Gotta love this entrance! With Bob Chapek out and Bob Iger back in as Disney CEO, many people are hoping for instant changes. One change that I’ve heard hoped for over and over again is the return of Annual Pass sales. No one knows what is going to happen, but here is the scenario that I expect. This is not anything official, just my thoughts on the subject.
I do think that Annual Pass sales will return at some point, possibly soon. But I think that there will be a limited number of passes sold. It’s not going to be like it was before and you could buy a pass whenever you wanted. Instead, it will be like buying tickets for the October 31 version of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. You will have to act fast, or else you’ll be left out.
We saw this recently at Disneyland. I do realize that Disneyland and Walt Disney World have different models and audiences, but there are similarities in the way that the parks are run. Disneyland recently reopened new Magic Key sales, and stated all along that only a limited number would be sold. When those were gone, sales closed again. The only Magic Key sales right now are renewals.
I think that the same thing will happen at Walt Disney World. Annual Pass sales will open again. But the window won’t be open for long, and if you don’t buy almost immediately, you’ll be shut out again.
The only Annual Pass sold right now is Disney Pixie Dust Pass, which is only for Florida Residents. I don’t expect sales to close on Pixie Dust. People are moving to Florida at an alarming rate, and many of those people want to buy Annual Passes. If they can’t buy them for Walt Disney World, they’ll buy them for Universal Orlando Resort instead. Not allowing new Florida Residents to buy something is just handing them over to the competition. Many people with the Disney Pixie Dust Pass plan to upgrade when it’s time to renew, Disney wants their money and their loyalty.
Speaking of renewals, that’s something that I do think is here to stay. The inability to buy new passes has caused many to hold onto their passes instead of letting them slide for a year or two. If you spent money on that renewal you’re going to take a trip at some point, right? This is the reason why I renewed my Disneyland Magic Key, even though I don’t have a trip to California planned right now. I don’t want to lose my pass and not be able to buy a new one. Even though I live in Florida, I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth out of my Disneyland pass. Planning another trip is on the agenda, partially because I don’t want to waste my renewal.
I would not be surprised if there are some changes when new passes are for sale once again. Part of the problem with Magic Key in California is that a group sued Disney, claiming that they bought passes without blockout dates, but then they weren’t able to get into the parks because of Disney Park Pass Reservations. I don’t know if the case is still ongoing, but I do know that Disney made some changes. In California, there is no longer a pass with no blockout dates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something similar here in Florida, in part because of a different (but similar) lawsuit.
Walt Disney World doesn’t need Annual Passholders, they would be making plenty of money without us. I know that many Passholders spend just as much per trip as guests with regular tickets. But there are also plenty of people like me, who will often go to a park and not spend anything that day. My ticket is not as high a value to them as someone who says on property for a week. I get that. I’m just grateful that I can have any type of pass at all. Plus I should be getting a new Minnie magnet in the mail soon…