Wow, I bought AP’s for the family this past Saturday morning, I’ve been experiencing buyer’s remorse over spending so much money.
However, now I am feeling a lot better about my decision. A 25% increase in the price is pretty silly. If that was the price three days ago, we would have been making some difference choices.
Whoa! I’m so glad I renewed a couple weeks ago!
This was basically the worst for me. It effectively doubles what I was planning to pay to convert tickets for myself and DW. At this point, I might be priced out of upgrading which then kills our dreams of a few solo trips.
I’m looking at the pricing now for regular tickets for May 2020.
Oddly, Undercover Tourist does not allow date-based tickets for WDW beyond December of 2019, but the WDW website does. This suggests to me that Disney isn’t allowing UT to offer tickets because they will raising prices before then again. This will make the UT tickets also more expensive (compared to now) when they finally open ticket availability.
So, the gamble becomes should I buy the tickets NOW through WDW and get today’s ticket prices (which works out to about $480/person), or wait and hope that when UT allows purchasing May 2020 tickets that the per person price is less than $480.
When I looked up May 2019 ticket prices for the same period, UT was pricing them at $412/person. I knew they would be more for 2020…but considering the magnitude of the price increase of the AP, I now fear the price increase of the normal tickets!!!
I’m so deflated about this. Before the increase, the AP was going to save me about 130 bucks overall. Now, it’s going to cost me 90 more. I was so looking forward to my F&W cutting board…
As I see it, they are hoping to sell FEWER annual passes with this move, intentionally so. This is because, aside from the Florida Resident passholders, the AP folks will tie up rooms that Disney could otherwise make more money on.
The ones it impacts the WORST are those who are DVC owners with a lot of points, because they would be the ones most likely to want an AP. Those rooms don’t generate additional revenue, so the only way to get more money from those guests is to raise the AP price significantly. And for those DVC owners who might be on the fence, now they will revert to normal tickets or pay the extra amount. It is a huge win, overall, for Disney. It is bad for the DVC owners.
did you happen to see the renewal price for gold (DVC owner)?
Looks like gold when up $90.
Those room discounts were the only reason I got the AP. I am really, really glad we went this past May. Rack rate right now is pretty horrific. I think we won’t be going back for years, not until the SW ruckus dies down, if it ever does.
I think after this year, I’m heading to the high seas for my Disney fix. It may be expensive, but I won’t deal with things like crowds, FP issues, etc.
Yeah, we’re supposed to stay at the Contemporary the week of Thanksgiving. I’m now wondering if we should stay somewhere cheaper Thanksgiving week to offset the $1000 difference. Ugh.
I just did a check for a room at the Contemporary. While I can’t pick the exact date, I pick a similar date (CL wise) and found that the same room price is only $6 more than it was last year.
Very good point, these days every moves WDW makes seems to be driven by increasing revenue.
I wonder what future room rates will look like. How much of an AP room discount will be offered in the future? Could this drive AP holders to stay offsite at a cheaper location to offset the increases?
DVC owners are already baked into the cake, they have committed to a set time period, so they are pretty much at the mercy of WDW if they want to go the parks during their stay at a resort. Maybe DVC folks will just spend time at their resort and skip the parks.
I just bought mine on Sunday. For once I get lucky. And now I’m hearing of passholder previews of Galaxies Edge the week I’m there. 
I booked through Pixie Dust and Pirate Hooks and got CR for $423/night. If they still have availability, I could get CSR for $204/night. 5 nights, there’s my $1000. I’m not sure what to do. The wind has been taken out of my sails a bit.
Was that a Tower room, or Garden Wing? (Also, is Pixie Dust and Pirate Hooks a travel agency?)
Oh yeah, they’re an agency with exclusives like MVT. And that’s for the garden wing.
$594 plus tax. I don’t think I will renew but if they are not blocking me out of my three trips I will get the gold again in February.
Disney just popped my bubble. I was going to upgrade my ticket and get TiW. Unless there is an AP discount on our 2 rooms, sticking with my PH ticket. So sad that I didn’t do this yesterday. Disney is pricing me out of return trips. Will do 2021, but not any others.
thank you!