You used to be able to do this but I believe the new tickets do not allow it.
It has always been: if you have a number in your head and a CM gives you a higher number, go to another booth until you get the number you think it should be.
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That was me, too! But I went back and tried to add a day to our May trip and even with the AP discount and “free” park entrance the price increase just since I booked last fall was a shocker. I couldn’t justify it- and I can justify just about anything! So while the AP costs more, so does everything else, and the discount you get is still there- but the whole thing is at a higher price point.
It has a lot of history and generates a lot of good will, I’m sure. But those seem like quaint, bygone sentiments anymore. If SW:GE is the hit it’s supposed to be, I’d expect that pass to dry up and blow away, starting with much more restrictive blackout dates.
But will a $200 increase stop the group of people who fly in from the NE and drop 5k? It might discourage a few, certainly. But if it does, they plan to make up for it by attracting more people who drop 10k. And Disney is going to make that an ever easier target to hit, with all the paid upgrades they’re rolling out.
There is a calculation called the price elasticity of demand which yields a set of values showing Disney how many sales they’ll lose when they raise prices. And thanks to magic band data, they’ll have information on the downstream revenue those people generate. I’m quite sure they know exactly what they’re doing, even if it doesn’t make sense to us.
That was my thought too. For that reason, it will probably continue to be offered… maybe. But as you say, the culture at Disney seems to be changing.
No, but that was my original point. Disney will increase prices because they can, and many people will still pay. And these people are big revenue generators.
It’s a shame that they do this and price out lots of people out of a Disney trip. I don’t know if I’ll renew, because it’s getting to a breaking point. I almost don’t want to renew, so I can have the option to go to DLR more, which I loved! (No way I’m buying the Premier Passport $$$). We’ll see.
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As it stands, we might not be back, at least not all 5 on mom & dad’s dime. As I mentioned to @TheProphetPaul, the leap in prices just in the past 9 months is shocking. I had fun at WDW, but I’m still trying to determine if it was worth it. The jury is out on that.
The one thing I won’t do is cut back on the upgrades, I think they made the trip. But that also means that WDW is on par with a trip to Europe or Hawaii.
One thing that might take Disney by surprise is demographic change. There’s a baby bust going on. They may not have quite the audience they think they will in 5 or 10 years.
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I’m starting to rethink bridging to APs when we’re there in three weeks. We have a weekend in August and a Thanksgiving trip planned, but I’m really teetering on the edge of just throwing in the towel.
Yes, this! With the almost 5 and 2 year old kids though, those destinations are pretty much out for now. So, Disney it is for the next couple of years… I still love it, just not the costs 
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BSoM twittered this as well. Sam’s Travel Online has the old prices for AP’s.
I don’t have any skin in the game (never have been and never will be an AP holder) so I it’s easy for me to say, but…it’s kind of contradictory to complain about both crowds and prices. If we don’t like crowds, higher prices are the solution. If we don’t like high prices, crowds will be the natural result of lowering them.
With all the fear about the crowds for SW:GE, this move will certainly mitigate them to some extent.
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Just got my AP for $924 w/ tax from Sams. I’m laughing maniacally as I look at the $1,191 price in my Disney shopping cart. Mwahahaha!
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Congrats!
I would say that yes, they want repeat customers, but specifically a certain type. They have a lot more data now than they ever did, and they are most likely using it to determine whom their most profitable customer are. Habitual repeat customers are probably not as much of a profit center for WDW on a per-person basis as the one-and-done customers. That being said, getting a one-and-done customer to come back one more time is still probably pretty profitable. Therefore, keeping bounce-back offers and having a steep increase to APs makes sense.
It’s not that they are not a financial win, it’s just that there are other customers that are bigger wins. WDW appears to be operating at capacity much of the time, so they are going to want to get the most out of each person going through the gates.
Is there any expiration date on these AP’s from Sam’s?
I linked it on MDE and it shows an expiration of 2030:
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Thanks. We let our Sam’s Club membership expire, but if I can renew, I would like to purchase these. We already have PH tickets, but I could put these away for the future! Do you think there is any risk that WDW will not honor these several years in the future?
Edit: What are the “eligible dates”? Are you a regular member or a “Plus” member?
As long as you activate them before 2030, you should be okay. 
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I think this is in reference to the blockout periods. But the Platinum Pass (at least for now) has no blocked out dates. There are other annuals passes that do.
Cruising along in this same boat! I can justify paying for Disney because I know even my youngest will get something out of it. Flying to Hawaii or Europe just to chase a toddler sounds incredibly unpleasant! Don’t get me wrong, I lived in Europe when I was young, and can’t wait to take my kids, I just want them to be older (I think I sound like some people on a different thread now!).
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It’s sounding like we might have to reignite those discussions about our club 33 venture!
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So, here is this scenario…(I am on hold with Sam’s Club) We have (4) 8-Day PH tickets for June. Can we use those, upgrade at the Park to AP’s for next year, and then use these new Sam’s Club AP’s for another year? Will WDW allow us to hold multiple AP’s under the same names?
Yes. The 365 days begins on the day you activate your AP (or, if you activate your AP during your 8 day tickets, the first day of your 8-day tickets).
If you have a start date of June 1, 2020 for 8 days, and you activate your AP on June 2, then you have from June 1, 2020 to May 31 of 2021.