What made you decide to get an AP?

[DisneyNewbie83]

I was just wondering if we did get the AP and have the ability to park hop but stay off site and can't take advantage of EMH, is it really a a benefit?

Everything I read an about park hopping had to do with EMH. Is there another reason to park hop?

 

[kmb584]

It made economic sense for me to do so. We go to WDW for 9-10 nights every 6 months and prior to purchasing us annual passes I was getting 8-day PH tickets. It was something like $355 ($710/year) and $335 ($670/year) that I spent per tickets per trip. I switched to AP in 2012 when my daughter turned 3 and paid around $1150 for them. That saved me around $230/year on tickets. I'm also fond of the 10% discount that I'm able to receive on merchandise as well as being able to purchase Tables in Wonderland (20% discount on most meals).

 

[kmb584]

I was just wondering if we did get the AP and have the ability to park hop but stay off site and can't take advantage of EMH, is it really a a benefit?

Everything I read an about park hopping had to do with EMH. Is there another reason to park hop?

We stay offsite frequently, park hop frequently, and never attend EMH even if staying onsite. I like the ability to be able to spend the day in AK but have dinner in Epcot if I so desire. I like that if we get bored at one park we can hop to another for the afternoon or evening. In November, for example, my daughter LOVED the Osborne Lights at DHS so we spent several evenings there for that (I enjoyed the heck out of them, too).

 

[FLchick415]

Well, we live in FL and it's a 3 hour drive. We are new to FL so I got the Seasonal Pass. I have no desire to be at WDW during Christmas, Easter or during the blazing heat of summer so the Seasonal Pass made sense for us. There is no parking included with the Seasonal Pass, but I always stay on property with the AP discount.

Tables in Wonderland....you need to spend $500 in food/drink before you break even. Check out the TIW website before you take the plunge.

This is exactly me as well. (Pompano Beach! Hi neighbor! lol) The blackout dates for the Seasonal Pass are times when I have no desire to be at the park anyway lol

 

[Ress76]

You should look into one adult family member getting an AP while the rest get hoppers. The AP entitles you to free parking, which as of a few weeks ago, was $17 a day. That right there is $119 for 7 park days. A single AP would also allow you to avail yourself of any room or merchandise discounts on this or any other trips within the year. It still may be a risk if you don't return within the year, but it's much less of a risk than APs for 6 people.

Ress

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We got APs this year because our middle DD was invited to go with another family for Spring Break and we already had a trip planned later in the year. Her friend's mom pointed out that it would be less expensive to get her an AP because of the 2nd trip we had planned. So then we considered getting APs for all of us, and before we knew it we were taking a Spring Break trip too. The APs have saved us on the cost of tickets, but we'll make 5 trips to WDW in the 12 months that we have them (3-4 more than planned), so I'm not sure how much we really are saving . It will take some fancy Disney math to figure that out.

We do stay offsite in a condo with a full kitchen and eat most meals there, but we're definitely going way more than we would have if we didn't have APs. We don't plan to renew them, they were a once in a lifetime purchase for us, and 5 trips in a 12 month period is a once in a lifetime experience for us too.

Have fun whatever you decide to do!

 

[bumbershoot]

TIW breakeven point is actually a little below $500.

The tip is based on the non-discounted amount, but the sales tax is based on the discounted amount. That brings it down a little bit.

And of course remember that there's no gratuity for the counter service places that are included.