short visit + long visit in one year. AP save $?

[crazymomof4]

We have a family trip of 9 days (7 park days) planned for Sept 2016.
Recently my brother offered his timeshare for a short Orlando trip (prob just 2-3 days in WDW). Airfare for end of Jan is good.
I know short-term wdw tix can be expensive (when broken down per day cost) so was wondering about getting Annual Passes to use for both the short and long visits. I don't know anything about APs. Would this save $ or would I break even? Talking about 2 tix- just my dd and I would be doing the short trip.

 

[Marionnette]

We have a family trip of 9 days (7 park days) planned for Sept 2016.
Recently my brother offered his timeshare for a short Orlando trip (prob just 2-3 days in WDW). Airfare for end of Jan is good.
I know short-term wdw tix can be expensive (when broken down per day cost) so was wondering about getting Annual Passes to use for both the short and long visits. I don't know anything about APs. Would this save $ or would I break even? Talking about 2 tix- just my dd and I would be doing the short trip.

Well, right off the bat you're going to save $20/day on parking since you will be offsite. You only need one AP to qualify for that, though. The same goes for dining and merchandise discounts.

So, what you really need to do is compare pricing for an AP vs. the total cost of individual tickets for your family. You may find that it's cheaper to buy the individual passes and only one AP (for the parking and discounts). Keep in mind that APs cost the same for both kids and adults.

 

[crazymomof4]

Well, right off the bat you're going to save $20/day on parking since you will be offsite. You only need one AP to qualify for that, though. The same goes for dining and merchandise discounts.

So, what you really need to do is compare pricing for an AP vs. the total cost of individual tickets for your family. You may find that it's cheaper to buy the individual passes and only one AP (for the parking and discounts). Keep in mind that APs cost the same for both kids and adults.

Great info. Thanks. I did not know about the free parking with AP's....actually, I'd forgot about parking all together bc it's been so long since we've stayed offsite.

 

[scrapquitler]

I think you just need to add up the cost of the tickets separately vs. the cost of the APs. Remember the parking that you'll save, also the 10% discount on any merchandise you buy, and the fact that Memory Maker is now included in APs (except I think not in FL resident passes), so if you would be buying Memory Maker for your trip, you can count that as a savings as well. Oh, and a possible room discount.

Running the numbers is the only way to know for sure.

 

[crazymomof4]

I think you just need to add up the cost of the tickets separately vs. the cost of the APs. Remember the parking that you'll save, also the 10% discount on any merchandise you buy, and the fact that Memory Maker is now included in APs (except I think not in FL resident passes), so if you would be buying Memory Maker for your trip, you can count that as a savings as well. Oh, and a possible room discount.

Running the numbers is the only way to know for sure.

Oh! Didn't know Memory Maker is incl with AP! thx!

 

[Emacneil]

DH and I went for an Anniversary trip in April 2015 and we are taking the kiddos in February 2016. So DH and I bought APs. We price bridged the AP cost (bought tickets from UT and then upgraded to APs once we used the tickets one time - if you search the boards there is a lot of info on this). We then used gift certificates bought at Target with 5% Redcard discounts for the upgrade to AP cost. We ended up saving about $120 on the cost of the AP between the price bridging and RedCard discount (two APs). We then also bought the Tables in Wonderland card (also using WDW gift cards bought at Target = 5% discount). We ended up saving $75 using TIW (after earning back the initial cost)....and that does not include any savings from our Feb trip. We did not buy many souvenirs - but you can save 10% on many of those. As others have suggested, run the numbers. But for us, it was cheaper to get APs. NOTE - this was before the change in cost for both APs and TIW.

 

[brinkley07]

It has saved us money in the long run to have the AP. It has also cost more because now I want/try to go more often!

 

[JenB1104]

I priced out several short trips and we are getting APs for DD and I. We are going 5 nights in March, a couple add on days to another trip to Tampa in June and then a December trip which is off site. With the parking savings, memory maker etc. it is saving money for us. This will probably be a unique year of Disney travel for us since I have a lot of Southwest points and the companion pass for DD so airfare is taken care of and she is at an age where she loves Disney. I figure we'll see the rest of the country after this year when she can really appreciate it!

Agree with the PP though - with the AP I will probably spend more by going more often when you consider hotel and food I am also using the Target gift card strategy to buy the APs so I will be them at a discount.

 

[MommaBerd]

I did the math a while back, and IIRC it takes two trips of 3 or 4 days to make the AP worth it.

There used to be a Ticket thread sticky, but from what I understand, when Cheshire Figment passed away, they removed it as a sticky because a lot of the info wasn't current and he is no longer around to keep it current or answer current questions.

So, I will tell you what I was told (and learned) from my previous experience a couple of years ago. If you go the UT route, you need to by the ticket that gives you the highest discount from the gate price to get the biggest discount. So, even if your first trip is only a 3-day visit, you still want to purchase probably the 10-day PH/WPFM ticket (check to be sure). And you can do this even if you decide to do only one AP.

Then, you ENTER the park and go to Guest Relations to upgrade. This is an important step - you should not try to bridge it prior to your using it. You need to make sure you know EXACTLY what the cost of bridging the ticket will be - the difference in the cost of the AP and the GATE price of the ticket you purchased. And be prepared to stand your ground! The CMs aren't always fully trained on how to do this. And if that CM doesn't know how or won't do it, just try again later or another day. (This is where I messed up. I wasn't confident in my numbers, and was "overcharged." But, I addressed it after our trip and Disney refunded the money I was owed.) Also, make sure the AP isn't backdated based on the date you purchased the UT tickets, but is actually dated the day you purchase the AP.

Finally just so you know - this isn't cheating the system. You are just carrying forward the discount you already received.