AP tickets question?

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

We are going in May with the 4+3 plan but I am considering a return trip for free dining in Sept? Would it benefit me to upgrade to AP's since we will be there for possibly 16 days between the two trips or should I just take the promo's with the tickets in the package.

I understand in order to get free dining I would still have to buy a park ticket for each day or exactly how does this work if I do the AP route?

A detailed answer on how my best approach would be on this dilemma would be awesome!

[WishingStar2006]

I don't know all of the ins and outs but keep in mind that for your 4/3 plan your getting 7 days of park tickets for the price of 3 and I think you have to purchase the 4 days of tickets...now whether you can upgrade them to AP's after you get there, I don't know. As far as the free dining goes...you just have to purchase one day passes ($75 per adult ??? children) to get the free dining for the duration of your trip....not one ticket per day.

Good luck! I went on the 4/3 in March and am going back in August for the free dining....I'm SOOOOO excited!

[teambricker04]

I, personally, would check and see if an upgrade is possible once you check in to an AP and see what that difference would be (I have no idea). If it takes a considerable amount off of your AP, then go with the AP. If it doesn't, consider getting an AP for your second trip if you are planning on returning again in the next year.

We went in Nov one year for a week and got APs because we knew we would be back for a two week stay the next May and a couple of long weekends. It was well worth every penny!

[Fangorn]

If I understand correctly, you
a) already have a trip booked for May with the 4+3 promotion
b) want to go back in September to take advantage of the free dining promotion
c) want to know if it’s worth getting an AP to cover both trips
d) how do you do that exactly

Yes it can be done, and you will save a little bit of money. But there are some things to be aware of.

For simplicity sake, let’s assume it’s just you on these trips. I’m also going to assume you have the park hopper option but not the water parks and more option. This will make comparisons to the AP more valid.

You’ve already booked the 4+3 and purchased a 4 day ticket for $233.24. Disney has thrown in 3 more days worth a whopping $15.97, but that won’t count in the calculations. Assuming you went with the park hopper option, your cost for tickets is $286.49.

You mentioned 16 total days for the 2 trips. That means you’re looking at a 9-day ticket in September. Cost for that ticket is $302.46

Total cost for tickets for the two trips - $588.95
Cost for an Annual Pass - $499.49
Savings on tickets - $89.46

To make this happen, you would do the following:

1) Keep your existing reservation as it stands.
2) Check in as usual
3) BEFORE you use your tickets anywhere, go to a Customer Relations window at a park or at Downtown Disney and upgrade your ticket to an Annual Pass. This can't be done at your resort.
4) Enjoy being a passholder
5) When you book your trip in September, book it with ONLY a 1-day base ticket. You’ll still get the dining plan for the entire stay, but you only need to get a one day base ticket. Cost is $79.88
6) In September, use your AP for park admission
7) Figure out a way to get "one more trip" in before the AP expires in May 2010.

You will have a 1 day ticket (value $79.88) left on your room key that you can use sometime in the future as credit against another ticket or just as a one day ticket. Just be careful NOT to accidentally use that ticket at a park or your savings will go from $89.46 to $9.58.

Steve

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

Thanks for the information Steve. You understood my situation perfectly and your answer was exactly what I needed. Everything you said was what I was thinking but I couldn't seem to get a complete grasp on my own logic.