Is it worth it?
My husband I became Disney World Annual Passholders this past June (before the price hike). During that first trip to Disney as official APs, all we kept saying was “why didn’t we do this sooner?!”
We’re Platinum Passholders, which means we have unlimited access to all 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom) with park hopping abilities – we can hit more than one park in one day.
When we were thinking about becoming Passholders, we already had two short trips planned to Disney for the year. After quickly doing the math on what Park Hopper tickets would cost for those two trips, the Annual Pass had already paid itself off. So for us, it was a bit of a no-brainer! Throw in all the extra perks, and it was worth the money even more 🙂
For us, these have been the Top 5 Disney Annual Passholder Perks (so far!):
5. Room Discounts
Disney offers special room rates for APs, but not until a certain window of time. It’s usually pretty close to the travel dates, but you can rebook an existing reservation to take advantage of the discount. We saved on our room at the Boardwalk this summer (the room discounts were up to 35% off for the summer offer!).
4. Memory Maker
For someone who’s family never purchased the Disney PhotoPass packages, this was such a pleasant surprise for us! Being a Platinum AP includes free, unlimited PhotoPass downloads. On our last trip, we really took advantage of the photographers around the parks! They take great pictures (although some were better than others) and it’s nice to have good quality, non-selfie pictures from the vacation.
3. Dining and Merchandise Discounts
This is a biggie for savings. APs can receive up to 20% off select dining and select merchandise in store and online. While this excludes alcoholic beverages, tax and gratuity, it still adds up quickly in savings! Check out the full list of participating restaurants here.
2. Special Event and Tour Discounts
We’ve taken huge advantage of these discounts already! The savings are substantial for events like Disney After Hours ($30 off the regular ticket price) – we’ve already done Hollywood Studios and are soon doing Animal Kingdom as well. For ticketed events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it’s either $5 or $10 off (more if you buy in advance). The tours are typically 15% off, which we took advantage of when we did the World Showcase: DestiNations Discovered Tour.
1. Preview Days
Last but not least, APs receive select opportunities to preview new attractions at the parks. The first and only one we’ve been able to take advantage of will be Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. This alone is HUGE. Being able to view the land in advance of it opening to the public, with limited crowds?! Yes, please.
Even with the increase in ticket prices, I would still recommend becoming a Passholder if you plan on going to Disney World more than once a year. It is definitely worth it from our perspective, and I’ve never heard anyone say that they regret their decision to be an AP!
See the Pass options on Disney’s website.
Unsure if the Annual Pass is right for you? Send me a message and I’d be happy to help!
Already an AP?! What perks do you love most?