Come in out of the April showers and catch up on some reader mail. Staff writer Steve Russo recently tackled the tricky subject of what admissions media to buy in, “Park Passes” (February 12, 2010), and shares his response to some letters below.
Jim P. writes:
If you’ve ever seen the My Coke Rewards codes on the bottle caps and on the cartons of cans, they had Universal Tickets as a redemption for the majority of last year. My wife is a Diet Coke junkie so we hoarded up enough points relatively fast for a couple pairs. Those were a fantastic pickup, especially for free and they had a two year expiration period (single use ticket of course). Once we rolled into 2010 new items came up and I haven’t seen the Universal tickets up for this year, but hopefully they find their way back on there. Worth keeping an eye out for.
We are Disney Vacation Club members and getting the Annual Passes works out in our favor even if we only go twice a year. Last year the girl made a mistake when issuing our tickets and only issued single day tickets. The following day our tickets didn’t work. Went to the counter to correct, and they not only reissued the correct tickets, they added three months to the expiration. We only experienced a five minute inconvenience and they came back with an awesome apology. I don’t know if that’s policy, and we didn’t go to the window in a huff or anything but got a great “comp” in any regard. We had a third trip scheduled within that window of time so it worked out tremendously for us.
Thanks for the comments and the tip on the Coke Rewards.
Phillip S. writes:
Thanks for another well-researched article about a subject that can be quite confusing. I especially applaud your key point: the value of planning. Investing the time to decide where and when and what your group will actually want to do and then what it costs to build in flexibility is key to staying within a budget.
I would add a couple points for planners to ponder (apologies for the additional alliteration). First, remember that a few folks get there — usually first-time visitors — and are so hooked by the magic they’re planning their next vacation to Walt Disney World already. That’s the time to think about going to guest services or your resort concierge and applying the cost of your ticket media to an Annual Pass or Preferred Annual Pass. OK, I have yet to do this…and it has cost me money simply because I haven’t always been able to plan my next trip to Walt Disney World that soon. I have ‘run the numbers’ and if your family will be visiting Walt Disney World for two or more trips of at least a week in length within a calendar year, then upgrading at least one person to the Annual Pass or Premium Annual Pass is worth it.
For those on a tighter budget (like me), I hasten back to the planning meme. I think your idea is best, Steve: pluck down the extra dollars for a park-hopper pass and take advantage of Extra Magic Hours in the morning. I’m a ‘park person,’ too and I want to spend as many hours as possible in the parks. Here’s where one’s individual preferences come into play. My daughter and I love the experience of a specific park “unfolding” and ending, so we tend to stay in one park from open ’til close (sometimes with that midday break). Since that’s our preference, we skip the few extra dollars a park hopper pass would cost. This advice is best to consider for those who have been to Walt Disney World.
Excellent points all (and I forgive the alliteration). Thanks for sharing them.
Bob B. writes:
Good stuff, I really liked how you broke down the feasibility of buying one Annual Pass especially if you stay at a moderate or higher resort on site.
It’s a difficult subject. The decision whether or not to buy an Annual Pass should be fairly straightforward but you need to consider those room discounts. There’s just so many alternatives and options…
Chris B. writes:
First, I really like the time and effort you put into all your articles and certainly your one about Disney tickets is no exception. I seem to have fully come to the same conclusions that you have drawn, however, there is only one scenario that I can’t nail down. Hoping you would take a shot….
Say I have a five-day pass, no hopper. If on day four I decide I want to add the park hopper option, will I only be charged for day four, or must I do it for days four and five as well? Or can I not do this at all? Would it hold true for the no-expiration option as well? If on day four we have to go home, can I just buy the no-expiration option on the remaining days?
If these options are available, then it could save you money if you don’t need to have the extra options and can just add them at the end. i.e. I would rather just have the park hopper for day five, so I don’t want to pay for it on days one through four. It is the only way I can see to save money, if you can confirm it is even possible. Thanks again for all your articles!
Sorry, that won’t work. The Park Hopper option is a flat $52 per ticket. Adding it to end of a stay, with only one or two days left is probably not cost effective.
The No-Expiry option price is based on the number of days of the original ticket so, once again, there’s no real way to “beat” the system
Pam writes:
Excellent explanation of all of the park ticket options. I have one question about the annual pass – you mention that the option is for a 15-month pass now. I am an annual passholder and was able to renew in the fall for 15 months. One of my friends was interested in getting a pass if there still is an option for 15 months, but I can’t find anything that indicates that a non-Florida resident can still get a 15-month pass. Can you tell me where you saw the option for 15 months? I’d love to send her the information.
I had to call Disney on this one. It looks like the 15-month feature is only good on Annual Pass renewals right now. The 15-months on a new Annual Pass purchase is, as you indicated, for Florida residents only. I’m sorry if my article was mis-leading.
Brian M. writes:
As for the confusion on Walt Disney World tickets you need to know what your specific plans are for your vacation. Since we travel to Walt Disney World every two or more years yes we want to spend as much time in the parks as possible. If we went on an annual basis the options offered on different plans would be appealing as the water parks option or the no experation option. The park hopper is the best option you can buy. We used it four times in a week last year because of shows or the dining plan. The problem of planning a vacation package at Walt Disney World is that there is so much to see and do time constraints limit you to only certain options. That’s a problem that I won’t mind at all.
Henry S. writes:
When I saw the title of your latest offering, I thought you were CRAZY! You handled it well, however, and you didn’t raise as many questions as answers, like most articles about the subject. Another fine entry–keep up the good work.
I know exactly what you mean. My daughter suggested it in November and I wound up writing it in January – after much procrastination. It’s a very difficult topic, especially when you’re trying to cram it into 1800-2000 words. Thanks for he kind words and for writing.
Finally, staff writer Lisa Perkis responds to a reader who shares his thoughts on when it’s the right time to visit a Disney park with your children (“How Young is too Young to Visit a Disney Park?” February 4, 2010).
Jim M. writes:
I am convinced that the right age to bring kids is entirely up to the individual child. My wife and I first brought our daughter to Disneyland when she was one. She sat in the stroller the entire visit just in awe of everything. She was a complete angel the whole visit. We have since brought her the last five years and she and we have enjoyed the park. Our son on the other hand was a complete nightmare on his first visit when he was four (we knew he would not cope very well on our first visit when he was three and his sister was one so we left him with relatives). He was overwhelmed and did not enjoy Disneyland at all. Even at five he did not really like the park. It was not until he was six that he had an enjoyable visit. His biggest problem with the park was his non-understanding of the concept of rides. He just wanted to play. The idea of waiting in line for a ride that was completely passive entertainment for him did not make sense. I believe a lot of kids go through this. His best times at Disneyland have been him climbing on rocks and running around (Tom Sawyer’s Island and Tarzan’s Tree House are his favorites).
Thanks for the feedback!
