Purchasing a Disney annual pass is a big decision… with a big price tag! But for many guests, an annual pass is well worth its cost. With so many factors to consider, how do you know if the decision is worth it for you?
Here’s the ultimate Disney World annual pass breakdown to help you decide whether to get your very own annual pass. With factors like price, type of pass, benefits, blackout dates, ticket upgrades, and more, there’s a lot you need to know! I’ll walk through each of these categories so that you can make the best decision for yourself and your family!
Get a FREE printable 30/60/90 day Disney countdown by joining our private Disney Facebook Group and share your photos and ask for tips and tricks!
The Ultimate Disney Annual Pass Breakdown
Table of Contents
What is a Disney Annual Pass?
A Walt Disney World Annual Pass is a broad category of theme-park entrance tickets that are valid for a year from the day you purchase them! Some annual passes are for all four theme parks, some are for just one; some have blackout dates (meaning dates that your pass cannot get you into the park because of peak season crowds) and some don’t. The different passes also include different perks! There are a lot of annual pass options that include different things, but the gist of it is one year of park entry from date of purchase.
What are the Benefits of Having a Disney World Annual Pass?
Dedicated Passholder Phone Line
Disney World’s V.I.Passholder program gives annual passholders their own phone line to call Disney through. This may not seem like a huge perk, but if you’ve ever tried to call Disney, then you know those wait times can get crazy. Having a dedicated passholder line won’t guarantee you no wait-times, but it will definitely be a shorter wait than going through the main phone lines.
Free Theme Park Parking
It used to be that only some Disney annual pass tiers included free parking at the theme parks, but now everyone who has an annual pass gets to waive that $25 parking fee at all four parks! This is a great perk and it’s super easy to take advantage of- when going to the parking lot entrance, simply show the attendant your Disney annual pass card and your ID and they’ll send you on your way.
This Disney annual pass perk saves you $25 per park day!
Free Magic Bands
Magic Bands are wrist bands that come in tons of colors and designs and hold your Disney entrance (be it a ticket or an annual pass), as well as your FastPasses! They’re great for convenience so that you’re not stuck fishing around for your wallet to pull out your card-style ticket.
When you purchase a Disney annual pass, a complimentary Magic Band is added to your My Disney Experience account to redeem whenever you want. Just pick the color and what name (or other word) you want written on the inside, and they’ll ship it right to you all for free!
Magic Bands can range in price depending on what you choose, but the free ones offered with an annual pass sell for $12.99 per magic band at Disney.
Dedicated Park Entrance
This is a new but kind of fun perk for Disney annual pass folks! At the entrance gates for all four Walt Disney World parks, there is a separate line specifically for Passholders. It can be hit or miss whether this line is shorter than the regular entrance lines, purely because there are fewer scan-in points in the Passholders queue than regular admission, but as a Passholders you have the option to use this line or the regular entrance. To me, this perk is a nice little nod to the Passholder family that can make you feel special when you can skip the longer, general admission lines.
PhotoPass Downloads
Okay, don’t get TOO excited about this perk because it does come with limits. Not all Disney annual pass tiers include free PhotoPass downloads. Only the Disney Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold annual passes include unlimited PhotoPass downloads. Everyone else would have to purchase PhotoPass like normal.
However, if you use the Friends and Family system in My Disney Experience, linked friends and family members can view each other’s photos. Meaning that if you have a Platinum Plus annual pass but your friend has a Silver pass, you can view their photos on your own account and download them directly to your own devices and share them with your friend.
The PhotoPass system is another easy-to-use passholder perk! Using the My Disney Experience app, or the full desktop site, any PhotoPass photos you have taken should automatically show up in your account, and you can just open up the photo and click download from your device. This service is completely unlimited (though photos do expire after one year, which is a huge improvement on the 45 day expiration window for non-passholders) and a really great perk for passholders to use.
Anyone who has planned a Disney vacation in recent years can agree that the Memory Maker package that gets you these PhotoPass options is pricey, so this perk can save you up to $200 per trip!
Early runDisney Registration
Any runners in this crowd? runDisney is a hugely popular part of Disney, with four race weekends per year in Florida, plus a summer virtual series, a Disneyland Paris race weekend, and even a special challenge for Disney Cruise Line guests. Disney World’s four race weekends are the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend, and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend.
Disney annual passes allow runners to have early access to race registration for all runDisney races, which is HUGE because these events sell out every single time. This year, the 2020 Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend sold out of all three races within the first hour of opening general registration. So, if you want to have a shot at running these races, that early registration is key.
Free Gifts
Purchase of a Disney annual pass not only includes a free Annual Passholder magnet (that you may or may not want to put on your car! I’m a fridge advocate myself) that will come in the mail after you purchase your pass, but now it includes seasonal/festival-related goodies! Many of these are, in fact, more magnets, but they have different characters and themes each time one is released.
Magnets are typically released around each of the Epcot festivals: Food and Wine Festival, Festival of the Holidays, Festival of the Arts, and the Flower and Garden Festival. However, others have popped up around the parks as well: Hollywood Studios had a Christmas magnet a couple years ago, and Animal Kingdom released a very popular Simba magnet late 2019.
On top of the fun magnets, the past few of years have shown an increase in Disney annual pass love by way of free gifts at the Food and Wine Festival. In addition to magnets, annual Passholders who went to the festival on four separate days got additional gifts: Annual Passholder etched glasses (one per person), a Mickey laser-engraved cutting board (one per person), and Minnie wood coasters (one set of four per person).
Exclusive Merchandise
I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for Disney merchandise, and my favorite goodies are always the Disney annual pass exclusives! Disney has t-shirts, purses, pins, and more that are just for Passholders to buy. Some of this merchandise is released year round, and some of it is tied to specific events: Epcot festivals, specially-ticketed Halloween and Christmas parties, new land or ride openings in the parks, etc.
Merchandise Discounts
There’s no two ways about it, Disney is expensive. Disney annual passes are expensive too. It’s hard to think about paying so much for an annual pass and then also think about all the stuff you and your family will want to buy once you’re actually in the parks, but it always happens.
Disney World annual passes give members a discount on nearly all merchandise purchased directly from Disney parks. You can’t use this discount in the Disney Store at your local mall (though you can use it at the World of Disney store at Disney Springs) or at some non-Disney stores at Disney Springs, but you can use it at all the Disney World parks and resorts.
The merchandise discount for people with a Disney annual pass is up to 20% off your entire purchase, so this is one bonus that can add up depending on how you use it!
Hotel Discounts
For out of town guests, one nice perk of the Disney annual pass is that it offers Passholders great hotel discounts and deals. Annual passholder hotel deals usually release 2-4 months in advance, so it can be a bit hard to plan in advance if you want to nab a good deal, but they can be a huge savings.
The passholder deals for Spring 2020 range from 25% to 35% off based on the type of hotel and when your stay is, so those who want to plan their trip for the best deals are heavily advantaged with this. Plus, a Disney World annual pass can also get you up to 30% off your room at the Aulani Disney resort in Hawaii! Ready for a vacation yet?
Dining Discounts
Dining discounts are a bit hit or miss with a Disney annual pass, but always helpful. The discount for annual passholders ranges from 10-20% off depending on the restaurant, day of the week, and time of day you’re dining. It can be a little frustrating to navigate the dining discounts at Disney, but generally I advise to ask if the restaurant takes Disney annual pass discounts whenever you are at a table service location. Because the discount policy is dependent on each restaurant, I prefer to ask when I go rather than try to remember the different discount options.
However, there is a far easier alternative to getting dining discounts if you have a Disney annual pass. Passholders have the option to purchase a Tables in Wonderland membership for $150. I know, I know, you just spent all this money on an annual pass, why buy ANOTHER membership? It’s definitely a difficult decision to face and can be frustrating. But I bring it up because Tables in Wonderland members get 20% food AND alcohol across the board at most Disney restaurants (even including some quick service options!).
Tables in Wonderland is far more inclusive of a discount program than the Disney annual pass base discount, but it’s up to you to determine if you would save more than the $150 you spent on the membership in dining savings. Tables in Wonderland is a one-year membership and, on the plus side, only one member of your party needs it. So, if you’re going with a group, you can choose to buy one Tables in Wonderland membership and use it for your whole party.
Other Discounts
You can also use a Disney annual pass membership to get discounts on more special or unique things to do at Disney. If you’ve ever wanted to go golfing at Disney (or mini-golfing), or perhaps take a tour at one or more of the parks, you can get a discount on these fun options. Plus, annual passholders can get up to $15 off tickets to events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney After Hours and Villains After Hours, and more.
You can also use your Disney annual pass discount on things like spa treatments at select Disney resort hotels, as well as on things like the Disney Springs AMC theatre or the Splitsville bowling alley! Basically, whenever you want to do something at Disney besides a normal park day, check to see if you can get an annual pass discount.
Disney World Annual Pass Tiers and Pricing
Platinum Plus Pass
Price: $1295
FL Resident/DVC Member Price: $999
What you Get:
- Admission to all 4 theme parks, 2 Disney water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course for one year
- Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
- No blackout dates
- Unlimited PhotoPass downloads
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- All other passholder perks mentioned above
Platinum Pass
Price: $1,195
FL Resident/DVC Member Price: $899
What you Get:
- Admission to all 4 theme parks for one year
- Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
- No blackout dates
- Unlimited PhotoPass downloads
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- All other passholder perks mentioned above
Gold Pass (FL Resident/DVC Member Only)
Price: $719
What you Get:
- Admission to all 4 theme parks for most of the year (View blockout dates)
- Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
- Unlimited PhotoPass downloads
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- All other passholder perks mentioned above
Silver Pass (FL Resident Only)
Price: $539
What you Get:
- Admission to all 4 theme parks for specific times of the year (View blockout dates)
- Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- Other passholder perks as mentioned above
Theme Park Select Pass (FL Resident Only)
Price: $439
What you Get:
- Admission to select theme parks for specific times of the year (View blockout dates, which vary by theme park)
- 325 days or more of admission to at least one theme park (This is more than the Silver pass!)
- With this pass specifically, some blackout dates may be lifted occasionally
- Free theme park parking
- Up to 20% off select dining
- Up to 20% off on select merchandise in store
- Other passholder perks as mentioned above
Weekday Select Pass (FL Resident Only)
Price: $369
What you Get:
- Admission all 4 theme parks for specific times of the year, Mondays through Fridays only (View blockout dates)
- Visit all 4 theme parks on the same day
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- Other passholder perks as mentioned above
Epcot After 4 Annual Pass (FL Resident Only)
Price: $319
What you Get:
- Admission to Epcot, any day after 4:00 PM
- No blackout dates
- Up to 20% off dining
- Up to 20% off merchandise
- Free theme park parking
- Other passholder perks as mentioned above
Water Parks Annual Pass
Price: $139
FL Resident/DVC Member Price: $139
What you Get:
- Admission to both water parks for one year
- Water parks close seasonally
Water Parks After 2 Annual Pass (FL Resident Only)
Price: $89
What you Get:
- Admission to both water parks after 2:00 PM for one year
- Water parks close seasonally
How Can I Purchase a Disney Annual Pass?
A Disney annual pass can be purchased online, over the phone (40 7-939-7679), or in person at Disney World (at any Guest Services location or ticket counter). If you purchase in person, you will receive an activated Disney annual pass card that is ready to use that day!
If you purchase your Disney World annual pass online or over the phone, you will receive a voucher that you take to any Guest Services or ticket sales counter at Disney. There you will exchange your voucher for an annual pass card! If you purchase your annual pass online or over the phone, note that it will not activate until you use the annual pass card to enter the park. This means that your annual pass will be active for 365 starting the first time you use it, not the day you buy it!
Even if you buy your annual pass online or over the phone, you can still link it to your My Disney Experience account right away and use it to start booking FastPasses in advance! This is a great thing to remember if you’re buying your pass for an upcoming trip to Disney World.
Also important to note is that Florida residents have the option to pay a down payment on their annual pass on the date of purchase and then make monthly payments for the remaining 11 months as opposed to paying in full on the initial date of purchase. Plus, don’t forget that renewal discount! Disney passholders save 15% on the price of an annual pass when they renew it for another year (this is the down payment for Florida residents who are on a monthly-payment plan).
Can I Upgrade my Ticket to an Annual Pass?
If you have already purchased a single- or multi-day Disney World ticket, you DO have the option to upgrade it to an annual pass! However, there are some things to be aware of. First, you can only upgrade your ticket if you haven’t used it completely yet. This means that if it’s a one-day ticket, if you’ve already used it to enter a theme park, you can no longer upgrade it to an annual pass.
If you have a multi-day ticket and you haven’t yet used all of the days on it, you CAN upgrade that ticket to an annual pass! The price you paid for that ticket is then subtracted from the total amount of the annual pass so that you don’t lose any value on your original ticket purchase.
However, be sure to remember that the day you first used your multi-day ticket is the day your annual pass would consider, so those days don’t reset. This means that if you have a three-day ticket and use the first day on January 31st, but on February 1st you decide to upgrade to an annual pass, your annual pass was considered active as of January 31st, not February 1st.
To upgrade your ticket to a Disney annual pass, go to any Guest Services or ticket counter before your ticket is used up and you can get your activated annual pass card right then and there!
Should I Buy a Disney Annual Pass?
So, this is all a ton of information. Now, you’re left with a choice: should you buy a Disney annual pass? The truth is, I can’t answer that for you! Many people will do a day-by-day park ticket versus annual pass comparison and determine which option is cheaper based on the cost of park tickets. Basically, if you compare the cost of a single-day ticket ($109) to the cost of the Platinum Plus Annual Pass ($1295 for non-FL residents/DVC members), then you would need to visit the parks 12 days in one year to make that annual pass worth price.
However, there is SO much more to consider! There are many different tiers of Disney tickets and annual passes that vary in price, all of which impact whether the annual pass is worth it. Plus, you also have to consider the other benefits of the annual pass. Will you use the merchandise discount a TON? Will you take advantage of the resort discounts when they release? Are you parking at the parks or another form of transportation that would make the free parking benefit irrelevant?
There are a lot of questions here and unfortunately the answers depend very much on you. My best advice is to price out a Disney World vacation for the way you would really spend your trip: where are you staying and how are you getting around, what are you eating, how much are you shopping, how many park days will you have, etc. If you can estimate how much a normal trip would cost you, then you can start figuring out where those Disney annual pass savings may come into play.
The world of the Disney annual pass can be very overwhelming, but it can be a great way to save money on your trips and to extend the magic for a full year! I’ve had an annual pass for six years now and love it! Only you can know if purchasing an annual pass is the right decision for you, but hopefully you are now equipped with the information you need to make that decision!
Pin this post:
How To Decide the Best Age For Disney
DVC member go frequently to Disney why can’t they be able to pay off the annual pass like Florida residents?