Annual Pass questions

[Gaprofitt]

Hi All,

Looking at the possibility of buying annual passes for me and my son. We live 6.5 hours from Orlando or a short hour flight. I have a bunch of questions.

My son loves mini golf, does it include mini golf and are there restrictions?
Is it feasible at all weather wise to go to the water parks in Jan/Feb?
How does fastpasses work? 30 day window, 60 day etc?
Are the room rates offered to passholders substancial savings over generic public offers?
I know currently they are offering 20% discount on a ton of restaurants/quick service, that could add up for sure.
In the summer outside the resort what's reasonable accomdations going to cost me?
I'm a little worried about the summer since it's obviously busy season, does every ride
have 2 hour waits, etc? What's the best strategy for this?

Any tips are greatly appreciated, thanks..

Greg

 

[danyoung56]

I can only answer a couple of your questions. Fasspasses can be booked 60 days out if you're staying on site with Disney, and 30 days out if you're not.

It used to be that AP savings on hotel rooms were really valuable. But lately Disney has been offering discounts to the general public that come within 5% or so of the AP discounts. That 20% thing that they're now doing on dining can really add up. There is a thing called the Tables in Wonderland card, that an AP holder can buy for $150. It gives you 20% off of all table service and some quick service restaurants, including alcohol. It used to be a no brainer, but now with the new 20% discount on the regular AP, I'm not sure if the TiW card is worth it any more.

My best touring strategy is to be at each park right at opening, and tour till around noon or so. Have a nice lunch, then head back to your hotel during the hottest part of the day for a swim or a nap, and then come back to the parks for dinner and fireworks. You'll find the crowds at park opening to be much easier to handle than the summertime afternoon crowds!

 

[Joshua Hall]

Hi All,

Looking at the possibility of buying annual passes for me and my son. We live 6.5 hours from Orlando or a short hour flight. I have a bunch of questions.

My son loves mini golf, does it include mini golf and are there restrictions?
Is it feasible at all weather wise to go to the water parks in Jan/Feb?
How does fastpasses work? 30 day window, 60 day etc?
Are the room rates offered to passholders substancial savings over generic public offers?
I know currently they are offering 20% discount on a ton of restaurants/quick service, that could add up for sure.
In the summer outside the resort what's reasonable accomdations going to cost me?
I'm a little worried about the summer since it's obviously busy season, does every ride
have 2 hour waits, etc? What's the best strategy for this?

Any tips are greatly appreciated, thanks..

Greg

You get a discount for Mini golf, I forget what it is.

we don't really do the water parks, but if your up for it and they are open.

30 day window for Passholder fast passes, I personally disagree with this since Passholders pay in advance.

Never compared room rates, but the do send some good ones.

As a passholder we usually avoid the summer months, of course we live five min from the parks, when we do take summer trips to the park it's usually earlier in the day, park open, or late in the afternoon. Crowds are a little more broken up during those times due to on property breakfasts, recovering from the day before<ie. sleeping in> or the afternoon cool down/nap to be ready to comeback for fireworks.

 

[Master Yoda]

My son loves mini golf, does it include mini golf and are there restrictions? No, discount only.

Is it feasible at all weather wise to go to the water parks in Jan/Feb? For me, no, but people do it.

How does fastpasses work? 30 day window, 60 day etc? 30 days with pass only. 60 days if you make a WDW Resort reservation.

Are the room rates offered to passholders substancial savings over generic public offers? No. AP rates are roughly 5% better than a general public offer.

I know currently they are offering 20% discount on a ton of restaurants/quick service, that could add up for sure. The restaurant discounts with an AP are not all they are cracked up to be. They vary quite a bit, do not include all restaurants and are not for all meals at the restaurants they do offer discounts at. Having an AP does give you the ability to get a Tables in Wonderland card which is a much more consistent and usable discount program, but it costs $150 per year. You will need to do the math to see if it will benefit you.

In the summer outside the resort what's reasonable accomdations going to cost me? It varies quite a bit. Personally, I have never found the savings significant enough to have to deal with staying off property, especially if you are flying in and do not have large party. Granted, I have no issue staying at a value resort which helps a good bit.

I'm a little worried about the summer since it's obviously busy season, does every ride
have 2 hour waits, etc? What's the best strategy for this? Get to the parks before opening and use fastpass. If you stay on property, use early morning Extra Magic Hours.

 

[21stamps]

Regarding the 5% that people are talking about-
My reservations (9 nights, only 5 were applicable for a discount) are confusing so I hope this makes sense,

I just purchased an annual pass because of that 5%. I was going to do the 25% GP room only (for a portion of my trip) and purchase 4 day park tickets. Instead, I was able to get a discount on 5 out of my 9 nights, between that additional savings, and the included memory maker..it actually saved me a little money...including the $750 for the Platinum Pass instead of the 4 day non hopper @ $325.
So basically I got a free annual pass and saved (just edited after I checked my notes)- $140 on top of that.

We won't be doing a big WDW vacay in 2017 but-- I am going to be a horrible mother and sneak down to F&W for a few nights adult trip

 

[danyoung56]

30 day window for Passholder fast passes....

I think it's important to note that the 30 day window is exactly the same for the general public who aren't booking on-property rooms.

The restaurant discounts with an AP are not all they are cracked up to be. They vary quite a bit, do not include all restaurants and are not for all meals at the restaurants they do offer discounts at...

I'm not sure if this comment takes into account the new 20% discounts that they just announced in the past week or so. Perhaps they're making the discount more consistent.

 

[Master Yoda]

I'm not sure if this comment takes into account the new 20% discounts that they just announced in the past week or so. Perhaps they're making the discount more consistent.

It does. Right now things are much better for AP only dining discounts, but it is my understanding that the new discounts are temporary.

 

[danyoung56]

That's good to know. These discounts are enough to make me not want a Tables in Wonderland card for next year. But if the discounts are going away, perhaps the TiW card is still a good thing, even though the price just went way up.

 

[Master Yoda]

That's good to know. These discounts are enough to make me not want a Tables in Wonderland card for next year. But if the discounts are going away, perhaps the TiW card is still a good thing, even though the price just went way up.

That is the double edge sword of AP perks. You can buy an AP on Monday and the benefits can change on Tuesday.

 

[danyoung56]

And there's my dilemma. With the TiW card I'm guaranteed the discount for a year. And the discount applies to alcohol, and I tend to do a BUNCH of drinkin' on vacation.

 

[Missymoe4]

Regarding the 5% that people are talking about-
My reservations (9 nights, only 5 were applicable for a discount) are confusing so I hope this makes sense,

I just purchased an annual pass because of that 5%. I was going to do the 25% GP room only (for a portion of my trip) and purchase 4 day park tickets. Instead, I was able to get a discount on 5 out of my 9 nights, between that additional savings, and the included memory maker..it actually saved me a little money...including the $750 for the Platinum Pass instead of the 4 day non hopper @ $325.
So basically I got a free annual pass and saved (just edited after I checked my notes)- $140 on top of that.

We won't be doing a big WDW vacay in 2017 but-- I am going to be a horrible mother and sneak down to F&W for a few nights adult trip

How did you find out the room discount? For example, I already purchased my room and tickets for my November trip. I'm considering upgrading to an AP. If I do, can I apply this discount? (Perhaps it may not be worth it, anyhow. I think I already booked under some kind of Fall discount).

 

[danyoung56]

Disney is really good about rebooking your room with the new discount, or adjusting your current booking rate to take advantage of a newly announced discount. Give them a call.

 

[21stamps]

How did you find out the room discount? For example, I already purchased my room and tickets for my November trip. I'm considering upgrading to an AP. If I do, can I apply this discount? (Perhaps it may not be worth it, anyhow. I think I already booked under some kind of Fall discount).

You have to cancel and rebook. My situation is a little odd because I was changing around the dates of our WDW stay, and my TA is the one who told me.
Only certain resorts are discounted, and only certain dates. I will be there 11/25-12/4 and only 5 of the nights are discounted. Availability in general was tough. I'm checking into GF on 11/25, no discount. The next day I check in again with a passholders discount..same room type, staying in same room for the next 5 nights- and then switching to Wilderness Lodge 12/1-12/4- no discount.
I think the room at GF is a little over $800 per night, add the discount in and cancel memory maker and it was a good deal..even with only 5 nights discounted. Free AP which is an excuse to hop down to F&W next year for a quick weekend, and saved around 100 bucks. I know that's not much, but hopefully our dining and merchandise savings will add up too. I'm just happy about the AP lol

 

[Missymoe4]

You have to cancel and rebook. My situation is a little odd because I was changing around the dates of our WDW stay, and my TA is the one who told me.
Only certain resorts are discounted, and only certain dates. I will be there 11/25-12/4 and only 5 of the nights are discounted. Availability in general was tough. I'm checking into GF on 11/25, no discount. The next day I check in again with a passholders discount..same room type, staying in same room for the next 5 nights- and then switching to Wilderness Lodge 12/1-12/4- no discount.
I think the room at GF is a little over $800 per night, add the discount in and cancel memory maker and it was a good deal..even with only 5 nights discounted. Free AP which is an excuse to hop down to F&W next year for a quick weekend, and saved around 100 bucks. I know that's not much, but hopefully our dining and merchandise savings will add up too. I'm just happy about the AP lol

Thank you for this great information. I'll take it into consideration for next year. I think its too late for me to try this upcoming trip.
Any money saved is worth it.