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Annual pass benefits for a shorter stay?
- Thread starter Geppetto
- Start date
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
3 days? No way would it be worth it. 7 days? Not likely either unless you can get it at a discount. Some dining is 20% off and merchandise too. You also get photopass photos for free (saved for a year). So you can add that into the value. The Platinum Plus adds in water parks and ESPN, but those are very pricey. We are AP holders but also DVC members so we get it at a discount. My renewal rate is right around $500 which makes it a no brainer if we do a yearly trip that's 7 or so days long. If I had to pay regular prices I don't think I'd have one.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
The normal breakeven is around 10 days. But it will really come down to your specific travel plans. While a 4-5 day trip once a year won't make it worth while, planning your trips so that they fall within a 365 period of AP validity might make it worth while. IE travel in late Aug in 2017, early Aug in 2018.
A 4 day base ticket currently goes for $350 at the gate. A Platinum AP goes for $779 (tax not included in either). So two 4 day tickets would cost you $700, and you could very well make up that $79 difference in things like Memory Maker, merchandise discounts, etc. Keep in mind that all those extras are subject to change, so they may very well not exist 6 mo to a 1year down the road. Look at the prices for the tickets you would conceivable need to buy, and if you can make trips overlap, then it might be worth it to buy an AP. And if you have a family, you may want to buy just one AP to get anything such as Memory Maker and buy straight tickets for the rest of the party, it all depends on the numbers.
A 4 day base ticket currently goes for $350 at the gate. A Platinum AP goes for $779 (tax not included in either). So two 4 day tickets would cost you $700, and you could very well make up that $79 difference in things like Memory Maker, merchandise discounts, etc. Keep in mind that all those extras are subject to change, so they may very well not exist 6 mo to a 1year down the road. Look at the prices for the tickets you would conceivable need to buy, and if you can make trips overlap, then it might be worth it to buy an AP. And if you have a family, you may want to buy just one AP to get anything such as Memory Maker and buy straight tickets for the rest of the party, it all depends on the numbers.
As has been mentioned earlier by @dreamfinder , the break even point is around 10 days for admission alone.
Personally, I would not get an AP unless I could break even on admission alone as all of the other benefits can be modified to flat out removed at any time. The room discounts are also not all they are cracked up to be. It is not uncommon to find rates available to the general public that are the same or just a few percentage points lower than the AP rate.
You also only need one AP to get the benefits. What will on occasion work out is getting a single AP for one person and regular tickets for the rest.
Personally, I would not get an AP unless I could break even on admission alone as all of the other benefits can be modified to flat out removed at any time. The room discounts are also not all they are cracked up to be. It is not uncommon to find rates available to the general public that are the same or just a few percentage points lower than the AP rate.
You also only need one AP to get the benefits. What will on occasion work out is getting a single AP for one person and regular tickets for the rest.
Takeitforgranite
Active Member
We have been considering APs. It seems as though if you plan to take two 5+ day trips in a year's time, it's worth it. There have been a few times where we would just like to take off and fly down for a long weekend, but the admission costs eat you up on short stays. I think that's where the AP would be a big bonus. I wish we had went and done that when we went in June.