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View Full Version : Concerns Over Annual Pass and $$$



snappy
12-30-2001, 03:38 PM
Currently I'm a 2-park Deluxe Annual-Passholder thanks to the $10.00 upgrade. My concerns are next year when it comes time to renew: 1. How much will the cost increase?
2. Will we be happy in paying for 2-parks when we usually use DCA to escape the crowds at Disneyland?
3. Personally I wouldn't pay any extra to go to DCA, $10.00 is fine, but you can bet it's going to go up.
4. How about those cut hours in the summer-time?
5. What's the chances of a 1-park pass coming back? (Slim to none)

HBTiggerFan
12-30-2001, 06:05 PM
Have you read that currently all APs are 2 park and are the same price as the 1-park? IE: So Cal is $99, Delux is $139 or $149 (forget) and Premium is $199. They lowered prices.

MammaSilva
12-30-2001, 06:12 PM
I think the concern here isn't what they are right now, but what they will be when it's time to renew. Before we had the choice, 199 for one, 299 for two.. they lowered prices and the 'lower' priced passes could upgrade for 10 dollars more this time, but when it comes to renew will a one park pass even be an option.. back in the day there was a 99 dollar AP...fewer black out dates than the southern cal pass but more than the deluxe, it went by the wayside, now it 'looks" like the option of one/two park passes is going to be gone as well, I really see 2002 renewals being two park, no choice, and going up slightly in price....I don't see them charging 300 for the premium but then again this IS Disney and who knows?

coronamouseman
12-30-2001, 06:16 PM
snappy: Don't waste any brain cells thinking about what might be 12 months from now - just accept the fact that your pass cost less this year and enjoy your times using it.

Think of an AP as an investment - after you get over the initial cost of the pass then all of your trips to DL and DCA are essentially free (I don't think such things as sports season tickets or year-long amusement park passes should be valued in terms of individual visits - just think of the purchase price as a one-time charge, kind of like those nasty property tax bills or assessments that come up).

Interesting to note that Universal in Hollywood just extended their "buy one admission get the whole year free" promotion through January 31 - obviously the SoCal Theme Park market is going to be one in which a big battle for customers is going to be waged by Disney, Universal, Knott's and SFMM.

MammaSilva
12-30-2001, 06:21 PM
Originally posted by coronamouseman

Think of an AP as an investment - after you get over the initial cost of the pass then all of your trips to DL and DCA are essentially free (I don't think such things as sports season tickets or year-long amusement park passes should be valued in terms of individual visits - just think of the purchase price as a one-time charge, kind of like those nasty property tax bills or assessments that come up).



Actually I have to say that I looked at the potential visits (we live 8 hours away) before I committed to the AP, I realized that I would save money overall if we make just 2 trips during the year and because we do have the AP's we have already made 3 including our 9 day trip in August.....even if Disney comes up with some version of a one day "hopper" the way they did with the extra park/extra day ... slick way around NEVER having a one day hopper pass IMHO, you will save money with an AP overall.. yeah the original "outlay" may sting a bit but at the end of the year if you keep track of how many visits you made you can see if you got your value for your investiment...based at 43 dollars a day, mine paid for itself back in August on the original trip.....

driftwood714
12-30-2001, 07:46 PM
I think it's premature to begin worrying about renewing next year. More than likely, and you can look at the past, the APs will either stay the same or go up 10 bux.

One thing to realize, is compared to last year, they are selling TONS of APs especially with these cheap prices. Perhaps they'll price them up a little more to kind of "thin out the crowd". I'd expect atleast a small adjustment of perhaps 20 dollars or so. Not too much money, really.

I think they should get rid of the SoCal pass and have only Deluxe and Premium. The simplier the better. Make the Deluxe 149 it currently is. Then have the Premium be 249. It's a great value regardless of which one you choose. Perhaps even throw a few more food discounts onto the deluxe.

Morrigoon
12-30-2001, 08:24 PM
Wow, we so completely disagree that I'm surprised by it.

First, I don't think Disney is going to be "thinning the crowds" any time soon. Rather, they need to increase the numbers, given the current travel environment.

Secondly, if they want to have several kinds of passes, that's fine with me. Sure, I buy the premium one, but there was a time when I was a poor teenager scraping together enough for the $99 pass and balancing blackout days.

Thirdly, $249 for premium? That's a *$50* increase over what I pay now! I didn't pay extra for DCA before, and I have no desire to do so now, just because they've eliminated the 1-park pass. And I'm a single person. For a family of 4, you're talking about a $200 increase to renew APs. That's all fine and well for those who can afford it, but there are some who'd have to seriously reconsider their pass purchase for that price. I don't think Disney's going to throw out an $800 purchase so that some people can pay an extra $200. More likely, they'll inch up the prices over the next 3-5 years.

Since they really want to push DCA attendance wise, they ought to offer a super-cheap DCA 1-park pass. Make it like $75 for a DCA only pass. Granted, I wouldn't buy it, but then again, DCA isn't worth $43 to me - but it is to some.

driftwood714
12-30-2001, 10:54 PM
That was a "suppose if" situation. Not like they're really doing it. But they could. Just what I feel they should do with the passes. And it is likely. Anything is. Just as I've said before, more than likely the prices will just rise slowly but surely inching it's way up and up over the years.

Nigel2
12-31-2001, 01:06 AM
Hmmmm, I wonder if that is what they are trying to do, get people interested and as they build up they start to raise the DCA price but also cut out the path pack to a DLR only pass.

coronamouseman
12-31-2001, 04:46 AM
The law of "supply and demand" will be the key factor in Disney deciding how many APs they will sell and how much to charge for them.

There have been many threads discussing whether Disney likes APs - the current pricing of the APs suggests that they very much like APs and they are obviously trying to get as many people as possible to buy them with lower prices.

Obviously, whenever travel picks up then AP prices will too but who knows when that will be?

If there is certainly one thing that "Corporate Disney" is probably good at, it is understanding how many of the APs they have sold, how many they still want to sell and when non-AP customers start returning in higher numbers to the parks which will trigger higher AP prices.............