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

[Ayla]

It's amusing to me that people seemed to have no idea that there has only ever been one AP option for non FL residents and non DVC members.

 

[SamusAranX]

I mean, you know that's a silly comment right? When they talk about "inclusive" they are talking about not excluding based on race, religion, gender, etc. not having every single person in the world visiting WDW.

Regardless, they absolutely do want people to buy APs... and then hopefully not use them much or when they do use them spend like the family of 5 coming for a once in a lifetime trip and buy all sort of food/merch/photos/whatever upcharges.

What they don't want in APs who come 100 times a year, bring their own food, don't buy any gifts and just "clog up" the ride queues or viewing areas for fireworks. There's nothing wrong with using a AP that way of course and I would hope guests would get as much usage out of them as they can. But it's not what Disney wants people to do when they sell the passes.

He was being tongue in cheek. However, there is a ring of truth. Disney is pricing out lower echelons of socioeconomic classes. And unfortunately, because of many circumstances and social issues that will not be discussed here in detail, guess where those classes often correlate to, that are getting priced out of such an "inclusive" company/experience? Hint; it's not WASPs.

 

[MrPromey]

Yep.

It made the decision for me. I am not poor, but I have to budget well either. Disney finally priced me out. I will go once in awhile now through my father's military ticket, maybe when a new attraction opens. And joke is on them, just because I visit once doesn't mean I am more likely to spend money in the park. I will still eat breakfast and dinner outside, and do quick service for lunch. Almost never buy merch either.

It's not just about if you can afford it or not.

I can afford a $20 Big Mac.

Who in their right mind would pay that much for one?.. and only if they make an appointment for it where they'll still need to wait in a 20 minute line to get it unless they pay extra for preferred service... and if they want the sesame seed bun, that'll be an up-charge, oh and if they plan to eat it on-property, they'll pay to park there unless they Ubered?

At what point do people go, "A Big Mac was never that great to begin with - what am I doing?"

I realize that's an extreme comparison. After all, a trip to Disney's really nothing like a Big Mac but we're also not talking about $20...

 

[tagoofy]

If they REALLY listened to us.....or at least me... they would offer the ability to buy 'days' in bulk vs. this annual pass hot mess. At least for out of state DVC owners. I would be happy to buy a bucket of days and then use them how/when i want them. Or buy 'credits' that can be used for purchasing days but at a discount. That would solve a few things... one, they could still price daily if they want and require reservations etc... They'd accelerate the cash flow even though they probably can't recognize the revenue until days are used. The target user group of this model are people that go 2-3 times a year with maybe an extra day here and there. Paying full by the day is the most expensive and these annual passes require 2.5+ weeks to breakeven. Sell 'days' or 'credits' you can use for days at a discount.

So, bring back the "non-expiring" option to add to a multiple day ticket (remember those?). I'd be for that!
Doubt we'll see it, especially since they have gone crowd size day of based pricing.

 

[MrPromey]

Didn't you read Disney's press release Martin? They said all these new decisions were based on listening to Disney fans voiced displeasure............People wanted easier planning, so you got day of FP....people wanted more options for transportation from the airport, so they got rid of the long bus ride...............people wanted more options for APs, so they gave you more................And I would say this forum leads that category on complaining about FP+

If Disney cared about the complaints on this forum, Disco Yeti would have been fixed over a decade ago, BTM would have gotten the projection-mapping overlay and the volcanos in Peter Pan's Flight would look like the ones they upgraded in DL instead of the ones we have which look like the insides are lined with aluminum foil...

I know you were joking but I still needed to gripe.

 

[flyakite]

Sorry that I am unaware of the answer to this question: Will the annual pass renewal rate apply whether you stay within a tier or switch to another one or does switching to another tier lead to being charged a full rate?

 

[SamusAranX]

It's not just about if you can afford it or not.

I can afford a $20 Big Mac.

Who in their right mind would pay that much for one... and only if they make an appointment for it where they'll still need to wait in a 20 minute line to get it unless they pay extra for preferred service... and if they want the sesame seed bun, that'll be an up-charge, oh and if they plan to eat it on-property, they'll pay to park there unless they Ubered?

At what point do people go, "A Big Mac was never that great to begin with - what am I doing?"

I realize that's an extreme comparison. After all, a trip to Disney's really nothing like a Big Mac but we're also not talking about $20...

Oh absolutely.

If WDW was building a sizable amount of new attractions and added new shows, special deals, and so on, I could justify the price increase perhaps carving room from other discretionary spending purposes.

The problem is they are asking you to pay more for what frankly is a stagnant, or even decreasing, value.

I am not going to buy an AP at $200 more that gives me less days, makes me reserve parks, and so on, all for two new rides that I kind of want to ride eventually (Tron and GotG). the value didn't increase along with the price hike.

I am spending equal or perhaps LESS then the new silver pass (can't remember the dumb new name) on an amazing, week long camping trip in Denali National Park. That includes flight, my share of a car rental, food, etc.

 

[MrPromey]

Oh absolutely.

If WDW was building a sizable amount of new attractions and added new shows, special deals, and so on, I could justify the price increase perhaps carving room from other discretionary spending purposes.

The problem is they are asking you to pay more for what frankly is a stagnant, or even decreasing, value.

I am not going to buy an AP at $200 more that gives me less days, makes me reserve parks, and so on, all for two new rides that I kind of want to ride eventually (Tron and GotG). the value didn't increase along with the price hike.

I am spending equal or perhaps LESS then the new silver pass (can't remember the dumb new name) on an amazing, week long camping trip in Denali National Park. That includes flight, my share of a car rental, food, etc.

We're in complete agreement.

I just think when people on here talk about being "priced out" or that it's now "too expensive" or whatever, some confuse that for saying you can no-longer afford it.

They chime in with the "It was never meant to be accessible to everyone" crap (which itself is somewhat debatable) and like in your situation, that's often not the personal circumstances being discussed.

It's more a matter of, does it feel like the value is there for what they're charging and offering or are there better ways to spend that same money on a vacation for a better experience?

I can't tell if these people really are that blind to what they're defending or if they're just trying to ignore it for the point of debate but it annoys the heck out of me, as does that musky smell of elitism in their subtext while talking about, of all things, a theme park.

 

[DCBaker]

Sorry that I am unaware of the answer to this question: Will the annual pass renewal rate apply whether you stay within a tier or switch to another one or does switching to another tier lead to being charged a full rate?

You can switch to a different tier and get the same 15% renewal discount.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Bad weather closes it…technical glitches would too…just like monorails.

…and no one has ever been “stranded” at international gateway…it’s actually impossible.

Tell that to the woman in a scooter in the Beach Club lobby during a torrential downpour who was told to just drive back to the front of Epcot to wait for a bus to Riviera. How deluxe…

I know there were discussions of offering buses from Crescent Lake to SkyLiner resorts. Have they acted on that?

This is all nonsense I just don’t need. BoardWalk is simply better. Better transportation, better food, better entertainment (when it’s all back). Riviera just isn’t for me. I like nothing about it.

But this is off topic.

 

[Unbanshee]

It's amusing to me that people seemed to have no idea that there has only ever been one AP option for non FL residents and non DVC members.

Right? Just clickbait sites looking to bait some clicks

 

[doctornick]

So, bring back the "non-expiring" option to add to a multiple day ticket (remember those?). I'd be for that!
Doubt we'll see it, especially since they have gone crowd size day of based pricing.

Or even a compromise - tickets that have a certain number of days but have a time limit on when they can be used (but longer than 14 days). So, basically, similar to the non-expiring tickets but having a "use by date". I'm thinking that they need to be used (say) within 2 years after purchase, but you by 10 or 14, etc. total days of park entry.

 

[po1998]

Or even a compromise - tickets that have a certain number of days but have a time limit on when they can be used (but longer than 14 days). So, basically, similar to the non-expiring tickets but having a "use by date". I'm thinking that they need to be used (say) within 2 years after purchase, but you by 10 or 14, etc. total days of park entry.

I would love something that is a compromise between no expire passes(which are NEVER coming back) and the passes offered currently. X number of days of park admissions over a number of months or even up to a year would be great. That being said, I think the chances of this are somewhere between slim and none.

 

[jinx8402]

Tell that to the woman in a scooter in the Beach Club lobby during a torrential downpour who was told to just drive back to the front of Epcot to wait for a bus to Riviera. How deluxe…

I know there were discussions of offering buses from Crescent Lake to SkyLiner resorts. Have they acted on that?

That doesn't make the system trash. Maybe they need to do a better job announcing the system is down due to weather though. Honestly if there are torrential downpours/heavy winds/lightning it should be common sense that the skyliner is not going to be running (though I admit common sense can be quite low at WDW especially after a long day at the park in the heat).

It's obviously not a system for everyone, but my family loves the skyliner and absolutely hope they expand it

 

[Marriedatdisney]

So, bring back the "non-expiring" option to add to a multiple day ticket (remember those?). I'd be for that!
Doubt we'll see it, especially since they have gone crowd size day of based pricing.

Yes, we used to do those. But in this day and age... .just digitize it rather than having paper....

 

[wutisgood]

I would love something that is a compromise between no expire passes(which are NEVER coming back) and the passes offered currently. X number of days of park admissions over a number of months or even up to a year would be great. That being said, I think the chances of this are somewhere between slim and none.

I would love to go only weekdays on the cheapest Florida pass, but as an out of state visitor I would may more for just a 4 day ticket with parking. I don't need or want they 1300 pass. Why in the pricing structure am I basically subsidizing locals who can go many more times out of the year on that cheaper pass than I ever could and are likely spending less money per day they visit in the parks? There is a real gap in the offerings here that I was hoping they would fill with the new options.

I don't trust disney at all to wants to lower crowds. They just want to be able to predict them better to run as thin as possible on staffing. They want to pack in locals on those weekdays to keep everyone forced into buying the new skip the line passes on days it sometimes shouldn't matter.

 

[ToTBellHop]

That doesn't make the system trash. Maybe they need to do a better job announcing the system is down due to weather though. Honestly if there are torrential downpours/heavy winds/lightning it should be common sense that the skyliner is not going to be running (though I admit common sense can be quite low at WDW especially after a long day at the park in the heat).

It's obviously not a system for everyone, but my family loves the skyliner and absolutely hope they expand it

During summer trips, I’ve been in blazing sun in Germany and drenched by France, so that’s a slight trivialization. I simply do not think SkyLiner was built for Florida summers. But I am glad you enjoy it. You won’t be competing with me for a Riviera booking lol

Not everyone enjoys everything. I know we like BoardWalk more than most people. Fine by me!

 

[jinx8402]

During summer trips, I’ve been in blazing sun in Germany and drenched by France, so that’s a slight trivialization. I simply do not think SkyLiner was built for Florida summers. But I am glad you enjoy it. You won’t be competing with me for a Riviera booking lol

Not everyone enjoys everything. I know we like BoardWalk more than most people. Fine by me!

I won't be competing with anyone booking riviera, out of my price range

That said, the cabins were comfortable during the mid day summer last week when I was there. Though, it did get a bit stuffy at the Riviera station and when the line would go into creep mode. Just not enough air circulation at those low speeds.

 

[BaconPancakes]

We took a sky liner trip to Riviera just for fun one day and weren’t impressed at all. It was just so sterile and generic looking. I have no desire to ever stay there.

 

[deeevo]

Is WDW a destination, or a local park?

They have been trying to be both with good AP prices for locals. But it reached a point where weekends have been packed with locals and travelers have been buying APs. It took Disney a decade to figure it out, but they have and they are pushing the pendulum the other way to favor tourists. That was a good decade for the AP user.

The AP users can count and are not happy.

Good AP prices? I mean they have always been the most expensive theme park AP's in Florida so its not like we are getting this incredible deal. Also this weekend at MK was the slowest I have seen it in 5 years and I am not exaggerating. BTM was walk on all day. Check the wait times now... unheard of.