Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! Tis the season to think of a trip to Disney…well, really any day is a good day to do that for most of us on the forum. Wanted to get some opinions on what I should do/things to consider with my annual pass. My pass expired yesterday and I have 30 days to renew and take advantage of a 10% savings which is roughly $90. My next trip is in early February followed by a trip in July and a quick trip down for MNSSHP in October. I know that doing an annual pass makes the most sense for me; however, I don’t know if I am better off renewing now (and then not using the pass for almost 2 1/2 months…which feels like a complete waste of time) or trying to figure out which ticket vendor is best based on @JJT’s fabulous ticket spreadsheet (which he notes may not be as accurate given Disney changing the ticket pricing) and then upgrading to an annual pass once I go in February. The upside to the later is that I would have time left on the annual pass to do a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s trip. The downside is losing out on 10% off. What do we think is the right course of action friends
Mathematically don’t you ‘save’ more by not renewing for about 10 weeks, irrespective of the lost 10%? (I am not a mathematician, so maybe get a calculator out😉).
What’s the current renewal rate? Which level pass do you get? We renewed at the last possible moment this year to stretch out the use year.
I have the Platinum Pass right now and will probably keep that level of pass going forward. The information online says that you can save up to 15% if you renew; however, when I run the numbers it looks like the savings for that pass is only 10%. I may be confused, but I thought if you renewed your pass the start date was the day after your pass expired. Is that not correct? My pass expired on November 19, 2018 so I figured if I renewed anytime within the 30 day post-expiration window that my start date would still be November 20, 2018.
Yes, if you go the renewal route, your new AP year starts immediately after your previous AP expired, regardless of when you renew in your 90-day renewal window.
Thank you! That’s what I thought. Any recommendations on whether to take advantage of the savings or wait until my first trip after the new year?
Would you renew again at the end of this next AP next Nov? If not, then it seems like getting another trip in at the end of 2019/begin of 2020 for “$90” is worth it to just buy and activate an AP at your Feb trip and let this one expire. If you plan to renew again, then just go ahead and renew as it’s easier and you lock in your $90 savings.
What are the chances you will plan another trip between October 2019 and February 2020? Do you see yourself continuing with multiple trips in 2020?
A concern with you not renewing and getting a new pass in February…don’t the pass prices usually increase in February (at least historically)? With Star Wars Land opening, I am betting there will be another big AP price increase so you not only lose the renewal savings, but now might be paying more overall. Also, several reports on Chat recently about Disney not bridging the discounted tickets, so no real savings there. I think you really need to know your Disney plans for the time beginning after November 20, 2019. If you will definitely go at Thanks/Christmas/NY and then not again for a long while, it might make sense to wait until February, knowing there might be a large increase in AP price. But if you consistently go every few months, and plan to keep having an AP year round, I would renew now. Probably. But if money is tight now with Christmas coming, maybe wait. I’m no help, sorry.
I think an option may be to let it lapse and then buy a full price one in January that you will activate in February?
Good idea, but she would need to buy it at least 60 days out to get FPP, assuming onsite stays.
You are right, so that would depend on if there is enough time to lapse and renew.
If it were me with your planned upcoming trips, I would renew. I’m not sure where you got the $90 figure. According to this Disney page, the price of a new Platinum Pass is $894, and the renewal price is $759 (a $135 savings). If you divide 759 by 894, you get .85 (rounded to two digits). That’s a 15% discount off the new AP price.
Another thing to keep in mind is that AP holders get Memory Maker free and a full year before your PhotoPass pictures expire. If you let you AP expire, that would likely revert your PhotoPass pictures to a 45-day expiration.
Hope that helps.
My pictures remained for a year after I did not renew.
@momfourmonkeys and @PrincipalTinker - you raise a good question! Do I see myself renewing again next November? Honestly, I don’t think so due to the cost; however, I never imagined that I would have purchased an AP to begin with and then the Disney bug bit me! Realistically, I’m not going to take a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years trip with our my husband and three kids so then we are talking about a really big expense with money I sincerely doubt we will have. So that is another consideration for renewing and nabbing the savings. However, with all that said, I would really like to enjoy the holiday season again with my family before the crazy of Star Wars land which would mean a possible late November 2019 trip.
@Wahoohokie - I hadn’t thought about a possible price increase! YIKES! My other thought was to buy a 3 day park hopper direct from Disney and then upgrade once I was there in February, but under that strategy I would still be on the hook for the AP price increase. My fast pass selection date is in early December so I definitely need to have tickets on my account to make my 60 day window.
@twflory - Thank you for looking into that! I put the AP pass in my cart and it came up as $808 vs. the advertised price of $894. I’m going to look into that again though.
If it really is a $135 savings then I think that might tip the scales in favor of renewing, especially given how uncertain a trip during the next holiday season is. Am I right that I am able to pay for this pass with Disney gift cards? I know the Backside of Magic gents are always talking about getting gift cards at a discounted rate. I currently do not have a Disney Visa either so perhaps I need to look into that. Ugh! So much to think about!
Mine did too.
The prices I noted in my last post are pre-tax. The $808 price you saw when you put the renewal in your cart included the WDW 6.5% sales tax. To compare that fairly with the new AP price, you have to add sales tax which means a new AP would cost $952.11.
And, yes, you can pay for your AP with Disney gift cards if you want.