Premier Passport

[luckyman_apd]

Does anyone know if the Premier Passport that was good for both WDW and DLR still available? And if so, what is the current price?

My wife may be going to San Diego for work for a few days in a few months, and the kids and I would meet her at the end of it in Anaheim and we would spend 3 days visiting DLR. We have a BLT trip planned for November for 5 nights (possible 6 if we end up off Monday 11/12 for Veteran's day). Our next schedule trip after that would be Summer 2014, but we could consider making it June 2013 instead and skip 2014 if we were able to get a Premiem Passport.

I know that it is not something they offer a DVC discount for, so buying an WDW AP with the discount would not help, as they would not apply to discount to the upgrade price. Just curious if anyone knew anything about it.

Disneyland never was something I would have considered but with her out there already and pretty reasonable airfare from PHL to LAX, it might be a chance to do something we probably won't ever do.

 

[aan1701]

It is still offered, just not advertised at either resort. The cost is 778 and change with tax. Yes I included the tax. Price without tax is 749. At Disneyland you can buy it at any ticket booth. It is well worth the money, so much so, I don't care there is no DVC discount for it.

 

[luckyman_apd]

I found some info on the Disneyland thread about it. After doing the calculations, our trip to DLR will be too short for the Premier Passport to save us any money. The DVC discount on a WDW AP plus a 3 day pass at DLR will be cheaper. Thanks anyway.

 

[rutgers1]

I actually came to the board today looking for information like this. I wasn't even aware of a premier passport.

The high price doesn't make sense. I can see them tacking on an extra $50-$100, but what is the point of tacking on an extra $250, which would be $350 for a DVC member? If someone wants to incur the expense of traveling across the country to see another park, and if they are going to spend more of their money at that park, why not cut them a deal?

 

[karrit2000]

While it may seem like a high price you are getting a break buying the Premier Passport. When I bough mine it was considerably cheaper than buying my usual non Premium DVC AP for WDW and the Premium AP for DL. It now costs over $1000 to purchase the Premium AP's for both parks separately even when renewing. So for anyone planning to spend a considerable amount of time at each of the two parks the cost is well worth it especialy when you figure in the Dining & Merchandise discounts that are included. If someone is only planning a few days at DL or WDW as opposed to a week or more at each than they would be better off just getting the AP for the park they will be spending the most time in and a parkhopper for the one they will be spending less time at. I bought mine knowing I had a 10 day trip planned for DL and several weeks worth of trips planned for WDW during the span the pass would be good for so I definitely got my $$ worth.

A 7 day expiring Parkhopper for WDW with the plus options is $401 and a 6 day Parkhopper for DL is $251 so for a little over $100 more you get the Premium Passes for both parks. I make my decision based on how many days I'm planning for each resort. If I'm spending more than a week at WDW over the course of a year then an AP is the best option for me although I haven't bought the Premium one in years as I don't normally do the Water Parks or Disney Quest. The AP's for DL used to cost considerably less than they do now but I do normally spend a week or more when I go out there so I was close to breaking even paying a little more for the AP and getting the discounts that went with it. I don't think I would buy a separate DL AP and a separate WDW AP anymore but if I know I am going to both within the year then the Premier Passport would most likely be the best deal for me.

 

[bumbershoot]

I actually came to the board today looking for information like this. I wasn't even aware of a premier passport.

The high price doesn't make sense. I can see them tacking on an extra $50-$100, but what is the point of tacking on an extra $250, which would be $350 for a DVC member? If someone wants to incur the expense of traveling across the country to see another park, and if they are going to spend more of their money at that park, why not cut them a deal?

It's an annual pass. It makes sense if you would use an AP for both parks, and that is when it's a deal. I haven't been able to make it worthwhile yet, because there just aren't years when we would really use an AP for both parks.

 

[Longhairbear]

We got the passes, as it is a deal for the way we use our annual passes. So far we've only used it at Disneyland, but have a trip coming up to WDW.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Historically, we have a DL AP almost all the time, with only a few months break in between passes. We own at BWV and get a WDW AP every other year and use it for 2 10 day trips.

With the Premier, we now get a Premier every other year. We are on the DL AP only year, but while we had the Premier last year, we did 39 park days between WDW and DL.

Although it complicates planning, it is a great value for us. -- Suzanne

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I actually came to the board today looking for information like this. I wasn't even aware of a premier passport.

The high price doesn't make sense. I can see them tacking on an extra $50-$100, but what is the point of tacking on an extra $250, which would be $350 for a DVC member? If someone wants to incur the expense of traveling across the country to see another park, and if they are going to spend more of their money at that park, why not cut them a deal?

You need to be Premium annual pass buyers in order for this to make sense monetarily. If Deluxe is the norm then it doesn't.

At WDW the premium includes water parks and at DL the premium includes free parking and additional discounts as well as not having blackout dates. We get Deluxe passes so just continue to purchase the individual deluxe passes in years it makes sense.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

You need to be Premium annual pass buyers in order for this to make sense monetarily. If Deluxe is the norm then it doesn't.

At WDW the premium includes water parks and at DL the premium includes free parking and additional discounts as well as not having blackout dates. We get Deluxe passes so just continue to purchase the individual deluxe passes in years it makes sense.

That’s not quite right. A WDW non-Premium AP is $446 for DVC members and a DL Deluxe AP is $359 for DVC members, making the total cost $805. A Premier AP is $779 (with tax).

Thus, there is a savings even if you would otherwise buy a WDW AP and a DL DAP. The savings may not be enough, however, to compensate for having to have the same expiration date at both WDW and DL. -- Suzanne

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

That’s not quite right. A WDW non-Premium AP is $446 for DVC members and a DL Deluxe AP is $359 for DVC members, making the total cost $805. A Premier AP is $779 (with tax).

Thus, there is a savings even if you would otherwise buy a WDW AP and a DL DAP. The savings may not be enough, however, to compensate for having to have the same expiration date at both WDW and DL. -- Suzanne

I last checked prior to the pass increases so the Premier must have not had a change? If I recall the AP's had a decent increase last year - especially at DL. If you already have a WDW pass and would renew then the Premier will still be more. If you will use the added benefits then for approx. $20 more it makes sense but if that is a non-benefit then you still are better off renewing your WDW pass and purchasing a Deluxe DL pass.

However one of the problems with upgrading to the Premier pass is the effective date. Timing is very difficult if you are a passholder at both locations with different expiration dates and sometimes even if you are only a passholder at one location depending on trip timing.

 

[DebbieB]

That’s not quite right. A WDW non-Premium AP is $446 for DVC members and a DL Deluxe AP is $359 for DVC members, making the total cost $805. A Premier AP is $779 (with tax).

Thus, there is a savings even if you would otherwise buy a WDW AP and a DL DAP. The savings may not be enough, however, to compensate for having to have the same expiration date at both WDW and DL. -- Suzanne

The common expiration date is my issue. I usually buy a regular AP for WDW and a Deluxe for DL. I would save a few dollars with the Premier but I don't want to commit to the common expiration. I typically stagger my trips so that it makes sense. The only time I ever renewed was when they had the 15 month deal. I buy new ones to get the later expiration date. I didn't go to WDW at all last year, I had 2 trips to DL. This year I'm planning WDW in April and possibly October, with DL in September. Not sure about next year so I'm just going to buy a WDW AP in April, then see what my 2013 plans are when I go to DL. Might upgrade to premier depending on the timing.

 

[Snurk71]

Just adding my $.02 of experience...

We had DVC APs and were taking a trip to DL with DSIL's family and in-laws. Upgrading to a Premier for the 3 of us on its own didn't make financial sense, but one of us upgrading did because of the extra discounts the Premier pass received at DL (this was 2011). The Premier is treated like the top DL pass (whichever one that is) - which got us 20% of food (instead of 10, I think) and additional merchandise discounts - the one pass got the discounts for all 9 in our party (I just had to pay for everything and settle up later). I don't know that the higher level discounting is still on - that may have just been for last year.

 

[ActonAbhi]

Can you upgrade a DW 5 day pass to Disney Premier Passport?
So i planned a disney world trip for february a few months ago and bought a 5 day park hopper pass. However, 2 times later this year I have to make business trips to california and plan on swinging by Disneyland a few days each trip. I'm wondering if its possible to take my 5 day pass down to a guest relations booth at a dw theme park and pay the $400 difference and get a Premier Passport?
Thanks!

 

[karrit2000]

Can you upgrade a DW 5 day pass to Disney Premier Passport?
So i planned a disney world trip for february a few months ago and bought a 5 day park hopper pass. However, 2 times later this year I have to make business trips to california and plan on swinging by Disneyland a few days each trip. I'm wondering if its possible to take my 5 day pass down to a guest relations booth at a dw theme park and pay the $400 difference and get a Premier Passport?
Thanks!

I'm not sure of all the requirements to switch passes these days but have you used any days on the 5 day pass yet? I think they normally will let you "upgrade" within 14 days of first use. If you haven't used it I would think they should let you put the purchase price toward the Premier Pass. They used to be a bit more lenient with trading in older passes toward upgrades.

 

[disneypoor]

Can the premiere pass be purchased ahead of time, or is it something you have to purchase at the resorts? Is it also available for purchase at DVC resorts in Orlando? I had been contemplating a DVC AP for my family, but we want to go to DL as well, so I'm still pushing the pencil to see how many days I'd have to get out of the premiere pass to make it worth the money. We are going to BLT in July and would likely go to DL the following July. TIA for any tips and help you can give!

Susan

 

[karrit2000]

Can the premiere pass be purchased ahead of time, or is it something you have to purchase at the resorts? Is it also available for purchase at DVC resorts in Orlando? I had been contemplating a DVC AP for my family, but we want to go to DL as well, so I'm still pushing the pencil to see how many days I'd have to get out of the premiere pass to make it worth the money. We are going to BLT in July and would likely go to DL the following July. TIA for any tips and help you can give!

Susan

I posted the following in post # 5 of this thread along with some other comments:
A 7 day expiring Parkhopper for WDW with the plus options is $401 and a 6 day Parkhopper for DL is $251 so for a little over $100 more you get the Premium Passes for both parks. I make my decision based on how many days I'm planning for each resort. If I'm spending more than a week at WDW over the course of a year then an AP is the best option for me although I haven't bought the Premium one in years as I don't normally do the Water Parks or Disney Quest. The AP's for DL used to cost considerably less than they do now but I do normally spend a week or more when I go out there so I was close to breaking even paying a little more for the AP and getting the discounts that went with it. I don't think I would buy a separate DL AP and a separate WDW AP anymore but if I know I am going to both within the year then the Premier Passport would most likely be the best deal for me.


To make it worth the money it would depend on how many days you are planning to spend at both WDW & DL. If you are only planning one trip to each I think the break even point is still around a week at each. Keep in mind that if you are going to WDW this July your pass would expire 365 days from date of first use so you would need to complete your DL trip next year by the expiration date. As someone else mentioned you could consider getting the Premier Pass for just one adult in the family to be able to make use of the extra discounts available to the top level passholders.

I believe the Premier Pass has to be purchases at one of the parks or Guest Relations at Downtown Disney at WDW. I'm not sure that they can issue them at the hotels. I had to get mine at Guest Relations, not the regular ticket windows at WDW but that may have changed.

 

[Castillo Mom]

As others have posted, it can be a deal depending on how many days you'll be visiting WDW or DLR. It worked out really well for us last September. Our DLR APs had expired and we were planning an 11 night trip to WDW. After running the numbers the Premier pass was the best option. We visit DLR often since we only live 15 minutes away so the discounts come in handy. We're also visiting family in South Carolina in July, so we'll be able to squeeze in another trip to WDW before our passes expire in September. Well worth it for us.

 

[gmi3804]

I just got back from five days at DL, and went to the parks four days. I purchased the Premiere AP (yes, available only at theme park guest relations and DTD; apparently hotel ticket desks don't have the necessary printer to prints the hard plastic card) because I have a nine-day WDW trip coming up in May and a ten-day WDW trip in November. In addition, i may take a four-day DLR trip in late-August or early-September. That about 26 days right there, and the pass won't expire until 3/2/13, so it's not unreasonable to plan another trip in February to WDW on the same pass.

The other thing to consider is the dining discounts at DLR. Currently, having an AP is the only way to get discounts on dining at DLR. While they're the same as the Premium AP at DL, it's still 15% at almost all TS and CS Disney-owned outlets. 10% at DTD venues. Those $5- and $10-discounts on each check add up quickly. The discount isn't offered on alcohol, unlike the TiW's discount, but then again you're not paying extra for this card like you would the TiW card. And if you like to spend on merchandise, that 20% off is nice to have too.