Annual Passes - Am I going crazy?

[Robo]

Can you buy an annual pass and hang on to it for a couple of years before activating them ?

Yes.
An AP certificate is good until the year 2030.

 

[greenmom2b]

Just want to say thank you soooo much for asking this question!!!!
I have been doing the Disney math to decide as well.

Question with kids since AP price is same over age 3, and it’s me and my DD ages 13, 8, 5 - would I lose the savings with the cheaper kid tickets for 9 and under when bought daily?
We go every December the week after Christmas to New Years, but the dates never overlap. We are doing an extra July 4 holiday trip this year - Currently going with a Bounceback offer.
So the temptation to buy AP is there!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Question with kids since AP price is same over age 3, and it’s me and my DD ages 13, 8, 5 - would I lose the savings with the cheaper kid tickets for 9 and under when bought daily?

Just do the math. Get a notebook and price it all out.

APs encompass 366 days (367 for a leap year) because they go from, for example, August 27 2018 through the end of the day August 27 2019. If your yearly trips merely start inside that time period the AP might not be the best choice because you would have to get new admission during your trip. But with a mid-year trip the math for this set of trips might change.

I’ve never noticed that the Disney kid ticket price is that much of a difference.

Check out places like undercovertourist.com, too, for price comparison to the AP.

But what do you mean by “when bought daily”?

 

[StacyStrong]

Just want to say thank you soooo much for asking this question!!!!
I have been doing the Disney math to decide as well.

Question with kids since AP price is same over age 3, and it’s me and my DD ages 13, 8, 5 - would I lose the savings with the cheaper kid tickets for 9 and under when bought daily?
We go every December the week after Christmas to New Years, but the dates never overlap. We are doing an extra July 4 holiday trip this year - Currently going with a Bounceback offer.
So the temptation to buy AP is there!!

If you give me your dates for both trips, I can do the math for you.

 

[Robo]

But what do you mean by “when bought daily”?

I would assume that means buying MagicYourWay tickets by which guests buy X number of "days" per ticket.
(As opposed to an AP.)

 

[StacyStrong]

Aka if you let me know how many park days for each trip

 

[greenmom2b]

By ‘when bought daily’ just the regular tickets like four day tickets as compared to an annual pass. I probably didn’t say that correctly. We usually do a package and stay on site. Thx

 

[tlmadden73]

What am I missing? Why does everyone assume that you need to go SO often to get the "value" of an AP? Am I thinking about this all wrong? I almost feel like if I didn't sit here and do the math, I would have ended up wasting so much more money! Please let me know if I am going crazy. Math isn't my forte lol.

I did the math too recently. I determined if I go on two separate trips of at least 4 days each, an AP is a no brainer. It is pretty much the same price.

The discounts, the memory maker and flexibility is just gravy on top of that.

So, I am planning the same thing-- Going on a trip here in Nov (4 park days with a day off) and another trip in October 2019 (before my daughter turns 3) of at least 3-4 days.

And since I have 5-day tickets I bought a year or two ago (that I was going to use for this trip), I am going to just apply those to the cost of the AP. It will only cost $500/person more.

Plus, my sister may be going in Spring 2019 . so we may just zip down to Florida to meet them for a day or two of their trip. The flexibility just opens up some cool possibilities! Maybe go without kids for an anniversary trip, etc. etc.

Go for it!

 

[greenmom2b]

This past year 2017 we went 12/26-12/31. Then this year 2018, we are planning 6/30-7/3. The next holiday going 12/26-12/31.
We have mandated vacation dates at work during these weeks so sort of stuck with the timing.
Just thinking of putting down $4k for the 4 APs at one time is hard!
Thx

 

[Remy is Up]

TIW pays for itself in 4-6 meals depending on where you eat and if you drink adult beverages. Lets say you eat at Yachtsman, Flying Fish, Cali Grill, and Tiffins in one trip. Obviously that is the extreme because of the Sigs on that list, but, the 4 Sigs will run you 80-100 per person with one adult beverage. Assume you just leave the 18% gratuity thats added on when you pay ( not saying you should, just using that number as a baseline). Each meal for 2 will likely run 200 as a base, 20% discount drops it to 160, add 18% gratuity and its 196. Without TIW you wouldve spent app 236, so a base 40$ savings. Do that 4 times and youve paid for TIW. I did a roundabout and figured it up the last year I used it and I saved about 700 Bucks above and beyond the 150 to get TIW. We generally eat at 2 Sigs and 2 non Sigs per trip and do 6-7 trips a year. We also like the fact I can go into Nomad or Jock Lindseys and just buy drinks and get the discount. And we do consume adult beverages. So it really comes down to your personal situation. For us its an easy no brainer.

 

[StacyStrong]

Just want to say thank you soooo much for asking this question!!!!
I have been doing the Disney math to decide as well.

Question with kids since AP price is same over age 3, and it’s me and my DD ages 13, 8, 5 - would I lose the savings with the cheaper kid tickets for 9 and under when bought daily?
We go every December the week after Christmas to New Years, but the dates never overlap. We are doing an extra July 4 holiday trip this year - Currently going with a Bounceback offer.
So the temptation to buy AP is there!!

If you get 4 day hoppers for your family, it would cost a total of $2,235 not including taxes. ($455 adult tickets, $435 child)
If you get 4 day ONE PARK tickets for your family, it would cost a total of $1860 not including taxes ($380 adult, $360 child)

If you do this twice in a year it would be a total of $4,470 for the hoppers and $3720 for the non-hoppers.

APs would cost $4,250.

SO, if you plan on getting hoppers, it makes sense if you are taking two four day trips. If you have no intention of ever hopping, it might not make sense. BUT, keep in mind the added benefits of food discounts, merch discounts, and Memory Maker. Do you usually buy memory maker?


If you are doing more than 4 day trips - it changes the math a bit, but same general idea.

 

[StacyStrong]

Sorry - there's only 4 of you? That math is for 5. I misread. But again - same concept.

 

[StacyStrong]

$1780 for hoppers x 2 = $3560 (at 2 four day trips)
$1480 non hoppers x 2 = $2960
APs = $3400

If you get memory maker each trip it would be an added 169 each trip = 338, so you would be at $3298 for non hoppers - $100 less than AP.

It really depends how many park days you're going.

 

[greenmom2b]

StacyStrong - Thanks so much for the math - that helps - we always do memory maker and eat on site too!!! Very well may do it!

RemyisUp - after this next trip with three kiddos,I may need to up my adult beverage intake !!!

 

[tlmadden73]

The key to the math is the hopper thing -- obviously forgoing hoppers makes two 3-4 day trips a LOT cheaper than an AP. So it is hard to "value" that.

If I was going without AP, I wouldn't get hoppers .. traveling with young kids makes it hard to make the jump --- but getting the AP and having hoppers included? I will probably utilize them! Heh. I envision a day where I send the kids back to the hotel with the grandparents while the wife and I hop to Epcot for the evening.

The main reason I am considering taking the AP plunge? My daughter is free until October 2019. So if there is a year to take two trips --- this is it .. as the cost is SIGNIFICANTLY less with a free child in tow!