Upgrading to Annual pass... Am I crazy?!

[Miss Frankie J]

I just need to feel like if I'm being crazy so hear me out!

In October 2016 we are going to the Food and Wine festival for 5 day Park hoppers.

My best friend is going with her mother in 2017 in the spring for the Flower and Garden festival and would like me to come with them, they are going with 5 day park hoppers.

AND in Summer 2017 my Sister wants to go to disney with 4 day park hoppers.

I would have never even considered going on so many trips back to back a few years ago, but the idea of upgrading to an Annual pass to save money if I decide to do all these trips is tempting.... Is it crazy for me to even think I can go on this many trips or even plan these many trips?!?!

As some background info, I own a timeshare so lodging is not an issue. This 2016 trip has already been paid for so my expenses would be the upgraded tickets, spending money and of course flights for the 2017 trips. Is that doable or should I come back down to earth and keep to my one trip a year? I'm going with my boyfriend and my sister for sure, but my friend's trip is the one that I would be up in the air about.

This of course is also only feasible if the Annual pass is cheaper than the cost of 2 of the trips put together. What are your thoughts? what would you guys do?

 

[msmama]

My April trip will be number 4 for the year (calendar year).

I purchased the AP last May because I knew I could swing a trip this April. I also decided to do a quick trip in November to see the Osborne lights for the first and last time and again for our February break.

The only problem I see is that you might want to add a couple of MORE trips!

Oh, and I have a Southwest CC so I try to earn enough points to only pay for every other flight (or one buy one flight and use points for the other if 2 of us are traveling).

 

[DaisyFoote]

I was in a similar situation and upgraded to an AP. If you go over 10 days you might as well get the ap. With an ap you get free parking too which to us was a $200 savings just the first trip. Now you also get memory maker which we LOVE. Plus you get a discount on merchandise if you buy much. It was definitely worth it. A word of caution though - an ap is like a magnet drawing you to Disney.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I would definitely get an AP in those circumstances.

We typically get at least 22 days of Disney with our passes!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

For us, it is a math problem. We only get APs in years in which they will save us money. So, do the math.

 

[PSUGuy]

Last Oct we had 8 day hoppers for our F&W trip. Once there we upgraded those which we bought from UT to AP and we're going this Oct for 10 days. Since we're hooked om F&W this will be our strategy going forward, every other year buy APs and jus be sure to schedule our trips so we get 2 in within 365 days. This will also give us the opportunity to jump on a quick trip if circumstances permit.

Bill From PA

 

[dizzyinwdw]

Yes--I didn't upgrade one year and regretted it since I ended up going 2x more over the next 12 months! Last visit I upgraded to an AP but yes, it's like a magnet! Planning to eek out 3 trips this year (unbeknownst to my husband LOL....)

 

[norjack]

...as a general rule, if people ask about being crazy, I typically say, "yes" immediately, and watch the effect of the unexpected and quick response. In your case, no. If you are seeing a clear trend and it could save you money, go for it! Besides getting into the parks, having the perks associated with the pass is nice, too....

 

[Vernie822]

Go for it!

If you know you'll be going, I think it's a good idea. There are some dining discounts & merchandise discounts you can also benefit from. One thing I'll say is, only do it if you know you'll be going on those other trips. We were there in November and my mom and I planned a March trip, but then ended up pushing it back until the next November. My fiance and I ended up booking a quick April trip anyways, but I didn't want to lose out on the $400ish I'd paid to upgrade had we not planned the April one.

 

[gsp4ever]

If it saves you money (and on the surface it does seem like it will) then definitely get the annual pass.

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

Not crazy! We did the same thing this year, knowing we were going to be in Disney for a jumprope competition (and obviously staying longer to go to parks), plus a short visit last summer and one day with family over Christmas. Having the AP's, however, has made us come up with excuses to go down more! Oh..the kids have a long weekend? Off to Disney! Spring Break has turned into another Disney trip. We will have spent about 25 days in a Disney park during the course of my AP, which works out to just under $30/day (I was doing the match the other day). It's been so much fun! I wish we could afford the AP's every year, but with a family of 6, it won't happen again until we move to Florida upon retirement!

You also get great discounts for room only stays, 10% off of a lot of merchandise, free parking, and you are eligible for the Tables in Wonderland card if you do TS. Oh, you can also get the memory maker included, which is a nice benefit. I wouldn't have purchased it for my shorter trips, but I ended up getting some great pictures for "free"!

With your plans, you will definitely get your money's worth! Enjoy!!

 

[alliecat523]

Agree. It's worth it. The only trouble is you're inclined to go even MORE frequently. Especially if you have a timeshare already. I've done more trips in the last year than ever before because I had an AP. Blessing and a curse. LOL

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

DH and I upgraded to APs on our recent trip. First time for us! We went on that trip by ourselves (no kids!!!!) and already had a second trip planned later in the spring with the kids. Just before we left for the first trip, we found out DH has to attend a conference in Orlando in October of this year, so it suddenly made sense. This is not a normal year for us though--I don't see us becoming AP holders year after year.

And agree on the magnet thing--I keep thinking about how the two of us could go for a long weekend, maybe while the kids are at camp or when they go to grandma's.

 

[HollyMD]

We are considering the same thing as we are going in June and want to go again in October. If I know we are going to upgrade, is it best to call and do it now or wait until we get there in June and upgrade then? Since AP can get better RO discounts, and I want to book for Oct as soon as they possibly come available, maybe it is better to go ahead and call to upgrade? Will I lose my room discount and one day free ticket for June(spring plan included a room discount, and buy x days, get x free) if we do that?

 

[HollyMD]

Well, actually, with the AP, the free day doesn't even matter lol, but would like to keep the room discount.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I can't advise on whether or not you should go on that many WDW trips, only that if you do the AP is the way to go.

 

[Dreamin192]

I actually just got off the phone from buying APs. We're going on an 11 night trip at the end of May but wanted the option to go to parks on arrival and departure day since our flights come in early and leave late. Since 10 day tickets are the max, and we needed 12, that was a problem. We also are planning on coming back at least one more time in the next year, probably for a minimum of 7 nights. When we added in the room discounts, since we would stay on site anyway, and the memory maker, it's going to save us a nice chunk of change. Figure out how much you would pay for those park hoppers and see if the annual pass is cheaper.

 

[DizDaD7]

3 small trips like that with each there own tickets will I'm sure be more $$ than the AP...

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

2 5-day hoppers and 1 4-day hopper comes out to $1290 and change on my calculator. If you want to do all 3 of those trips, the AP is the better deal, even before you factor in things like photo downloads, parking, and any discounts you might use.

I did 4 trips in a year once before I moved down here. If you can swing the flights, it's not that crazy.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

My April trip will be number 4 for the year (calendar year).

I purchased the AP last May because I knew I could swing a trip this April. I also decided to do a quick trip in November to see the Osborne lights for the first and last time and again for our February break.

The only problem I see is that you might want to add a couple of MORE trips!

Oh, and I have a Southwest CC so I try to earn enough points to only pay for every other flight (or one buy one flight and use points for the other if 2 of us are traveling).

I can totally see that happening to me! I'll try and figure out more trips! XD

I was in a similar situation and upgraded to an AP. If you go over 10 days you might as well get the ap. With an ap you get free parking too which to us was a $200 savings just the first trip. Now you also get memory maker which we LOVE. Plus you get a discount on merchandise if you buy much. It was definitely worth it. A word of caution though - an ap is like a magnet drawing you to Disney.

Even if I dont go in spring and I do the two trips, most likely that would be 9 - 10 days at disney off site. the parking alone I would save on both trips would make it worth it.

Last Oct we had 8 day hoppers for our F&W trip. Once there we upgraded those which we bought from UT to AP and we're going this Oct for 10 days. Since we're hooked om F&W this will be our strategy going forward, every other year buy APs and jus be sure to schedule our trips so we get 2 in within 365 days. This will also give us the opportunity to jump on a quick trip if circumstances permit.

Bill From PA

That is a good idea! I love food and wine! As of now we have a 5 day park hopper that we might add a 6th day depending on how much my boyfriend loves it, if thats the case I might just go AP since I know I'll be going back in august.

...as a general rule, if people ask about being crazy, I typically say, "yes" immediately, and watch the effect of the unexpected and quick response. In your case, no. If you are seeing a clear trend and it could save you money, go for it! Besides getting into the parks, having the perks associated with the pass is nice, too....

Go for it!

If you know you'll be going, I think it's a good idea. There are some dining discounts & merchandise discounts you can also benefit from. One thing I'll say is, only do it if you know you'll be going on those other trips. We were there in November and my mom and I planned a March trip, but then ended up pushing it back until the next November. My fiance and I ended up booking a quick April trip anyways, but I didn't want to lose out on the $400ish I'd paid to upgrade had we not planned the April one.

yes! you both have good points, I will save money if I do all these trips but if not I wouldn't want to lose out on money spent on an AP I wont use. I figure I will know by June when in August of 2017 I will be going and upgrade once Im down there in October. That way if those other trips do not happen I wont waste money on an AP I cant use