HELP!!! Spend money on AP or other halloween events???

[Drew Perri]

This thread is gonna be loaded with questions and looking for advice since everytime I am torn on something the disboards always come through in the clutch and help. So please bare with me if this seems like its an A.D.D riddled mess of a post.

For anyone who may have seen any of my old post you know I have a 10 day trip coming up with my GF who I will be proposing to during our trip. We leave Oklahoma for California this Friday We have gone back and forth about buying the AP. This is our 2nd 10 day California trip in less than 6 months. (a feat never thought possible with my previous job)

We have decided we could easily come back in Feb and again next summer(galaxy's edge) if we wanted too which is why we think the passes are a good idea. Had I just bought them in April when we bought our 5 day pass this trip here would have paid for them essentially. (we stayed in cali 10 days but only did a 5 day pass)

This trip has been pricey. The hotel, the car, the dinner reservations, not to mention just finished paying off the ring. Money isnt "tight" exactly but I want to spend money in a smart manner while we are on vacation.

So all that being said here is why I posted this thread.

My GF LOVES Halloween, as do I, it seems to be a millennial thing these days. (HOCUS POCUS)
This will be our first halloween away from our home and friends. I was unable to get us Mickey Halloween tickets so we have talked about going to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal alot and MAYBE Knotts Scary farm and i just discovered the Warner Bros Halloween backlot tour. These both seem like super fun ideas but they also seem so very pricey. I mean 1 night for both of us at HH could easily cost the same as upgrading one of our 5 day passes to an AP.

(Note that I am a bigger guy, I have been on a diet and working out 5 times a week since our last trip to make this one more enjoyable, that being said 6'3" 350 is too big to ride most the Eticket rides at Knotts or Universal so even doing the tickets that give you partial day into the park to enjoy the rides and the the halloween event wont do us much good)

In my mind, why spend the extra money on a hour limited 1 time event? We are going to be there for 10 whole days, why not just do all 10 days at Disney? Take it at our own pace and just enjoy and vlog the heck out of it too..

She said she is going to be happy no matter what but she knows I use these boards alot and said to me "why dont you just ask disboards for their opinion".....we are both SO indecisive

Would you save the $850 ish dollars it would cost to upgrade to two APs and attend other events or would you just get the AP and make the whole trip disney exclusive?

Also for any So-Cal residents can you think of any halloween events or houses that are in the area that aren't extremely expensive and close enough to go to after a short disney day?

What would you do?

As always THANKS GUYS

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

First, congratulations on the upcoming proposal!

In my opinion, the parks offer so many fun Halloween decorations, treats and special shows that you will get all th Halloween feels simply being at the DLR even if you don’t specifically go to the party. However, if you’re saying on-site it might be worth it to inquire about party tickets as they sometimes hold some back for hotel guests.

Don’t forget about the AP discounts you will get if you upgrade. Depending on how much you plan to spend on food and merchandise, they might add up!

 

[Drew Perri]

First, congratulations on the upcoming proposal!

In my opinion, the parks offer so many fun Halloween decorations, treats and special shows that you will get all th Halloween feels simply being at the DLR even if you don’t specifically go to the party. However, if you’re saying on-site it might be worth it to inquire about party tickets as they sometimes hold some back for hotel guests.

Don’t forget about the AP discounts you will get if you upgrade. Depending on how much you plan to spend on food and merchandise, they might add up!

We will be staying at Embassy Suites. I was able to find us a guy who booked us the rooms at a $95 dollar a night rate when the normal rate is about 180.
It would have cost about 4 to 5 grand to stay on site so I couldn't afford that.

We figure we have to pay $100 in parking for 5 day pass so why not just put that towards our AP money, also we budget how much we will prolly spend on food and we also figured we would get some money back from discounts.

Same thing with max pass, we will spend $100 for 5 days of max pass so why not spend the $150 and have it all year

 

[jewelspirit]

As far as smaller Haunts, follow ParksandCons on Twitter. They recently have been reviewing a ton of local houses and events that offer Halloween events for low to no cost.

 

[crystal1313]

I would get the AP. Trying other parks sounds fun, but I always compare to Disney, and nothing ever compares to me! But that is a personal decision... 10 days at Disney sounds amazing. You don't have to rush...you can try all the food and drinks. You can do more shows and in general be more relaxed about things. We used to go for a week when my kids were smaller and it was great. Now we go one or two days and I always feel so rushed! If you think you will return to Disney multiple times, then an AP would be the way to go. Also, we used to always get an AP with parking...and hardly used it. We would end up booking walking distance hotels. So that is something you might want to consider. We also now stay further away and take an uber too. Sometimes it is cheaper than the price of parking.

 

[figment_jii]

For me, it would really depend on how committed you are to going back in February and next summer. If you are pretty sure both of those trips will happen, then I would go with the AP. The discounts (on shopping and food) do help and it gives you more flexibility in when (and how often) to go.

On the other hand, do you and your GF like the scary elements of Halloween. Both Universal and Knotts play up the "Horror" part of Halloween, while Disney focuses on the cute, family-friendly parts of Halloween. If you're not into the "horror" part of Halloween, then I would definitely forgo Universal and Knotts.

You could also try checking on the day of the event to see if there are any MHP tickets. While not terribly likely, there is a chance they might have some available at the ticket booths.

 

[pblack]

I would also go for the AP. Especially if you think you'll make it out to California before your AP's expire.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

I would say do the math for this trip and see what the price difference would be if you got APs vs without, factor in discount estimates for food & merchandise when you do the math. To me even if you come out slightly more on cost getting an AP is worth it as it will give you a bit more flexibility during your trip. It will give you the option to spend all 10 days at Disney if you desire.

If you're interested in Knott's Scary Farm you should look online for discount tickets. I'll PM you the link that was on the coupons I found at my barber shop as it has some pretty steep ticket discounts.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’d just worry the ap won’t be valid this summer with changes they May mAke to passes.

 

[ButterflyKisses77]

Spend it on Halloween since you guys love it so much!

 

[Drew Perri]

I’d just worry the ap won’t be valid this summer with changes they May mAke to passes.

is that something that can happen? i have NEVER bought one before. It seems like backing out of an agreement that id pay X dollars and get 365 days

 

[seesclubhouse]

I did something similar, waffled between getting the AP and not, now Im happy with the premiere passport which allows both DL and DW With the recent changes anything below Signature level will be blacked out for some of June, July and August with the opening of Galaxy's Edge. The cost of Signature at 999.00 + 75.00 for maxpass = 1074.00 or Signature plus for no black out dates at = 1149.00(includes maxpass)
If your really serious about coming back at summer for galaxy's edge Signature will be your cheapest AP option. at 11.5 ish days is where you would break even with general admission, and thats including maxpass and parkhopper options.

 

[pblack]

is that something that can happen? i have NEVER bought one before. It seems like backing out of an agreement that id pay X dollars and get 365 days

It is something that could happen, but it would also really depend on what passes you get. If you went with the most expensive pass I don't think it's something you'd have to worry about.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

is that something that can happen? i have NEVER bought one before. It seems like backing out of an agreement that id pay X dollars and get 365 days

When you sign the agreement it says they have the right to change the entitlements at any time. If you go for the sig+ it's unlikely that they'll change the blockout dates on that pass but stranger things have happened with Disney.

 

[Drew Perri]

Do you guys think if i got the signature passport they would change the blockout dates on that one?

Additonally I was only going to get 1 signature and 1 deluxe, because i only need the one that includes the parking once right? and i figured we would be planning our trip to avoid the deluxe blackout dates either way. Has July ALWAYS been blacked out completely or is that because of star wars land? i swear it wasnt a few months ago

 

[smartlabelprint]

Do you guys think if i got the signature passport they would change the blockout dates on that one?

Additonally I was only going to get 1 signature and 1 deluxe, because i only need the one that includes the parking once right? and i figured we would be planning our trip to avoid the deluxe blackout dates either way. Has July ALWAYS been blacked out completely or is that because of star wars land? i swear it wasnt a few months ago

It’s because of galaxys edge.

They changed the blockout dates recently. Within the past year. It applied to everyone.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Do you guys think if i got the signature passport they would change the blockout dates on that one?

Additonally I was only going to get 1 signature and 1 deluxe, because i only need the one that includes the parking once right? and i figured we would be planning our trip to avoid the deluxe blackout dates either way. Has July ALWAYS been blacked out completely or is that because of star wars land? i swear it wasnt a few months ago

Presumably Star Wars Land is why a big chunk of summer is blacked out for deluxe. I think it is unlikely that black out dates will change for the signature plus despite the fine print about being able to change things. I think if Disney wants to no longer offer a no black outs option, they will either suspend or discontinue sales of the signature plus rather than change the terms on those who already have it. Personally if it were me, I would just go for it and buy two signature plus passes, visit as often as I wanted during the 10 days in California, and plan to return within the year. You will then have your parking and Maxpass covered, and you will have the option to return any time that it can fit in your schedule without having to worry about a blacked out holiday or Saturday or whatever. You can consider the food and merchandise discounts to be a small offset to the big upfront expense. For your return visit, if you can't score as great a deal as this time, be sure to include hotels on your list that offer AP discounts for the possibility of additional savings benefits.

 

[Drew Perri]

If we get a lower AP can we upgrade them mid useage?

 

[smartlabelprint]

If we get a lower AP can we upgrade them mid useage?

Yes

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

If we get a lower AP can we upgrade them mid useage?

Yes

Just be aware that if the price goes up between when you buy them and when you upgrade them, you will pay the full difference between what you actually paid for the original pass and the new pass of the pass level you upgrade to. Also, when you upgrade your pass expiration date will stay the same.