Ultimate Hopper vs annual Pass????

[tss2]

I'm trying to figure out which type of park pass is best for us on out next trip. I'm interested in comments and helpful hints on what other people do. I've heard sometimes one person gets an annual pass (for the extra discounts) and the rest get hoppers. I'm also trying to figure out what the extra discounts for an AP really are? If you don't buy your passes till you get there, you won't get the newsletter ahead of time to know all the "special" stuff. Can you tell I'm confused? Anyways....

Here's what our park habits are like:

1. Staying for 8 days and want to be able to go into the 4 main parks every day.
2. 2 adults and 2 kids under 10
3. plan to visit once a year for 8 days, but trips won't necessarily overlap to be in the same 365 days
4. we don't do the waterparks or disney quest
5. We have a Disney Club membership and can get that discount

What do you do?????????? THanks for the help!

 

[tss2]

Oh.....I forgot to ask if we get any extra discoutns for being DVC members?????? again thanks for the help!

 

[Nanajo1]

We bought annual passes and activated them on our trip last week. We went to the parks on six days of our 7 day trip. Some days if was just to eat at Epcot or stop by just to watch a parade. We did not worry about using a day for just a quick stay at any of the parks. We have another 10 day trip planned for 11/01 and we hope to make it back early March 02 before this annual pass expires. We still have some left over Hopper plus passes with options left on them so we probably will use the options for PI and BB the next trip. Our plan is to take a week vacation late winter every year and a longer stay every other Thankgiving. It will be a juggling act but this experiment for us so far so good.
As far as discounts go I have tried to read up on all of them and end up confusing myself. So what I do is I ask what discounts are available then name off all that I have: DC, DVC AP, Amex. The CM have been very helpful finding the best discounts for me.
I 'd be very happy if some one could sort the discounts out in an simply manner for me!
Thanks

Nanajo DVC 8/98

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Contemp 11/85
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[CarolMN]

Your best option for eight days is annual passes. Here is the link to ticket prices on this site so you can compare for yourself:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm

DVC membership gives you a 10% discount off of the Length of Stay Pass. I think it is called Ultimate Park Hopper ticket now. Since you don't do water parks or Disney Quest, the annual passes will be less expensive.

 

[drusba]

This is a close one for you. The length of stay pass for 8 days with the 10% DVC discount is about $326. The AP new with a Disney Club discount is $354 but $316 when renewed. (I am doing adult prices here.) In other words you are not looking at a significant difference in cost between the two except when you first buy the AP.

If you are actually going to be at the parks more than those 8 days in one year, the AP is porobably the choice, meaning do it if you go 8 days now and within a year go 8 more. If it is really going to be spread out 8 days a year and thus you cannot use that AP for two separate trips in one year, then you may want to stick with the length of stay.

A major advantage of the AP is the ability to get room discounts, but as a DVC member you do not need that.

The second advantage is restaurant and other similar discounts, but here you have overlap with the DVC discount and the DVC discount is better overall than the AP. I don't have before me the two lists, but both include many of the same places (usually the chain restaurants like at DD) and DVC includes some better ones that AP does not have--like Yactsmen's Steakhouse (the AP has little for restaurants in the resorts or in the parks, DVC has some for those). AP provides a Disney Quest discount of 15% but DVC provides 20% (and of course you don't need that discount with the length of stay). AP has a buy one get another free entry to miniature golf, while DVC has 20% off any entry for that and I don't consider that much of a difference. In other words, I would not buy the AP just for restaurant or other discounts. Eight park days a year is usually what most consider the point at which the AP becomes the pass of choice, but that is for non-DVC members who are usually looking for room discounts, have no other restaurant discounts, and don't have a 10% reduction on the length of stay. For a DVC member, the AP usually does not start to begin to make sense until you are in the parks at least 9 days a year.

c