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View Full Version : Should you renew or let your AP expire? The Math!



Darkbeer
05-14-2004, 07:58 PM
I just checked the math in regards to which is better in regards to the new 2004 AP prices, to renew with a discount, or letting it expire, and get a new AP on the next visit.

If we are talking about a $279 Premium pass, that will be discounted $20 dollars to $259, the cost is 70.96 cents per day, which makes it 28 days worth with the new price.

Therefore for example, if your pass expires June 1st, 2004, and you would plan to go in June (except the last few days), then you will want to renew. But if you weren't planning to return till July, or later, then you will want to let your old pass expire, and purchase a new pass when you return, say August 3rd. You pay $279, but you will get an new expiration date of 8/3/05.

With the Deluxe at $179, and $20 off, that makes it $159, and 43.56 cents per day, and therefore, 45 days. So this time, if you would go anytime in the first 45 days after the current expiration date, then renew, otherwise let it expire.

A deluxe with parking (an extra $49), it is 35 days.

Since the SoCal or SoCal Select does NOT offer a discount for renewing, of course, let the old pass expire.

So, let's recap.

If you are a SoCal holder, or a SoCal Select, DON'T renew!

A Deluxe holder should renew if they plan to go within 45 days of the expiration date.

A Deluxe with Parking should renew if they plan to go within 35 days.

A Premium holder should renew if they plan to go within 28 days.

The Mouse Is Back
05-14-2004, 08:37 PM
Is this a trick question?

:|


-Allegra-

Darkbeer
05-14-2004, 08:48 PM
Is this a trick question?

:|


-Allegra-
No, this is the math...

Lets say your AP is about to renew, and you get the AP notice in the mail... what should you do?

Well, depending on the type of AP you plan to buy with the renewal notice. (You can get the Delexe AP with a discount even if you had a Premium AP in the past.)

As stated in the first post, the example is that you had a Premium AP that expired on June 30th, 2004. What should you do?

Well, it depends on when you plan to return to the DLR....

If you don't plan to return during June, then DON'T renew, as your discount will more than cancel out!

Why? Because when you renew with the discount, you keep your expiration date. So you would get $20 off, but keep the June 30th date.

But if you just buy a "new" AP in July or August, you pay the extra $20, but you get a new expiration date of say August 2005. The extra days are worth more than the AP discount.

The Mouse Is Back
05-14-2004, 08:58 PM
D'oh! I get it now.

Thanks. Darn it, I knew getting an AP in January probably wasn't the best idea.


-Allegra-

dude
05-15-2004, 07:58 AM
Wow, that is really confusing...I am still lost a bit on that. Oh well, now that I am a CM I really don't have to worry about that anymore now do I? :)

fredc
05-15-2004, 08:04 AM
I have had a "Senior" Premium passport for several years and it is available with a $20.00 discount but does not have an additional renewal discount. Therefore it never pays to renew. If you are over their senior age this is the only way to go.

Laffite
05-15-2004, 12:08 PM
I havent renewed in ages and I am sad :(

Disneylanding
05-18-2004, 07:01 AM
I was really intrested about getting a pass. But had a quicky of a question.:confused: I wanted to get a premium pass. You said it was 28 days worth it's value. Does that mean you can go for all 28 days out of the year till it expires, 28 days that month or 28 days only on specific days? I am soo confused please help me. Same thing with the deluxe holder. Do they get enterance for 45 days? Any 45 days?
THANKS!!!

SCUBAbe
05-18-2004, 07:26 AM
I was really intrested about getting a pass. But had a quicky of a question.:confused: I wanted to get a premium pass. You said it was 28 days worth it's value. Does that mean you can go for all 28 days out of the year till it expires, 28 days that month or 28 days only on specific days? I am soo confused please help me. Same thing with the deluxe holder. Do they get enterance for 45 days? Any 45 days?
THANKS!!!

You can go whenever you want with a premium pass. With the deluxe pass you can go on any day that is not a blockout day.

NirvanaMan
05-18-2004, 08:59 AM
Let's throw another wrench into it. If I don't use the $20 renewal discount on my PAP, then I can use the $10 discount in my entertainment book. :)

Darkbeer
05-18-2004, 09:06 AM
I was really intrested about getting a pass. But had a quicky of a question.:confused: I wanted to get a premium pass. You said it was 28 days worth it's value. Does that mean you can go for all 28 days out of the year till it expires, 28 days that month or 28 days only on specific days? I am soo confused please help me. Same thing with the deluxe holder. Do they get enterance for 45 days? Any 45 days?
THANKS!!!
This thread deals RENEWING your AP, and how much the discount ($20) is worth... and tries to help in whether you should renew or not (and purchase a new AP on your next visit).

Now, which AP should you buy if it is your first....

Well, Disneyland.com will show you the details (or Mousesavers.com), but lets look at the basics...

We now have 4 types of AP's..

The cheapest is the SoCal Select, which offers only selected weekdays (about 170 days) for $99

The next step up is the SoCal, which offers selected weekend dates, but still has the summer, and Saturdays blacked out, it is $129.

Next is the Deluxe, which has 45 blackout days, and is $179.

The Premium is $279, and has no blackout days.

So first thing is, when do you plan to visit? Compare those days to the calendar of blackout days.....(If you want to visit on a blackout day, Disney will sell you a ticket for $30)

Next thing to think about is parking, do you need it? If you do, the Premium comes with the parking pass at no additional charge.... Any other AP, you can buy a Parking Pass for $49 (A deluxe with parking would be $228 versus the Premium AP at $279...)

Next is the discounts..... ONLY the Premium gives you a 10% merchandise discount... All AP's come with food discounts, but the more expensive AP's come with more variety, and sometimes a higher discount percentage (15% vs 10%). Check MouseSavers.com for the full list.

So what to do??? Well, everybody is different... what is your cash flow situation, can you afford the $279, or do you need a lesser AP to fit into your budget? (You can always upgrade your AP, but the AP will retain the same expiration date...) Second, will the discounts and/or parking pass help pay for the AP?

I know of many families that get one Premium (for the discounts and parking), and the rest of the family gets the Deluxe or SoCal (depending on which one fits their schedule)....

Darkbeer
05-18-2004, 09:09 AM
Let's throw another wrench into it. If I don't use the $20 renewal discount on my PAP, then I can use the $10 discount in my entertainment book. :)
The answer is yes, so all you need to do is cut the number in half... so a premium would be only 14 days.... (Note: the coupons usually only allow a discount on Deluxe and Premium AP's)

NirvanaMan
05-18-2004, 09:15 AM
Only one other thing to consider Darkbeer, if you renew, I don't believe you have to wait in the long line at the AP processing center - you can keep using your old pass.

Darkbeer
05-18-2004, 09:24 AM
Only one other thing to consider Darkbeer, if you renew, I don't believe you have to wait in the long line at the AP processing center - you can keep using your old pass.
Also, a benefit of purchasing a NEW AP instead of renewing is the fact that on the date of purchase, you can enter the park, even if it is normally a blackout day.....

But you can also renew or purchase a "new" AP if your photo is on file at Guest Services to the left of ther Disneyland main gate.....If this will be your first AP (or if it expired years ago) then you MUST go to the AP processing center to get your photo taken......

Kevy Baby
05-18-2004, 09:25 AM
You forgot one important factor that math cannot resolve: convenience.

While I am not into throwing my money away recklessly, I also realize the value of my time. By just renewing through the mail in advance, it saves me time by not going through the hassle of having to pay for parking when I come in, stopping at the ticket booth, etc.

While a number *could* be assigned to this convenience, it is nebulous. One possible method is to look at what you make at work. Say an individual makes $50,000 per year. The average number of work hours in a year is 2,000 (yeah, I know we all do much more than that, but I'm giving an example here). One could say, based on this information, that you make $25 per hour. If it takes an additional 1/2 hour to not renew (vs. mail renewal), then one could argue that it costs $12.50. If your spouse/S.O./etc. has to wait with you, that amount goes up.

Also, with current mail renewals, you will get a 20% merchandise discount coupon (although I have not read the T&C's, so this may be irrelevant).

I'm sending GusGus's renewal in today even though her AP doesn't expire for a month.

awinner
08-09-2004, 09:54 PM
is the $10 dollar discount in the 2004 entertainment book? i can't seem to find it. any help would be great.

olegc
08-09-2004, 10:12 PM
You forgot one important factor that math cannot resolve: convenience.

I agree - I think for some (but not all AP holders) the savings translated between renewing or not within specific calendar days is really relative. If you're paying $20 extra (no discount) or saving 28 days of entry at roughly 70 cents a day (around $20) - it's still just $20, right? Yes, to some, it's a lot of dough and can be used for lots of things... but if I considered my time, traffic, gas, etc. and prices for stuff these days (a movie is $10.00 per person) what's the relative "value" of renewing or not... That's an independent question I think that math can't answer.

HOWEVER - I truly appreciate Darkbeer's fervor in calculating all the scenarios available (along with all the other things he does for the MP community).

DisneylandForever
08-10-2004, 06:25 AM
I never renew my pass via mail. So far I have never had a trip planned within even weeks of its expiration.

My last pass expired on 12/11/03. After my early December trip, I was unable to go back to DL until 03/25/04. So I would have missed out on over 3 months just to save 10 bucks (or 20, whatever the renewal discount was). I don't care about waiting in line for a few minutes to buy a new one. Time is money, yeah, but I'll trade the 10 or 20 bucks for an extra 3 months on my pass any day.

Dlandmom
08-10-2004, 07:44 AM
is the $10 dollar discount in the 2004 entertainment book? i can't seem to find it. any help would be great.

If I recall correctly, it's toward the back of the book...one of those pages that has 3 coupons to a page (I hope I'm remembering that correctly).

awinner
08-10-2004, 08:22 PM
If I recall correctly, it's toward the back of the book...one of those pages that has 3 coupons to a page (I hope I'm remembering that correctly).
call me crazy...i just looked thru mine and can't find it...if anyone had an extra coupon...i will send you a stamp ;) ...does anyone have the exact page #?

Wendi
08-10-2004, 09:35 PM
Also, a benefit of purchasing a NEW AP instead of renewing is the fact that on the date of purchase, you can enter the park, even if it is normally a blackout day.....

Hey, I didn't know that... does that apply to the SoCal Select too??? Do you have to buy the AP at the ticket booth in the park for this, or can I still order it online and use it for the first day on a blockout?

Pammer
08-11-2004, 12:37 PM
Hey, I didn't know that... does that apply to the SoCal Select too??? Do you have to buy the AP at the ticket booth in the park for this, or can I still order it online and use it for the first day on a blockout?

I think the way it works is to buy a regular ticket to go in with on a blockout day, and then upgrade before you leave the park. That is how I do it anyway! ;)

mystycalchyk
08-11-2004, 12:54 PM
This was actually a concern for me. Our passes renew on December 25th, but this year we wont be there till December 26th.
One day is one day is one day, but I was told to mail in my renewal instead of waiting that one extra day or we would be penalized...or something :| .

I kinda like my Christmas Day date but its not that big of a deal. :geek:

This is our first year with APs (they are the premium ones if it matters.....it was just cheaper for us to get them that way last year....and no we have never been back since then, but that time we were there for 10 days...hence the value)

Can we not just renew the next day?

Sorry, Im an idiot :confused:

Dlandmom
08-11-2004, 01:14 PM
This was actually a concern for me. Our passes renew on December 25th, but this year we wont be there till December 26th.
One day is one day is one day, but I was told to mail in my renewal instead of waiting that one extra day or we would be penalized...or something :| .

I kinda like my Christmas Day date but its not that big of a deal. :geek:

This is our first year with APs (they are the premium ones if it matters.....it was just cheaper for us to get them that way last year....and no we have never been back since then, but that time we were there for 10 days...hence the value)

Can we not just renew the next day?

Sorry, Im an idiot :confused:

If you renew in the mail, you'll have the same expiration date next year, December 25. If you wait until you get there, you won't be able to take advantage of the renewal discount that you get if you renew in the mail before December 25. Hope that helps.