Disney passes are expensive. But are they worth it? Well, as a newly reinstated annual passholder, I’m obviously going to say yes!
My family and I have been passholders off and on over the years. When Disney announced sales were resuming, we again snapped up passes.
However, I do recognize that not everybody is as big a Disney fan as me. So the real answer is that it depends on how often and for how many days you plan on visiting the theme parks.
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Does Disney offer Florida resident passes?
Yes. Disney offers less expensive pass options for Florida residents.
However, if you’re not someone who lives in the sunshine state, your only pass option is the Incredi-Pass, which goes for $1,399 plus tax for ages 3 and up at the time of this writing. The pass includes all 4 theme parks.
There are three additional annual pass options available for Florida residents at lower price points. At the time of this writing, they are:
- Disney Sorcerer Pass: $969 (plus tax)
- Disney Pirate Pass: $749 (plus tax)
- Disney Pixie Dust Pass: $399 (plus tax)
The Sorcerer Pass is also available to Disney Vacation Club members. Unlike the Incredi-Pass, each of the passes for Florida residents is subject to blockout dates. There is typically a renewal discount for passholders who choose to renew their pass to keep it active.
Remember, pricing is subject to change.
Is a Disney annual pass only for one person?
Yes, each person must purchase their own individual annual pass. As someone with a big family, I’d love to see them offer a family annual pass, but it’s not likely.
What are the perks of a Walt Disney World Annual Pass?
First of all, remember that offers are subject to change.
Currently, in addition to park admission, there are several perks that come with a Walt Disney World Annual Pass. These include free standard parking and discounts on merchandise and dining. Also, Disney typically offers passholder room discounts for stays at its resort hotels during select dates throughout the year.
Other optional perks include two pass add-ons. The first is the Water Park and Sports option. For an additional $99, this add-on allows guests admission to Disney’s water parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The second add-on is Disney PhotoPass Downloads. For $99, this add-on allows the passholder unlimited access to PhotoPass downloads, including photos taken on rides and by photographers stationed throughout the parks.
The Memory Maker photo service is available for $169 for the length of your vacation when purchased in advance. It’s $69 for one day and $199 when purchased during or after your vacation. Given this pricing information, the passholder add-on option represents a good value.
If you’re planning on spending more than a week or so at Disney World parks, the annual pass is going to be a good option for you. It’s trickier to answer this question with exact numbers since Disney changed their tickets to date-based pricing a few years back.
Nowadays, the price of admission varies by date.
It’s more expensive to visit during more popular days and weeks. Also, each additional consecutive day you add to a single-day park ticket is less expensive.
How many times do you have to visit Disney World to make an annual pass worth it?
Single-day tickets range from $109 to $189. The exact pricing depends on the date you choose to visit. Typically you’ll see lower single-day ticket prices on weekdays. Conversely, you can expect to see higher prices on Saturdays and Sundays.
That being said, the price per day is going to be lower when you purchase 4 or more days of Disney World tickets. This pricing structure encourages guests to extend their Walt Disney World Resort stay. The daily ticket price becomes relatively inexpensive when you stay for a week or longer.
According to the Disney ticketing website, 10-day tickets are available for as little as $60/day. However, these tickets must be used within a 14-day window. So it’s not possible to split the days up between spring break in April and another visit at Christmas.
For this reason, if you plan on taking more than one trip within a calendar year, an annual pass might be worth it to you.
Remember, park tickets are offered for up to 10 days, but these tickets must be used within a 14-day window. The pricing starts over on a different trip outside that window.
Additionally, ticket prices change depending on whether you choose a base ticket, which allows you to visit one park per day, or opt for park hopping.
Park hopper tickets are more expensive, by around an average of $80 per day. Again, the pricing is variable depending on the calendar day.
Read Also: What Is the Best Day To Visit Magic Kingdom? 7 Best Times, Ranked
What about Park Hopper tickets?
If you choose to spring for Park Hoppers, theme park reservations will be required for the first park you visit. However, the park hopper options allow guests to visit a different park after 2 pm.
This can add a huge amount of value to your ticket if you use it wisely. For example, say Animal Kingdom closes at 7 pm, but Magic Kingdom is open until 11 pm.
You can start your day at Animal Kingdom, then head to Magic Kingdom after Animal Kingdom closes. This gives you several additional hours of park time.
Annual passes include the park hopping benefit. Considering this information, you might only need to spend 6-7 days in the parks to justify the cost of an annual pass if you plan to park hop.
How many times can you go to Disney World with an annual pass?
Technically, you can visit the Walt Disney World theme parks as many times as you wish with an annual pass. The Disney Incredi-Pass does not have any blockout dates. As long as you have theme park reservations, you will be good to go.
Keep in mind that each annual pass only allows you to make a limited number of park reservations at a time. With an Incredi-Pass you can hold up to five days of reservations at a time.
Can you go to Disney every day with an annual pass?
As long as you have a park pass reservation, yes. On very busy days, park reservations may not be available at specific parks.
Most often this is the Magic Kingdom. Annual passholders will be allowed to enter the park regardless of crowd levels as long as they hold a reservation.
Read Also: The Best (and Worst) Time To Visit Florida, Where To Go
Are Disney annual passes limited?
Sales of new annual passes were paused for a long time during the post-2020 phased reopening. However, Disney recently began selling them again. That being said, they could be paused again at any time.
While the Incredi-Pass does not have blockout dates, the other three annual pass options do.
The Sorcerer Pass (available to Florida residents and DVC Members) is subject to blockout dates on “select days during select holiday periods.” Like the Incredi-Pass, the Sorcerer Pass allows you to hold up to 5 theme park reservations at a time.
The two passes available only to Florida residents have a much lower price point. They also come with more restrictions.
The Pirate Pass allows for up to 4 theme park reservations, and the Pixie Dust Pass allows for up to 3 theme park reservations.
Both Pixie Dust and Pirate passes are subject to blockout dates “including peak and holiday periods.” Unlike the Pirate pass, the Pixie Dust pass only allows guests to visit during weekdays.
Blockout dates can change depending on expected crowd levels, so it’s best to check the My Disney Experience app for blockout date calendars.
As with all theme park reservations, you’ll make them using your My Disney Experience account. To learn more about the pass offers or see the most up to date prices, visit the Disney website.
Do you opt for Disney World annual passes? Let us know in the comments!
