Thinking of making a trip later this year

Glad to hear you'll be heading back to Disney World.  Will you be going into the parks each day of your trip?  You might spend a couple / few days not visiting the parks - heading to the pool if the weather is nice or spending the day visiting each of the resorts to see the holiday decorations.  If so, you can take another look at the number of park days you will really need.  Also, will you be attending Mickey's Merry Christmas party?  If you get a ticket for that, you can enter the Magic Kingdom around 4 pm so that might take care of your park going for that day.

@faline Thanks for the reply. I typically do a park (or parks) every day of a visit. Even if I didn't the price wouldn't go down all that much and I really not all that concerned with park ticket prices after about 5 days. The reason I listed those prices was to compare them against the price of the AP.

I did MVMCP back before the price was over $100/person. Now it is (probably) going to be over $200/person - well more than a normal '1-day' ticket - and I just can't justify it. Sure, there are a few things you can see/do at one of the parties, but it's another thing that I just can't justify spending on. [Same thing with MNSSHP if I was going in September/October.] 

I will undoubtedly do a 'resort crawl' to see the decorations. One for Monorail resorts, one for the SkyLiner resorts, and one for the EPCOT resorts. I would probably do those on midday breaks.

The bigger issue is resort pricing. Even the Value resorts have gotten overly pricey for what you get - including so-called 'perks.' Staying off-site is an option but that puts me at the whim of their transportation schedules and makes it more difficult to go back to the room if I want a midday break or need something I might have left in the room.

Next is the question of flying or driving. Flying is the quickest, but if I drive I can have a bit more freedom of movement. Driving would take 2 days each way as I am getting too old and crotchety to do the old 'white knuckle cruise' anymore. 16 +/- hours on the road in a single day is a bit much.

[If I keep this up I will talk myself out of even going! LOL]

Sorry, I guess I am being a bit over-analytical about this whole thing.

I feel much the same way! We have a mid-late November trip booked, so I can finally be at Disney for my birthday and we are shocked at the prices. We're having many of the same thoughts as you, where do we REALLY need/want to stay and what is a must-do, vs what can we fiddle with. We've been one-TS-a day people, but that REALLY adds up quickly.

I've never been organized enough about my trips to shell out for an AP, although if I plan it right, it would save money.

So, no good advice, just that we're in similar boat. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Disney comes out with some sort of deal to make it all a little easier.

I suspect that an AP will not be beneficial for you.  We just took a 3-park-day trip after being gone from Disney for 5+ years, and we expect to go for a second & longer trip later in the year.  I looked at an AP for about 45 seconds before it was obvious it was not going to benefit me.  If I remember correctly, a 4-day + an 8-day pass, each with memory maker, still did not even come close.  I was also unofficially factoring in the free parking benefit for AP holders as our second trip might be my first offsite resort stay, and considered getting only 1 AP.  But a quick glance at the numbers didn't look good, plus I knew that after the tab was paid for this trip I may be done for another long stretch and didn't want to commit.  Disney really just does NOT want AP holders, and another catch to consider with APs is that you still must have a PARK RESERVATION for your park days (and have a limit of holding no more that 5 reserved days at one time), even if you are staying at a Disney resort.  I really don't know how difficult reservations are to get with the current system, but it was something that I used to say "nope" to an AP.

The good news is that that first week of December is GREAT for crowds and prices.  We have a high school'er now so those days are gone for us, but going that week is a great pick!

@goofy4theworld I've had APs before and only do it when I KNOW I am going to be making 2 (or more) trips in the alloted timeframe. My stays are 7 or 8 days, so the numbers work for me in those cases. That's not taking nto account any 'offers' that only apply to AP holders (and there aren't many anymore.) For 2 trips of 7 or 8 days, it would save me about $500. That would take care of most of my meals since I only do Counter Service while I'm there.

Since you have the 'window' to book park reservations, it's typically not a big deal as long as it is not a 'holiday' week and I'm pretty big on NOT booking during a holiday 'rush.'  BTW - It was just as 'bad' trying to book rides under the FastPass+ system. You still needed to know what park you were going to be in on which day of your trip.

Out of my 20 trips (+/-) I would have to say that more than half have been in the first week of December time frame and I have never had a problem.

I was just in WDW in January for 6 days with an Incredipass. I absolutely agree with you POphan, beyond 5 days, the lines start to blur about saving and each day creeps closer to being a "wash". With an Annual Pass, you get to park hop and there are discounts on table service, merchandise, and resorts. I do the parks exactly like you - going every day during my stay, with breaks in the mid-day to rest from sun & crowds - then I return for evenings. In my opinion, Photopass should still be included for free, but sadly it is not so that does increase the price of the pass. Good news though, renewals have been excluded from that last price increase, if that is a little bit of a consolation.

The technical break-even point is 10-days (even spread over 2 trips or more trips - (I'll be back for 5 days at a value in late August, if all goes well). Mainly though, I wanted to assure you that if you are staying on property, you can make theme Park reservations in advance for your entire stay (well beyond 5 days and up to 10 days I think). I did it using the Disney Mobile AP and everything registered fine. While I was in WDW in January, a couple of days became "Good-to-Go-Days", but that was a good thing too! That simply erased my reservation on that day, and I could head to any park that I spontaneously felt like visiting (instead of sticking with my reservation plans). It was a win-win situation. Also, fyi - all you have to do use the Mobile AP to change your reservation if parks are not too crowded. Also, you can just "tap in" to the park that you change your mind about and then go where you want to go that day (I know these are extra steps, but you aren't really locked in unless it is super crowded).

Another factor that played into my 6 days + (5 future days) "wash" situation for me was the resort savings that I got for booking a resort only Sunday + weekdays stay (although Friday was pricy, Gggrrr) and getting an annual pass discount on a "resort view" Deluxe Resort during the "low" season. The price was even less than a regularly priced value family suite for the same stretch of time, so I picked Yacht Club. I'm just saying, remember keep an eye out for discount codes (for AP and non-APs) as they come out in the months to come and pounce on them when they come out. Also, remember to use the BounceBack code for your future stay (within 7 days of the end of your vacations), then the discount is locked in early, and you can relax about searching for discounts.

Also, you can't count on this, but it was nice to experience it: I got a little bit of Pixie dust sprinkling and my room was upgraded to a "water view" of the quiet pool so that added more "value" (it looked pretty, but it was much too cold to swim, lol). One last thing, on that trip, I flew for free because of a previous extremely awful weather-related reimbursement (not fun at the time, but useful for this trip). So, I used that "extra fund in my pocket" to do my 1st After Hours Party, which was good, but also too cold for much ice-cream, lol. Actually, the Extra-Magic Evening Hours were just at productive ride-wise and included in the price of the Deluxe Resort. Given, exact same opportunity again, I'd probably just stick to the Extra Magic Evening Hours.

I hope this gives you some more things to consider and that we all help you make the best decision, for you!

Thanks for sharing your thought process.  It seems that you had some thoughts, gathered more information and thought about it.  Then you make improvements (or try to avoid bumps in the road). Then you think about it some more.

Do you feel that going through your process is part of the fun of the trip?

Posted by: @nowyoutellme

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Thanks for sharing your thought process.  It seems that you had some thoughts, gathered more information and thought about it.  Then you make improvements (or try to avoid bumps in the road). Then you think about it some more.

Do you feel that going through your process is part of the fun of the trip?

Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.  Sometimes the process is fun and even a little exciting, especially after not visiting for a couple years. Sometimes it is frustrating and even a bit daunting when so much has changed, more is being charged for less 'magic,' and how difficult it can be to get all your 'ducks in a row' to make it a great trip.

It's a good thing I can rely on Denise (and the rest of the wonderful people) @ Magical Journeys to make sure I get just the right package and all the available discounts/savings possible. Even though I have, at times, run her ragged over the past 20 +/- years, she (and Wendy and/or Nancy when Denise wasn't available) has always come through for me.

Maybe I should have just 'bullet pointed' my list of thoughts...

• Dates of travel (Typically 7 or 8 days/nights) [I've visited at least once in every month from September to May over the past 20+ years, but WILL NOT do Florida summers!]
• AP - Yes or No or Do I already have one? (I just bought an AP [IncrediPass] with PhotoPass/MemoryMaker, so I guess I'm planning on more than one trip in my 'Activation Year')
• Resort level / Resort to stay in (I always stay 'on property,' typically in a Value resort)
• After Hours / hard ticket event(s) - Yes or No
• Flights (I've driven to FL, but never to WDW.)

As a retired, solo traveler, I don't have concerns about work/vacation schedules, school, or things like that. As long as I don't have anything 'pop up,' regarding health or home, it's just a matter of budgeting and scheduling.

Sorry, I DO get a bit overexuberant when I finally decide that I am making another trip. The kid in me reawakens for a while. As I like to say: "I may grow old, but I will never grow up!"

Just a brief update...

Decided to 'splurge' on an Annual Pass and have it tucked away nicely on My Disney Experience. Having done that, I am now booked for a trip earlier than planned - October 7 - 14 - and will be staying at Pop Century. Hoping for some good concerts during that time for the Food & Wine Festival.

I am still thinking about the December trip as well. We shall see what happens. Maybe shorter trips will come into play and I could hit all 4 festivals on one pass.

Not sure I am taking a trip this year. Hope you enjoy!!!!!!