AP or Not?

[Lacincotta]

so I'm planning a 10 day trip to Disney with 7 adults and 2 children 4-6. We are getting 7 day park hoppers and doing one day MNSSHP. We plan on staying off site and renting a van. We also plan on at least two to three character meal, a signature meal, and possibly 4-5 other sit down meals at Disney and we like to have at least one drink a meal. I was also planning on purchasing magic maker. My daughter is also doing bibbidi bobbidi boutique (not sure if there is a discount for ap holders). Would it be worth it for one member of the family to purchase an AP and the tables in wonderland card?? Would love some insite!!!

 

[siskaren]

Since you're only doing 7 park days, I really can't see the discounts being sufficient to make it worth it, and especially since you would have to make the additional purchase of the TiW card to get discounts on meals.

 

[loves to dive]

My advice is never to buy the AP for the discounts, do the math just for the ticket price and memory maker if you use it. The discounts are fluid and never guaranteed. As far as TIW, you have to spend, I think, $750 to break even. Not every place takes it so again, unless you know for a fact you would spend that much, not worth it.

 

[Lacincotta]

My advice is never to buy the AP for the discounts, do the math just for the ticket price and memory maker if you use it. The discounts are fluid and never guaranteed. As far as TIW, you have to spend, I think, $750 to break even. Not every place takes it so again, unless you know for a fact you would spend that much, not worth it.

Thanks yeah I think I would need to spend $1000 in table service to break even. Which is probably not hard with 9 people but I guess I would probably be trying to make the pass worth it and eating at table services I may not have normally!!!

 

[Eighty8Keys]

You might want to check out the 45th Anniversary AP dining discounts, which are good through September 30, 2017 and don't require the purchase of TIW. There are 45 restaurants offering a 20% discount, and a number of others offering 10%. You'd also get unlimited PhotoPass downloads eliminating the need for Memory Maker, plus free parking.You'll definitely want to do the math to see if it would be worth it for one person to upgrade to an AP. We'll be at POFQ for 12 nights the end of this month and had already purchased 10-Day P/H's. With the recent AP room discount, it made sense for us to upgrade. We figure we'll at least break even and it gives us an 11th park day that we didn't have and wished we did. It also leaves open the possibility of a second trip before the AP's expire.

ETA: I think the AP dining discounts are only good for the passholder and up to 3 guests and I just realized that you have 9 in your party. Although I have heard of people having no problem getting the discount for larger parties.

 

[Klayfish]

One nice thing about the AP is that parking and Memory Maker are included, so that may make the AP worth it. Parking is $20/day, or is it $22?

 

[Ladyfish77]

Consider purchasing ONE AP which will give you "free" parking at the parks (for one vehicle), food discounts and Memory Maker.
7-Day Park Hopper: $467.54 +
Parking for 7 days: $140.00
Memory Maker: $149.00=
Total: $756.57

Platinum Annual Pass: $749.00 plus tax. ($797 ish with tax). So you only need to save $40 in food and purchase discounts to make it worthwhile. While the AP discount is for holder +3, others have said it has been extended to larger groups. Even if not, after discounts for 4 people for two character meals (at 20% discount) you've hit that $40 dollars.

 

[IsThatYouTigger]

You might want to check out the 45th Anniversary AP dining discounts, which are good through September 30, 2017 and don't require the purchase of TIW. There are 45 restaurants offering a 20% discount, and a number of others offering 10%. You'd also get unlimited PhotoPass downloads eliminating the need for Memory Maker, plus free parking.You'll definitely want to do the math to see if it would be worth it for one person to upgrade to an AP. We'll be at POFQ for 12 nights the end of this month and had already purchased 10-Day P/H's. With the recent AP room discount, it made sense for us to upgrade. We figure we'll at least break even and it gives us an 11th park day that we didn't have and wished we did. It also leaves open the possibility of a second trip before the AP's expire.

ETA: I think the AP dining discounts are only good for the passholder and up to 3 guests and I just realized that you have 9 in your party. Although I have heard of people having no problem getting the discount for larger parties.

I didn't even know there was a limit on how many people the annual pass would give a discount on food for. We ate at Kona with 9 in December and they took the 20% off the entire bill without saying anything. Either we got lucky or they don't enforce it. 3 other people at the table had them so it wouldn't have been a big deal...

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with the PP that with the 45th anniversary dining discounts, you may not have to purchase TIW in addition to the AP.

 

[MommaBerd]

When our family of 5 (6 when MIL was there) went in November, we purchased one AP (for me). I bought my 7-day ticket from Park Savers and bridged it at the park. With the "free" MM, parking and food & merch discounts, we pretty much broke even with the discounts. AND, I bought a ticket for Typhoon Lagoon one day. If I hadn't done that, we would have saved about $60 - and we are a smaller family/group. I did not buy TiW since the 45th discounts were so generous and we aren't really drinkers. We did receive the AP discount on the entire bill at every location it was available.

And now, DH and I are going to go back in September to make it even more "worth it" and to "save" even more - at least according to Disney math!

 

[Accident]

I think between memory maker and parking you might find that 1 person getting the AP almost breaks even, then you also get the merch, food, party ticket, etc discounts to save you a little.

do the math on what it would save if 1 person had an ap, since your staying offsite you don't need to match tickets.

 

[friend2Figment]

Consider purchasing ONE AP which will give you "free" parking at the parks (for one vehicle), food discounts and Memory Maker.
7-Day Park Hopper: $467.54 +
Parking for 7 days: $140.00
Memory Maker: $149.00=
Total: $756.57

Platinum Annual Pass: $749.00 plus tax. ($797 ish with tax). So you only need to save $40 in food and purchase discounts to make it worthwhile. While the AP discount is for holder +3, others have said it has been extended to larger groups. Even if not, after discounts for 4 people for two character meals (at 20% discount) you've hit that $40 dollars.

For these reasons I figured my pass was worth it. The food & merchandise discount is what sealed the deal for me. Plus, now I get to take my daughter on her graduation trip. I would look at one person in the group getting a pass.

 

[SweetMissy]

One nice thing about the AP is that parking and Memory Maker are included, so that may make the AP worth it. Parking is $20/day, or is it $22?

Memory Maker is included with an AP?? I had no idea. Oh and it's $20 for parking.

 

[friend2Figment]

I think the extra perks included in AP this year are what helped make more sense for those of us that crunch the numbers first. The cool part is if one person gets the pass it could save $ for the group.

 

[Dis703]

I would do it in your case. Like others haves said between the ticket cost, Memory Maker, and parking you just about break even and then the rest of the discounts are savings. That 20% at the shops and 10-20% at restaurants adds up.

 

[BigredNole]

With a party that large, an AP is going to be worth it. For 7 days, you will save $140 on parking. With MM that is another $150. Discounts for dining and merchandise are subject to change, but it has been fairly consistent, at least for merchandise. If you have just 1 table service meal at $50 a person, that is another $100 in savings at a restaurant participating.

 

[wildcatfan]

We just bought the AP figuring we would get in 2 trips in for sure. The past gives you 13 months for the price of 12. We always spend 10 days so two 10 day tickets cost more than the AP. Can anyone tell me if there is a list of participating restaurants?

 

[andee515]

We are going Jan 17 for 7 days...I went ahead and upgraded. It cost about $400 more, but I saved $150 over my existing resort discount, $90 on tickets for DAH, get the pictrues and food and merch discounts, I'll probably break even give or take a little this trip. We plan on going in 1 year, before it is up and that will save us hundreds

 

[Accident]

We just bought the AP figuring we would get in 2 trips in for sure. The past gives you 13 months for the price of 12. We always spend 10 days so two 10 day tickets cost more than the AP. Can anyone tell me if there is a list of participating restaurants?

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/passholder-program/passholder/

if you get a oops ate the page, use a different browser. if the page comes up with nothing there and blank, different browser.. it's one of the worst disney sites out there for compatibility...

also take this with a grain of salt, the list changes often so what your going to do is never hand disney money until the words do you take the AP discount comes out of your mouth. if it's something common like water and soda then you need to get into a gift shop that does take it with a fridge and not the stand. some stands do take it (most of HS takes it)... If it's a holiday that day, also take if they take it with a grain of salt and ask before you sit down if you need that discount to eat there.. I heard a few not honoring it on new years eve or day..

 

[hodad]

Get 6 parkhoppers* from a 3rd party vendor like Parksavers for a discount, buy one platinum AP, and don't get the TiW card or magic maker. Also, it sounds crazy but works: use your AP pass to book a 1 night ticketless package with deluxe dining plan at the AP discount rate, every other night at several Disney moderate resorts, for 1-2 adults and the kids, then use those dining credits for everyone and let the kids swim in the resort pools and use the resort-stay magic bands for free parking for a 2nd and possibly 3rd car, which could be cheaper than getting one van.

*If someone you know is going to Disney World before your trip, buy 7 parkhoppers at a discount and have the friend take the magic band associated with one of them to Guest Services to bridge to an AP before you book on-site rooms.