Blue Card Increased Info 100 to 125 (Effective Oct 19)

[ScubaCat]

AP also lets us pop into Epcot for 2 hours to grab dinner and ride Gran Fiesta tour vs. deciding if it's worth it to use an entire park ticket day just for a quick visit. Also, you get photopass. There is other value to an AP than the specific spreadsheet calculation.

We've many times gone to Epcot just for a quick lunch or dinner. I doubt we'd be doing that paying for multi-day tickets.

Everyone's calculation is different. I doubt that 100 vs. 125 points will be a deal breaker, though. Time will tell.

 

[Sandisw]

You can get most of the same discounts on dining and shopping with DVC, without owning an AP.

If you're going off-peak, you can get a Gold Pass for $740 and renewing for $630. 8 night, off season, park hopper is $600. So the Goldpass isn't saving anything even compared to a single 8 night trip.
Now, if you want holiday period.. Platinum is $900, $800 renewal. 8 day regular parkhopper $677 ---

So really, I can't find any realistic scenario where single yearly trips could make APs worthwhile. Even in your comparison, the AP cost $200 more than the 6-day ticket.

When someone can make the yearly trip 51 weeks apart, you get two trips out of one pass. , I did this even before DVC.

So, given your example, a family of 4 who can do that, and get there yearly trip on that one AP is saving close to $500 each simply by going one week earlier in year 2. They then buy tickets every other year and based on that, it take 6 years to break even with the $6k spent to buy direct on SSR.

We buy gold AP. Even in my DD has the AP Is closing me $719 for the two trips they will take but I am going to have to buy her BF another ticket next year for that 6 day trip so it will be costing me another $500...again, her being eligible for the AP is saving me $300 for her and him to go once in 2021 and once in 2022...of course, she can now come with me more if she wants.

Also, you don’t get the DVC discounts without being a blue card member, which you can’t get if not direct.

Believe me, I have made it work for years when I wasn’t going as much now and a family of 4 who buys gold APs, spaces the yearly trip close enough to get both trips out of one pass can make back the savings, as I said, in 6 to 8 years with an average savings.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

I love having an AP! I don't like to do parks ALLLLL day and night. With an AP I feel no pressure to stay longer than I want to.

It also makes it very easy to take short trips when you can get $100 round trip airfare for 2 people and stay in a value or moderate. I would never do that if I had to buy day tickets also.

 

[Sandisw]

I love having an AP! I don't like to do parks ALLLLL day and night. With an AP I feel no pressure to stay longer than I want to.

It also makes it very easy to take short trips when you can get $100 round trip airfare for 2 people and stay in a value or moderate. I would never do that if I had to buy day tickets also.

Great points! It is always nice knowing that my tickets for Disney will never exceed more than the gold AP! I can go as much as I want, and when my kids go without me, they have access to memory maker!

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

Great points! It is always nice knowing that my tickets for Disney will never exceed more than the gold AP! I can go as much as I want, and when my kids go without me, they have access to memory maker!

Who is linked to your Memory Maker (not YOU specifically-haha)
Your associate members? Or does it have something to do with who you are linked to? I remember being on my FILs MM for a whole year but I don't remember why were were. We aren't his DVC associates (and didn't have our own MM at the time)

 

[Sandisw]

Who is linked to your Memory Maker (not YOU specifically-haha)
Your associate members? Or does it have something to do with who you are linked to? I remember being on my FILs MM for a whole year but I don't remember why were were. We aren't his DVC associates (and didn't have our own MM at the time)

Anyone who is in your family and friends list will have access to use memory maker. They will see the pictures with the watermark, but you, as the AP holder, can share with them from your MDE.

So, all my adult kids are as well as good friends of mine who travel with us some of the time. It is a very nice feature!

 

[EM Lawrence]

Who is linked to your Memory Maker (not YOU specifically-haha)
Your associate members? Or does it have something to do with who you are linked to? I remember being on my FILs MM for a whole year but I don't remember why were were. We aren't his DVC associates (and didn't have our own MM at the time)

Anyone you are linked to in My Disney Experience will get access to MM. My SIL used to go all the time since she lives locally, and I loved seeing her ride pictures pop up in my MM.

 

[EM Lawrence]

You have to be careful about this actually! We took a friend’s son with us on one trip and he and his mom stayed linked to me afterward because I forgot about it. They “snuck” down there one weekend and I was at home watching all of their pictures show up on MM. Another time I had to change the settings on MM to NOT show my SIL all of the pictures in the account, because I wanted to sneak down for the weekend but did not want to stop in for a visit, and I didn’t want to have to explain it to her. You can set it up so that people who are linked to you can only see pictures that they are in, or you can set it so they see all of the pictures in the account.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

Wow! I didn't realize it was anyone in your Friends and Fam list!

 

[Kickstart]

I didn't mean to imply someone can't save money with the Direct AP benefit. I was just speculating that it may generate more revenue for Disney than they "lose" from those who effectively take advantage of it. That it's more of a sale/coupon marketed as a benefit. That I don't think Disney has to water down the benefits if they have "too many" direct members.

Same probably goes for the shopping discount. Is the typical DVD member saving money, or are they justifying spending more because they're getting a discount?

No surprise many people on this board make AP benefit work to their advantage, but I'm guessing that it works the other way more often than not for the typical DVC member (i.e. enables someone to justify an extra trip or buy more points to take longer trips).

 

[Sandisw]

I didn't mean to imply someone can't save money with the Direct AP benefit. I was just speculating that it may generate more revenue for Disney than they "lose" from those who effectively take advantage of it. That it's more of a sale/coupon marketed as a benefit. That I don't think Disney has to water down the benefits if they have "too many" direct members.

Same probably goes for the shopping discount. Is the typical DVD member saving money, or are they justifying spending more because they're getting a discount?

No surprise many people on this board make AP benefit work to their advantage, but I'm guessing that it works the other way more often than not for the typical DVC member (i.e. enables someone to justify an extra trip or buy more points to take longer trips).

In that case, yes. Matter of fact, I’d even bet that most DVC owners save nothing because after a few years add on and now spend much more than they did! Of course they get more for it, but yeah, it’s a trap for sure...and this from the girl spending over $4k in dues each year! Lol

 

[Kickstart]

In that case, yes. Matter of fact, I’d even bet that most DVC owners save nothing because after a few years add on and now spend much more than they did! Of course they get more for it, but yeah, it’s a trap for sure...and this from the girl spending over $4k in dues each year! Lol

... and I'm jealous!

I finally bought into DVC, not to save money but to allow us to go more often... and to some extent, to ensure we go more often - we're committed now!

 

[havoc315]

When someone can make the yearly trip 51 weeks apart, you get two trips out of one pass. , I did this even before DVC.

So, given your example, a family of 4 who can do that, and get there yearly trip on that one AP is saving close to $500 each simply by going one week earlier in year 2. They then buy tickets every other year and based on that, it take 6 years to break even with the $6k spent to buy direct on SSR.

We buy gold AP. Even in my DD has the AP Is closing me $719 for the two trips they will take but I am going to have to buy her BF another ticket next year for that 6 day trip so it will be costing me another $500...again, her being eligible for the AP is saving me $300 for her and him to go once in 2021 and once in 2022...of course, she can now come with me more if she wants.

Also, you don’t get the DVC discounts without being a blue card member, which you can’t get if not direct.

Believe me, I have made it work for years when I wasn’t going as much now and a family of 4 who buys gold APs, spaces the yearly trip close enough to get both trips out of one pass can make back the savings, as I said, in 6 to 8 years with an average savings.

2 trips in 51 weeks is 2 trips in a year. Then you’d have to skip a whole year, and start the cycle again. Yes, I’m sure that saves money. As I said, multiple trips per year saves money. But not if you do 1 trip per year or fewer. (We do about 3 trips every5 years)

 

[havoc315]

You're assuming short trips, though. Certainly you are right that if someone is only taking a 6-day trip once per year, the AP likely isn't worth it*.
Unless, of course, you want Memory Maker: Given that Memory Maker alone is $169 in advance, the gold pass even for a 6-day visit makes up the difference in cost between a Gold AP and 6 Day Park Hopper, and then you get the additional discounts.

If someone were to go more than 10 days at a time, the Gold Pass at $765.74 can represent a savings. The Gold Pass blackout dates are only over Easter and Christmas/New Years periods, so if you aren't traveling in the periods around those holidays, the Gold Pass is a great deal for Blue Card holders.

*it may be worth getting at least one for the additional dining and shopping discounts, depending on your spending habits at Disney, and the free Memory Maker access, if you value Park photographer photos and magic shots.

I don’t consider 6-7 days to be short. 10 days is way above the average trip. Yes, if you really want Memory maker, it saves.

The Gold Pass is about break even with a 7 day ticket. Saves a few dollars compared to a 10 day ticket.

 

[Sandisw]

2 trips in 51 weeks is 2 trips in a year. Then you’d have to skip a whole year, and start the cycle again. Yes, I’m sure that saves money. As I said, multiple trips per year saves money. But not if you do 1 trip per year or fewer. (We do about 3 trips every5 years)

Technically, yes, but it still amounts to one per calendar year, which means buying tickets every other year, instead of yearly.

I guess I don’t really think of that as two trips in one year in the same way I would someone who goes in May and then in December,

I I was just trying to share that there are creative ways for people, especially with a family of 4 to make the AP discount a benefit, and worth going direct for at least some of the points.

I completely agree someone who goes 3 times in 5 years is not a candidate for sure!

 

[havoc315]

Technically, yes, but it still amounts to one per calendar year, which means buying tickets every other year, instead of yearly.

I guess I don’t really think of that as two trips in one year in the same way I would someone who goes in May and then in December,

I I was just trying to share that there are creative ways for people, especially with a family of 4 to make the AP discount a benefit, and worth going direct for at least some of the points.

I completely agree someone who goes 3 times in 5 years is not a candidate for sure!

For someone who WANTS to go Aug 2020, followed by July 2021, followed by year off...
Sure, saves a little bit. But that’s a lot of complication to get a little savings.

I have no doubt the AP discount is meaningful for some people.
But for most people, it won’t justify paying an extra $10,000-$30,000 for direct points.

The thing with DVC in general, as well as direct vs re-sale... there are objective benefits and subjective. I feel some people exaggerate the objective benefits to rationalize the purchase.

I bought direct. Re-sale would have saved me money. A lot of money. 10% dining discounts won’t cover it. Probably would have saved $12,000 buying re-sale at AK vs direct at Riviera. But I wanted the newest resort, I want the ability to use any new future resorts. So the value is very subjective.

 

[Sandisw]

For someone who WANTS to go Aug 2020, followed by July 2021, followed by year off...
Sure, saves a little bit. But that’s a lot of complication to get a little savings.

I have no doubt the AP discount is meaningful for some people.
But for most people, it won’t justify paying an extra $10,000-$30,000 for direct points.

The thing with DVC in general, as well as direct vs re-sale... there are objective benefits and subjective. I feel some people exaggerate the objective benefits to rationalize the purchase.

I bought direct. Re-sale would have saved me money. A lot of money. 10% dining discounts won’t cover it. Probably would have saved $12,000 buying re-sale at AK vs direct at Riviera. But I wanted the newest resort, I want the ability to use any new future resorts. So the value is very subjective.

I don’t think I am being clear. There is no year off for trips You go August 15th, 2021 for 8 nights and then go August 6th, 2022 on the same AP for 8 nights.

You then go August 15th, 2023 On a new AP and one week earlier in 2024. So, you still get your yearly trips, but only buy tickets every other year. Not complicated at all and just an example of how it can still save if someone has a typical time they travel each year and can adjust a little bit.

Like I said, we did this all the time as a family of 5 before we were even DVC and it saved us a nice bit of money. Even now, you can get the benefit for as little as $6k more if you want it....no need to spend $10 to 30k more.

But, like most will say, it’s all about what matters to you. There is no right or wrong way and each situation is different, but it’s pretty easy to make it work out, unless, as you say, you definitely will not be going every year.

 

[havoc315]

I don’t think I am being clear. There is no year off for trips You go August 15th, 2021 for 8 nights and then go August 6th, 2022 on the same AP for 8 nights.

You then go August 15th, 2023 On a new AP and one week earlier in 2024. So, you still get your yearly trips, but only buy tickets every other year. Not complicated at all and just an example of how it can still save if someone has a typical time they travel each year and can adjust a little bit.

Like I said, we did this all the time as a family of 5 before we were even DVC and it saved us a nice bit of money. Even now, you can get the benefit for as little as $6k more if you want it....no need to spend $10 to 30k more.

But, like most will say, it’s all about what matters to you. There is no right or wrong way and each situation is different, but it’s pretty easy to make it work out, unless, as you say, you definitely will not be going every year.

Obviously, depends on how many points you buy. But the cheapest direct points at WDW, IIRC, is $176 per point. Can get re-sale points for around $100 per point.

so at 200 points... that’s $20,000 vs $35,000

 

[Sandisw]

Obviously, depends on how many points you buy. But the cheapest direct points at WDW, IIRC, is $176 per point. Can get re-sale points for around $100 per point.

so at 200 points... that’s $20,000 vs $35,000

You don’t buy all 200 direct, just the minimum to get the card. The other 100 are still bought resale.

I thought SSR was $165 which is where my $6k is from, but even at $176, it’s just over $7k.

I think we are going round and round about the same thing. Lots of ways to make blue card benefits work without breaking the bank if one wants those benefits, Some do, some don’t!

 

[havoc315]

You don’t buy all 200 direct, just the minimum to get the card. The other 100 are still bought resale.

I thought SSR was $165 which is where my $6k is from, but even at $176, it’s just over $7k.

I think we are going round and round about the same thing. Lots of ways to make blue card benefits work without breaking the bank if one wants those benefits, Some do, some don’t!

Different strokes. That would have worse value to me... as buying 100 new and 100 resale, wouldn’t let me use all 200 points at the newest and future resorts. So I’d be losing far more benefits than I’d be gaining.
As I said, different strokes. Yes, for some people, the direct purchase can have some objective economic benefit. Not for others.