 this year and we had to get him his own PAP last trip. Lord, was that annoying. The same price and he's only 3! Don't think he'll be using the parking or dining discount, but hey, same price. *grumble*

We alternate between flying and driving, but nowadays, we mostly drive. We have a hybrid, so the gas is a fraction of what it costs to fly. For hotel, we are big fans of the Carousel Inn or the Marriott.