Big changes coming to Annual Passes

flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Baltar said:
Your comment about trying Universal...It would be a great year to do just that too. WDW is going through a lot of additions that won't be here for over a year. I'd save the money if I were you and experience new things. If you prefer WDW after the year, just go back. :)
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Anyone who goes to Universal seeking a 'cheaper alternative' will be disappointed. UNI is pretty darn expensive for short trips and isn't shy on prices in park either. Goto UNI because you are interested in the product - not because you think Disney is too expensive. Uni will be happy to move their prices up behind Disney as well.
 
Baltar

Baltar

$4 billion for EPCOT
flynnibus said:
Anyone who goes to Universal seeking a 'cheaper alternative' will be disappointed. UNI is pretty darn expensive for short trips and isn't shy on prices in park either. Goto UNI because you are interested in the product - not because you think Disney is too expensive. Uni will be happy to move their prices up behind Disney as well.
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It's obvious I was referring to what he quoted as the affordability of their annual passes which aren't horrible. And if he was considering Uni, I'm gonna take it for granted that he's interested. I certainly wouldn't toss out a place I'm not interested in.
 
JohnD

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Astro Blaster said:
The thing that burns me the most is that these increases come immediately and without warning. You should at least get a few weeks to lock in the current deals if you'd like.

For example, I bought an annual pass this year for the first time and had no clue about the TiW deal. I found out about it after my latest trip, while it would have paid for itself if I had known beforehand. I figured I'd buy it when I got to WDW next month, but now it "magically" increases in price from $100 to $150?! That's a pretty sleazy scheme if you ask me. Even the stupid local train service tells you months in advance if a price hike is coming.
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My current AP expires on 11/10. The only reason I "lucked out" by renewing it sooner was that I have a trip planned the same week and I needed to renew 60 days prior to complete my FP+ selection.
 
J

jayinthe813

Member
flynnibus said:
Anyone who goes to Universal seeking a 'cheaper alternative' will be disappointed. UNI is pretty darn expensive for short trips and isn't shy on prices in park either. Goto UNI because you are interested in the product - not because you think Disney is too expensive. Uni will be happy to move their prices up behind Disney as well.
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I mean, I already go to Universal multiple times a year (I sometimes am able to get comp tickets). The AP setup for Uni is way cheaper for sure and generally so are the hotels. Staying in the hotel has the unlimited fast pass perk. Food in park is just as expensive, but I think Alcoholic drinks cost way more.

I don't think Uni by far is as expensive as Disney. Not seeing it on paper. The other end of it is that I have done all there is to do at Uni, I feel like Disney has more ride diversity. Ultimately, I'm looking for somewhere to spend some weekends, spend some money, and have a good time. Come March, I will either "paint or get off the ladder" so to speak. Maybe by then the "sticker shock" will have worn off.

I just spent Saturday at adventure island in Tampa, what a dump. Made me appreciate the level of service at Disney. Water parks after 2pm still looks like an attractive pass.
 
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TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
jayinthe813 said:
I just spent Saturday at adventure island in Tampa, what a dump. Made me appreciate the level of service at Disney.
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So many local park options are like that. Total dumps. No fireworks. No parades. Greasy expensive food. Thug employees. Every surface seems sticky.

I chuckle when fellow AP'ers say every year when Disney raises rates "Bye Disneyworld/land! You just priced me out and I'm going to get an AP at Knott's, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, etc."

And yet every year Disney continues to see attendance rise. :rolleyes:
 
ItlngrlBella

ItlngrlBella

Well-Known Member
Just curious, how do you all think the tiered pricing is going to work? We usually get our tickets via the Armed Forces discount, but I'm curious - and about 99.9% sure that it's going to cost more to do less - no value added compared to what's going on now with prices.
 
J

jayinthe813

Member
TP2000 said:
So many local park options are like that. Total dumps. No fireworks. No parades. Greasy expensive food. Thug employees. Every surface seems sticky.

I chuckle when fellow AP'ers say every year when Disney raises rates "Bye Disneyworld/land! You just priced me out and I'm going to get an AP at Knott's, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, etc."

And yet every year Disney continues to see attendance rise. :rolleyes:
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Yeah, all things relative I would pay the hike before ever considering Busch Gardens or Adventure Island. Not worth $150 a year. It's sad to see those two parks in such a sad state of affairs since Anheiser Busch sold them. Adventure Island was charging full price admission Saturday but almost everything was closed because they purposefully did not schedule staff. BG used to have that rehabilitation area for animals, now it's all dirty empty cages.

I expect that property and operation will be sold to real estate once they finish running it into the ground.
 
Next Big Thing

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
JohnD said:
I think you're still making my case. I'm already a FR seasonal pass holder who lives 4 hours away. The comparable pass for me is the silver.

But if you're a current regular AP holder, with no blockouts and no PP (old passes never had this to begin with), you're now being steered into the Platinum with no blockouts whether you want PP or not. The reason for being a regular AP holder is the ability to go when you want. But there is no option for no blockouts and no PP.
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The blockouts on the Gold are very minimal... it's like 3-4 weeks total.
 
FigmentsFangirl

FigmentsFangirl

Well-Known Member
But on the platinum, which is basically the annual pass for non florida residents to begin with; what my family and I basically have actually, does not list any blockout dates whuen the old version did....

Now, a question; If my parents renew our passes within this week, they expire on 11 November 2015, would we see the same discount of renewing before pass experiation occurs like we did the last two years of renewing within 30 days of pass expering ?
 
Yankee Mouse

Yankee Mouse

Well-Known Member
The price hike is definitely disappointing. If I took a 7 day trip, as a DVC member the discounted cost of an AP wasn't much more than a 7 day park hopper so I could justify the price in case I decided to go more than once a year which did happen a few times. This year for example, I took two additional trips that I hadn't planned on taking when I bought my pass so I made out well.

Now I am not so sure, I would have to examine the costs when it is time to buy new passes. Including parking doesn't make a difference to me because I usually stay on site anyway, and at first I thought including MM was a nice perk, until I realized it was on each ticket (3 for my family). I guess that could be worth it if we took multiple trips, but for just one trip the difference is probably too much now to justify. The blackout dates are disappointing too because most of my extended family likes to go during christmas time, and even though we don't like to go during that time if I had an AP I would like the option instead of just having to say no. Again though I think the cost is too much of a difference to justify.

We just got back and I think we were going to start looking at every other year trips anyway so I won't have to worry about it for a while. By then I am sure prices will have jumped another 100%.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
ItlngrlBella said:
Just curious, how do you all think the tiered pricing is going to work? We usually get our tickets via the Armed Forces discount, but I'm curious - and about 99.9% sure that it's going to cost more to do less - no value added compared to what's going on now with prices.
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How well do I think it will work? You mean in terms of differing attendance?

None because I think we've pretty much proven that there isn't a slow season whatsoever. This year, we have had a slow week and a half during the September low. That was it.

In fact, I think will be very counterproductive. You will have the ticketing trying to spread the crowd out but meanwhile you will have other parts of Walt Disney World putting forth promotions and specials in an attempt to fill hotel rooms.

But from a physical perspective? It'll work great… Revenue will continue to come in and people will put themselves on the back after themselves being made to look good…
 
Baltar

Baltar

$4 billion for EPCOT
FigmentsFangirl said:
But on the platinum, which is basically the annual pass for non florida residents to begin with; what my family and I basically have actually, does not list any blockout dates whuen the old version did....

Now, a question; If my parents renew our passes within this week, they expire on 11 November 2015, would we see the same discount of renewing before pass experiation occurs like we did the last two years of renewing within 30 days of pass expering ?
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding this but there have never been black out dates for WDW's annual passes for non-Florida residents. Well at least as far back as 2002 when I started getting them.
 
xdan0920

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
A couple interesting observations.

1. This in no way is aimed to keep "Lifestylers" away. An extra $150 a year isn't enough to dissuade someone who visits 100 times in a year. I don't care which faux insider claims otherwise.

2. I find the, "I have one more trip, then one in 2017, and that's it!" to be comical. So your going once a year? Disney thanks you.
 
DisneyJeff

DisneyJeff

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
So.. If I am a non-Florida resident who would normally purchase two annual passes and also purchase the Memory-Maker for each trip, then this is actually good news. Correct?
 

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