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View Full Version : 6-day Parkhopper or Deluxe AP?



gimp_boy76
01-22-2006, 07:39 AM
I"m having a hard time finding the pricing on Disneyland's site, but I know many of you here say it's around the same price for a Deluxe AP as it is for a 6 day park hopper. Is it worth just getting the AP? I'm from Reno so the possibility of getting back is pretty good especially if I don't have to pay for tickets again, and how do APs work do they expire exactly to the year of the first day you use them? Thanks for your help!

Darkbeer
01-22-2006, 07:46 AM
I would buy the 6 day ParkHopper for your first visit. This way you don't have to worry about blockout dates, and you get the early entry.

Then after you have used the early entry, and made sure there are no more blockout dates during your visit, you can upgrade to a Deluxe AP.

They give you full credit for the price you paid for the ParkHopper.

Let's say your visit starts May 4th, and that the 6th is a blockout date.

On the 7th, I would get upgraded. Just go to the Bank of Main Street with your ParkHopper. They will collect the few dollars more that is needed (the difference in price between the ParkHopper and the AP), take your picture and hand your your new AP. This way, you can take advantage of the 10% off food, and the Downtown Disney discounts.

When they process the AP, they will backdate the AP to expire May 4th, 2007 (The first day of use of the ParkHopper). Since this is a manual override, on a few occasions, they forget to do it, but it is supposed to start on May 4th.

Whatever date is printed on the AP is the expiration date. You can visit the park up to and including May 4th, 2007, so you actually do get an extra day.

gimp_boy76
01-22-2006, 07:54 AM
They will collect the few dollars more that is needed (the difference in price between the ParkHopper and the AP), take your picture and hand your your new AP.
Thanks for the info, do you know exactly how much the difference is (we don't need the $45 parking option)?

Darkbeer
01-22-2006, 08:13 AM
Thanks for the info, do you know exactly how much the difference is (we don't need the $45 parking option)?

Well, currently a Deluxe AP is $229, not sure how much you will be paying for your 6 day ParkHopper (there are multiple discount deals thru April, and you get credit for what you actually paid for the ParkHopper, not the Main Gate Price). But lets say it is $189. If that is the case, they would want $40 more.

Of course, it is based on the current price, so if they decide to raise the cost of AP's prior to your visit, they might want a bit more.

momuvseven
01-22-2006, 09:03 AM
We should have bought AP last year. We started by going to DL in April because DH had come home from deployment. We didn't have any other plans for the year at that point. Eight weeks later we decided we wanted out kids to attend a camp in San Bernadino and since we were so close to DL we spent a few days there kidsfree and then a few more days with the kids.
Later in the year we planned a Christmas trip and came for a week of our Christmas holidays.
Each time we spent about $800 on tickets for four adults and two children (over nine priced as adults) baby was free. Driving costs us about $100 each way and we always snag good hotels for about $100 per night. So tickets are our major expense. If we had bought AP the first time in April (we have another trip planned already for this April and have bought three day park hoppers with plans to upgrade to AP this time) the annual passes would have cost us $1,374. Instead we spent about $2400 on tickets for our three trips. Our annual passes would have covered our next trip in April and we could have renewed with the discount that is offered. So I think we could have saved about $1000 by buying annual passes last year and that would have covered the travel and hotel costs of four-five days for an additional trip. If we had AP I am pretty certain we would have squeezed in a few more trips over the summer. Our kids could also have gone to DL for a few hours on our arrival and departure days, something they can't do with parkhoppers without losing a full day's admission.
We could also have made good use of the discount for dining, shopping and possibly a resort stay. We don't buy a lot of park food but we do like to treat ourselves to a character meal each time and once a day we will enjoy a meal at our favorite resturants. This would have saved us another $100 each trip at least.

The only negative I can see is the blockout dates on holidays and Saturdays. I think we can live with this and would just adjust our travel dates accordingly.

So based on our experience last year we are going to upgrade to AP this April and then enjoy DL every chance we get. It helps that our kids LOVE DL and so do we. They never even ask to go anywhere else.

momuvseven

JookyG
01-23-2006, 02:16 PM
If I had bought the AP prior to my previous trip, I could have gotten rooms at the DLH for the same price I paid at the Tropicana. So keep the discounts in mind when you make the decision!