APs but I live several states away...hmmm?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Another Canadian AP holder! Anytime we are fitting 2 trips into a 365 day period we go with APs. No regrets! Especially now that the merchandise discount has been bumped up to 20% :) I honestly feel like the only drawback is that it becomes even more tempting to try and squeeze in an extra trip ;)
 
I'm in Texas and we have APs. Love them and definitely use them as an excuse to take more trips. And you can absolutely add the dining plan with an AP. We have done it, although we usually don't bother anymore.
 
I've owned several AP's. I do not currently own one, though I will mostly likely be renewing my Universal AP at some point.

MemoryMaker - For us, Memory Maker isn't much of an incentive. We just don't get many photos, and retaining every ride photo isn't a priority for us. Even when we don't buy MM, with Magicbands we can look at them and buy them individually if we choose. for the most part, I'm happy enough with just the copious photos we take. Other than ride photos, we only had a handful of character photos. Certainly not enough photos, IMO to justify the regular price of MM for us. I'm not saying it isn't worthwhile for other folks, just not for us.

Parking - This is one AP perk we have used, but parking is included when we stay onsite, so we don't use this perk very often.

Table in Wonderland- in the past, we benefitted from buying TiW, but now it isn't worthwhile for us. If you only have two people, or don't eat many TS meals, then it is hard(er) to come out ahead buying TiW. Again, you really have to do the math. An AP alone gives you some discounts. ALSo - VERY IMPORTANT - alcohol IS included in the 2018 Dining Plan.

As another poster pointed out though, you don't have to get AP's for everyone. If you are near the break even point, then buying a single AP might make the most sense.

Either way, you are kind of betting for or against a return trip. It is kind of a gamble. Since I don't currently have an AP, I'm not locked into returning.

I also do the math carefully when considering to renew. If you only go a few times a year, the renewal 'discount' doesn't always make sense. For several years, renewing my AP's were a no-brainers. The renewal prices were quite low, and benefits were consistently great. Now, not as much.

Non WDW: It is also worth mentioning that I'm now much more open to all AP's. Whenever we go any place that charges admission, I look at the cost of an AP. Often enough, if you add up all the perks, you can come close to breaking even with a single visit. Museum AP's often include interesting newsletter subscriptions and discounts, etc. that make them worthwhile.
 


Was bouncing around the idea of buying APs for Christmas but trying to figure if its worth it. We live in Jersey, we are trying to go twice this year, my husband and my 2 daughters.
One trip would be 5 nights/6days at a value or Mod in april/may
Our other trip would be 7 nights/8 days @ a deluxe in Aug/Sept/or Oct.

We always buy photopass
We always buy hoppers.
We do usually do the dining plan but are starting to feel maybe its not worth it anymore.
Thoughts?
Should we purchase APs or just do 2 vacation packages?

My wife and I are NJ AP holders! Our AP's expire in Dec and since we got them in Nov 2016 we'll have spent 24 days onsite at WDW (with our final trip coming in 3 weeks). You really need to sit down and do some math on it. Take the price of 4 AP's and then price out your trips. Many say you need more than 11 or 12 days on site to get a benefit. That may be true but it probably isn't true for everyone. What's great about AP's is you get built into the pass "Photopass", "Park hoppers", "Merchandise discounts", "Resort discounts"(NOT GUARENTEED), " Restaurant discounts", "Event discounts", and probably stuff I'm missing. You also get the ability to purchase Tables in Wonderland (TIW) which gets you a 20% discount at many WDW restaurant's that includes alcohol. The cost of 1 TIW card is $150 for AP holders and allows the discount for up to 10 at the table. Again this only works if you go to eligible locations and note not all WDW restaurants accept it.

In the end you need to look at how you travel to WDW and do the math. Only you can do that. For us its been more than worth it. Since we took a trip with family TIW has more than paid for itself. But..........that's us.

Hope it all works out for you.

Doug :goofy:
 
Last edited:
We are headed down in 29 days and we are upgrading our tickets to APs as well (we live in Ohio). We already have a trip for Spring Break booked, I am travelling mid-April for a short trip to see my nephew's HS band, we are going back in early June (not booked yet... waiting to see what, if any, bounceback is offered when we go next month), and then DH and I are planning an adults only trip in mid October for our 20th anniversary. APs make absolutely the most sense for us.
 


Biggest problem with APs, though, is once you have them, you suddenly want to start working in "extra" trips. I mean, since you already have the tickets, why not run down there for Food & Wine or Christmas time ... I mean, the tickets are usually the most expensive part, right ?
 
We seem to always have one AP. This year, my wife has it and she is getting three trips (May family trip, Fall F&W with me, and April girls trip with our daughter and our grandtinker). Hers will run out in May and I will get one as me and my sons will be going in June for a golf trip and we always take a fall F&W with just the wife and I. Then, I can take the family again next spring before mine runs out. We went late September and asked everywhere we went. We got discounts at about every meal and store regardless if they were on the discount list. We never drive to a park as we love the bus transportation and we both drink, but this fall, we did drive to AK for pre rope drop so it saved us there too. When it is just her and I, we don't get too many pictures taken but had a bunch in the spring. In total, she will have been in the parks for 16 days when hers is up. with that and all the discounts, well worth it IMO.
 
Biggest problem with APs, though, is once you have them, you suddenly want to start working in "extra" trips. I mean, since you already have the tickets, why not run down there for Food & Wine or Christmas time ... I mean, the tickets are usually the most expensive part, right ?

I see no problem with that! pirate: Arghhhhhhh :tigger:
 
AP in Oklahoma. Over the next year I plan to have 3-4 short (2-3 days) or mid length (3-5 days) trips. 4 tickets in shorter amounts cost more than one AP. So I went ahead and bought one.

It's my second AP, I had one a few years ago due to a mix of vacation and a family thing that meant that I would be near Disney and I wanted to be able to run over to hit the parks around my schedule. As long as I was near a cost break on days the extra savings on merchandise/tours and parking made the AP the better cost vs use purchase.

Although for me it tends to make me plan MORE trips because 'hey the tickets are free' hahahaha.

You could do a package in the Spring since you are staying Value you might get a better deal rate wise. They take one of the tickers for you or your husband (or both) and upgrade to APs. With a Deluxe stay you're better off with a room only discount than a food discount and Full RackRate for the resort.
 
Last edited:
Western New York here with APs. We have had them probably 5 times in the last 10 years. Actually just renewed in September & got the 13 month bonus. We had plans to go this December, next April & September. Decided to add a quick 3 night trip in January after the DAH event dats were released. We will probably get 26 park days out of them. We usually do table service meals so have always gotten the Tables In Wonderland card. I will decide about that after I see what the AP discount is for next year.
 
New York Here AP's for us also, but it definitely makes you book more trips!!!
 
We do not normally do hoppers or MM, so for us 2 trips (7 day MYWx 2) was not enough. In order for AP's to be a better deal we needed three trips. We are doing AP's this year (Dec, Mar, Nov) but it won't be a recurring thing. We'll likely go back to regular tickets after this. We are in VA and always fly.
 
I am someone who wishes she would have done an AP. We went in February 2017 and bought the 4 park Magic Ticket ($289 plus tax I think) and now we are going in January 2018 (bought 4 day MYW tickets from Boardwalk Ticketing for $346). For the extra $150-ish I wish we would have bought APs so that we could have had the park hopper for both trips and more park flexibility (the 4 Park Magic Ticket felt very limiting). I am sure we would have easily made up the difference in Memory Maker and discounts and would have had the added benefit of park hopping ($120 per person for two trips). I debated about upgrading our new 4 day MYW tickets to APs in January 2018, but I don't know if we will be traveling back during that 365 day period. We might hold out until Galaxy's Edge is open sometime, maybe, possibly, finger crossed in 2019.
 
We are in central NJ. We usually skip WDW for a year or two then head back for two trips within a 12 month period and buy an AP. And, those two planned trips are almost always supplemented by an unplanned trip.
 
This sparked my interest: California guy here, I sometimes go with a friend who has a Main Gate pass so tickets are not an issue. However, I just did a short solo trip and started thinking about another trip (maybe two) during 2018. I figure a 6 day trip is just right for me - tickets cost just under $500 with hopper, AP is is just over $800. So in two trips I save money. If I get in 3 trips I save close to $600. I think between Sept of 2018 to Sept 2019 I can get in 4 trips of 6 days. With an AP that's $0.64 per day in tickets.

Guess what I'm gonna buy?
 
It's absolutely worth it! We live in PA and go down twice each year. Most trips are 9 nights, some longer, and I absolutely save money with the AP compared to purchasing separate hoppers. The merchandise/food discount is great too as I'll take any bit of savings Disney is willing to throw my way, and the inclusion of Memory Maker is icing on the cake.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top