The return of annual passes

[Waldorf_Statler]

anyone know what happens if you have a gold voucher, does it transfer over to this system or you get same benefits of the gold pass once you use it for that year?

 

[Pooh's World]

What do you need to qualify to be a Florida resident? Can you live in the airport to qualify?

 

[cakebaker]

I think I want to cry. Waited 18 months for this?

I'm not sure on old prices since I haven't bought one in years ( have had vouchers tucked away), but I think basically the price increase is just the cost of adding photopass and you only have to add for one person in your group. It's really not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

 

[Cynergy]

The only plus is that you do not have to add Photopass to everyone in the family. So, that $99 is just once per year and it does indicate it will be a little less if you renew

This is what I will do…add to mine..but not to any of my adult children and their families.

It is more, but not as bad as I figured it would be.

My concern here is that I thought it was specifically stated that the PhotoPass included in the old AP program applied to anyone linked in MDE, not seeing anything specifically stated in the new program. I could be misremembering as it's been a few years since I had an AP. We have 2 trips coming up and are hoping we can get by with 1 PhotoPass upgrade.

 

[randumb0]

@Disneyfan754321 Here are the blackout dates that you were looking for


As a holder of Silver I never visit over the summer. It's just too hot. Now it looks like my ability to pay less to skip summers is gone

https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/dam/disney-world/passes/Pixie-Dust-Pass.pdf
https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/dam/disney-world/passes/Pirate-Pass.pdf
https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.disney.com/dam/disney-world/passes/Sorcerer-Pass.pdf

 

[ChipnDale79]

I'm not sure on old prices since I haven't bought one in years ( have had vouchers tucked away), but I think basically the price increase is just the cost of adding photopass and you only have to add for one person in your group. It's really not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

We paid about $850 per person (4*850 = 3400) in 2018, that included memory maker. to get the same pass just a few years later, we're looking at about $1900 in increased cost if you add in memory maker.

It's comical, its not even sad anymore.

 

[robinb]

That's a good point. I corrected my spreadsheet.

View attachment 600967

To riff off of that, here are percentages that the passes increased by:

Type	Old AP	New AP	Differece	Increase
Weekday Select/Pixie Dust	$369.00​	$399.00​	$30.00​	8.13%​
Silver/Pirate	$539.00​	$699.00​	$160.00​	29.68%​
Gold/Sorcerer	$719.00​	$899.00​	$180.00​	25.03%​
Platinum/Incredi-Pass	$899.00​	$1,299.00​	$400.00​	44.49%​
Platinum OOS/IcrediP	$1,195.00​	$1,299.00​	$104.00​	8.70%​

​

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Summer is open but they take away basically every holiday weekend the rest of the year.

Good catch on that too. Although we don't usually go then either, I'm pretty ok with that.

 

[Liquidice]

So I calculated out - I was paying $611 to renew my Gold Pass (DVC Member). It is now $764 per person, plus I have to add $99 to the price for Photo Pass (we take a ton of photos usually). $712 more per year for my family of 4 with the Photo Pass addon.

We go to the parks roughly 14 days a year as DVC Members, if we opted to purchase Genie+ every day, which is $840 more per year. Disney just increased our vacations by $1552 per year.

On the positive side of this announcement, the Disney Sorcerer Pass no longer blacks out Spring Break, but it adds Thanksgiving to the blackouts (Christmas has always been a blackout), and you get 5 Park Passes at a time, meaning maybe we could stay offsite sometimes if we don't have enough DVC points. They also mention up to 20% discount on Dining and Merchandise. Previously most dining discounts were only 10% - so if they standardize on 20% dining discounts - then the price increase would probably be worth it, since I'd save more than that in dining discounts - essentially it'd replace the Tables in Wonderland offering. But since it says up to 20%, it might just be only 1 or 2 restaurants offer 20% off.

 

[randumb0]

No more Epcot pass?

 

[nancipants]

To riff off of that, here are percentages that the passes increased by:

Type	Old AP	New AP	Differece	Increase
Weekday Select/Pixie Dust	369​	399​	30​	8.13%​
Silver/Pirate	539​	699​	160​	29.68%​
Gold/Sorcerer	719​	899​	180​	25.03%​
Platinum/Incredi-Pass	899​	1299​	400​	44.49%​
Platinum OOS/IcrediP	1195​	1299​	104​	8.70%​

​

it’s even worse if you did the monthly payment for platinum. My current payment is $67 per month, or $804 per year.

 

[Pooh's World]

But since it says up to 20%, it might just be only 1 or 2 restaurants offer 20% off.

Yup the legal fine print probably means that one restaurant offers a 20% discount on one day of the year.

 

[shoegal9]

We will just add Memory Maker for one of us going forward. No need to add it for everyone in the party.

I am assuming the passholder discounts will stay as they are. 20% for merchandise, and 10% for some restaurants (excluding alcohol).

I.e. I STILL WANT MY TABLES IN WONDERLAND!!!

 

[CaptAwesome]

What do you need to qualify to be a Florida resident? Can you live in the airport to qualify?

They're actually quite stringent on this. You have to have a government-issued ID in order to qualify.

Yup the legal fine print probably means that one restaurant offers a 20% discount on one day of the year.

Right, so 20% off Victoria and Albert's on April 1, which nobody takes advantage of because they think it's an elaborate April Fool's Day prank.

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

so if they standardize on 20% dining discounts - then the price increase would probably be worth it, since I'd save more than that in dining discounts - essentially it'd replace the Tables in Wonderland offering. But since it says up to 20%, it might just be only 1 or 2 restaurants offer 20% off.

I'm sure they'll raise the dining prices accordingly to account for any potential standard 20% discount.

 

[SheHulk]

I just got a survey this past Wednesday about how I perceived the value of my annual pass with a ton of different questions about what I liked and what needed improvement. I'm annoyed now that I spent the time filling that out when they were about to announce this just five days later, meaning there's no way the response data was even considered in developing the new options.

They were probably just getting data to fine-tune the messaging around the announcement, not the product itself.

 

[randumb0]

We will just add Memory Maker for one of us going forward. No need to add it for everyone in the party.

I am assuming the passholder discounts will stay as they are. 20% for merchandise, and 10% for some restaurants (excluding alcohol).

I.e. I STILL WANT MY TABLES IN WONDERLAND!!!

Careful what you wish for with TIW. It may come back at twice the price

 

[DefnotDLav]

LOL $1300 and they took away PhotoPass. Unless they offer some substantial resort discounts next year that’s a wrap for me. Thanks Chapek.

They should just go ahead and change the 50th slogan to "Pay more for less"

 

[Liquidice]

Yup the legal fine print probably means that one restaurant offers a 20% discount on one day of the year.

Joffrey's coffee locations in Disney Springs currently offer passholders 20% off all the time. So there is your "up to" 20% off.

 

[Leight19]

Wasn’t being part of annual passes part of the reason for why genie plus doesn’t include photos for Disney world while it does at land? I was optimistic the delay in annual pass announcements for genie plus was there would be some sort of benefit for annual passes. It sounds like now it was reason to upsell us further to make us buy photo pass rather then including it like in the sister system.