News Walt Disney World to resume sales of Annual Passes (New sales resume April 20, 2023)

[Purduevian]

We have a very good friend who is Club 33 (their family benefitted greatly from an unexpected insurance payout, thus...). Here's the details as I understand them (not a comprehensive or gospel list, but best I know it FYI):

• $33k for the first year
• $10k to renew each year (like AP, if you don't renew you have to start over with the $33k)
• Premier (no blackout, unlimited park hopping) Annual Pass for member, spouse and all children under 26
• Park Pass reservations for all 4 parks every day-no need to book, and you can park hop any time-no waiting until 2pm
• 50 additional 1-day park hopper tickets to share with friends and family
• Private concierge service - yes, their own phone number
• 5 full day VIP tours each year
• Club access in each park (and the food and drink prices in the club are pretty reasonable)
• Instant lightning lane access for each attraction once a day (some limitations on this, but not sure exactly what they are right now) up to 5 attractions per park (and if lines are not long, CMs can allow for more)

And it's non-transferable, so don't try to get that rich uncle to buy in and then put it in his will!!!

Honestly doesn't seem like a bad deal if you are a local. Let's assume a family of 4 with 2 kids under 26

• 4 no blackout APs: $1383.44*4=$5,533.76
• 50 additional 1 day park hopper tickets $185.31(cheapest day I could find)*50= $9,265.5
• 5 full day VIP tours each year $425 per hour (cheapest) *7 hour minimum*5=$14,875

Before all the rest of the perks which are hard to put a $$ figure on... The "worth" of a renewal is still ~$30,000

 

[RememberWhen]

Done. Everything successful, just took about an hour and fifteen minutes (initial wait time was about 10 minutes).

Not too bad.

 

[brifraz]

Honestly doesn't seem like a bad deal if you are a local. Let's assume a family of 4 with 2 kids under 26

• 4 no blackout APs: $1383.44*4=$5,533.76
• 50 additional 1 day park hopper tickets $185.31(cheapest day I could find)*50= $9,265.5
• 5 full day VIP tours each year $425 per hour (cheapest) *7 hour minimum*5=$14,875

Before all the rest of the perks which are hard to put a $$ figure on... The "worth" of a renewal is still ~$30,000

This is an argument made to me numerous times by my wife. However, two teacher salaries don't really cut it... unless we downsize from our current house to a cardboard box.

 

[vikescaper]

We have a very good friend who is Club 33 (their family benefitted greatly from an unexpected insurance payout, thus...). Here's the details as I understand them (not a comprehensive or gospel list, but best I know it FYI):

• $33k for the first year
• $10k to renew each year (like AP, if you don't renew you have to start over with the $33k)
• Premier (no blackout, unlimited park hopping) Annual Pass for member, spouse and all children under 26
• Park Pass reservations for all 4 parks every day-no need to book, and you can park hop any time-no waiting until 2pm
• 50 additional 1-day park hopper tickets to share with friends and family
• Private concierge service - yes, their own phone number
• 5 full day VIP tours each year
• Club access in each park (and the food and drink prices in the club are pretty reasonable)
• Instant lightning lane access for each attraction once a day (some limitations on this, but not sure exactly what they are right now) up to 5 attractions per park (and if lines are not long, CMs can allow for more)

And it's non-transferable, so don't try to get that rich uncle to buy in and then put it in his will!!!

Does Club 33 get you early park entry? We had somebody in line in front of us at EPCOT saying that they were Club 33 and they got early park entry.

 

[Purduevian]

This is an argument made to me numerous times by my wife. However, two teacher salaries don't really cut it... unless we downsize from our current house to a cardboard box.

I mean to me it seems kind of like DVC. You can save money using DVC
IF you:
1)plan to go at least every other year no matter what is happening in your life or what happens to the parks
2)always stay at deluxe resorts
3)have the disposable income now to buy in
4)always plan ahead like a year

Club 33 makes sense if you:
1)Were going to buy annual passes anyway
2)were going to buy some VIP tours anyway
3)were going to pay for tickets for people outside your immediate family

 

[bhg469]

If I won the lottery, which i don't play, I could see getting this because the 10k renewal doesn't seem that bad if you have a family.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

We have a very good friend who is Club 33 (their family benefitted greatly from an unexpected insurance payout, thus...). Here's the details as I understand them (not a comprehensive or gospel list, but best I know it FYI):

• $33k for the first year
• $10k to renew each year (like AP, if you don't renew you have to start over with the $33k)
• Premier (no blackout, unlimited park hopping) Annual Pass for member, spouse and all children under 26
• Park Pass reservations for all 4 parks every day-no need to book, and you can park hop any time-no waiting until 2pm
• 50 additional 1-day park hopper tickets to share with friends and family
• Private concierge service - yes, their own phone number
• 5 full day VIP tours each year
• Club access in each park (and the food and drink prices in the club are pretty reasonable)
• Instant lightning lane access for each attraction once a day (some limitations on this, but not sure exactly what they are right now) up to 5 attractions per park (and if lines are not long, CMs can allow for more)

And it's non-transferable, so don't try to get that rich uncle to buy in and then put it in his will!!!

If so that’s a steal, we looked into Disneyland club 33 last year and it was closer to $100k for the initial membership and over $20k a year in dues. That was for the top membership though (Dining room, lounge, and 1901), the dining room only membership with limitations is substantially less.

Any idea if that gives access to all the WDW clubs or is that price per park?

$10k a year seems pretty reasonable for what you get.

 

[brifraz]

If so that’s a steal, we looked into Disneyland club 33 last year and it was closer to $100k for the initial membership and over $20k a year in dues. That was for the top membership though (Dining room, lounge, and 1901), the dining room only membership with limitations is substantially less.

Any idea if that gives access to all the WDW clubs or is that price per park?

$10k a year seems pretty reasonable for what you get.

As @pdude81 mentioned, those prices are likely not accurate - I got those online (wouldn't ask a friend something like that) and after a little more online shopping it looks like both the buy in and annual renewal have gone up. Here's a very good report on Club 33 (mainly Disneyland) from just a year ago: https://dvcshop.com/inside-club-33/#:~:text=Club 33 Benefits&text=50 single-day admission tickets,the exclusive lounges and restaurants

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Any idea if that gives access to all the WDW clubs or is that price per park?

$10k a year seems pretty reasonable for what you get.

The WDW membership is for all WDW parks.

I think it is/was $15k per year.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The WDW membership is for all WDW parks.

I think it is/was $15k per year.

Our friends who are members at DL were going to sponsor us but we couldn’t justify the price on our income. If we end up moving to FL this is very tempting though, still expensive but much more realistic for upper middle class folks at least.

 

[nickys]

If I won the lottery, which i don't play, I could see getting this because the 10k renewal doesn't seem that bad if you have a family.

It isn’t quite as simple as that.

You need to be invited to interview and they do some pretty thorough background and financial checks. And to be invited to interview now you really need to know someone very important in the organisation, since even the waiting list is closed to new entrants.

 

[JoeCamel]

0 ! Xv. ,,

The WDW membership is for all WDW parks.

I think it is/was $15k per year.

They supersized it to charge more......
Mickey and friends (mickey d's)........

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

It isn’t quite as simple as that.

You need to be invited to interview and they do some pretty thorough background and financial checks. And to be invited to interview now you really need to know someone very important in the organisation, since even the waiting list is closed to new entrants.

You also need to be invited to renew every year, that’s another reasons it didn’t make sense for us to join, we don’t live close enough to go often and the club wants active members who are spending money in the club, not the occasional vacationer who uses their membership a few weeks a year.

The membership just gets you in the door, you still pay for everything inside, and Disney keeps track of who’s spending and who’s not, including who brings guests who spend an who doesn’t.

 

[bhg469]

It isn’t quite as simple as that.

You need to be invited to interview and they do some pretty thorough background and financial checks. And to be invited to interview now you really need to know someone very important in the organisation, since even the waiting list is closed to new entrants.

So my posts here may be counted against me... LOL

 

[DCBaker]

How does one tell? basically just there when you go into reservations? Do you know if it was on an otherwise blacked out date sometimes?

Disney has added two bonus reservation days for this Sunday, July 10th, at EPCOT and AK if you wanted to see how it works.

The first photo shows what the bonus day looks like from the AP reservations page, the second is the current availability via the AP calendar.

 

[Gillyanne]

Disney has added two bonus reservation days for this Sunday, July 10th, at EPCOT and AK if you wanted to see how it works.

The first photo shows what the bonus day looks like from the AP reservations page, the second is the current availability via the AP calendar.

View attachment 651597 View attachment 651598

Thanks! Looks like Blackouts still apply to Bonus days so I won't be able to do my Bday anyway

 

[ToTBellHop]

We currently have DVC Sorcerer passes. Went to renew through the app but it says DVC Sorcerer passes are no longer sold. Only Incredipasses. When did that happen? I know they suspended sales of most new passes, but had not heard Sorcerer couldn’t renew as Sorcerer.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

We currently have DVC Sorcerer passes. Went to renew through the app but it says DVC Sorcerer passes are no longer sold. Only Incredipasses. When did that happen? I know they suspended sales of most new passes, but had not heard Sorcerer couldn’t renew as Sorcerer.

I have FL Resident Sorcerer and am able to renew to sorcerer. Wonder if they’re changing DVC?

 

[ToTBellHop]

I have FL Resident Sorcerer and am able to renew to sorcerer. Wonder if they’re changing DVC?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I have FL Resident Sorcerer and am able to renew to sorcerer. Wonder if they’re changing DVC?

One of the more fascinating things to watch in my 25+ years of lurking is what they do/don’t do with passes moving forward.