Disney Platinum Pass question

[PopPhan]

With the increase in the cost of the Memory Maker option (PhotoPass) I am thinking of upgrading my tickets to a full Annual Pass (Disney Platinum Pass)...Although I only have a 7-day hopper currently, I am not sure if I could, or would, make another trip in a calendar year.

Does it make sense to upgrade tickets on the off chance that I WOULD make another trip before the end of the pass year? I am going in November (right after Thanksgiving) and could see myself going back in late-September or October of next year if Toy Story Land (or whatever the name will be) is fully operational by then.

I purchased a discounted 7-day hopper right before that prices went up this year, so know that I would have to enter a park before upgrading to make sure I got the current value for the MYW ticket toward the upgrade. It would be a $286 (plus taxes) upgrade cost, but if I added the Memory Maker option before I went down, that would only be a $125 difference. (Surprisingly, the difference between the annual pass and a 10-day MYW with Hopper and Memory Maker would be $95)

I'm really torn about this...Some of the AP discounts and offers make this seem like a 'no brainer,' but I know that could change at any time.

Just looking for some feedback....

Thanks!!!

[Fangorn]

One thing that you may not be aware of. With the last price increase, Disney is now able to differentiate the "old" tickets from the "new" ones. If you upgrade from a ticket purchased before the price increase in Feb, the value of that ticket will be the price of that ticket as of the day before the price increase - not the current value of the ticket. This is now true regardless whether you enter a park first or not. They now know what you actually paid for the ticket, and will apply that amount to any upgrade. This fact throws your calculation off a bit.

As to your real question; if you're going to add Memory maker anyway, then the price point starts to get really close. The risk then becomes the likelihood of that second trip. Even a 2 day trip would net out - any more than that and you're saving money.

Discounts could swing the deal, especially if you can get an AP rate on your room. Food and merchandise discounts alone probably aren't enough to break even on one trip, but could get you really close. Close enough, in fact that your "at risk" outlay could be only $20-50. For me, that would be worth the gamble that the second trip will happen, since the pay off would be around $300. My experience with APs is that if you have them, that second (or third, or fourth) trip that year becomes mighty easy to justify :thumbsup:

Hope this helps a bit

Steve