Thursday's Tip

This tip is for veteran Disney travelers. Do you visit Walt Disney World yearly, or close to it? Do you spend at least 4-5 days in the parks on each visit? Are your travel dates flexible (within reason)? Here's my tip: Consider planning your yearly trips, say, 11 months apart (instead of a year) and purchasing annual passes. It's probably a better deal!



It's really just a matter of doing the math. An adult annual pass costs $499 plus tax (or $459 if you're renewing a current pass). A 5-day adult Park Hopper ticket is $291 plus tax. (You're already saving $83 on just one person's ticket over a 2-year period.) Of course, you could buy a 10-day non-expiring ticket for $529--but that's still going to cost you $30 more than the annual pass.

And here's the other thing: you get some lovely perks from an annual pass. For starters, free parking! Granted, you get free parking if you're staying at a Disney Resort too, but if you stay off-site it will cost you a whopping $14/day to park. There are often room discounts that are available only to annual passholders--sometimes up to 40% off. Passholders also get discounted pricing for special ticketed events such as Night of Joy, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and they enjoy 50% off at Disney's miniature golf courses. Finally, there are a variety of passholder events, dining discounts, sales, etc., and you never know what might be added/offered.

And, hey, if you purchase an annual pass, you just might fit a third trip to WDW in there somewhere during the year...or more! I know I would!