Please help me decide if my family should become Annual Passholders

[anpeck]

Any and all input is greatly appreciated! We (myself, DH and DS(1)) have a trip to Disney planned for September, currently the dates are 9/3-9/10 with 6 day PH tickets, but we are thinking about arriving Friday and adding some more days to our tickets. We got a deal through a TA for Labor Day. We live in PA so it's not like we can go every weekend, but having admission already paid for would allow us to take smaller trips throughout the year. I was looking at going down over Memorial Day weekend with another one of the TA's deals, and that's when I would want to upgrade to the AP. Some questions I have:

Can you upgrade tickets received from these deals through the travel agency to an AP?

I was reading some of the threads and I saw conflicting information on upgrading prior to or after using a ticket. Can someone explain what upgrading after using a day does? I saw something about bridging but honestly I got pretty confused.

Any other information that would be helpful would be appreciated as well. TIA!!

 

[HM2012Butler]

Just to help you on your decision, I don't see why you shouldn't get one if you're going to use it. I will honestly say I have no idea how changing passes works but its probably in your best interest to just go ahead and get them before you use any days

 

[wendyt_ca]

As long as it is regular theme park tickets then you can upgrade them there. If the tickets themselves are some sort of special tickets (usually convention type) then you would not be able to. The deal may be called a labor day deal but I am sure the tickets are still normal and just purchased through Disney. But make sure you use your first day and upgrade on the second day otherwise they will charge you the difference between what the agent paid instead of the difference between that days price. You just have to use the first day.

If you are planning another trip within 12 months (like memorial day) than absolutely! This is actually a tactic we use to save money on Disney. Every other year we buy an AP and make sure our annual trips are just within 12 mths because it is cheaper to buy an AP than it is to buy park tickets for 2 different trips. I also usually scam a trip in the middle because we have an AP (for example we bought an AP this year and are going for a week in April, a week in Oct then a few weeks next year in March).

Plus then you get 10% off merchandise and several other discounts

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

If you will go more than 10 days during the year, it definitely makes sense! We have AP's this year, for the first time, and have definitely gotten our money's worth. In addition to the ticket savings, you get a discount on merchandise and some meals and are eligible to buy the Tables in Wonderland card. We bought out AP knowing we'd be going a few days last summer, one day at Christmas and then a longer trip this summer. Since we had AP's, we decided to add a short trip in October and a trip over spring break. We have family in Florida, and it's nice to be able to pop over to Disney, even just to use our three fast passes etc. Go for it!

You also get free parking and free Photopass downloads!

I can't help with upgrading while you are there, but I've heard it is easy to do at any guest relation location.

Go for it!

 

[supersnoop]

Two 10-day base tickets are still less than an AP. When you add hopping, two 6-day tickets are more than an AP. So, if you'll take three trips, or two trips with the hopper option, then you should get an AP.

Note that you'll need to "upgrade" while the tickets are still valid. You seem to say that you want to upgrade during your second trip, but that won't work if you're upgrading the tickets from your first trip.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Two 10-day base tickets are still less than an AP. When you add hopping, two 6-day tickets are more than an AP. So, if you'll take three trips, or two trips with the hopper option, then you should get an AP.

Note that you'll need to "upgrade" while the tickets are still valid. You seem to say that you want to upgrade during your second trip, but that won't work if you're upgrading the tickets from your first trip.

Agreed, but with the included Memory Maker you now have to factor that in. If you get MM every trip, 2 trips of almost any length usually leads to APs being cheaper.

 

[wendyt_ca]

It is $426 for a 10 day non park hopper. And $800 for and AP so it would save $50(more if you were getting the hopper) plus savings off merchandise and some dining. We are DVC members so we can get the pass with blackout dates so it's much cheaper.

 

[alliecat523]

We got our first APs this year and have made the most of them. When there are fare deals to MCO, we go down for the weekend. We also had an unexpected few hours in Orlando in January so we popped over to walk around. I definitely think it's worth it. For us the tickets are always the biggest expense.

 

[msmama]

I don't know what the maximal deals are but do they include tickets? Make sure you're still saving by doing a room only reservation since you will now have tickets (personally it always works out better for me to do room only but do your own math).

Also are you okay paying for airfare/travel expenses several times per year?

I have an AP and live in NY and I've spent considerably more than I saved by going with an AP (by adding in trips).

 

[Amanda999]

Hi OP - you definitely need to ask the TA (I know the one you are talking about) and get it in writing (an email) that the tickets you buy from them are upgradable at Disney to an AP. I say that because I believe that the late Aug/early Sep. room only deal from them is because they book a block of rooms at convention rates. So, it seems possible that their tickets are somehow convention-related to. But probably not and I don't know! But it would be such a painful financial decision if you go twice in a year (and, thus, AP makes sense) and can't upgrade on your 1st trip. HTH!

 

[Hikergirl]

I have done that deal as well and I'm pretty sure the tickets are convention tickets.

 

[robinb]

I agree, you'll have to contact the travel agency. I worked with them last year and found them to be very knowledgeable. They'll know the type of tickets they have and if they can be upgraded. If they can't be upgraded maybe you can convert to a room only discount.

If you do upgrade tickets, you'll have to do it on your first trip. If you purchase discount tickets (like from Undercover Tourist) you'll want to make sure you use them at least one day first so you'll get the current "face value" of the ticket applied to your AP and not the price you paid for it.

 

[anpeck]

Thanks everyone! I confirmed with the TA that their tickets are not able to be upgraded into annual passes, but we did the math and it makes sense for us to go with a room only deal and then buy AP's once we get down there. I'm super excited to know we'll be squeezing a few extra trips in!

We're staying at the Beach Club; where is the best place to go to get annual passes?

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thanks everyone! I confirmed with the TA that their tickets are not able to be upgraded into annual passes, but we did the math and it makes sense for us to go with a room only deal and then buy AP's once we get down there. I'm super excited to know we'll be squeezing a few extra trips in!

We're staying at the Beach Club; where is the best place to go to get annual passes?

The best place to go is the International Gateway. It is a five minute walk from the Beach Club. The ticket booth is on the right and guest relations is on the left. You can get annual passes at either location but if you also wanted to buy the Tables in Wonderland discount card, then you would have to use the guest relations booth on the left. There is usually a short line at the International Gateway.

 

[DisneyGeekyParadise]

Any and all input is greatly appreciated! We (myself, DH and DS(1)) have a trip to Disney planned for September, currently the dates are 9/3-9/10 with 6 day PH tickets, but we are thinking about arriving Friday and adding some more days to our tickets. We got a deal through a TA for Labor Day. We live in PA so it's not like we can go every weekend, but having admission already paid for would allow us to take smaller trips throughout the year. I was looking at going down over Memorial Day weekend with another one of the TA's deals, and that's when I would want to upgrade to the AP. Some questions I have:

Can you upgrade tickets received from these deals through the travel agency to an AP?

I was reading some of the threads and I saw conflicting information on upgrading prior to or after using a ticket. Can someone explain what upgrading after using a day does? I saw something about bridging but honestly I got pretty confused.

Any other information that would be helpful would be appreciated as well. TIA!!

I'm an AP myself, but only because I go every Friday and sometimes Saturday. Do not do it if you will not use it.

 

[L&Lfan]

One year we had three trips scheduled so getting an annual pass was a no brainer!

 

[maccagerl]

Disney often has room discounts for annual pass holders.
You don't have to have the AP when you book, you just have to show it to the front desk at some point during your stay.

You can call Disney , tell them your dates, and ask if they have any AP discounts during that time.

 

[freediverdude]

You may want to go ahead and purchase the annual passes ahead of time online and link them to your My Disney Experience account, otherwise you won't be able to make fastpass reservations until you get there, which would probably lock you out of getting fastpasses for some of the popular rides.

 

[Roobear77]

We are in a similar situation. Have a big 11 day trip planned for October 2017, was planning on a 5 day park hopper (I think). Then found out that the inlaws yearly convention is at WDW in March, and she wants us to have a bit of a family reunion and meet there. We did a short early December trip last year for MVMCP, and loved it. If we get APs, we could do a last minute trip or two, take advantage of cheap offsite accommodation or use my inlaws' time share in Orlando. I love the idea of on our long trip we could pop over to a park for the morning and then head back to FW and not worry that we aren't getting our money's worth by staying all day. I am calling 2017 "the year of Disney" LOL.

 

[richmo]

Since you've settled on AP's (I think a good choice, based on your travel plans over the next year), I would go ahead and purchase them now. You'll protect yourself from any price increases between now and September and that large expense will be out of the way and paid for before your trip.

You will still need to activate the passes upon arrival at Guest Relations (there is a location at the International Gateway entrance to Epcot, which is the most convenient for the Beach Club). Remember the clock on the annual pass doesn't start ticking until you activate the pass, not when you purchase it. Another benefit of buying them ahead of time is that you can link the vouchers to MDE and set up FP+'s, etc.

Another thing you might want to consider, since you're purchasing AP's, is whether you want Tables in Wonderland. If you do a lot of table service meals in WDW, it may be worth it. Since there's essentially only two of you, it would take longer to justify, but 20% off meals can add up pretty fast.