PAP taking over our life :)

[Msmithmd]

I am activating my family's PAP vouchers in November. Planning trips with banking and borrowing to maximize value of the pass.

Suddenly realized the mouse has me convinced it is a good thing to spend a full month of the year giving him all my money. Four separate seven day trips envisioned between 11/13 and 10/14.

Anyone else get lured in? In a way I hope so- I'm fairly certain this is what Disney wanted when they put out the offer. If they do see a spike in DVC attendance it might make them offer it again.

I realized this train of thought might get odd looks from family and friends. Figured other folks at disboards might understand...

 

[wdwlover25]

I have three trips planned... Spring Break, long weekend in October and a week for Christmas. The October and December trips are a direct result of the PAP offer. DVC/AP is the only way we can pull off three trips in a year. I'd love to add a summer trip but airfare cost is an unfortunate barrier.

 

[jimim]

we got 3 planned. one in 10 days then october with my parents and some friends for food and wine festival along with halloween and then we are doing star wars weekend at end of may or june next year. we only have annual passes not the PAP.

jimi

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

We bought our passes in June 2012. We had to buy DH his during our Christmas trip, which is when we upgraded ours to PAP. We're going next week to burn off our last days (DD and mine) and use hubby's. Then we're contemplating a lean (studio trip) during either F&W or over a long weekend. With that we'll be busted points-wise until August 2014 is available.

 

[DizBub]

We've only been home 2 weeks tomorrow and DH wants to go back.....right now.

We activated our PAPs in January, spent over a week that trip.

Went for a week in May.

Booked in Sept for 11 nights.

Booked for the first full week of Dec.

And he wants to go back again.......those PAPs are burning a hole in his pocket. Sheesh!!

 

[smcabee]

We bought our passes in June 2012. We had to buy DH his during our Christmas trip, which is when we upgraded ours to PAP. We're going next week to burn off our last days (DD and mine) and use hubby's. Then we're contemplating a lean (studio trip) during either F&W or over a long weekend. With that we'll be busted points-wise until August 2014 is available.

Yep...Got 1 5 day trip in July for my BD on my old pass....For the new PAP we bought last DEC we got 1 15 day trip for F&W in Nov..1 7 day trip in May 2014 for F&G and another 15 day trip in OCT 2014 for F&W.

 

[drcoulsey]

We typically go to WDW every other year but last December we bought the discounted PAP and we have already used them for 2 trips and have 2 more trips planned before our year is up!

 

[Sur]

3 vacation plans also- about 10 nights each! Can't help it!

 

[Pirate Granny]

We normally get anywhere from 25-41 days out of our AP regularly...we didn't get the PAP 'cause I didn't think we would use it between June 2013 and our next trip of June 2014...so of course now I think we may for for a short weekend for Villain Day!

 

[disneynutz]

I am activating my family's PAP vouchers in November. Planning trips with banking and borrowing to maximize value of the pass.

Suddenly realized the mouse has me convinced it is a good thing to spend a full month of the year giving him all my money. Four separate seven day trips envisioned between 11/13 and 10/14.

Anyone else get lured in? In a way I hope so- I'm fairly certain this is what Disney wanted when they put out the offer. If they do see a spike in DVC attendance it might make them offer it again.

I realized this train of thought might get odd looks from family and friends. Figured other folks at disboards might understand...

Sure we understand.
Disney gave us a discount that cost them nothing, in exchange we all spent millions of dollars that we normally wouldn't have.

Pretty smart Mouse!

Bill

 

[RCharnay]

We usually do one week each year or maybe two long weekends but next year we are planning 4 trips for a total of 20 days. We are borrowing to make this our "year of Disney". The mouse certainly convinced me! And we can't wait to spend this much time in DVC units and do things we've never had time for like water parks and disneyquest.

 

[bumbershoot]

Disney gave us a discount that cost them nothing, in exchange we all spent millions of dollars that we normally wouldn't have.

Pretty smart Mouse!

Very smart! Do it again, do it again!



We're doing 3 trips, too. Had one planned for February (which we took). At some point in the last year I got really into running, so of course I *have to* do the TOT 10-miler run in October, and hey, why not try a Half Marathon in January? Helps that that trip is screeching into the end of our passes.

If DH had done more work travel this year and we had more airline miles, DS and I would absolutely be taking a summertime trip, too. After all, we NEED to use those PAPs at the waterparks, and DH isn't a fan at this time of waterparks.

And we're even worse, because we started off DVC in a borrow/bank/current use mode, so we have a total of 35 usable points either now or in Feb (depending on if we borrow or bank), and that means we're paying cash...

 

[CarolMN]

Keep it up, people!

When Disney notices that DVC members with the PAPs are spending more time in the "Disney Bubble", they will offer that great PAP deal again.

So don't go to "those other places" while staying at DVC. - Or if you must, be sure to use your PAPs to enter a WDW park at least once that day, so they can't be sure what you did that day, LOL.

 

[WolfpackFan]

We're getting three trips for a total of 20 days out of the current PAP.

 

[sarahk0204]

I call it the "siren song" of the annual pass.

We were not in a position to take advantage of the latest offer. However, we did manage to squeeze 3 trips out of our Dec 2010 - Dec 2011 AP's.

 

[lodge]

PAP made the difference between some days at the parks and some doing other Orlando activities, to some days at the parks and some days at the WATER PARKS!! More variety, more trips planned... yeah, I'd say that was a very cleaver marketing plan!

What'd it cost us.... oh, just another add on (ok, ok, I suppose the beautiful rooms at VGF had a part in that!)

 

[bwang123]

we got sucked in too. bought PAP in December because it was a good deal and we figured we could go again in October.

- 8 day December trip (bought some christmas gifts because, hey, we get 20% off)
- 6 day May trip (hey, we have PAPs, lets take an adult only trip)
- 6 day October trip

 

[DVCTigger]

We actually had purchased two APs earlier in the year for our Dec trip. Then they came out with the PAP offer. So we stashed away the AP vouchers, and bought the PAPs. So we got 16 days Dec12/Jan13. Then 8 nights in Feb and another 8 nights booked for Oct. Our DD22 had a 10 day hopper that she upgraded during our Dec trip to PAP and took her boyfriend (who left WDW as her fiancé!) in May.

 

[DougEMG]

We picked up the PAP as well an have done 2 weeks Dec, 2 weeks in Mar and have a 3 week trip booked for Sept. So far have only managed 1 day at the water park and 1 afternoon at Disney Quest, but I'm hoping that we'll do a lot more water park days in the Sept trip. I sure liked having that 20% discount with the PAP last Dec and it was a big disappointment to have it drop down to 10%.

If they ever offer this again, I'll definitely buy it.

 

[tjkraz]

Disney gave us a discount that cost them nothing, in exchange we all spent millions of dollars that we normally wouldn't have.

If owners respond by borrowing points and cramming more trips into the 366 day PAP window, then Disney really didn't gain anything. Without the PAP discount, the points still would have been used and trips taken over a longer period of time.

In fact, members may have ultimately spent MORE if they had spread out their purchases over a longer period, spent more on tickets, etc.

IMO, all the PAP discount really did for the theme parks is accelerate the revenue stream, encouraging more Member spending in 2013 and early 2014. They will pay the price in late 2014 and 2015 when Member trips (and spending) decline as owners have no more points to use.

The potential benefit to DVC is members adding points after they've exhausted their supplies. But not all members will do that.