Length of stay pass

[CinderellaFan]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone knew why the length of stay pass was discontinued? I am staying in the park for two and a half weeks and find that since my options are a ten day or season I tend to take the extra days and go outside Disney. If the length of stay was still in place I would have spent the entire time in disney. It seems to me thst they might be losing business when they removed this ticketing option.

 

[wolf359]

Disney revamped their entire ticket system back in 2005 when they introduced the Magic Your Way ticket. The stated purpose was to increase flexibility, in that you could purchase just the exact features you required for only the amount of time you needed. Disney also adjusted the pricing structure to make longer stays significantly cheaper per-day than shorter stays.

Since doing so, attendance has shown yearly increases, in spite of the slightly more confusing nature of the Magic Your Way tickets, and the steady increases in ticket prices.

If you are staying for two-and-a-half weeks, have you considered purchasing a 10-day and a 7-day ticket? That would certainly end up giving the same amount of admission days as a two-and-a-half week length of stay pass.

Also, I believe the break-even point between daily passes and an annual pass is only around day 11, and it seems Disney is adding an extra three months to their annual passes this year, which makes an annual pass an even better deal if you're planning a longer stay. The resort discounts, and other additional perks would certainly seem to make an annual pass a much better deal than a length of stay pass even if they did still exist.

 

[KingStefan]

Wolf is right. The AP break-even is usually at day 11 (depending on what options you get, etc. - it's a bit difficult to compare).

However, if you are going for 2 1/2 weeks, and you want the equivalent of a length-of-stay pass, you can get an AP for each person in your party for much less than the cost of what the previous length-of-stay pass would have cost (I believe - I've searched for historical figures on the cost of length-of-stay and couldn't find any handily - someone please correct that if I turn out to be wrong).

And the other discounts you could get with an AP makes it even more attractive. It makes you eligible, among other things, for membership in Tables in Wonderland (Is that the right name? I'm talking about what used to be called the Disney Dining Experience - they changed the name because too many people confused it with the Disney Dining Plan). It gets you DEEP discounts on Disney resort restaurants for a small annual fee. We got ours in 2005, and it paid for itself many times over. It also includes unlimited valet parking at the resorts.

Our first day there we used it at the Aloha show, and it paid for itself right there. Later in the trip we used it at V&A's and and it paid for itself over again. So including two trips, I'd say we saved $300 or more for a $50 fee.

Anyway, sorry to get OT a bit there, but I'd certainly consider APs, if I were you. Also, look into your resort deal (if you're staying on site) to see if you can get an AP discount. With the length of your stay, the AP discount may even pay for the cost of one or two APs right there.

 

[Master Yoda]

Wolf is right. The AP break-even is usually at day 11 (depending on what options you get, etc. - it's a bit difficult to compare).

However, if you are going for 2 1/2 weeks, and you want the equivalent of a length-of-stay pass, you can get an AP for each person in your party for much less than the cost of what the previous length-of-stay pass would have cost (I believe - I've searched for historical figures on the cost of length-of-stay and couldn't find any handily - someone please correct that if I turn out to be wrong).

And the other discounts you could get with an AP makes it even more attractive. It makes you eligible, among other things, for membership in Tables in Wonderland (Is that the right name? I'm talking about what used to be called the Disney Dining Experience - they changed the name because too many people confused it with the Disney Dining Plan). It gets you DEEP discounts on Disney resort restaurants for a small annual fee. We got ours in 2005, and it paid for itself many times over. It also includes unlimited valet parking at the resorts.

Our first day there we used it at the Aloha show, and it paid for itself right there. Later in the trip we used it at V&A's and and it paid for itself over again. So including two trips, I'd say we saved $300 or more for a $50 fee.

Anyway, sorry to get OT a bit there, but I'd certainly consider APs, if I were you. Also, look into your resort deal (if you're staying on site) to see if you can get an AP discount. With the length of your stay, the AP discount may even pay for the cost of one or two APs right there.

I found some historical data and it more than backs up your claims. The prices in the attached link are from 2004 and a 12 day length of stay pass (called the ultimate park hopper) was $543. By comparison a Premium AP currently costs $660. Add inflation to that equation and the fact that the pass is good for 356 days along with, AP discounts, qualifying for TiWL membership, etc, and it makes the Premium AP a much better deal.

http://www.talkdisney.com/forums/td-archives/23319-length-stay-pass.html

 

[Monty]

I too would recommend APs. The value is significantly better than MYW tickets for your stay. Of course, a 10-day MYW and then going to other area attractions is also perfectly viable.

As for the replies above, two minor corrections:

- The Tables in Wonderland card gets you complimentary Valet Parking while eating at a given resort, but you have to pay when you arrive and show your dining receipt and TiW card when leaving to get a refund. It is limited to a reasonable time frame to eat your meal, not "unlimited".

- Disney has added three extra months to AP renewals done within 30 days of the expiry of the previous AP. An initial AP purchase will only be for 12 months.

 

[Master Yoda]

I too would recommend APs. The value is significantly better than MYW tickets for your stay. Of course, a 10-day MYW and then going to other area attractions is also perfectly viable.

As for the replies above, two minor corrections:

- The Tables in Wonderland card gets you complimentary Valet Parking while eating at a given resort, but you have to pay when you arrive and show your dining receipt and TiW card when leaving to get a refund. It is limited to a reasonable time frame to eat your meal, not "unlimited".

- Disney has added three extra months to AP renewals done within 30 days of the expiry of the previous AP. An initial AP purchase will only be for 12 months.

Is this a recent change? I have used the free valet feature of TiWL many times (but not sense 2008) and have never been charged up front.

 

[Monty]

Is this a recent change? I have used the free valet feature of TiWL many times (but not sense 2008) and have never been charged up front.

The policy is that you pay and get reimbursed if you go to a park, thinking about it, it may be that they charge for Valet Parking on pick-up, in which case you're right... [I was posting from memory ], my intent was more to correct the statement that you get "unlimited" valet parking with the TiW card.

I've never actually used this particular feature, so have no idea how it's done in practise. The info at AllEars is kinda vague:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Complimentary parking: [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Theme Park: after 5 p.m. daily, show membership card at Guest Relations. You'll have to pay parking at the toll booth, then after dining, present receipt and parking ticket at Guest Relations for a refund.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Walt Disney World Resorts - [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]when dining at a Walt Disney World resort, valet parking is complimentary. After dining, present a dining receipt at the valet stand.[/FONT]
​

[It's never come up for me because I do get unlimited Valet Parking with my Handicap Parking permit.]

 

[Master Yoda]

The policy is that you pay and get reimbursed if you go to a park, thinking about it, it may be that they charge for Valet Parking on pick-up, in which case you're right... [I was posting from memory ], my intent was more to correct the statement that you get "unlimited" valet parking with the TiW card.

I've never actually used this particular feature, so have no idea how it's done in practise. The info at AllEars is kinda vague:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]-- Complimentary parking: [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Theme Park: after 5 p.m. daily, show membership card at Guest Relations. You'll have to pay parking at the toll booth, then after dining, present receipt and parking ticket at Guest Relations for a refund.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Walt Disney World Resorts - [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]when dining at a Walt Disney World resort, valet parking is complimentary. After dining, present a dining receipt at the valet stand.[/FONT]
​

[It's never come up for me because I do get unlimited Valet Parking with my Handicap Parking permit.]

No problem Monty. How it has worked in the past is you simply drop off the car and tell the valet that you have a TiWL card. He/she will get you name, occasionally ask to see your card, and them park your car. When you pick your car up they will typically ask for your card and on occasion ask to see a dining receipt and then get your car. No money ever exchanges hands. One special note...if you are staying at a Disney resort you need to remove your parking pass from the resorts and stick it in the glove box before you have the valet park the car. The valet company is run by a third party and even though you have TiWL they will bill your room for the valet fee.

 

[KingStefan]

Back in 2005, they were not quite so strict. You would drop off your car, show your DDE card (or documentation - they had no idea it would be so popular and were about 7 weeks behind on issuing actual cards), then at pickup I was never asked for anything. Even once I parked at the Beach Club and told them I was going to Epcot, and they said "no problem", even though technically the fine print said "when dining at a resort..." etc.

I guess they wised up and started actually enforcing the rules.

And, yes, even though I had no problem having my resort pass scanned by mistake, I have heard of others having that problem, so definitely put it away when valet parking with TiWL.

 

[KingStefan]

Anybody know the cost of a premium AP in the beginning of 2004?

 

[Master Yoda]

Back in 2005, they were not quite so strict. You would drop off your car, show your DDE card (or documentation - they had no idea it would be so popular and were about 7 weeks behind on issuing actual cards), then at pickup I was never asked for anything. Even once I parked at the Beach Club and told them I was going to Epcot, and they said "no problem", even though technically the fine print said "when dining at a resort..." etc.

I guess they wised up and started actually enforcing the rules.

And, yes, even though I had no problem having my resort pass scanned by mistake, I have heard of others having that problem, so definitely put it away when valet parking with TiWL.

I am not sure if it is still an issue but I know for a fact it was in the past. I noticed the charge on my bill at checkout a couple of years ago. I made a few calls to some friends that were also at WDW on the same trip and the charge was on their bill as well. If it had happened at only one resort or for one person I would have chalked it up as a mistake but three resorts and three guests led me to the conclusion that it was either a big flaw in their bookkeeping or it was intentional.

 

[Master Yoda]

anybody know the cost of a premium ap in the beginning of 2004?

$478