Hello Disney Addicts! By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Disney has done another major price increase – this time to their Annual Passholder program. In fact, they completely re-vamped the program to reflect the ever-changing demands of their guests. It’s got everybody buzzing about it and weighing in on whether they love it or hate it. Of course, nobody likes paying more money, but Disney listened to the feedback they’ve been getting from their most frequent visitors, and made an effort to meet their needs by offering more benefits and pass options. Naturally, more benefits = higher cost. So just in case you missed it, here is the scoop on the new pricing structure for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland annual passes. Both offer several passes to choose from in a tiered system, but Disney World – being the larger of the 2 resorts with 4 theme parks and 2 water parks – has the widest variety of passes available.
Walt Disney World:
*All prices listed are excluding tax. An additional 6.5% tax will apply.
There are 2 options offered for the water parks – Blizzard Beach & Typhoon Lagoon. Note: There are no parking fees for the water parks.
- Water Parks After 2:00pm Annual Pass: ($65 for ages 10 & up, $59 for ages 3-9) *This one is for Florida residents only.* Enjoy admission to both water parks any day after 2pm for 1 year. No blockout dates apply.
- Water Parks Annual Pass: ($110 for ages 10 & up, $99 for ages 3-9) Enjoy admission to both water parks any day for 1 year. No blockout dates apply.
*The next 3 passes listed are offered for Florida residents only.*
- Epcot After 4:00pm Annual Pass: ($249 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy admission to Epcot any day after 4:00pm for 1 year. No blockout dates apply. Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
- Weekday Select Pass: ($259 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of weekday-only admission (Mondays through Fridays) to all 4 theme parks. Park hopping included. Blockout dates apply: December 17-31, 2015, January 1, March 21-31, April 1, June 6-August 11, 2016. Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
- Silver Pass: ($389 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to all 4 theme parks, including park hopping. Blockout dates apply: December 17 2015 – January 1, 2016, March 19 – April 1, 2016, and June 6-August 11, 2016. Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
*Note: The new Gold Pass is offered only for both FL residents and DVC members, but not the general public.*
- Gold Pass: ($549 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to all 4 theme parks, including park hopping. Blockout dates apply: December 17 2015 – January 1, 2016 and March 19 – April 1, 2016. Here’s where it gets interesting: *Unlimited PhotoPass downloads included.* Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
- Platinum Pass: (FL residents and DVC members: $649 for ages 3 & up, General public: $749 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to all 4 theme parks, ANY day of the year, including park hopping. NO blockout dates apply. *Unlimited PhotoPass downloads included.* Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
- Platinum Plus Pass: (FL residents and DVC members: $729 for ages 3 & up, General public: $829 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to all 4 theme parks, ANY day of the year, including park hopping. NO blockout dates apply. Plus you get admission to both water parks, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, & Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course. *Unlimited PhotoPass downloads included.* Free parking! Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on Disney Resort hotels, merchandise, dining, recreation, & tours.
In addition to these benefits, only Walt Disney World Passholders can enjoy the freedom to renew their pass up to 30 days past the expiration date, as well as the added ability, for Florida residents only, to spread out the cost of their pass into convenient monthly payments. This requires an initial down payment of $112 when purchasing a pass for the first time, but not upon renewing. Renewals are also entitled to a 15% discount on all pass prices. All current Passholders, who are able to keep their current pass and it’s benefits until it expires, are also eligible to receive a discount when selecting one of these new pass options to renew. By comparison, Disneyland Passholders are also eligible for renewal discounts (but those discounts vary from pass to pass) & they must renew by their pass expiration date and do not have a 30 day grace period. California residents can also enjoy the convenience of a monthly payment program with an initial down payment of just $99, as well as a pass option exclusively for them.
Disneyland:
*There is no tax charged on Disneyland passports.
- Southern California Select Annual Passport: ($329 for ages 3 & up) *This one is for Southern California residents only.* Enjoy 1 year of weekday-only admission (Mondays through Fridays) to both theme parks, park hopping included. Blockout dates apply: November 11, 2015, December 18, 2015 – January 2, 2016, January 18, 2016, February 12 & 15, 2016, March 18-31, 2016, April 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2016, May 27 & 30, 2016, June 3, June 10-August 19, 2016, and August 26, 2016. Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on dining and merchandise.
- Deluxe Passport: ($599 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to both theme parks on most days of the year, park hopping included. Blockout dates apply: November 27 & 28, 2015, December 19, 2015 – January 2, 2016, February 13 & 14, 2016, March 19, 25, & 26 2016, every Saturday from April – July 2016, May 29, 2016, August 6 & 13, 2016 and September 3 & 4, 2016. Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on dining and merchandise.
- Signature Passport: ($849 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to both theme parks, park hopping included. Blockout dates apply: December 19, 2015 – January 2, 2016. Free parking! *Unlimited PhotoPass downloads included.* Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on dining and merchandise.
- Signature Plus Passport: ($1,049 for ages 3 & up) Enjoy 1 year of admission to both theme parks every day of the year, park hopping included. NO blockout dates apply. Free parking! *Unlimited PhotoPass downloads included.* Also, enjoy special Passholder offers and discounts on dining and merchandise.
So as you can see, these are some big changes! This new pricing structure for passes was just introduced about a week ago on October 4th, 2015. One of the best new features for Disney World Passholders is the inclusion of free parking for every available pass option! This is especially important considering the cost of parking at the theme parks went up to $20 on the same day. But the biggest change for both Disneyland Resort and Disney World passes is the newly added benefit of the unlimited PhotoPass digital picture downloads. While some are very excited to utilize this benefit, others couldn’t care less. For those that aren’t going to be interested in using the PhotoPass service at all, the price increase is going to be a tough pill to swallow! But there had to have been a high enough demand for it that Disney decided to go forward with making these changes. I, for one, am stoked to have this option available to me now, because I do enjoy getting PhotoPass pictures and the individual download &/or print pricing is outrageously expensive! I currently have a WDW FL resident Seasonal Pass, which can be likened to the new Silver Pass, but I plan on upgrading to the Gold Pass when my expiration date comes around so that I can take full advantage. I hear lots of others saying that they have their own cameras, so why use PhotoPass? But if you ask me, when you want to be in a photo with your family (so you have to pass your camera off to someone else to take the photo for you), you don’t always get the best results. But the professionally trained Disney PhotoPass photographers do a great job taking photos, and sometimes you just get that special one that melts your heart and you can’t do without it. Plus, they have all sorts of adorable border, frame, and sticker options to customize your photos and make them truly personal. So for me & my family, the new pricing makes sense. In fact, despite the upgrade I’m planning on and the increase in pricing, I will actually be saving money while enjoying my new benefits. So there’s at least one happy camper here! Besides, I know that for many of us Disney Addicts, you can’t put a price on Disney magic & memories that we won’t gladly pay. That special feeling (you know the one I’m talking about), that you can only get at Disney, is worth every penny.
So what are YOUR thoughts about the changes made to annual passes? Love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments section below.
Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in booking a vacation to Walt Disney World, please contact me at summerprager@worldofmagictravel.com. As an agent with World of Magic Travel Services – the preferred travel agency of Chip & Co. and Disney Addicts – I offer complimentary planning services so that all you have to do is show up and enjoy your magical vacation!
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i wish there was the monthly program for non Florida residents
Who can afford to take the family to Disney? No body I know. We just had family in from Denver. For a family of 4 it cost them more for a two day pass to Disneyland than plane fare for 4 from Denver!