Too Confusing!!!!!!

[DizBelle]

Arggggghhhh!!!! I'm trying to figure out what to do but it is too much for my little head. I'm trying to figure out makes the most $$ sense for our next trip(s).

FYI - we don't do water parks or DisneyQuest. We like to do 1 or 2 nights at Pleasure Island. We would visit a theme park every day. I have intentions of making another trip about a year later in 2005 (could do just less than a year to make AP useful again before it expires). We're not really interested in the extra "wishes" features of the Dream Maker package. We're looking at staying at POFQ.

Here are the options that I've come up with:

1. Book November 6 day/5 night with Dream Maker package
2. Book November 6 day/5 night room only with a discount code I've yet to find and buy Ultimate Park Hopper passes.
3. Book November 6 day/5 night room only with a discount code I've yet to find and buy Park Hopper passes and separate admission to PI
4. Get 1 annual pass, book November 6 day/5 night with hopeful good AP discount and get PH or UPH for DH and use AP again in 2005
5. Get 2 annual passes, book November 6 day/5 night with hopeful good AP discount and use AP again in 2005

And then, if I buy PH or UPH, should I buy for more days than we will use and use them on a future trip?

It's..... too...... much..... brain...... can't...... take...... it........

HELP!

 

[mmeb144]

Okay, here's one link to help with the best ticket analysis:

http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/breakeven.php

The discount codes for November are not out yet. Look for them about 2 to 3 months out from November, like July/August.

Sign up at mousesavers.com for the monthly newsletter. Mary Waring, Mousesaver Guru, keeps an eye out for good deals on WDW.

Just for the record, I would buy the AP for both of you and get 2 trips out of it. You can never have too much WDW!

Marie

 

[Hippychickali]

Also, I've found the DIS budget discussion forum to be quite useful in finding tips for saving $$.

Ali

 

[DeDixie]

I vote for Annual Passes, might even be worth you while to do a annual PI pass as well, especially if you want to go 2 times each trip. A PI annual is less than $60, one night at PI is over $20.

 

[DizBelle]

Originally posted by DeDixie
I vote for Annual Passes, might even be worth you while to do a annual PI pass as well, especially if you want to go 2 times each trip. A PI annual is less than $60, one night at PI is over $20.

And then, which AP? The regular or the Premium?

 

[mmeb144]

Regular AP. You can get seperate admissions to PI at ticketmania.com for around $19.

Marie

 

[castlegazer]

UPH can not be used into the future they are length of stay passes. PH and PH Plus passes do not expire. OK - here is my advice to myself, so if you want to maybe take some of it, fine by me, but to just know its only my opinion. I will never book packages. I can do much better a la carte. As said previously, I am a subscriber to Mousesavers newsletter which then gives me access to Ticketmania special tickets prices to subscribers only. They have great deal on tickets and are reputable. I book rooms using a AAA discount, and then code watch - but with the realization that sometimes, and it appears that since things are on the upswing more likely than not, codes may not appear. I book what I can afford now, now what I could afford if codes come out. You can always switch resorst if codes come out. Unless I am going more than twice in a year or twice with stays of longer than five days, I do not buy APs.

There you have it. Book a la carte - unless you have a magical gathering which I think gives you access to some really neat stuff - and you will do much better financially. There is always a way to get some discounted tickets if you choose to trust Ticketmania - I would not recommend any other company. And as said above, Ticketmania has good PI ticket prices too making buying a plus PH ticket not worth it for you.

 

[DizBelle]

Ok - if I plan on going to the theme parks for 8 or more days in a year, the AP is the way to go just from a ticket purchase standpoint. Plus there is the added bonus of a discount on a hotel.

Is there always some kind of hotel discount for ap holders? What has it typically been in the past for both deluxe and moderate hotels (GF and POFQ specifically)?

 

[castlegazer]

No - and you should not count on it.

 

[castlegazer]

Go over to the Resorts board and you will find very interesting discussions on this topic.

 

[DizBelle]

I did some math and found:

Dream Maker package for 6 days/5 nights at POFQ = $1447
Assuming this includes the the rack rate of $148 per night for a water view during value season (when we would go), we are paying $353.50 each for the length of stay passes that are included.

Ticketmania has 6 day hopper plus passes for $290 each which saves $63.50 per ticket.

They length of stay has way more than we would use and the hopper plus has almost precisely what we would use (unlimited admission to the 4 major parks plus 3 options which would get us our admissions to PI). Plus, if we buy the 7 day pass, we would pay less per day and could save the unused days and options for another trip at any time in the future.

This sounds like the way to go unless the AP hotel discount can better it. Can I make a room only reservation now and apply an AP discount later when I find out what it is and get the AP?

Does my math sound right?

 

[DizBelle]

Ok - with above math, the total savings going with room only plus ticketmania tickets is $127 but I forgot to account for the room tax which is about $85. If we count that in, then we are paying $310.95 per ticket for the length of stay vs. $290 for the 6 day hopper plus. So, the real savings is only about $41.90. Does this sound right?

 

[castlegazer]

I don't know - I'm in finance and I am lost. I do know that if an AP room codes comes out you will be able to apply it to your reservation if it is valid for that resort or you could try and book at a resort that is being offered.

Remember with Length of stay passes - they are valid from check-in until the park closes on the day of check out, which some people like because it is like giving you some extra time without the days. However, I find that I really like the PH passes because they never expire and there are innevitably days that we will want to do something else and that way if we don't go to the park then we aren't wasting our day if tickets - they can be used for an upcoming trip.