The popular Southern California annual pass that allows visitors entrance to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on certain days year round will no longer be available for new customers, for the time being, a Disneyland spokesperson confirmed.
Starting Monday, Nov. 20, the $469 pass – one of Disneyland’s least expensive annual pass options – will go on hiatus. The Southern California annual pass option was removed from the Disneyland.com website this morning.
Current Southern California Passport annual pass holders will have the option to renew. Those who have passes that expired recently will receive a letter soon on how to renew the pass.
“Our annual passes are very popular with guests,” said Michele Himmelberg, a Disneyland spokeswoman. “We continuously seek the appropriate balance that helps manage demand for our product and allows us to deliver a world-class experience for all guests.”
The discontinuing of the popular Southern California Passport – even if it’s just for the time being – comes as no surprise.
With an estimated 1 million annual pass holders and Star Wars land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, opening in a couple of years and other attractions such as Pixar Pier coming in the near future, Disneyland officials appear to be taking another step to managing future crowds and spreading out the demand.
Last year, Disneyland introduced a tiered ticket pricing structure to spread out the crowds. Earlier this year, Disneyland increased the price for admission tickets and annual passes.
This is the second time the Southern California Passport was discontinued. In 2014, Disneyland officials removed the annual pass to better manage the crowds that come Sundays at the theme parks. Disney later reintroduced it in 2016.
Disneyland offered five types of annual passes, ranging in price from $339 to $1,049.
The Southern California Passport is one of two annual passes available for Southern Calfornia residents living in ZIP codes 90000 to 93599, from San Diego to north of San Luis Obispo.
The pass allows visitors to enjoy both Anaheim theme parks for about 215 days with block outs on Saturdays, holidays, and half of summer. Its affordability – about $31 monthly with no interest after a $97 deposit – has made it a popular choice for local residents.
The Southern California Select Passport, which allows visitors 170 days of access to both theme parks – mostly on weekdays – will still be available. It’s priced at $339.
From the Orange County Register
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