Hi Everyone
I am wondering what is the advantage of having an Disney Annual Pass and the disadvantage.
Do you still get the Dinning Plan? Do you have to buy your Magic Bands seperate or do you still get when you make room reservations?
I am weighing our options since we are planning two trips next year. If this would be a better way to go then just getting passes for the week.
Thank you in advance for all the information 
Hi. You can get dining plan. Not sure about free dining since I'm DVC we don't get it. With the discount I find the break even only about five or six days so I've been getting the AP just in case I want to do an extra trip or three. Magic bands come separate but I understand they also come linked with your room magic band. A popular AP strategy is to take vacations 11 months apart so you get two uses out of them.
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DVC owner since 2002 BCV/BWV/BLT/VGC
Thank you Colonel
Right now if everything works out we are planning a trip for March 2015 and one for October 2015 and since we are in East Tennessee and if we get AP am thinking we might be able to slip another short weekend trip also.
I am leaning towards getting the passes and then in October would only need to pay for the room (big savings). 
Thinking maybe a weekend Christmas shopping trip first weekend of December. Went about 8 years ago at this time and loved everything about it.
We had an AP for the first time ever this year and we LOVE it. By the time our pass expires, we'll have used it for 5 trips. I never would have thought it was remotely possible to take 5 trips to Disney in one year, but thanks to DVC and AP, our trips only cost us additional airfare, food, and hard ticket admissions! We've done a week at Disney for less than it costs us to go to our local beach for 3-4 days.
One thing we did was to throw the dining plan out the window. If you're spending enough days on property, Tables in Wonderland will more than pay for itself and is much more flexible than DDP. It's only a good deal if you plan to eat $500 or more in eligible table service meals (things like Candlelight Processional dining package, Star Wars Character Meals, etc. are excluded and some restaurants now have blackout dates--just check to make sure TiW is accepted before you make your ADR).
You can't take advantage of package discounts if they are offered because you already have tickets. I only used free dining one time, but I think you had to purchase a package that included MYW tickets in order to get free DDP. You do, however, get pass holder discounts on rooms--often 30% off at non-peak times. To take advantage of those offers, you do have to be a little bit flexible with your dates.
Not sure if you drive or fly from Tennessee, but AP holders get free parking, so if you have a car on property and you want to save a few dollars by booking an offsite hotel, you don't get slammed with the $17/day parking fee. Other various discounts also apply--10% off select backstage tours and merchandise locations. Even 10% off some dining.
Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome. --Randy Pausch
Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.
Thanks for all the advice. I am really leaning towards just doing the AP. Can you use them at Disneyland or are they only good at WDW? When I lived in CA I had an AP and would go once sometimes twice a month. But then it was only an hour drive.
There is an AP that includes Disneyland, but it's wicked expensive!
Be good at something. It makes you valuable. Have something to bring to the table because that will make you more welcome. --Randy Pausch
Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.
There is an AP that includes Disneyland, but it's wicked expensive!
This is the Premier AP. It's awesome!
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Member of the 6 castle club and working to pay for my next Disney vacations: 1/5-10/18, September 2018 for my 50th and 2018 the year of Disney cruising.
The golden ticket!!
Thanks everyone. May look into the "Golden Ticket" in a couple years. We are planning a trip to go back to CA ( I moved to TN 8 years ago from LA and want to take my hubby for visit) and that trip plan to use Disney as our home base.
DeidraDee,
love the chipmunks!
That's my old D23 card covering up my AP # :big grin: only my step monster and my chief call me Deidra. It's like Voldemort amongst my friends and family 
The golden ticket!!
Thanks everyone. May look into the "Golden Ticket" in a couple years. We are planning a trip to go back to CA ( I moved to TN 8 years ago from LA and want to take my hubby for visit) and that trip plan to use Disney as our home base.
- I have been a WDW pass holder for a few years now and upgraded to the Premier card because we were going home (to CA) last year and going to DL. I've been lucky enough to use it at WDW 5 times since picking it up, and 3 times in CA. I feel it definitely was worth the cost. We have 2 more trips planned this year before it expires. I probably won't re=new the golden ticket but only because we aren't planning on going back to DL in the next year.
I'm editing because I just realized next year is the 60th anniversary of DL. I probably won't renew the pass but I will most definitely be going to DL for 60th anniversary. 
Member of the 6 castle club and working to pay for my next Disney vacations: 1/5-10/18, September 2018 for my 50th and 2018 the year of Disney cruising.
I need to research the Premier Pass (aka the "golden ticket") for next year since I am going to DL in May and WDW in July and November.
