Some Annual Pass Questions

[Mommy2TwoMickeys]

My husband and I are DVC members and recently we've been going to Disney twice a year We are debating about purchasing AP's, but had a few questions prior to purchasing:

1. What is the AP renewal price for DVC Members?

2. What promotions do you miss out on?...We always stay deluxe(when not using DVC points) so we never pick the "free dinining" promo...we always use the RO discount. We will still be able to get that discount, correct?

3. When not staying on DVC points, will we still be able to add the dining plan to our reservation since we won't be purchasing new tickets?

Thanks!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Here are the current AP and DVC prices.

http://allears.net/pl/ticketchart.htm#other

You would get room discounts, AP or 'public' if available. I have no idea about dining plan, never do it.

 

[mrsmorrow]

We are DVC members and almost always purchase AP's as well. If you choose to stay not using your points, you have to buy at minimum a one day park ticket and then dining will be for the number of nights in your reservation. We did that once or twice and then just saved the ticket to use later or put towards a future AP. Right now DVC members have a nice deal on AP's and it's a god savings but only available for a short time.

 

[yitbos96bb]

The thing to consider is whether renewal meets your travel habits. If it doesn't it could cost more for you in the long run.

So we have a similar use case. We tend to go twice a year...but time it to the AP year. So we generally tend to do a Dec trip followed by a second Oct or Dec trip the following calendar year (ie Dec 2012 & Oct 2013).

Keeping that sane schedule, if we renewed, we'd only probably get 1 use out of it which eliminates much of the value.


So that's something to keep in mind. If you always go Dec and Jun for example, then renewal makes sense. If you do it like me, you'd want to buy a new one.

As for promotions, I don't think you get any of the free dining 4 for 7 promos unless you do a full package. All you'd get are the AP perks including the room discounts.

I'm not sure on the dining plan outside of DVC. But you can always do TIW which I've found to be a much greater value.

My husband and I are DVC members and recently we've been going to Disney twice a year We are debating about purchasing AP's, but had a few questions prior to purchasing:

1. What is the AP renewal price for DVC Members?

2. What promotions do you miss out on?...We always stay deluxe(when not using DVC points) so we never pick the "free dinining" promo...we always use the RO discount. We will still be able to get that discount, correct?

3. When not staying on DVC points, will we still be able to add the dining plan to our reservation since we won't be purchasing new tickets?

Thanks!

 

[focusondisney]

My husband and I are DVC members and recently we've been going to Disney twice a year We are debating about purchasing AP's, but had a few questions prior to purchasing:

1. What is the AP renewal price for DVC Members?

2. What promotions do you miss out on?...We always stay deluxe(when not using DVC points) so we never pick the "free dinining" promo...we always use the RO discount. We will still be able to get that discount, correct?

3. When not staying on DVC points, will we still be able to add the dining plan to our reservation since we won't be purchasing new tickets?

Thanks!

There are frequently room only discounts offered to annual pass holders. They come out after any public offers but are usually for a small % more. EX: current deluxe resort public offer is 30% off; annual pass offer is 35% off.

We are DVC members and almost always purchase AP's as well. If you choose to stay not using your points, you have to buy at minimum a one day park ticket and then dining will be for the number of nights in your reservation. We did that once or twice and then just saved the ticket to use later or put towards a future AP. Right now DVC members have a nice deal on AP's and it's a god savings but only available for a short time.

This is true for the free dining promo, but if you stay on an annual pass room only discount, you can add the dining plan without buying any park tickets.

However, OP, another option for annual pass holders is the Tables in Wonderland card. You pay $100 for the card for a year, but save 20% off most table service restaurants, including alcoholic beverages. They add 18% gratuity automatically, but it is still a great deal. We eat at mostly table service. So far since last May, we have saved a few hundred dollars on 3 trips, ever after the $100 fee. And we'll use it again this May before it expires. Many AP holders think it's a much better deal that the dining plan because you can order what you want, not just what the dining plan dictates.