Sorcerer Pass - When to buy?

[sagosto]

The boss is talking me into buying the Sorcerer pass for 2025. We are going on DVC Treasure late Jan but going to MK on Jan 24th before the cruise and HS on Feb 1st after the cruise. We are also going to Disneyland in April (but Sorcerer is only WDW but I wanted to brag... ). We are also going back to Disney World for 8 days (6 days of parks) for Halloween 2025. It's nearly a wash with a 2-day and 6 day ticket vs Sorcerer pass but I also get the Park Hop option (which we never use but boss wants it). You lose too much time traveling and I roll open to close.

Given I have hotel reservations, I can still book dining and LL w/o an actual resort ticket correct? I am trying to determine WHEN to buy Sorcerer to maximize the amount of time I can use it. I guess the only negative is the concern I won't get a reservation...

 

[erionm]

Given I have hotel reservations, I can still book dining and LL w/o an actual resort ticket correct? I am trying to determine WHEN to buy Sorcerer to maximize the amount of time I can use it. I guess the only negative is the concern I won't get a reservation...

You must have tickets linked to MDE in order to purchase LLSP and/or LLMP. Dining reservations don't require tickets.

The last price increase for annual passes was back in Oct 2023, so it's possible that the next price increase could be this Oct.

If you purchase online or by calling MS, annual passes don't activate until you actually use them for the first time to enter a theme park.

 

[sagosto]

You must have tickets linked to MDE in order to purchase LLSP and/or LLMP. Dining reservations don't require tickets.

The last price increase for annual passes was back in Oct 2023, so it's possible that the next price increase could be this Oct.

If you purchase online or by calling MS, annual passes don't activate until you actually use them for the first time to enter a theme park.

Thanks! No benefit to wait and might avoid another price increase. For the record, boss is making me do this -- I don't park hop.

 

[eandt]

The boss is talking me into buying the Sorcerer pass for 2025. We are going on DVC Treasure late Jan but going to MK on Jan 24th before the cruise and HS on Feb 1st after the cruise. We are also going to Disneyland in April (but Sorcerer is only WDW but I wanted to brag... ). We are also going back to Disney World for 8 days (6 days of parks) for Halloween 2025. It's nearly a wash with a 2-day and 6 day ticket vs Sorcerer pass but I also get the Park Hop option (which we never use but boss wants it). You lose too much time traveling and I roll open to close.

Given I have hotel reservations, I can still book dining and LL w/o an actual resort ticket correct? I am trying to determine WHEN to buy Sorcerer to maximize the amount of time I can use it. I guess the only negative is the concern I won't get a reservation...

Park reservations are still necessary for some reason for annual pass holders as well …

 

[thanxfornoticin]

As erionm has said, activation is based on when you use the ticket first, not when you buy it. You can purchase an AP 'certificate' that will be held in your MDE account for up to one year before you need to activate it. So if you're expecting to use the AP in late Jan, 2025, you could actually buy it today, hold it, and then use it when you enter the park for the first time 1/24/2025. Then your expiration date will be 1/23/2026 - plenty of time for your other trip. And since you'll have the AP in your MDE, you will be able to purchase LLSP/LLMP (7 days out plus the length of your stay if you're at a Disney resort, 3 days out otherwise).

 

[Ralph&Pam]

The boss is talking me into buying the Sorcerer pass for 2025. We are going on DVC Treasure late Jan but going to MK on Jan 24th before the cruise and HS on Feb 1st after the cruise. We are also going to Disneyland in April (but Sorcerer is only WDW but I wanted to brag... ). We are also going back to Disney World for 8 days (6 days of parks) for Halloween 2025. It's nearly a wash with a 2-day and 6 day ticket vs Sorcerer pass but I also get the Park Hop option (which we never use but boss wants it). You lose too much time traveling and I roll open to close.

Given I have hotel reservations, I can still book dining and LL w/o an actual resort ticket correct? I am trying to determine WHEN to buy Sorcerer to maximize the amount of time I can use it. I guess the only negative is the concern I won't get a reservation...

You can purchase Sorcerer Pass “vouchers” any time now, and they can be activated when you visit WDW in January. The one year of use will not begin until you use them for the first time to activate them. For Sorcerers purchased through DVC, they should be linkable to your My Disney Experience accounts in advance of your visit, and also may activate when you first tap in at one of the park gates. However, it sometimes requires a visit to Guest Relations at the park entrance to activate, if proof of eligibility to purchase Sorcerers needs verification. (When we did ours in April 2023, purchased through DVC Member Services, verification was done over the phone at the time of purchase, so they activated when we first visited. We let those expire this past spring and purchased new vouchers online that we will activate during our next visit in January. We expect to have to confirm eligibility in order to activate these.)

 

[eticketplease]

The boss is talking me into buying the Sorcerer pass for 2025. We are going on DVC Treasure late Jan but going to MK on Jan 24th before the cruise and HS on Feb 1st after the cruise. We are also going to Disneyland in April (but Sorcerer is only WDW but I wanted to brag... ). We are also going back to Disney World for 8 days (6 days of parks) for Halloween 2025. It's nearly a wash with a 2-day and 6 day ticket vs Sorcerer pass but I also get the Park Hop option (which we never use but boss wants it). You lose too much time traveling and I roll open to close.

Given I have hotel reservations, I can still book dining and LL w/o an actual resort ticket correct? I am trying to determine WHEN to buy Sorcerer to maximize the amount of time I can use it. I guess the only negative is the concern I won't get a reservation...

Just pointing out that you would actually need 2 1 day tickets. The two day ticket won't last until the 1st.

 

[sagosto]

Just pointing out that you would actually need 2 1 day tickets. The two day ticket won't last until the 1st.

View attachment 889407

Minnie is giving me hugs while Mickey is digging through my back pocket for my wallet...

Thanks for all the info. Disney always seems to find a way for fools like me to self justify the bigger purchase.

 

[alisonslp]

Over the years, 10 days seems to be the general rule of thumb when determining an AP. This is for park hoppers. Even with variable pricing, it generally works roughly the same. If you truly are not going to park hop then it will be cheaper to buy the Tix for each trip. Personally, I like the park hopper option bc I like to go to Epcot for food in the evening, especially if they have a food festival happening, and to go to mk for fireworks via the monorail. Just adds flexibility to our days

 

[drusba]

As to timing of purchase, also note that, as an annual pass, one still needs to make park reservations for going to the first park in the morning, which you can do after purchase and before activating the pass, but if you wait too long to purchase, you can create a risk of not being able to enter your first desired park for the day.

 

[eticketplease]

As to timing of purchase, also note that, as an annual pass, one still needs to make park reservations for going to the first park in the morning, which you can do after purchase and before activating the pass, but if you wait too long to purchase, you can create a risk of not being able to enter your first desired park for the day.

It's been a while since we had them since we have been enjoying the beach resorts lately.

Do they still have extra availability for AP Reservations when staying on property or is that a thing of the past?

 

[DonMacGregor]

Over the years, 10 days seems to be the general rule of thumb when determining an AP. This is for park hoppers. Even with variable pricing, it generally works roughly the same. If you truly are not going to park hop then it will be cheaper to buy the Tix for each trip. Personally, I like the park hopper option bc I like to go to Epcot for food in the evening, especially if they have a food festival happening, and to go to mk for fireworks via the monorail. Just adds flexibility to our days

I'd say yes and no. It really depends on when you travel, and that metric really only works if you're only taking one big trip per year. For example, we do a 5-6 day trip every year in early December and another in late spring. The basic 4-day Park Hopper price for early December is $695.60 per person for adults, and the 3-day Hopper is $557.42. A 3-day Hopper in May/June runs around $530.00 and a 4-day Hopper is around $675 so two 3-day trips per year runs about $1,100 and two 4-day trips runs nearly $1,400. We typically do 4 park days per trip, so we're saving around $500 per Pass over buying Hoppers.

Two 5-days trip versus one 10-day trip is around $1,500.

The renewal price for the Sorcerer Pass is $904.19 so even at 8 days we're saving money.

 

[drusba]

It's been a while since we had them since we have been enjoying the beach resorts lately.

Do they still have extra availability for AP Reservations when staying on property or is that a thing of the past?

(Correcting) Those staying on site can reserve all days of a trip in advance, For when not staying on site, you are liminated to five. How Disney determines limits to number of AP entries I do not know. Since all those with regular tickets no longer need a park reservation and cannot make any ride reservations until shortly before going to the park, I am guessing number of park reservations available to AP holders making reservations well before arrival depends just on some estimate/guess of likely park entries for the applicable time periods. From what I have seen when checking, it has been easy to get a park reservation even 60-days out and parks, other than MK, even last well beyond that, e.g., when we were there in late April to early May this year, all parks other than MK were still open for AP reservations even at one week out. Very high park entry demand times likely require reservations further out for all parks.

Also, you do not need any reservation when switching to a second park during the day or your first park after 2 p.m., except for MK on Sat and Sun.

 

[eandt]

I'd say yes and no. It really depends on when you travel, and that metric really only works if you're only taking one big trip per year. For example, we do a 5-6 day trip every year in early December and another in late spring. The basic 4-day Park Hopper price for early December is $695.60 per person for adults, and the 3-day Hopper is $557.42. A 3-day Hopper in May/June runs around $530.00 and a 4-day Hopper is around $675 so two 3-day trips per year runs about $1,100 and two 4-day trips runs nearly $1,400. we typically do 4 park days per trip, so we're saving around $500 per Pass over buying Hoppers.

Two 5-days trip versus one 10-day trip is around $1,500.

The renewal price for the Sorcerer Pass is $904.19 so even at 8 days we're saving money.

7 day PH for our next trip is $879.58 so renewing the sorcerers is a no brainer

 

[accm]

The difference between on property and not is timing of reservation. An AP-holder not staying on site at WDW can reserve a park beginning 60-days from the desired park date. AP-purchasers staying on site can reserve a park for their arrival date, and the rest of the days they will be staying on site, 60-days from date of arrival.

I don't think this is right. You can make a park reservation at any time. The difference between on site and offsite is that you can make a park reservation for every day of your stay, in addition to the 5 that you can hold with the Sorcerer's Pass

 

[eticketplease]

(Correcting) Those staying on site can reserve all days of a trip in advance, For when not staying on site, you are liminated to five. How Disney determines limits to number of AP entries I do not know. Since all those with regular tickets no longer need a park reservation and cannot make any ride reservations until shortly before going to the park, I am guessing number of park reservations available to AP holders making reservations well before arrival depends just on some estimate/guess of likely park entries for the applicable time periods. From what I have seen when checking, it has been easy to get a park reservation even 60-days out and parks, other than MK, even last well beyond that, e.g., when we were there in late April to early May this year, all parks other than MK were still open for AP reservations even at one week out.

Also, you do not need any reservation when switching to a second park during the day or your first park after 2 p.m., except for MK on Sat and Sun.

They used to have the buckets so you could pretty much guarantee getting into a park if staying on site. That was before they reopened hopping though.

I was hoping they still had that as I was going to buy a 10 day ticket from a gf so that she could earn the commission and then upgrade in the park. I can always just do it later on but I would rather get it done sooner than later.

 

[pixieprincess925]

don't forget that if you have the AP certificate in your MDE and an AP discount drops, you may be able to rebook your hotel with the discount (unless your before/after reservations are DVC, in which case - never mind.... )

 

[eticketplease]

don't forget that if you have the AP certificate in your MDE and an AP discount drops, you may be able to rebook your hotel with the discount (unless your before/after reservations are DVC, in which case - never mind.... )

Yup DVC thanks

That is a very good point though.

My Friend booked us at Riviera using the AP for cheaper than the DVC discounted price through member services as we are saving points for Aulani.

 

[DonMacGregor]

7 day PH for our next trip is $879.58 so renewing the sorcerers is a no brainer

Exactly. The break-even for anyone doing at least two trips in a year is actually only 6 days. Two 3-day Park Hoppers runs $1,100 total versus $900 for the Sorcerer Pass.

 

[eticketplease]

We currently have 10 day tickets that we bought through a friend so that she could get the commission with plans to upgrade to the Sorcerer Pass once we scanned in.

Does anyone know if we can apply the tickets to the AP before going by calling MS?

We are going M-TH but just in case we need to make reservations for MK it would make it easier a little farther out than within 2 days or so.