According to reports, Walt Disney World is pausing new sales of some of its annual passes.
New sales of the Pirate, Sorcerer and Incredi-Pass have been paused. The Pixie Dust (Florida residents) is the only pass that is available for new purchases.
This does not impact renewals, it only affects new purchases.
Disney has not stated when the sales of these passes will resume, but sources say that the pause will last at least through the end of the year and will resume sales sometime in 2022.
According to an email sent to Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and posted on the Annual Passholder portion of the Walt Disney World’s website, park hopping will be returning January 1, 2021.
From the Passholder Newsletter…
| Dear Valued Annual Passholder, | |
| As the phased reopening of Walt Disney World Resort® continues, we are nearing another exciting milestone we know many Guests have been looking forward to: the return of the Park Hopper® option! Starting Jan. 1, 2021, Guests who purchased a ticket or annual pass with Park Hopperbenefits will be able to visit more than one park per day, with some new modifications as part of our ongoing focus on health and safety. |
More details were posted on the website…
Please know we will be here to help you as we remain focused on delivering a wonderful experience for everyone who visits.
If you have any questions, please contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. Options to manage your annual pass continue to be available.
Please review any advisories or restrictions in place for travel to Florida, and do not travel to or enter Walt Disney World Resort unless you are free of any COVID-19 symptoms and otherwise comply with the requirements of such advisories and restrictions.
According to the Walt Disney World Annual Passholder website, passholders will get a preview of the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 9th and 10th.
From the website –
Weekday Select, Theme Park Select, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Platinum Plus and Premier Passholders will have the opportunity to register for a special preview at Magic Kingdom park or Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park on July 9 or 10. Email invitations with registration details will be sent out soon.
Reservations are required and limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. An eligible activated annual pass is required to register.
If a Passholder would like to register a Guest to accompany them, that Guest must also have a valid Weekday Select, Theme Park Select, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Platinum Plus or Premier annual pass, be listed on your Family & Friends list and have opted to share “All My Plans” with you.
As Disney continues to update us as they prepare to re-open the theme parks, Disney has updated the official Walt Disney World website to include details for Annual Passholders during the re-opening of the theme parks.
In the update, Disney advises that it may be difficult for Annual Passholders to get park reservations to visit on certain dates, and that total reservation days held at one time will be limited. Basically saying that just because guests have an Annual Pass they will not be guaranteed reservations.
Disney also stated that some pass benefits and features will not be available during periods of limited capacity.
The full update to the website is below –
Our Annual Passholders are some of our most loyal and valued Guests. We truly can’t wait to welcome you back—and we will do it with great thought.
With that in mind, when the parks reopen, park capacity will be significantly limited—and may continue to be for a period of time, based on guidance from health experts to promote physical distancing.
We understand how much excitement, thought and time goes into planning your Disney visits and realize some new changes may be disappointing. For example, during this unprecedented time, an annual pass will not guarantee park entry and Annual Passholders will be required to make an advance reservation to enter a park.
Please note that:
During the limited capacity period, it may be difficult for Annual Passholders to get park reservations to visit on certain dates. To help manage capacity, total reservation days held at one time will be limited. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Some pass benefits and features will not be available during periods of limited capacity. Also, park experiences and offerings will be modified and subject to limited availability or even closure.
Annual passes are subject to blockout dates. Guests should ensure their pass type is valid for park entry prior to making a park reservation.
As we prepare for the reopening of the parks, we’re planning a special preview opportunity for Annual Passholders. We look forward to sharing details with you soon.
Please know we will be here to help you as we remain focused on delivering a wonderful experience for everyone who visits.
If you have any questions, please contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. Options to manage your annual pass continue to be available during the closure period.
Visits to Disneyland and California Adventure will get more expensive beginning Sunday when new price increases take effect at the iconic theme parks.
The cheapest one-day tickets, or value tickets, to either park are increasing from $95 to $97.
Ticket prices for regular and peak days are increasing $5 — to $110 and $124, respectively.
The parks moved to a seasonal pricing system in February 2016, resulting in increased admission prices on most days and a small decrease on other days depending on demand.
The increased prices were done in the hopes of spreading out demand at the often packed theme park.
“Our pricing provides guests a range of options that allow us to better manage demand to maximize the guest experience and is reflective of the distinctly Disney offerings at all of our parks,” said Suzi Brown, director of media relations and external communications at the park.
Price increases will take effect Sunday. The single park and park hopper tickets will be adjusted between $2 and $5, based on the seasonal price.
One park tickets
Value: increase from $95 to $97
Regular: increase from $105 to $110
Peak: increase from $119 to $124
Park hopper tickets
Value: increase from $155 to $157
Regular: increase from $160 to $165
Peak: increase from $169 to $174
In addition to the single-day prices, the SoCal Select, SoCal and Deluxe annual passes will increase between $10 and $20.
The SoCal Select and SoCal passes will increase by $10 each: from $329 to $339 for select and $459 to $469 for SoCal. Deluxe passes will increase from $599 to $619.
Prices for the Signature, Signature Plus and Premiere Passport passes will not change.
The cost of parking is also going up, from $18 to $20.
The new increases come as a major part of Disneyland remains closed for construction of the new Star Wars land, which isn’t scheduled to open until 2019. The park has brought back the popular Main Street Electrical Parade, however, and new attractions are scheduled to open at California Adventure this year.
Prices for tickets and annual passes at Walt Disney World will increase Sunday, while the resort will also make changes in policies regarding online purchases and expiration dates.
Disney last year introduced seasonal one-day ticket pricing, with three tiers based on time of year. For most Disney theme parks, mid-tier tickets will cost $107, up from $102. Peak season tickets – generally for spring break, summer and Christmas break – will cost $119, up from $114.
A one-day visit during the least-popular value days will cost $99, up from $97.
The Magic Kingdom has a premium tacked on to its admission. Prices will rise for value and regular seasons, but the peak price will remain unchanged at $124. A mid-tier ticket will rise to $115 from $110.
Prices are for adults do not include tax. Tickets for children 3 to 9 will also become more expensive.
Annual-pass prices will also increase Sunday. Florida-resident gold passes with blockout dates during Christmas and spring break will cost $559, up from $549. Platinum passes with no blockout dates will cost $679, up from $649.
“Our pricing provides guests a range of options that allow us to better manage demand to maximize the guest experience and is reflective of the distinctly Disney offerings at all of our parks,” the company said in a statement.
Prices for Disney tickets have typically risen each February.
Also starting Sunday: Visitors buying tickets online or on their phones can save $20 on Magic Your Way bundles from three to 10 days. SeaWorld and Universal Orlando also charge less for online purchases.
And all tickets will have expiration dates starting Sunday, not just single-day tickets. The dates will vary.
Disney World visitors typically buy multi-day tickets or passes rather than making single-day visits.
The price increases go into effect a few months before a new land based on “Avatar” will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Overall, attendance declined 1 percent at Disney’s domestic theme parks in fiscal 2016. On Tuesday, the company reported the number of domestic visitors fell 5 percent year over year for the first fiscal quarter. The company blamed the decline on factors including Hurricane Matthew and a Christmas holiday shift. Seasonal pricing could also be encouraging visits during less busy times, executives said.
“However, the fact that Disney was still able to increase its theme-parks segment’s revenue by 6 percent and operating profit by 13 percent is exactly why it’s going to go through with this month’s inevitable hike,” analyst Rick Munarriz wrote Friday on the Motley Fool financial website. “Disney is learning to make more with less, and it won’t stop until revenue and earnings suggest otherwise.”
Still, the company could be reaching the point of pricing out potential visitors, said Bob Boyd, an analyst with Pacific Asset Management.
“We believe it’s going to become increasingly difficult for Disney to continue raising theme-park prices,” he said in an email.
The price of preferred parking, an option added last year, will rise to $40 instead of $35. Preferred parking is one of many perks Disney has added to generate more revenue from guests with the means to pay extra for them.
Also, Disney will eliminate the “water park fun and more” standalone option, which had combined admission to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon with a golfing outing or a visit to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Visitors can still get the combo with a park hopper ticket.
From the Orlando Sentinel
Walt Disney World is introducing an all new Annual Pass ticket program, with new pricing and new benefits.
Some tickets are only available to Florida Residents, including the Silver, Weekday Select and Epcot After 4 Pass. The Gold Pass is available only to Florida Residents and DVC Members.
For non-Florida Residents, there are two passes available, The Platinum Plus Pass and Platinum pass.
Disney Vacation Club Members can purchase Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold.
All Annual Pass tickets now include complimentary parking. Monthly payment plans continue to be available with a $112 down-payment up-front.
New pricing is effective October 4 2015, and is for ages 3+.
Disney is getting ready to introduce a new mobile app that will make finding, buying and shipping merchandise from the Walt Disney World theme parks easier and faster than ever.
Unlike the merchandise being offered by the existing DisneyStore.com site, the new app will offer nearly the full range of merchandise available in the parks, and should once-and-for-all resolve that problem of – “I wish I had bought it when I was there..”
Called ‘Shop Disney Parks,’ the app will allow guests to locate, order, and ship merchandise from any Disney operated retail store at Walt Disney World.
For guests shopping at home within the US, the app will let them browse, buy and then ship the items directly. Guests that are already in the parks, will have the capability to browse, buy and then ship to the front of park, or for resort guests, directly to the hotel.
Inside the stores, guests will be able to scan the merchandise for more information about the product.
By linking in with My Disney Experience, the app will also honor discounts, such as Annual Pass and Disney Vacation Club discounts.
The app will be launching soon, and will be available for iOS devices, such as iPhone and iPad, and Android.
According to multiple sources prices for tickets to either of the Disneyland Resort parks could be increasing very soon. According to sources the price of a single day ticket will rise from $96 to $99. It’s also expected that prices for children’s tickets, which is currently $90, will increase about the same $3 bump. The big shocker is going to be to the Passholders. We are hearing that the price of a Premium AP will jump up from the already sky high $699 to $779.
It is rumored that the price increase will probably take place within the next week or two, so if you are planning a trip to Disneyland parks, you might want to buy your tickets or Annual Pass online NOW before the price increase takes effect.
Disney News Today 