To AP or not to AP?

[twinsouvenirs]

We are going for four days this labor day but were thinking about a park-less trip; however, I am also thinking I'll die if I am that close to the world showcase and don't stop in. We've also got a Valentines Day week trip planned at the GFVs on our new snazzy points. We'll definitely be parking on that week. We have 1 yr olds (by then 15 mo olds) who do not need tickets right now. Should we splurge and get the AP's to go to the parks for one or two short periods on a day or two this trip or should we wait till the February vacation and just get one day tickets this time? I cannot figure it out. We may plan a fall trip in 2014 but I'm not quite sure. Not sure which makes more financial sense.

 

[disneynutz]

We buy 10 day non expiring tickets for periods when we don't plan many park visits.

Bill

 

[DenLo]

I think you need to go to the parks at least 10 days for an AP to worth the money. I would just compare the cost of the number days you will be going to WDW in the one year period from the first day of your next trip between purchasing tickets (with or without park hopping) and an AP.

Allears.net has an article about the break even point for buying an AP.

http://allears.net/pl/breakeven.php The prices might be out of date in this article as it's dated 2011.

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip)....We may plan a fall trip in 2014 but I'm not quite sure. Not sure which makes more financial sense.

If you get APs, then "may plan" will turn into "will go on". We've seen it many times, LOL.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

If you get APs, then "may plan" will turn into "will go on". We've seen it many times, LOL.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

10 park days is pretty close to where the line is. It's never an issue for us since we go about 14-28 days per year and NEVER go a day without at least going in a park to do something.

I've seen the line argued anywhere between 10-12 days but I have generally always drawn it at 10, as mentioned above.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

We buy 10 day non expiring tickets for periods when we don't plan many park visits.

Bill

So how much does a 10 day non expiring park hopper cost a DVC member? I have to wait till my close (after the right of recision passes in 6 days) to get our access codes to log on and check.

 

[bakerworld]

So how much does a 10 day non expiring park hopper cost a DVC member? I have to wait till my close (after the right of recision passes in 6 days) to get our access codes to log on and check.

Only DVC discount is on AP's

 

[twinsouvenirs]

does the dvc AP include park hopping?

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

does the dvc AP include park hopping?

Yes

 

[MichiganDVC]

Nice thing about APs...you can stroll into Epcot for breakfast in France and a ride or two before you have to check out on your last day. If you have a 10-day pass, that 2 hours in Epcot counts as a "day" and you'd never do it.

This last trip, on my last day I checked out of BLT, went to Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch, rode TTA and Carousel of Progress, did my last-day souvenir shopping and went back to Bay Lake to wait for Magical Express. With no AP, I'd just be sitting in the Contemporary lobby with all the other sad-faced families waiting to go to the airport.

 

[disneynutz]

So how much does a 10 day non expiring park hopper cost a DVC member? I have to wait till my close (after the right of recision passes in 6 days) to get our access codes to log on and check.

We buy our tickets from UT using the Mouse Saver discount.
Last I heard Disney removed the 10 day non expiring from their menu trying to force guests to a more profitable ticket.

Bill

 

[SFlaDisneyfans]

Let me preface by saying we live in Florida and get the resident discount. Having the absolute freedom to bounce into a park just for a ride or two, or to grab a meal at a specific location is awesome. We use our passes alot( living 3 hours away), but for those who travel to vacation at WDW have to weigh the amount of days at WDW versus the cost. As others have stated, the day passes use a "day" even if you enter the park for just an hour. We love to vagabond ability to wander the parks as we see fit.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

We are going for four days this labor day but were thinking about a park-less trip; however, I am also thinking I'll die if I am that close to the world showcase and don't stop in. We've also got a Valentines Day week trip planned at the GFVs on our new snazzy points. We'll definitely be parking on that week. We have 1 yr olds (by then 15 mo olds) who do not need tickets right now. Should we splurge and get the AP's to go to the parks for one or two short periods on a day or two this trip or should we wait till the February vacation and just get one day tickets this time? I cannot figure it out. We may plan a fall trip in 2014 but I'm not quite sure. Not sure which makes more financial sense.

If you go to the locked sticky Everything About WDW Tickets in the TPA&S Forum, especially Post #18-A, you can get a lot more information. This is a complete price listing so you can compare all options. An easy way to get to the sticky is by clicking on the link in my signature. The ticket sticky is your friend!

So how much does a 10 day non expiring park hopper cost a DVC member? I have to wait till my close (after the right of recision passes in 6 days) to get our access codes to log on and check.

There are no discounts on any passes (other than water park one day) for DVC Members. However, DVC Annual or Premium Annual passes are the same price as Florida Resident.

does the dvc AP include park hopping?

All Annual Passes automatically include hopping, as they are valid for unlimited entries during the year.

We buy our tickets from UT using the Mouse Saver discount.

There is a way to save money on APs, check out post 18-C of the ticket sticky.

Last I heard Disney removed the 10 day non expiring from their menu trying to force guests to a more profitable ticket. Bill

The no-expire option is still available by phone or on-site. It is just not available for purchase online because too many people were buying the NE by mistake and then asking for refunds.

The major problem with Annual Passes concerns when they are in a drawer more than 100 miles from Disney World and they whine a lot and scream:

Use Me!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have purchased APs for many years (even before the DVC discount), and we can't imagine not having the ability to just "drop in" at one of the parks any day of a trip. We do plan our passes wisely though. We almost never renew an AP, but will take time off between passes so we can get several trips on each one. For example....Our PAP's that we purchased last December will not be activated until our Dec. 15th trip this year. We will use them for those 10 days and then will return in March for another week. Then in Dec. of 2014, we'll do our annual Disney Holiday trip during the first half of the month so we will leave by Dec. 15, 2014. That gives us about 24 days on an AP. We have repeated this pattern for years. We do March every other year, so the "off year" for APs will mean no Disney trip until the following Dec. By doing this, we buy an AP every other year, but get two years worth of trips on it.

Another neat thing about Disney APs....Disney actually gives you 366 days in your AP year instead of 365. You can still use it on the same date a year after first use.

 

[Dacky619]

Nice thing about APs...you can stroll into Epcot for breakfast in France and a ride or two before you have to check out on your last day. If you have a 10-day pass, that 2 hours in Epcot counts as a "day" and you'd never do it.

This last trip, on my last day I checked out of BLT, went to Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch, rode TTA and Carousel of Progress, did my last-day souvenir shopping and went back to Bay Lake to wait for Magical Express. With no AP, I'd just be sitting in the Contemporary lobby with all the other sad-faced families waiting to go to the airport.

We did things like this waaay before we were AP holders. It's what 10 bucks to change a 6 day ticket to a 7 day now? It was even easier 5 years ago when it was an extra 3 or 4 dollars for days adding days 7-10.

 

[MichiganDVC]

We did things like this waaay before we were AP holders. It's what 10 bucks to change a 6 day ticket to a 7 day now? It was even easier 5 years ago when it was an extra 3 or 4 dollars for days adding days 7-10.

Yeah, I see that. I used to get the 10-day Non-expiring tickets, though, so for me that was a "wasted" day. No longer

 

[nabi]

We buy 10 day non expiring tickets for periods when we don't plan many park visits.

Bill

same here

 

[Dacky619]

Yeah, I see that. I used to get the 10-day Non-expiring tickets, though, so for me that was a "wasted" day. No longer

Very true, I'd never use a NE day for a few hours.