Bob Please do the Math.

[Stevegriswold]

Since Bob is so great at comparing deals I wanted to see if Bob could do the math.

Bob this could be your segment on the Pod Cast since you account for everything when doing comparisons of deals (driving vs flying).

I’d love to know when purchasing an annual pass is a better deal than purchasing a 10 day, no expiration, park hopper with the water park add on.

I think the AP is $450 but being DVC members I think we get $100 off, so about $350.
The 10 day park hoppers with no exp are about $450.

We have two adults and a daughter soon to be three.

1. How many trips to WDW would make a AP a better deal over no exp. tickets?

Being DVC members we might take two five day trips currently to WDW each year. Being past castmemebers, we do not like cram in five full park days, but like to use the BCV pool one day, shop one day, etc.

Thanks,
Steve Griswold
Atlanta GA

 

[WebmasterBob]

Hi Steve, No promises but I will put it in the In Box that I will review for future ideas . I have been working on an idea on this line of thought for awhile myself. I am working on what its title should be right now.

Who knows maybe "Do the Math" A game show that pits one side verses the other will be a title that has potential. I always wanted to be a game show Host . Pete will probably want to host the Show though. I can always dream though.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm a math teacher; this is right up my alley.

I don't know the prices, butif I understand the pricing, here's the setup:

350 + (combined price of those 3 tickets)x= 450
or

divide 100 by the total cost of those tickets by the day. The answer is your break-even point.

 

[lorax123]

Personally I like when Bob runs the numbers. Especially on the drive vs. fly argument, it's almost like Bobs the little math voice that's inside my head...

 

[DVCJones]

I have done the math...

If you are not someone who is going to get at least 14 days out of a annual pass, then the 10 day non exp. is the way to go.

You mentioned that you like to take a few rest, pool and shopping days. I believe the 10 day no exp. would be best in your situation.

My family vacations are similar to yours so we uses the non exp. tickets. We have gotten 3 trips in three years out of them. I also stagger when I purchase them so it isn't such a large bite out of my wallet. I never buy tickets for all family members in any given year.

I can do this because when we started going the kids were babies and were free. As they get older I work them into the ticket buying rotation.


BTW...I would love to hear Bob's math on all sorts of topics too.

 

[Stevegriswold]

Hi Steve, No promises but I will put it in the In Box that I will review for future ideas . I have been working on an idea on this line of thought for awhile myself. I am working on what its title should be right now.

Who knows maybe "Do the Math" A game show that pits one side verses the other will be a title that has potential. I always wanted to be a game show Host . Pete will probably want to host the Show though. I can always dream though.

Hey Bob,

Do the Math, as a title could work for many comparisons.

Comparing ticket prices, discounts, places to eat, dinner shows, times of year to visit, etc.
Would not necessarily always have to be based on best price, just a comparison of value and amenities depending on what that weeks topic is.

I like the game show idea also. You could work this in to this theme.

Other game show ideas:

1. Set up a call in time with one lucky Dis listener and call them for a five question Disney Trivia and record it for the podcast. It could be five questions from last weeks show, (What is one of Corey’s nick names, where was the sad little crab cake served). Or it could be head to head actual Disney trivia where the same five questions are asked to a DisUnplug person and the caller.

2. Hide something in the parks or Orlando area. I would use a public place, and give out clues to it each week. You could hide almost anything with a code word and phone number or email on it the person needs to call or email to win something. Then do it again with something else. Every show the clues could add up until someone finds it and calls the number or sends an email to the address. This would also be something that everyone would not want to miss, so they would listen to the podcast every week and also go to the boards to discuss clues.

Keep up the great work.

Steve Griswold
Atlanta GA

 

[MinnieMommy]

A little off-topic from OP...
but I would LOVE to hear a regular "Do the Math" with Bob!
I just spent most of the morning in "Dis math class".... DDP vs. DDE for our next trip!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

2. ... This would also be something that everyone would not want to miss, so they would listen to the podcast every week and also go to the boards to discuss clues.

Keep up the great work.

Steve Griswold
Atlanta GA

Like we NEED another excuse?

 

[Tonya2426]

+ = Bawb doing the math.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I'm a math teacher; this is right up my alley.

I don't know the prices, butif I understand the pricing, here's the setup:

350 + (combined price of those 3 tickets)x= 450
or

divide 100 by the total cost of those tickets by the day. The answer is your break-even point.

the math isn't quite so simple, with the AP you get discounts on rooms and meals, the discounts on deluxe are greater than the discounts on values. so the saving is a sliding scale depending on how you combine discounts and how many days a year you will be in world. Conventional wisdom is also that only one person in the group needs to have an AP to recieve the discounts. there are also different levels of AP.

In most cases when people ask the question of should they get an AP or not, they have to take into account how they travel, how much they would use it, etc. and break out the calculator and a spread sheet.

 

[Stevegriswold]

Yeah, It's difficult to figure out how many days you need to visit WDW to get and AP over park hopper tickets. I'd love to walk into Epcot for dinner with an AP, but I also love having days that never expire on a 10 day park hopper. If we went 4-5 weeks a year I'd go for an AP without a question. But right now we average 10 days a year and like to relax on some days.

Steve Griswold

 

[sandyh67]

While we are on the subject...
We have our annual trip planned in August for 9 nights with our 5 children. In the past we have purchased non-exp tics but used our days last year so need all new tics.
We are considering the non-park hopping tics this year, as we found TGM last year and loved his touring plans, so I think we can do it without hopping which would save us a considerable amount of money.
Just worried we might end up dissapointed-

Also, we are not doing the dining plan this year, we are traveling with a friend we are both DVC members so combined our points for a AKV grand villa. Because of the discount on annual pass, considering buying one for my husband or I and Purchasing the DDE for $60?? for the 20% discount
So this would cost us about $160 more for the AP and DDE card- any math wizard out there want to figure out if I would get my money's worth??
We have six ADRs planned for the week, and I am sure will do some counter service as well. Everyone still following along??

Thanks!

 

[sandyh67]

Would LOVE to hear a "do the math" segment with Bob!
after his drive vs fly segment I vowed never again to drive from NY to Fl ever again!!

 

[pklein09]

Comparing AP vs. non-exp. parkhopper tix has been an interest of mine for a while. I have four kids. Two of them are over the age of 9. As they get older, the question gets harder. So, I put together a little spreadsheet to compare ticket prices and also compute the cost of food.

We don't use the water parks, so I can't speak to that. By my calculations, it was more cost effective to get an AP than a 10-d parkhopper + no exp. with the DVC discount (I think it's 11 days without the discount). I won't swear by my numbers, but I think they're pretty close.

We got APs for the first time this year. We planned our trips 11 months apart, so it feels like we're getting park entrance for free on the 2nd trip. We also squeezed in an extra trip, which felt like a total bonus. Using DVC points, we only had to pay for airfare, food, and merchandise. It was great!

As other posters mentioned, there are many other factors to consider, like the discounts. It makes my head swim! For myself, I like the idea of dropping our bags and heading directly out to the park. With parkhoppers, we were reluctant to "burn a day". If you're on the fence and you have the cash on hand, I'd recommend trying the APs.

As for the Bob segment, I can only imagine that numbers are easier to pronounce than "Mo-jito"! Well, maybe not all of them. Fahr (the number between three and five) could pose a challenge!