The Perks of being an AP

[Tink91]

My brother and I are considering buying an AP, we go once a year for around 5 days but we live in Australia, I know you get to buy some neat things in the parks but is there anything else that will make it worth while?

 

[Funball]

food discounts. discounts on hotels and tours......

 

[bateman]

Do you need a certain level of AP to get the "AP ONLY" merch?

 

[Raindown]

Do you need a certain level of AP to get the "AP ONLY" merch?

I don't believe I've seen a differentiation when it comes to AP only merch.

 

[skiingfast]

My brother and I are considering buying an AP, we go once a year for around 5 days but we live in Australia, I know you get to buy some neat things in the parks but is there anything else that will make it worth while?

The Merchandise discount is only for premium holders and a special offer currently for other Delux but not a regular thing.

So you are looking at, right now. $459 or $329 where as a 5 day PH is $211, a lot of ground to make up. If you could assume the two of you went at the same time only the person who pays would need the AP and in effect the group would all recieve the benefit or the discount.


Have you looked at the discount sheet on DL.com? AP discount information.

Really consider can you make up the difference with food dicounts, they don't help at McDonalds, Denny's.

It's easier to make it up with room discounts, which could save $50 a night. But then again when you are paying $200 a night, you would save more satying at the Peacock inn.

Also you get deals on party tickets. But if these still amy cost $40 or $50 so that may not be money normally spent.

 

[barefootmomma]

Do you need a certain level of AP to get the "AP ONLY" merch?

No. Any AP will do when purchasing the AP required merchandise.

 

[Funball]

but some places don't give discounts to certain AP's as merchandise goes. I knew a friend that had a delux and tried to buy an AP pin at p t flease and couldn't cause he only had deluxe..which is weired they should of honored it but didn't..so you might want to check out the link below, becuase if you purchase a pass you want to make sur you get the one that works for you!


annual passholder site, and info on discounts


also you might want to check this out too
List of places that give discounts to each pass , and how much

 

[skiingfast]

I check the hotel rates for APs. It says PPH as low as 169 and then as low as 174. looking at the availability right now PPH in January as far as I can see into the future, is $216. DLH and GCH are of course more.

 

[tdashgirl]

The AP rates for DLR hotels have not been good lately. Last October we got the DLH (pre construction mess too) for $139/night. I have not seen anything remotely that good since

So as skiingfast posted, you can stay at non DLR hotel for cheaper without needing an AP.

So now you just have a "maybe" merchandise discount (deluxe usually doesn't have it, although it does right now) - I'd say you'd have to spend a lot of money on food to make it worth it.

I would say you have to make at least 2 trips to DLR in a year to make an AP worth it.

 

[Funball]

hmm i guess mine is paid off then tdash .. i go 9 times a month

 

[tdashgirl]

hmm i guess mine is paid off then tdash .. i go 9 times a month

If you live near DLR, an AP is 10,000 times worth it

 

[skiingfast]

If you live near DLR, an AP is 10,000 times worth it

Certainly Funball is an AP holder that makes the most of her pass. She must get in at least 40 or 50 days a year.

 

[Tink91]

Hmmm..decisions decisions..

We have only been to DL once together so we would need one each!
Ack I dont know

 

[canopynut66]

My brother and I are considering buying an AP, we go once a year for around 5 days but we live in Australia, I know you get to buy some neat things in the parks but is there anything else that will make it worth while?

AP is only good for one year and any AP (we do not take the water parks as plenty of pools) We have discounts the same as a premium pass/ as we had those until this year and was not using water parks etc. so dropped those.

 

[LavenderPeach]

My sister (pinkbudgie) and her family go to DLR about once a year and what they do is buy APs and then take 2 trips while those APs are still active. So for example, you could activate the APs in July for one trip and then the next year go in June so that you get to use the same APs. It should be cheaper than buying 2 sets of parkhoppers if you know for sure you'll be able to use them twice plus you get the discounts - at least on the food.

 

[Tink91]

Thats a really good idea actually, so you can buy an AP at Disneyland?
I feel like such a newbie with this stuff

 

[kylie71]

Do you get unlimited Park Hopper's with those, like you do when staying at the DLR Hotel's?

 

[Tink91]

Yeah you do

 

[Sleepless Knight]

In the OP's case, I'm not sure if an AP is worth it if your 5 days in Disneyland will fall within the window of the the 14 days from start of visit to expiration of a 5 day park hopper. Room discounts could help, but may not be available during your stay and/or are too expensive. You can find much cheaper places to stay that are closer to the DLR than the Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotel.

Like someone said, $211 is a lot of ground to make up and that may not even get you the merchandise discount since the deluxe merchandise discount is subject to change at a moment's notice. The discount is nice, but in my case it doesn't even justify the premium over the deluxe. I get the premium because I live far enough away that it's more convenient for me to go over blackout weekends and get an extra day or two that I wouldn't otherwise have. I'm not sure that the increased discounts cover the increase in cost from deluxe to premium, but for me the lack of blackouts does.

And if you get the deluxe AP and plan to visit during blackout days which happen every weekend in the summer and on many holiday weekends throughout the rest of year, you will have to either purchase a blackout ticket or upgrade to premium, which will cost even more than the $211 difference between a deluxe and 5 day park hopper.

I ran the numbers and figured out that if I take a total of 2 trips to Disneyland that total 5 days combined and take those trips more than 14 days apart, the AP is worth it. Otherwise, a 5 day park hopper is substantially cheaper. The value of an AP comes from being able to make more than one visit to Anaheim over the course of 365 days a year.