AP Worth it for one Trip?

[Figaro0826]

Regarding AP.
I am trying to figure out if it will be cost effective to purchase two Adult AP's for our upcoming Sept 2009 trip.
We are staying at two resorts during our 8 night 9 day trip.
Planning on:
spa treatments
boating
parasailing
dining
water parks
disney quest
shopping in downtown disney
tours

I'm seeing that there are allot of discounts with the AP . So would it be worth it for us?
Or should we go the normal route of booking everything on the Disney Web Site?

thanks in advance. Enduring the thunderstorm here in Texas.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

A 9 day trip is really going to be on the fence... I think the consensus has been that 2 trips a year justify the pass cost wise. But that is just for the cost of tickets. So for all the discounts and activities, you'd have to look VERY closely at the prices for everything.

What you are going to have to do is price out EVERYTHING twice: one with the discounts included w/ the AP and one without the discounts and seeing where prices for everything meet up.

The discounts with the AP honestly aren't all that great. Like, DQ discounts are $4 off, as are the water parks. 10-15% off boating/parasailing, 10% off the spas, and 10% off at a lot of DTD places... so not a substantial savings, at least individually. But if you plan on doing a lot of different things, overall, you may break even by getting the pass. It really depends on your individual trip and what you are going to do/spend and how it would be different w/ and w/o the pass. So you are going to have to be very particular about weighing one against to other to really figure out how beneficial it will be to your family.

Good luck with your planning!

[KylesMom]

We have found the break even point for park admission exclusively is 12 days. This takes into account a 10-day park hopper and an additional 2-day park hopper. This does not take into account any additional discounts you are eligible for, including the Disney Dining Experience membership card, which if you plan on alot of TS meals would be the way to go. It alone saves us a few hundred dollars each year, so I would definitely include this in your decision-making process.

A regular A/P will cost you $477. A 10-day park hopper will cost you $285.

You can save an estimated:
* 10% at Sammy Duvall's for parasailing (deluxe trip = $120 plus tax= $12 savings)
*15% off any marina boat rental (Suntracker $84 / hr = $12 savings)
*15% off Tours (Keys to the Kingdom $60 = $9savings)
$4 Savings DisneyQuest
$4 Savings Waterparks
*10% off World of Disney Store at DTD and other select stores on property
*10% off Spa Treatments at GF, SS
*Eligible to purchase DDE Membership for $65 - gives 20% off many TS locations, including alcoholic beverages
*Several other discounts not listed here

I agree with FlaTink that you really need to do a pricing worksheet to figure out if the savings would warrant the A/P purchase. Also, you need to take into consideration the amount of time each "extra" will take out of your day, and if you'll have time to go to a park each day. Note that many of the items you will need to make advance reservations on, including tours, parasailing, spa treatments, etcetera. You may also want to wait to make your decision to see if A/P room discounts are offered in September. You don't need the pass to make reservations, but you do need it to check in.

We love being A/P holders, but we get 30 days out of each pass so it's a no-brainer for us. It sounds like you're planning a magical trip, whichever way you decide to go!

[JPL]

It can be definately be worth it if Room discounts are announced for September. What I would do is book a room only reservation through Magical Journeys which can later be upgraded to a package if need be. Let your agent know that you will be adding tickets later and that if an AP discount is available you would be willing to purchase one to get the discount or if you are AAA Member or Disney Visa Card Member they can get you any of those dicounts and you will pay the cheapest rate available

[McGoofy]

I love having AP's! We have sort of figured if we can get at least 10 days out of our tickets, then we break even. I know somebody else said 12 days, but with all of the discounts that we end up getting, I think 10 days does it for us.


The cost of an AP is $448/adult (according to the current WDW website) and expires one year from the first day that you use it. The cheapest park tickets that you can get is the 10 day Magic Your Way tickets, but if you don't use all 10 days at one time then you have to add on the "non-expiration fee." Also, to make it equivalent to comparing to an AP, you need to add on the "park hopper" fee. So that cost comes out to be $450, based on WDW's current ticket prices. Well, it's a no brainer if you think you will get to Disney 10 or more days in one year. It's actually $2.00 cheaper to have an AP! In your case, if you went this year and planned one more trip at the very end of the time before your pass expires, you could actually get 2 vacations out of one AP. On top of that, there are many discounts. The resort discounts are the biggie for us. We often get 40% off of rack rates. The AP discounts don't come out very far in advance, but we often book our room on a AAA discount and then change the rate when AP discounts become available.

We have thoroughly gotten our money out of the APs from year to year. I think with as many extra activities that you are doing you would most likely get your money's worth out of an AP even if you only made the one 9 day trip. Just do your math and see what works for you!

[King Triton]

What might be worth it for you is to buy ONE AP, not two. This way you can buy the Dining Experience card for the dining discounts, get the discounts listed in earlier posts, take advantage of AP rates if they become available, etc. Other than the park admission, most AP discounts apply to your entire party (up to 4 or so). For example, there is a water park discount (is it 10%?)...if you have one AP, you could get the discount off both tickets.

[Taja]

Definitely do some planning spreadsheets with potential costs, then plug in actual numbers when they become available. I have four scenarios developed for my potential December 2008 WDW visit. No discount, AAA discount and AP discount at two different rates (easy to add more, I'm just working with what I've experienced). I also included the different ticket options and Florida ground travel options. It gets a little crazy, but it provides a very clear picture!

[Figaro0826]

So if I buy only one AP, I get room discount if offered and take advantage of all other discounts, and would basically just need to purchase parks tickets for DH.

On the Web Site I am assuming that is rack rate right?

In order to get get dining plan, do I have to buy a package from Disney or do other sites offer magic your way packages with dining?

[King Triton]

So if I buy only one AP, I get room discount if offered and take advantage of all other discounts, and would basically just need to purchase parks tickets for DH.

That is correct.

I'm not sure of the interaction with the Dining Plan, since I've never purchased it. However, if you buy the AP, you are eligible to purchase the Disney Dining Experience card, which is $65, if I remember correctly. That will get you 20% off at many Disney table service establishments, including most in Epcot. For our family, the card paid itself off after 3 or 4 meals.

[McGoofy]

Also, something new as of 2/20, AP holders are now allowed to purchase the DDP the same as MYW ticket holders can.

[King Triton]

Also, something new as of 2/20, AP holders are now allowed to purchase the DDP the same as MYW ticket holders can.

That's good to know! I wonder if you can still do it with split ticket types...like if one person has an AP and the other a MYW.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

That's good to know! I wonder if you can still do it with split ticket types...like if one person has an AP and the other a MYW.

yeah...just book the room and dining w/ the AP online and then buy the tickets separate. The dining plan with the AP rate is actually a really great deal. At least based on what we spend on food (all CS. no snacks)--it works out to just a few dollars more than that and we would be able to do a TS each night of our stay, and get snacks.

[jbrentf]

I'm going for 4 nights and possibly just using once, however I received a $91 + tax discount totalling $409.50 for 4 nights on my stay at the Deluxe resorts Mar 30-April 3 plus plan on going to the parks and hopping for 5 days AND possibly using some of the other discounts. So even for 4 nights it can be worth it.