Please explain how AP renewing is worth it

[JUDSON]

Here's one for the thinkers... was hoping somebody could explain how renewing a disney world annual pass can be more economical than just buying one every two years. i gotta be missing something. To illustrate the dilemma, i will show what my ap cost would be in a 4 yr cycle if i went with renewing vs. buying every two yrs.

2007:
10/21 thru 10/31 trip - First time purchase of an annual pass: $462

2008:
Case 1 - 10/21 thru 10/31 trip - Renew annual pass: $419
Case 2 - 10/10 thru 10/20 trip - use 10/21/2007 pass: $0

2009:
Case 1 - 10/21 thru 10/31 trip - Renew annual pass: $419
Case 2 - 10/21 thru 10/31 trip - Purchase new annual pass: $462

2010:
No plans to travel after 2010
Case 1 & Case 2 - 10/10 thru 10/20 trip - use 10/21/2009 pass: $0

Ok... so hopefully the illustration was clear. if you tally the costs up over the period, you will see that Case 1 (renewing) is a total cost of $1300, while Case 2 (buying every 2 yrs) is a total cost of $924.

Are there other variables that I am missing? Why would anyone renew every year? Thanks for answering...

 

[OKW Lover]

You seem to have accurately prepared the analysis for your plans. You're not missing anything that I can see.

Some of us renew annually be cause we go more frequently than you. What makes this work for you is that you go once a year and can time your visit in year 2 of an annual to fall before the AP expires. That takes good planning, but the payoff is worth it.

 

[goofy4tink]

For us, it makes sense to renew each year. At least I do. My dd has an AP but that may well change to a 10 day non-expiring park hopper when her AP expires in May. My dh already has the 10 pass. It's not worth it for him to have an AP since he only goes every 18 months or so. I go twice a year at least. So, it depends on when my AP expires and when I'll be going around the time of the expiration date. If I can move my trip back a week or so, then I'll use the old one, and wait and purchase a new one when ready for the next trip. My last AP expired on Nov 29, but my trip wasn't until Dec 7....so I waited until the 7th and renewed it. If it had been much later, I would have had to buy a new one.
If you can move your trip to be included in a current AP, it's always a good deal. Then, wait until the next trip to buy a brand new one.

 

[CoPirate]

You seem to be in the minority of people who can do what you're doing.

If thats all you plan on going, then it sounds like good savings to me!

 

[wendy46001]

sounds like that would work for you...but considering we hit the parks once a month for us renewing annually is the only option

 

[disnut8]

We renew because our expiration date is May 8th. Our first trip in our next "cycle" in over Memorial Day weekend. The timing just works for us.

 

[shellybaxter]

We did not renew our passes when they expired last January and have purchased new ones for our January trip this year. That is the way it works best for us.

You have to remember though that APs are used by locals who go all year long and use an APs year round. For them it makes since to renew. It also makes sense to renew for people who go for long trips at the same time every year and don't want to adjust their vacations by a couple of weeks.

 

[lovethattink]

Renewing makes more sense for my family since we are close to the parks. When we lived in PA sometimes we renewed and sometimes we started from scratch. It just depended on the timing of our vacations.

 

[tjmw2727]

I sometimes renew but not always as the $40.00 savings dosen't always make it worth it.

For example this year my AP expired 12/5 and we don't plan to return until April 06 with another trip in the fall and a possible Christmas trip. For me, this time it made sense to let the AP lapse to gain admission months in 2007.

Definately do the math and try and anticpate your trips before you assume its worth the $40.00 savings to renew.

TJ

 

[clkelley]

I don't renew mine either since they changed the rules about 5 years ago. (It used to be you could renew by mail at renewal time and they would send you a voucher. when you actually arrived and activated your AP, it would start on your arrival date)

For example, I bought one October 05, and went October, December, January, and May. I let it expire.

I just bought my most recent one on December 8th and it's use will be December, Feb, Sep, October,

With their new pricing rules buying a new one was even cheaper than renewing.

I paid $395 for a 10-day non-expiring hopper at ticketmania, then upgraded to an AP when I arrived. It was only $16 and change more.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

DH and I used our APs right up to the day before they expired in the beginning of November. We knew we wouldn't be able to go back for a couple of months (our dog is recuperating from surgery and we don't want to board him or have a petsitter), so we will just buy new ones when we go back in January--we also didn't think the $40 renewal savings was very motivating, either.

 

[Karnak]

I've been doing it that way for several years now. For example, I purchased an annual pass for a Disney vacation during the first week of December in 2005, and later used the same pass for a week at Disney during the week after Thanksgiving in 2006. In between those two trips, I also visited for three nights to catch some spring training baseball games in March, 2006, and went into the parks as well.

I have since allowed that pass to expire, and will buy a new one whenever I make my next trip to Disney.

Works for me.

 

[seashoreCM]

A general although not foolproof guideline is, if by not renewing your new AP that starts later will span another vacation that the renewed AP will miss, it is better not to renew.

Using simple numbers and no advance planning, statistically, if you next vacation is more than 36 days (one tenth of a year) away from the pass anniversary, it is better not to renew.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[tjmw2727]

This thread got me thinking ~ was the renewal discount greater in past years? I remember when you got the voucher for the renewal price but if memory serves me even a year after that the discount was still more than it is now even as a $ of the total. Anyone know for sure?

TJ

 

[JUDSON]

ah HAH! that's what i was missing.. the amount of time between ap expiration date and next trip date determines the economically viablity of renewing. if next trip occurs closer to a year after expiration date then do not renew. if next trip occurs shortly after expiration date then renew.

hey i knew you guys would not let me down, thanks for showing me the light!