News Disneyland cancels Annual Pass program

[Emmanuel]

When it comes to tier levels, they will probably do something similar to what they had where the higher and more expensive the tier the more available days you have. The difference will be that they will probably force everyone below a premium pass level to reserve days like they did with the flex pass to mitigate crowds. It also may be possible the lower-end tiers can only go on Tier-1 to Tier-3 single-day ticket equivalent days.

I doubt monthly payments will go away.

Monthly Payments will likely stay given that USH and Knotts still have theirs intact for their programs. As much as it is a pain because it gives people more flexibility on the more expensive passes thus creating more members to overcrowd the parks again, Disney won't say no to a money making opportunity.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Monthly Payments will likely stay given that USH and Knotts still have theirs intact for their programs. As much as it is a pain because it gives people more flexibility on the more expensive passes thus creating more members to overcrowd the parks again, Disney won't say no to a money making opportunity.

monthly pass payments are smart...but Disney isn’t always that. Their lords in lower manhattan love that they charge in advance.

if they ever did that in Florida...I’d likely never let mine lapse. But now I’m an every other year or
More...because at $4800 a pop...why am I loaning them for something that isn’t used for for 3,6,11 months from now?

 

[CastAStone]

Why not a DVC model...pay us $15000 now (which you can finance at 10% a year through our friends) and then only $300 every additional year for the next 50 years! (Subject to 3-15% annual price increases of course)

 

[J4546]

well right now its almost 200 for a park hopper ticket for a single day, hopefully APs arent starting at 1000 or higher...I had a low tier AP that meant summers and weekends and holidays were blocked out, but it was perfect for me because I prefer weekdays with less people and the summers are so hot and busy, i dont mind taking a few months off. It worked out great for me and was pretty cheap....but I feel like that wont be the case in the future.

 

[fctiger]

Well it looks like the inevitable happened and they will have APs again. This should surprise no one.

In fact I was wrong, I knew one would be coming soon, but I honestly thought it would come sometime next year and just let this year run at a much smaller capacity. But my guess is Disney is hoping by fall maybe that things will be closer to normal attendance wise since the cases are dropping at a a crazy rate and the park may be allowed a lot more people by the end of the year.

So this is great news! Obviously we knew it was coming but in some form, but it sounds like a lot sooner than a lot of us predicted. They will probably be more restrictions than before though, but can't wait to see what they do. If it sounds reasonable and we want to go back to the parks more regularly we'll probably get them again.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I think you’re in the ballpark for Anaheim

What do you think, bump those $$ numbers up by 50% in Anaheim?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What do you think, bump those $$ numbers up by 50% in Anaheim?

nah...$5000/$1000/1500/$2000 is egregious, but probably not a deal killer for most...

now Orlando...that’s where you got the rubes

 

[fctiger]

well right now its almost 200 for a park hopper ticket for a single day, hopefully APs arent starting at 1000 or higher...I had a low tier AP that meant summers and weekends and holidays were blocked out, but it was perfect for me because I prefer weekdays with less people and the summers are so hot and busy, i dont mind taking a few months off. It worked out great for me and was pretty cheap....but I feel like that wont be the case in the future.

They'll probably have cheaper APs as before. The entire point of those cheaper APs are also to fill the parks in lower seasons and days so they will always be valuable to have. I've always only had the top two APs, but I wouldn't have an issue of buying a lower one as long as it fits some of the times I like to go.

 

[HauntedPirate]

nah...$5000/$1000/1500/$2000 is egregious, but probably not a deal killer for most...

now Orlando...that’s where you got the rubes

True. Just a larger base in CA, so they may be able to get away with a lower price point (that’s still higher than before). Monthly payments will guarantee lots of buying.

 

[SoCalDisneyLover]

I think similar, I think the low level passes will disappear and be replaced by a severely restricted Flex pass for $500 (no summer, weekends, holidays, etc), a less restricted Flex pass for $1000 (no Christmas, etc), a Signature pass not requiring reservations for $1500 (no Christmas season), and a completely unrestricted pass for $2000.

I’m really curious if parking will be included with passes now though, I think even an AP discounted $10 parking fee is a good deterrent from people coming every day, or at least guaranteed income if they do.

I visited between 25 & 30 times I think with the Flex Pass, in the 9 1/2 months I had it, and did not pay for parking once. I suspected they set the price of the pass so low, because they figured they would get that parking revenue with every visit. Didn't work with me.

When I went during the day, I would park on this street near Garden Walk that always had parking available in the morning, and then walked 1 mile to the parks. Other times I parked farther away and got an all day ART pass, or took an Uber. Not only did I save money, I feel like I got to the gates much faster than having to go through the process of parking in the structure, then queue for the tram, etc. My favorite hack of all was when I took the OCTA bus from the Laguna Hills Transportation Center near my home, directly to the park in about an hour, for $4 round trip. I wouldn't have to deal with anything, and it's probably cheaper than what it would cost in gas money.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

nah...$5000/$1000/1500/$2000 is egregious, but probably not a deal killer for most...

now Orlando...that’s where you got the rubes

I figured WDW would roll out a similar program but probably 25% lower ($400, 800, 1200, 1600) since everything in CA is so much more expensive than FL.

$2500 for première Pass for both parks?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I figured WDW would roll out a similar program but probably 25% lower ($400, 800, 1200, 1600) since everything in CA is so much more expensive than FL.

$2500 for première Pass for both parks?

I think I agree

funny thing is Near all Disney’s prices are more in Florida...especially hotel and table service

because they aren’t really worried about what Florida pays....zealots from Boston to DC

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I visited between 25 & 30 times I think with the Flex Pass, in the 9 1/2 months I had it, and did not pay for parking once. I suspected they set the price of the pass so low, because they figured they would get that parking revenue with every visit. Didn't work with me.

When I went during the day, I would park on this street near Garden Walk that always had parking available in the morning, and then walked 1 mile to the parks. Other times I parked farther away and got an all day ART pass, or took an Uber. Not only did I save money, I feel like I got to the gates much faster than having to go through the process of parking in the structure, then queue for the tram, etc. My favorite hack of all was when I took the OCTA bus from the Laguna Hills Transportation Center near my home, directly to the park in about an hour, for $4 round trip. I wouldn't have to deal with anything, and it's probably cheaper than what it would cost in gas money.

I complain every year when the AP prices go up but I average one weekend a month so the AP still makes financial sense to me. $1300 for 24 days a year is still a great deal compared to $250 for a 2 day pass every month. As an out of stater who stays in good neighbor hotels the parking is a non issue for me also.

I’m not sure what my breaking point will be on AP price but I still find value in it.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I think I agree

funny thing is Near all Disney’s prices are more in Florida...especially hotel and table service

because they are really worried about what Florida pays....zealots from Boston to DC

The hotel prices have gotten a bit obscene on both coasts. 5 years ago I could stay at a good neighbor at DL for $100 a night (closer to $200 now) and POFQ at WDW for a little over $200 (closer to $350 a night now).

At this rate the hotels will probably price me out of Disney vacations faster than the ticket prices. It does make DVC more tempting though.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The hotel prices have gotten a bit obscene on both coasts. 5 years ago I could stay at a good neighbor at DL for $100 a night (closer to $200 now) and POFQ at WDW for a little over $200 (closer to $350 a night now).

At this rate the hotels will probably price me out of Disney vacations faster than the ticket prices. It does make DVC more tempting though.

That’s true.

I was more talking Disney hotels 1:1

paradise pier sucks for $400...but at least their 3 have similar value amenities from $400-$600

wdw (customers) have lost their damn minds

$300 for caribbean is the biggest ripoff in the history of scams. $800 for contemporary and $200 for allstars doesn’t lag too far behind.

just nuts. Menu prices have gone worse in many cases. But better food than Anaheim by quite a bit.

 

[fctiger]

True. Just a larger base in CA, so they may be able to get away with a lower price point (that’s still higher than before). Monthly payments will guarantee lots of buying.

Yeah I see the payment plans coming back too. Again maybe done in a different way. I learned KBF payment plan you have to pay for the pass the first 6 months, which is fine, especially given how much cheaper those are.

But I suspect the majority of people who had the passes probably used the payment program, at least the most expensive ones. I would definitely buy one if they brought the payment plan back. If not, would still get it, just as long as they aren't crazy with the prizes, which they were getting out of hand.

But yes, compared to the ridiculous day prices, they are worth it no matter what. It's just a question of how often you go when you get the pass to justify it. I only went about 6-10 times a year tops and live 25 minutes away from the place. But if they can deliver a system where I can still go about that much at a reasonable rate (under a $1,000) I will happily buy them outright.

 

[fctiger]

Quick question concerning legacy AP discounts, but now that the parks are open again, do you know if they are still discounting with the APs just like they been doing with DTD?

And maybe that will be one of the benefits that will go with the new AP program, less discounting. But then again it does seem to get more people buying stuff, certainly the food at least.

 

[DrAlice]

That’s true.

I was more talking Disney hotels 1:1

paradise pier sucks for $400...but at least their 3 have similar value amenities from $400-$600

wdw (customers) have lost their damn minds

$300 for caribbean is the biggest ripoff in the history of scams. $800 for contemporary and $200 for allstars doesn’t lag too far behind.

just nuts. Menu prices have gone worse in many cases. But better food than Anaheim by quite a bit.

This. They've lost their minds for sure. I haven't been to WDW for about 12 years, and the difference to stay on property now vs. then is astronomical. I won't likely ever stay on property in WDW again. Especially when they keep cutting the perks and raising the prices. There are FAR better hotels outside the bubble for much less.

Anaheim's Disney hotels have been crazy for as long as I can remember. I've never stayed in one. I cannot justify the 4-5x increased price when you aren't even closer to the front gates, nor do you get anything extra for staying there. Again, better hotels for cheaper are easy to find outside the bubble.

EDITED to add: I HAVE stayed at both LegoLand hotels and will continue to do so even though they are more expensive than neighboring hotels. Why? They are FUN. The theming is what makes it for those hotels AND they are right at the front gates of the park. Part of the fun of going to LegoLand for us is the hotel experience. Are they 5 star? Absolutely not, but they are a good time for families. Disney really misses the mark on this.

 

[el_super]

Well it looks like the inevitable happened and they will have APs again. This should surprise no one.

They aren't bringing back the Annual Passes, and they've been careful not to say that they are. They are creating a new product and seem to like emphasizing the idea of a "membership/loyalty" program.

My guess is that they will offer something like D23, where you pay an annual fee for the privilege of buying discounted ticket media. Past that, the experience will be the same of having to navigate the reservation system to get a day in the park. There's a lot of pros in a system like this, since it will give them tremendous flexibility. They can leverage technology to vary the ticket prices based on market feedback just like an airline changes seat prices. That means they can eliminate all the silly "tiers" of the old annual pass system and level the playing field for discounts and perks. No more blockout dates, no more blockout date tickets: just pay a fair price per entry.

Maybe like an airline frequent flyer program, you can get miles or points toward rewards like a free churro or a special loyalty program night.

 

[Ryan120420]

They aren't bringing back the Annual Passes, and they've been careful not to say that they are. They are creating a new product and seem to like emphasizing the idea of a "membership/loyalty" program.

My guess is that they will offer something like D23, where you pay an annual fee for the privilege of buying discounted ticket media. Past that, the experience will be the same of having to navigate the reservation system to get a day in the park. There's a lot of pros in a system like this, since it will give them tremendous flexibility. They can leverage technology to vary the ticket prices based on market feedback just like an airline changes seat prices. That means they can eliminate all the silly "tiers" of the old annual pass system and level the playing field for discounts and perks. No more blockout dates, no more blockout date tickets: just pay a fair price per entry.

Maybe like an airline frequent flyer program, you can get miles or points toward rewards like a free churro or a special loyalty program night.

All the surveys that Disney has sent out say otherwise. None of the options presented included a program that only allowed access to discounted tickets. Every single option presented was an Annual Pass.


The Annual Pass will return, but with more restrictions (have to make a reservation each visit) and options to add benefits to your pass ala carte.