Premier Pass... Is it worth it??

[Xochitl Solorzano]

Hi everyone,
I live in SoCal, about 30 minutes from Disneyland and i am currently a Signature AP holder and am in the parks all the time. I am most likely going to head to Disney World during the 50th anniversary with my boyfriend. Does it make sense to get the Premier Pass instead of buying tickets. Ideally we would be going during summer 2022 so that we have enough time to do most of the things we want to see in each of the parks as well as doing Universal. So we'd probably be doing about 6 days maybe more. Also having the Premier Pass would probably allow us to go over whenever we can find good flights to just hang in the parks for a long weekend or break from school. So would the Premier Pass be beneficial over buying tickets??

 

[Robo]

-we'd probably be doing about 6 days maybe more...
So would the Premier Pass be beneficial over buying tickets??

Unlikely.

A 7-day WDW ticket can cost $500-$600, or so.

 

[DWillowBay]

It used to be GREAT option, but with the price increases, it's just not anymore. I go to both parks, but haven't had the Premier Pass since 2015. I can control costs better by not having to put so much money out all at once.

 

[Kaadk]

Well, because I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, let's run the math:

Premier Pass: $2199.00
Most Expensive Disneyland Pass: $1499.00

Cost to add on WDW: $700.00

What you get for your $700.00:

Memory Maker: $169.00
Parkhopper Plus (effectively): $105.00

Cost of Park Days: $426.00

You said you wanted to do 6 days in WDW. The cheapest 6 day ticket seems to be $75/day and the most expensive is $102/day, from what I can tell. So, even if you go during the cheapest days, at $75/day (Sept 21, 2020 prices) it's coming up as $448.63. You'd be saving about $22.63. If you go during the most expensive (Dec 23, 2020 prices) it's coming up as $606.49. You'd be saving $180.49.

That's all based on the the Signature Plus passport. If you only have the Signature Passport, being $250.00 cheaper at $1199.00, you'd be losing money just to add WDW for 6 days. However, since the Premier gives you the Plus benefits, the difference might be worth it for you, to effectively be upgrading to the Plus benefits at the same time. You'll have to make that call.

 

[Kaadk]

And because I'm really curious, running the numbers the other way around:

Premier Pass: $2199.00
Most Expensive WDW AP: $1295.00

Cost to add DL: $904.00

Parkhopper at DL: $55.00
MaxPass add on: $20/day
Multiticket price: $75/day (best price)

Jumping ahead in the math, you'd need to do 9 days (8.937) in DL, to make it worthwhile.

So, it looks like the Premier is a better add on to those already with the DL pass, vs those who are adding on to a WDW AP.

 

[ahalper0227]

One thing worth noting is the Premier Pass is a pain in the neck to deal with. We have friends who are DL regulars but come to WDW a few times a year as well. so this has been their experience. The pass cannot be purchased or renewed online or over the phone. Everything has to be done in person, which makes life difficult with FP+ dates. They have had a number of experiences where CMs did not even know what their annual pass was so they were not able to get help.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

One thing worth noting is the Premier Pass is a pain in the neck to deal with. We have friends who are DL regulars but come to WDW a few times a year as well. so this has been their experience. The pass cannot be purchased or renewed online or over the phone. Everything has to be done in person, which makes life difficult with FP+ dates. They have had a number of experiences where CMs did not even know what their annual pass was so they were not able to get help.

I have a premier pass and have never had difficulty making FP+ reservations in MDE. I have had the experience of CMs not knowing what it was though - a CM at NBA Experience didn't think my AP qualified for a discount. Her manager corrected that little tidbit of misinformation.

 

[ahalper0227]

I have a premier pass and have never had difficulty making FP+ reservations in MDE. I have had the experience of CMs not knowing what it was though - a CM at NBA Experience didn't think my AP qualified for a discount. Her manager corrected that little tidbit of misinformation.

So their difficulty was because they could only renew their pass in person. They did not have any trips planned in the 60 days before their renewal. Because of that, the trip they had to Disney World after their pass would "expire" could not book fastpasses in advance.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

They have had a number of experiences where CMs did not even know what their annual pass was so they were not able to get help.

I have a premier pass and have never had difficulty making FP+ reservations in MDE. I have had the experience of CMs not knowing what it was though - a CM at NBA Experience didn't think my AP qualified for a discount. Her manager corrected that little tidbit of misinformation.

It is interesting to see WDW CM reactions to the Premier Pass for things like merchandise discounts. I'd say most recognize it, but I've definitely had some that are totally confused... some have to call a manager.... more than once a CM has said "you're not supposed to get a discount with that card" in an almost accusatory way...like I was trying to pull a fast one.