Out of state annual pass holders, please weigh in!

[abr155]

I’ve turned into a Disney fanatic since having kiddo (she’s 3). We went twice this year (when she was still 2) and pricing a quick Christmas trip. Also have a Disney cruise booked in January. Seriously, I need help. That said, I know I’ll want to take her next Spring, Halloween, and Christmas (we do quick trips - 3-4 nights) so I’m starting to think annual pass may be worth it for our family.

We are within reasonable driving distance (10 hours) but I’ve also seen some great non stop flights in the $50 RT PP range.

I guess I’m just looking for some validation or words of warning. Maybe some tips for out of staters to keep it budget friendly (thinking of airport transfer, resort, and meals can be a little overwhelming even if tickets are already covered).

At what point do you think the pass is worth it? I’ve priced out tickets for hypothetical trips and the pass still puts us ahead, but am I being naive - is being an out of state pass holder a HUGE money risk?

 

[Micca]

You might check this out...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...usg=AOvVaw07EzGZgkWWn3VNaUW6piFX&opi=89978449

 

[abr155]

For those following along, I found this which was very helpful in validating our decision to get AP! To me, you have to look at hopper passes bc that’s what AP gets you (it’s also what we always get bc we do short 3-4 day tickets)!

 

[jimmymc]

My advice is figure out how many trips you'd want to take, and see if the annual pass covers the tickets alone. Don't rely on anything like hotel or food discounts to make up the difference.

So if you think you'll take 4 trips, each with a 3 day hopper ticket, those cost an average of $520 on undercover tourist, over $2000 total, so you'd easily save money. But if you were taking two 4-day trips, the tickets would total up to $1300, less than the cost of an Incredipass.

 

[gmi3804]

I'd seriously consider how many trips you'd take if there were no APs available. APs won't save you anything if you plan and have to pay for multiple trips just because the park tickets are paid for. Only you can answer that for yourself.

 

[Miffy]

Out-of-state AP here. If you're not a park-hopper, then an AP may not be worth it for you. I'm an inveterate park-hopper, so the AP works out great for me. We take 2 or 3 week-long trips/year.

Even though you cannot depend on AP discounts at the resorts, I have to say that we've used our AP resort discounts a lot the last 2 years. Now that bounceback has returned, we have 3 trips booked for next year using that discount. Only time will tell if the AP discount for our dates is better. It might not be.

So . . . just add up what the tickets would cost if you bought them for each trip. If they're close to the cost of the AP, then the AP will probably help you out, because the AP gives you discounts on other things as well.

Well, warning--one does tend to take more trips when one has an AP. At least that's our experience. Does this "save" money? Hahaha. No.

 

[Mle8308]

Also, remember you have to pay in full for out of state AP's. Only FL residents can do the monthly plans. That can be a big chunk of change at one time. It might be worth it, you also get merchandise discounts (20%) and dining (10% at most locations).

 

[dreamer17555]

Trips can become addictive with an AP. We have done two 5 night ones since end of Aug and another 4 days following a cruise… and have another 5 days booked at the beginning of Dec… I highly doubt I’m saving in the long run

 

[StageTek]

I guess I’m just looking for some validation or words of warning. Maybe some tips for out of staters to keep it budget friendly (thinking of airport transfer, resort, and meals can be a little overwhelming even if tickets are already covered).

At what point do you think the pass is worth it? I’ve priced out tickets for hypothetical trips and the pass still puts us ahead, but am I being naive - is being an out of state pass holder a HUGE money risk?

California here.

I used to visit once a year - typically 10 days. Then I started going twice a year so I got an AP. One year I went four times.

And that's the downside. After roughly 16 days the admission the parks was "free". But travel and resorts really add up. I ended up spending a LOT of money because I had an AP. I never felt the 10% at some dining locations was worth it and I don't buy much merch so that rarely factored in. I loved the WDW trips but I didn't go anywhere else for several years because I was spending so much money there.

An AP for out-of-staters can be very much worth it as long as you want to go often enough. Right now I believe it's 22 days to break-even. So if you go more than 22 days in a year you save money on park admission. While spending more on travel and lodging than you might going fewer times.

3 or 4 nights per visit means 6 or 7 visits in the year. If you think you'll go 8 to 10 visits then it might be worth it.

 

[VicarJT]

When Covid came, I kept up my AP, but my spouse did not. Since AP’s were not available during our next trips, I was able to see just how much it cost her above the cost of the AP. It was always several hundred dollars per trip. For the most part, we do one long trip over the course of the year, and when we can, a 5-day jaunt at the halfway point. So for us, it’s a trip we would take anyway, so the AP’s are absolutely worth it for us.

 

[voxparse]

We are newish out of state AP holders. We have an 8 hour drive on average and always drive. Pre-AP we were going a couple times a year and like you just fell in love with vacationing at WDW. I'm 100% sure I'm spending more per year now with an AP than I did without just because we are more likely to squeeze in extra trips. That said, we couldn't be happier with our AP. Before we would always buy 1 park a day tickets and try to cram in as much as possible in a day. We have found that since getting the AP we're much more relaxed and we park hop like crazy because we can.

Ultimately, none of it is about saving money for us. WDW is where we like to spend our free time and disposable cash and the AP makes it easier and more convenient for us. If I were trying to save money we'd stay off site and buy discounted tickets when we could find them. Life is short and we love it down there and you get a free magnet every once in a while.

 

[faeriesxist83]

I’ve turned into a Disney fanatic since having kiddo (she’s 3). We went twice this year (when she was still 2) and pricing a quick Christmas trip. Also have a Disney cruise booked in January. Seriously, I need help. That said, I know I’ll want to take her next Spring, Halloween, and Christmas (we do quick trips - 3-4 nights) so I’m starting to think annual pass may be worth it for our family.

We are within reasonable driving distance (10 hours) but I’ve also seen some great non stop flights in the $50 RT PP range.

I guess I’m just looking for some validation or words of warning. Maybe some tips for out of staters to keep it budget friendly (thinking of airport transfer, resort, and meals can be a little overwhelming even if tickets are already covered).

At what point do you think the pass is worth it? I’ve priced out tickets for hypothetical trips and the pass still puts us ahead, but am I being naive - is being an out of state pass holder a HUGE money risk?

If you're driving, it may be worth it for the parking alone.

 

[Miffy]

If you're driving, it may be worth it for the parking alone.

This^^^^is very true.

I would say that it might be worth it for AP resort discounts, but with bounceback having returned, the bounceback offers might be a similar deal to AP room discounts. I'll be able to tell you more when the March AP discounts come out, since we have a bounceback offer booked for then.

At any rate, take advantage of the bounceback offers. If you know when you're going next year, make the resort reservations within 7 days of checkout from your WDW resort. There should be info about the bounceback in your room, however, it wasn't in ours. I just knew about it from this board. There's info here under the bounceback thread here.

There's an AP discount at many TS restaurants. You'll have to do some research to see which places and if you indeed eat there. It's usually 10%, so that might not tip the balance in favor of an AP for you.

However, if you can already see that you'll break even with the AP, I'd do it. I've had an AP for years and the one year I didn't renew, I kicked myself, because I ended up buying one anyway, and it would've been far less $ to renew.

We're out-of-state AP holders but we take longer trips, so I can't really compare it to your situation. I can warn you, though, that having an AP creates a huge itch to take more frequent trips. In that way, it's not a money-saver!

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I'm not a park hopper and AP works for me coming from Oklahoma.