Do you visit Walt Disney World so much that you are thinking about getting an annual pass? Disney loves diehard fans, and the park’s planners do everything possible to entice fence-sitters to become annual pass owners. They provide two options for all guests plus an additional one for residents of Florida and members of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). You may struggle in choosing which annual pass is right for you. Here’s a quick guide to the pros and cons of each one…and Walt Disney World annual passes in general.
The basics of the Walt Disney World annual pass
Image: DisneyDisney’s annual passes all provide the same primary benefit. You get to visit all four gates at Walt Disney World as many times as you like during a calendar year. Each pass also includes Park Hopper benefits, meaning that you can crisscross Disney’s Orlando campus all day, entering any park whenever you want. That’s true in theory anyway. In execution, a couple of loopholes exist, depending on which annual pass you buy.
Before we get into specifics of each pass, let me explain how the process works. Once you buy a Disney annual pass, it won’t activate immediately. You will start the clock on your 365 days of annual pass ownership on your first day at one of the parks. In other words, you can give a family member an annual pass for Christmas. That pass won’t activate on December 25th. Instead, the 365-day window begins on the next day that your family member tries to enter a Walt Disney World theme park. At that point, they’ll have to head to Guest Services and activate the annual pass.
Image: DisneyThe process is simple. You sign a form, you attach a form of payment to your account, and then you give a fingerprint/thumbprint. The last step is necessary so that you can enter the parks each time. You will use the same digit on the fingerprint scanner. Disney has this security measure in place to prevent guests from attempting to use the same annual pass.
Once a person has activated the annual pass, they can enter any park by using a fingerprint plus a Magic Band or pass holder card. Disney did add surge pricing in 2016, though. Simultaneously, the company added blackout dates to some of the annual passes. We’ll discuss that more in a moment.
Annual Pass benefits
Image: DisneyOther than park admission, the three annual passes have other benefits. All pass holders receive access to Disney’s PhotoPass services. In other words, you can ask Disney’s amazing photographers to take pictures of you at the various settings across the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. All of these pictures will automatically upload to your My Disney Experience account via your Magic Band. The service even works on ride photos. Every memory of your Disney visit gets photographed for posterity’s sake.
You also get free parking at Walt Disney World, which is a huge benefit for frequent guests and Florida residents in particular. Pass holders also receive free Magic Bands (hey, they’re $13 each!) and a specialized email each month. Finally, many restaurants and merchandise stores onsite provide 10-20 percent discounts for annual pass holders. Those savings can really add up.
The Gold Annual Pass
Image: DisneyThis type of annual pass isn’t available to everyone. Unless you’re a Florida resident or a DVC member, you can skip this section and move on to the next one.
People who are eligible for the Gold Pass generally like it a lot. This is the cheapest annual pass, and it’s also the most limited one. The Gold Pass has several blackout dates each year. In 2018, the blackout dates are from March 24th through April 6th plus the 12 days of Christmas. So, Disney blacks out Spring Break for many parts of the country plus the end of the year’s holiday rush.
Image: DisneyOther popular dates such as July 4th and Thanksgiving aren’t blacked out, though. In total, less than one month out of the calendar year isn’t available to Gold Pass members. Anyone who wants to go on one of those days can always buy a regular ticket, though.
The second con of the Gold Pass is that you don’t receive access to the minor parks at Walt Disney World. Those are the water parks and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Disney does sell an annual pass for the water parks, though. Whether you see the loss of these privileges as a big deal depends on how much you enjoy water parks, although the ESPN campus does host a wealth of interesting sports events each year.
Image: DisneySometimes, you still have to pay admission for these events even if you have an annual pass. For example, you have to buy tickets to see a Spring Training game of the Atlanta Braves. As such, it’s difficult to assign a precise value to minor park access.
At a price of $559 plus tax, the Gold Pass is only $29 more than a 10-day Park Hopper Plus ticket. Anyone who plans to visit Disney for 10 days should go ahead and upgrade to an annual pass. In fact, I’d say that’s true for any tickets of seven days or more. Without discounts, a 7-day Park Hopper Plus is $500. That’s a negligible difference that you’ll make up via shopping and meal discounts plus you get the PhotoPass option, an invaluable addition.
The Disney Platinum Pass and Disney Platinum Plus Pass
Image: DisneyThe other two annual passes at Walt Disney World are better. They’re also more expensive. Only you can decide if you’re getting what you pay for. If you’re not a Florida resident or a DVC member, however, these are your only two options.
The basic Disney Platinum Pass is effectively the Gold Pass without blackout dates. It also doesn’t include admission to the water parks or ESPN complex. Otherwise, it’s identical. At a cost of $779 plus tax, you’re paying a steep premium for those four weeks of blackout dates. I only recommend this pass to people who love to spend the end of December and Spring Break at Walt Disney World. Even then, it’s not the greatest value.
Image: DisneyInstead, the Platinum Plus Pass is the top value. You’ll feel like a member of the Disney elite when you own this kind of annual pass. It basically gives you the run of Walt Disney World. You have permanent admission to all major and minor parks on campus. You can Park Hop as much as you want at the four theme park gates, and you can also visit the water parks and ESPN Complex whenever you want. You even get free greens fees at Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, a beautiful 9-hole, par-36 course located by the 18-hold Disney Magnolia.
Having access to all things at Walt Disney World doesn’t come cheap. The Platinum Plus Pass is currently $869, although DVC members can currently buy it for $559. If you’re DVC, you should absolutely do that before the deal expires at the start of January. For everyone else, $869 is a stiff price. I’m a strong proponent of the benefits of this pass, but it’s going to be wasted on anyone who doesn’t visit Walt Disney World A LOT a lot.
Cheaper options
Image: Disney
What are your options if you don’t want to spend $560 or more on an annual pass but do want regular admission to Walt Disney World? Well, you may have other options, depending on where you live. Florida residents have a backup choice if the Gold Annual Pass is too pricey. You can purchase the Silver Annual Pass instead.
The Silver Pass currently costs $419. That’s obviously a lot less expensive. What do you get for that amount? Well, the features are similar. You still gain admittance to all four Disney theme parks, and this plan also throws in free parking and PhotoPass privileges. The drawback is that you face a lot more blackout dates. With the Silver Pass, you cannot visit Walt Disney World from December 18 – 31 2017, January 1 – 2 2018, March 24 – 31 2018, and April 1 – 6 2018. You also lose admission for most of June and July, although Disney hasn’t confirmed summer 2018 blackout dates yet. In other words, this pass is best for Florida residents who prefer to visit Walt Disney World during the offseason.
The Disney Weekday Select Pass at Walt Disney World is even cheaper. You can tell by the lexicon that there’s a catch, though. This pass doesn’t entitle you to park admission on Saturdays and Sundays. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same as the Silver Pass in terms of benefits. Again, this option is only available to Florida residents. If you live in the area and work on weekends, however, it’s a pretty strong value at $269.
For what it’s worth, I currently have the Platinum Plus Pass, but that’s because Disney priced me in as a DVC member. We had a Gold Pass up until 2017, and it worked very well for us as people who spend about 20 days a year at Walt Disney World. So, I recommend both of those passes but not the regular Platinum Pass, which feels like a bad compromise solution to me. As always, you should do what you feel is best, though.
One final note: once you own an annual pass, Disney incentivizes you to remain a pass holder. Renewals are cheaper than first-time purchases. For example, the $779 price for a Platinum Pass drops to $662 for renewals. There is one catch to this, though. The start of the new pass begins the day after the old pass expires. As such, it’s not a great deal if you won’t visit Walt Disney World for several months after your pass expires. You’re paying for months when you won’t need membership. Keep that in mind as you contemplate renewal.
