JohnD
Well-Known Member
That would be "Platinum Plus"
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Big changes coming to Annual Passes
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
That would be "Platinum Plus"
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I'm not an AP holder. So, I'm trying to crunch the numbers to see if I should be...
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Thanks...I knew it was one of the "Platinums"...
lilclerk
Well-Known Member
To make it even more confusing, there's also the Premier pass, which gets you into both WDW and Disneyland.Thanks...I knew it was one of the "Platinums"...
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Including this year's earlier price increase:
2014 Annual Pass: $634
2015 Platinum Pass: $749
Percentage increase: 18.1%
2014 Premium Annual Pass: $754
2015 Platinum Plus Pass: $829
Percentage increase: 10.0%
Yes, I recognize the new APs include PhotoPass downloads so it's no exactly an apples-to-apples comparison but my DD's just spent 6 days at the parks and had no problem finding CMs willing to take photos using their cameras.
In 2010, the AP was $499. Today's price of $749 represents a 50.1% increase in only 5 years.
But I'm sure your employer has increased your pay by 50% over the last 5 years.
See the bolded.
To be frank, I think that is an issue for them. If you want to have snapshotters available (and that is all they are...as @PhotoDave219 has put, I'd hardly call them photographers....), but, the labor does cost money. Money, frankly, I don't mind paying as my kid gets older.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
No, I meant non WDW properties. It has been clarified.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Okay. What's missing is a tier for no blockouts and no PP. I think a lot of people would go for that. My hunch is that WDW knows this all too well so is steering them to the steeper-priced platinum with no blockouts and PP. (The Gold also has PP but blockouts too.)
englanddg
One Little Spark...
As I've crunched the numbers, for this next year, an AP is NOT worth it, but that was before they shoved PP or Memory Maker or whatever into it. If I had to pay for that each trip, that's an expense which needs to be added in. If it's a ticket by ticket analysis as I had a few months ago when I was hatching all this, it was coming out that it was cheaper to pay for party tickets with half days, and for other trips single or double days than doing an AP...unless we plan another long trip next summer, which I'm not sure we do. I think next summer we will do California or Europe...and an AP does nothing to help us with that.
jlthomas81
Well-Known Member
Ok, so here's a question I haven't seen addressed yet. I have purchased an AP but will not be activating it until our trip on October 30th. What will happen then?
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Well apart from this final Osborne lights trip, that's it until Star Wars. I may go to DL for a day but that would be a side trip from an LA vacation.
It's time to see the rest of the world, it's far cheaper.
bhg469
Well-Known Member
I disagree. I think they want more locals to go gold and silver. They don't want them on site for the peak days taking up space that out of town guests could be. Those guests spend a lot more money.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I'm doing the halloween party over a weekend, one day at Disney (though we'll go to Disney Springs more than once, I'm sure), and staying offsite...
We'll be there in December, I just have to decide on the final weekend and how it will go...again, probably just a party ticket. We may get a one or two day ticket.
After that...the kiddo wants to go other places in the Spring. Not that she doesn't like Disney, but she's been going since she was 5, and as you noted, there are other things to do elsewhere, to include cruises.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I'm an "out of town" guest, and if they'd change up their merch more than a few years, and stop cheapening it, I'd spend a lot more money as well.
The first trip in 2010 I spent nearly 2k in merch. 2011, I spent a ton on custom artwork (thousands...) This past trip, under 600...over 3 weeks...and most of that was gifts for others.
For example, I went in this trip with the explicit mission of getting a new high end Mickey Watch....but the models they offer now are all overpriced, ugly and crap. And they are the same across all the venues. And all the venues are either crowded as heck (like World of Disney) or understaffed (like the theme parks) so I couldn't even ask someone for advice or even enjoy shopping...
I felt, unlike previous years, as if it was "see it, buy it, get out" much more than previous trips...
Clyde Birdbrain
Unknown Member
I am not surprised that parking is free for all passes now. I think a lot of Seasonal Pass holders park at the resorts. With parking prices going up to $20 even more would park at the resorts. That is unsustainable.
I am also not surprised that prices keep increasing as it is absolutely insanely busy in the parks lately. We were at Epcot yesterday and I found it as busy as New Year's Eve or 4th of July would have been a few years ago. World Showcase was packed with hundreds in line at each food booth.
We went last weekend to get our stamps for the free glass for annual passholders at Innoventions East and the line was out the door all day long, or at least each time we walked by. Yesterday they had moved into Innoventions West where there is more space and they set up a big queue area. I can't believe how many passholders there were.
I am also not surprised that prices keep increasing as it is absolutely insanely busy in the parks lately. We were at Epcot yesterday and I found it as busy as New Year's Eve or 4th of July would have been a few years ago. World Showcase was packed with hundreds in line at each food booth.
We went last weekend to get our stamps for the free glass for annual passholders at Innoventions East and the line was out the door all day long, or at least each time we walked by. Yesterday they had moved into Innoventions West where there is more space and they set up a big queue area. I can't believe how many passholders there were.
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bhg469
Well-Known Member
But the locals spend next to nothing. They aren't as welcomed by Disney world as they think.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
That is an issue. They should look to their sister parks...regulars are important. Regionals are important.
rucifee
Well-Known Member
Hmm my spending an average of $200 per weekend at WDW on food and merchandise leads me to believe your comment may not be the least bit true.
Unless my sarcasm detector is failing me again, which is possible.
Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
No. "Charter Members" are a class of people who bought APs during a period a long time ago. They get a reduced cost for renewals for as long as they keep renewing, but I think if they miss a renewal they're done [not sure about that last part, perhaps @WDW1974 can provide more detail].
If you are someone who routinely buys Memory Maker when you go, chances are these changes are a significant value for you. I think AP holders who actually do so are in a minority [I have no empirical evidence, just a guess].
I suspect you'll get the old AP without PP/MM added. Your voucher can be activated any time for forever, maybe they'll see it as a loss leader to just give you the new type pass, but I think it'll come down to whether they think having two different pass types to manage in their ticketing system is worth it or not.