Being a Florida resident, you also have the option of renewing your AP on the monthly plan if you wish. When you renew, you don't pay the 1 day ticket price down payment, just the a slightly modified first month of the monthly payments. If you wait and get it later, you can still use the monthly payment plan if you want but one "new" AP's you pay the cost of 1 day ticket down plus the 1st month payment.
That might be something you will want to factor in as well to see if it's worth it to you to renew or simply get a new one. It really depends on how much time you want to lose backdating the pass expiration date, you know?
I really wish they would offer this to everyone, as Universal does.
While at one point I was renewing every year, I am only getting down about twice a year right now (sometimes less), so I go six or twelve month spans without an AP these days. If they offered a recurring monthly AP, I'd never let it lapse, plus I'd come down more.
This is really the big reason that I don't come more. When you have an AP an extra trip here and there seems almost cheap - when you don't, it feels like it costs way way more. I don't envy families that have to buy four or more tickets per trip - it's the most costly thing in the budget unless you stay at a deluxe. I honestly feel "ripped off" (probably more accurately, I'm "spoiled" by AP value if you use it enough) at the regular ticket prices, but the price of an AP has gone up such that if I don't have one and I budget it in that $500+ is a large sum.
Example, I went last May knowing I'd be back this fall (which didn't happen), and my 4-day park hopper was $300. Before I left I upgraded to an AP (and will be using it again in April for another short trip). At least it will pay for itself, as buying another $300 ticket for four days would have been more than the $200 I paid to upgrade. But after that, it will be quite awhile before I come back (another 6-12 months) because I'm not going to want to lay out $300 for 4-days, or another $500+ for an AP before then.
If they had a monthly AP available for me, though, I'd keep it going perpetually and make time for more frequent visits. I've looked in to non-expiring, but it always seems like it would cost even more than just playing the AP game.
