[TaraRae82]

I was just comparing some numbers. It costs us about $1200 in park passes and DDP for our typical 7 night stay and those costs are only going to get more expensive as our family grows (only paying for 2 adults right now) or if we take mutiple vacations like most of you do. An AP seems to be the way to go if you plan to use DVC for more than 1 vacation a year.

[momofaprincess]

We bought a AP this year since we plan on going at least twice with it within the year. (using it in may for 9 days and january for 8) Plus being a DVC member you get $100 off the normal AP price! Can't beat it!

[WishUponAStar]

We have annual passes and I have to say that the $100 off annual passes perk for DVC members just CANNOT be beat! It brings the price back down to what I used to pay as a Florida resident for an annual which makes me very happy!

I think we figured out that if you use your annual pass for at least 10-12 park days per year it's worth it. Don't forget about the merch, tour, & other discounts that come along with being an annual pass holder.

[disneycouple30]

We use to have them, but, now that we only go down once a year it not worth it. If we start going down twice a year then we will go back to them.

[TaraRae82]

Oh! I didn't know as a DVC member you get $100 off AP's! That is a fantastic perk! Is that $100 EACH?

[dixie]

We wouldn't be without our AP, as due to our length of stay we get massive room discounts that more than cover the cost of park tickets etc, plus we take full advantage of all the discounts and perks that go with being an AP holder.
We have also found if you time the holiday correctly we can get two 'goes' out of one AP pass.

[M5ward]

We have APs and get the $100 per pass discount from DVC. We time it so we get at least two trips off the pass - usually 15 to 16 days total a year. It's a pretty hefty savings. It also allows us to get the TiW card which is a good move for us since we do almost all table service meals at the World. Our October trip will be our third trip on the TiW card.

[cinderbella]

We bought an AP one year back when they used to give out AP discounts for room only reservations. For all I know they still do this but I don't pay attention anymore because I know I can't go more than once a year
However, it was great. We bought the DDE card and went four times in our year. Three times were for short 3-4 day trips over a long weekend and we had one HUGE trip that was 10 days. I remember that we stayed at POP for ten days and it cost about $500 for the room. It think it was about $50 a night.

[2nd Star]

Yes, we also have them.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by TaraRae82

Oh! I didn't know as a DVC member you get $100 off AP's! That is a fantastic perk! Is that $100 EACH?

YUP, the discount is PER PASS!! You just have to show your DVC card when you pick them up at Will Call.

[TaraRae82]

Originally Posted by WishUponAStar

YUP, the discount is PER PASS!! You just have to show your DVC card when you pick them up at Will Call.

Wow. That's fantastic.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by TaraRae82

Wow. That's fantastic.

I should mention that you can only buy the discounted passes for your immediate family; which they define as "people residing in your household." The official FAQ's goes on to say that each member must show id when picking up their pass to show proof of same residency BUT to be honest they've NEVER asked to see Daniel's id to make sure he lives with me. They always just ask to see our DVC card.

[jo-jo]

But remember that AP discount is a PERK and perks can disappear any time. Just don't use that as another reason to buy into DVC.

We get AP but not every year. We go a few trips then skip a yr or so. Then get another AP, few more trips, etc....

[llama]

We always get APs and always try to arrange it so that we can get at least 14 days out of it each year. It's worked pretty well so far. As DVC owners you don't get that many perks - this is the one we always take advantage of.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by jo-jo

But remember that AP discount is a PERK and perks can disappear any time. Just don't use that as another reason to buy into DVC.

I think it's a great perk to consider when joining DVC to be honest. That was one of our big incentives into joining. We knew we'd be going for as many nights a year to make it worth it & I was glad to get the $100 off discount. You are absolutely right that it's a 'perk' and Disney can take away any perk whenever they feel the desire too but hopefully it won't happen. Ya never know though.