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View Full Version : Cost comparison, AP vs. Park Hopper



potzbie
09-13-2005, 12:44 AM
I was curious when it pays to upgrade from PARK HOPPER to ANNUAL PASS.
What is the break-even point?

Which is more cost effective?
(a.) Park Hopper?
(b.) Annual Pass?

It depends on the number of days, of course.
Let's take a look.

We will use the two kinds of Disneyland entry tickets which (should?) offer the lowest per-day cost, of the two kinds.

That would be:
(a.) 5-day Park Hopper
(b.) Deluxe Annual Pass

Please note: I am deliberately selecting a non-Southern California AP to maximize applicability to all readers of MousePlanet. The same number crunching can be done with any AP. The savings on the lowest-level Southern California AP is fantastic, in that two visits will be cheaper than the sum of two list-price one-day Park Hoppers.
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LIST PRICE:

• 5-day Park Hopper, one adult = $169.00

Note: The website of Disneyland Resort lists no higher-days Park Hoppers. But thanks to MousePlanet regulars, we know that Disneyland does have arrangements for 6-day and 7-day Park Hopper tickets. But for simplicity, and for easy verification, let's stick the official published numbers. Few MousePlanet readers will use a Park Hopper ticket of more than 5 days in a single vacation.

• Deluxe Annual Pass, one adult = $229.00

Note: The DELUXE ANNUAL PASS is the lowest-level AP available for non-Southern-Californians. There are blackout dates, which typically are Saturdays in the summer, and the obvious holidays. But if you avoid the summer and avoid November/December, you can arrange 7 consecutive days while avoiding a blackout date. If you do hit a blackout date, then you will have to add $30 to my calculations below.
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PER DAY CALCULATION:

5-day Park Hopper, one adult = $169.00
What is the cost per day?
Cost per day, assuming 5 days = $169 / 5 = $33.80

Deluxe Annual Pass, one adult = $229.00
What is the cost per day?
Cost per day, assuming 5 days = 229 / 5 = $45.80
Cost per day, assuming 6 days = 229 / 6 = $38.17
Cost per day, assuming 7 days = 229 / 7 = $32.71

Thus, at 7 days, the DELUXE ANNUAL PASS becomes slightly more cost effective, measured on a PER-DAY basis.
Thus, at 6 days, the DELUXE ANNUAL PASS is $4.37 more expensive PER DAY than the per-day cost of a 5-day Park Hopper.

If you can use the DELUXE ANNUAL PASS built-in discounts to achieve an average $4.37 savings per day for 6 days, then the DELUXE ANNUAL PASS used for 6 days will equal the per-day cost of the 5-Day Park Hopper.
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With any AP . . .
• you get discounts on food and merchandise (with exceptions).
• you get the quarterly newsletter, i.e., early announcements of Disney events.
• where there are BLACKOUT DATES, it costs $30 per day to obtain a one-day park hopper ticket.

Thus, it might be possible to mentally justify the extra $4.37 more per-day if you consider that dollar amount as a premium paid for the extra features, or the sheer honor/gratitude, of holding an honest-to-goodness Disneyland Annual Pass.

There are some strategies available.
If you can arrange your annual visits to occur within 11 months of each visit, then of course you will lower the per-day costs even more with any Annual Pass.
e.g., If you originally visit in late January, and then again in early December, then your annual pass will be spread out over more days.
Whereas a 5-day visit with an Deluxe Annual Pass implies $45.80 per day, visiting again for 5 days will imply a cost of half, i.e., $22.90 per day.

Likewise, for 3-day visits, if you squeeze in another 3-day visit, then you can spread the cost over 6 days. -- Again, a savings of 50% over what would have been the costs for a single 3-day vacation.
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Regarding BLACKOUT DATES.
A DELUXE AP used on a blackout date will increase the total cost by $30.

When amortized over the number of days, you get this spread:
e.g., 7 days = (229 + 30) / 7 = $37.00
e.g., 6 days = (229 + 30) / 6 = $43.17
e.g., 5 days = (229 + 30) / 5 = $51.80
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Regarding RENEWALS.
There is no guarantee that next year, the cost of Annual Pass or the cost of a Park Hopper will remain stable.
But at least for this year, there is a $20 discount upon renewal of Annual Pass holders.
Thus the calculations for a future visit can use a cost of approx. $209 for a DELUXE ANNUAL PASS.

Will this $20 make a difference?
Let's look.

209 / 7 = $29.85 (vs. $32.71 this year)
209 / 6 = $34.83 (vs. $38.17 this year)
209 / 5 = $41.80 (vs. $45.80 this year)

Which of the above days-usage "beats" the 5-day Park Hopper?
That is, which price beats $33.80?

It is the 7-day usage, by $1.09.
Else, the 6-day usage is a deficit of $4.37.
Else, the 5-day usage is a deficit of $12.00.
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What have we learned?

• The more days you use an Annual Pass, the lower the per-day cost.

• A pair of visits occurring 11 months apart, if the number of days equal 7 (or greater), such as 3 day + 4 days, or 2 days + 5 days, will beat the per-day cost of a 5-day Park Hopper ticket, for one adult; all other things being equal.
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The End