Disneyland has a lot more local visitors than Walt Disney World, and as a result, has a lot more options for annual passes. However, while there are plenty of choices with different perks, discounts, and blockout dates, Disney is doing something very interesting with its newest pass, and is trying out a new “flex” system that is the first of its kind for any theme park, ever.
Introducing the Disney Flex Pass
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
The brand new Disney Flex Pass includes 142 “Good to Go” days at Disneyland and 157 “Good to Go” days at Disney California Adventure (all mostly weekdays) from now through next May. And while this might seem pretty standard for a lower tier Disneyland annual pass, there is an additional type of admission that guests who purchase this pass can take advantage of, and as you might have guessed, this is where the “flex” comes in.
In addition to their good to go days, Disney Flex Pass holders can reserve up to two days to visit within a 30-day period. These date reservations are limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis, which means they can “sell out,” if not booked early. The only days that cannot be booked as a “Flex” day are between December 21, 2019 and January 4, 2020, which are completely blocked out for this pass type.
Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)
Guests can make up to two flex date reservations through Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app at a time, but interestingly, Disney can take away reservations if guests don’t show up to their reservations three times or more if it isn’t canceled at least a day before it occurs (similar to the reservation no-show policy at Disney restaurants).
The fine print
Image: Patrick Pelletier, Flickr (license)
In addition to the up to the 160+ vists included with the Disney Flex Pass, this annual pass includes Park Hopping (as long as both parks are “good to go” or you have a reservation), and also includes 10% discounts on food and merchandise. However, it is important to note that this annual pass does not include parking.
The Disney Flex Pass will go on sale in just a few days on May 21 and will cost $599, making it one of the best value annual passes Disneyland has offered in recent years, other than the renew-only Southern California Select Passport.
Finding strategic value in this new pass
Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)
One of the most interesting things about this pass is the different strategies guests could potentially use to get the most out of this pass. On the one hand, guests who know far in advance what days they want to be in the park can get the most value out of their flex pass by booking their most important dates in as far in advance as possible, so they can secure these dates before they “sell out”.
However, since passholders can only reserve two days in advance, the total number of dates that can be used might be limited overall if guests use the above strategy. Guests who want to visit Disneyland Resort more often (and don’t really care about when) can instead try and reserve their flex dates as soon as possible so they can free up more reservation dates later on, and potentially use their pass more, as long as there aren’t too many people using the first strategy and “selling out” far out dates.
Of course, there’s a further wrinkle for guests trying to plan out their Disney Flex Pass strategy: the number of available reservations for Disney Flex Pass holders will vary daily, which can make it even harder to try and plan in advance and get the most out of this pass.
