Is a Walt Disney World Annual Pass Right For Your Family?

One of the most asked questions we get is whether or not a Disney Annual Pass is worth it. The real question isn’t whether or not the Disney Season Pass is worth it but more about whether or not this annual pass is right for your family. How often will you visit Walt Disney World in one year? Will you actually take advantage of those impressive Annual Passholder discounts? How about the restaurant discounts? So many things to consider! Lets dive in.

 

To level-set, we are Walt Disney World Annual pass holders, but we haven’t always been and may not always be. It’s a huge investment to make and we Re-Assess this every year when renewal time rolls around. Some years allow more travel than others. Also known as a Disney World Season Pass this annual pass to the parks is just that, ANNUAL. So consider there may be some years that it makes sense for you, and other years that it doesn’t. Check out all the Disney World Annual Pass Options available. 

What Does a Walt Disney World Annual Pass Cost?

Walt Disney World Annual Passes are available on APRIL 20, 2023.

FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS ONLY. 

• Disney Pixie Dust Pass: $399 + tax
• Disney Pirate Pass: $749 + tax

FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS OR DVC MEMBERS

• Disney Sorcerer Pass: $969 + tax

FOR EVERYONE ELSE

• Disney Incredi-Pass: $1399 + tax

And since Disney increases these prices often, always check the site to be sure of the current Disney Annual Pass price

The Disney Incredi-Pass, which is what any non-Florida family will need includes the following for ONE FULL YEAR. From the moment you activate it at the Guest Services Ticket Window at Disney here are the Pros of being a Disney Annual Pass Holder.

• Admission to all 4 theme parks
• Park Hopper Privileges
• No Blockout Dates
• Up to 5 Park Pass Reservations at a time
• Up to 20% off at select dining locations
• Up to 20% off select merchandise in-store or online at Shop Disney Parks
• Standard theme park parking
• 10% Disney Sports and Recreation
• 15% off Tours
• Annual Passholder Guidebook
• Official Annual Passholder Magnet
• The Mickey Monitor Annual Passholder Quarterly Newsletter
• Ability to purchase Annual Passholder Special Event Merchandise
• Free Annual Passholder Keepsake Gifts at Epcot Festivals
• MagicMobile Wallet Customizations
• Magical Extras

We’ve only actually been Disney season pass holders for the last couple of years. And while being a Disney Annual Passholder has definitely changed the way we vacation, it’s also something that we question every time it comes time to renew.

Yes. Annual Passholders do need a Park Pass Reservation. Starting in 2024, Annual Passholders and Cast Members Good To Go Days Will Not Require Park Pass Reservations. But, other days will. 

In 2024, we plan to offer select days on which our Annual Passholders* and Disney cast members may visit Walt Disney World theme parks without needing a park reservation. Once introduced, we will roll out these good-to-go days on an ongoing basis. This will be in addition to the recent update which offers Passholders the opportunity to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. Good-to-go days may vary by park, and pass block out dates and capacity limitations continue to apply like they do today. Please stay tuned for more details on good-to-go days.

As Walt Disney World Annual Passholders that live in Ohio, there is a certain level of commitment involved to make the Disney Annual Pass worth it for us. We do try to visit the quarterly festivals at Epcot, and any new land opening, like Pandora, Toy Story Land, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. And we always make sure to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or the Disney After Hours events. But, surely, there will be some years where 5-7 trips to Disney are out of the question. And as with any vacation we have to consider flight availability, flight cost, and if we can get time off of work. But this is just the tip of the iceberg! Think of everything else that may or may not work for your family? If you have kids in school, your own business travel, a job that doesn’t compensate for vacation time. For us, the holidays are jam-packed and make another trip to Disney difficult. 

 

There are sometimes Cons to being a Disney Annual Passholder. That said if you’re someone who only gets 2 weeks of vacation a year off from your job, will you be spending all your vacation time at Disney? What about getting the kids out of school? Or perhaps you just visit for an extra long trip around the holidays. Before you start thinking about money and how much it’s going to cost your family to get a Disney Annual Pass for everyone, think first about the year ahead. How many times do you plan to visit Disney? Are you traveling during busy or expensive times? Or were you visiting in the lower-priced off-season? Were you hoping to take advantage of the free dining offers that are only available in the Magic Your Way packages? If so, you no longer get access to package offers, unless you buy them outright. Now, if you’re a Florida resident, keep in mind that there are special passes and prices just for you. So this number goes down considerably and if you’re planning on even taking a few trips throughout the year, you’re likely to break even cost-wise.

What is the Walt Disney World Annual Passholder Cost Break Even Point?

 

What Do You Get as a Disney Season Passholder?

Check out all the Perks of being a Disney Annual Passholder so that you can make the best decision for your family. 

Walt Disney World Resort Specials

One of the best parts of being an annual pass holder at Disney is that you do get access to discounts off Disney Resort rooms sometimes throughout the year. So,  if you were a family that was used to staying off-site because it was cheaper, you may actually find comparable rates on-site with the passholder discount. Mind you, these aren’t dirt cheap rates and since these are sales, they run for a limited time and with some rules attached. But 25% off a room every now and then really helps. These discounts, however, are sporadic and shouldn’t really be configured in your cost analysis. Mainly because the discounts aren’t guaranteed, and could easily happen outside of your vacation dates.

 

Walt Disney World Annual Pass Discounts and Perks

What Don’t You Get as a Disney Season Passholder?

One of the cons of a Disney Annual Pass is that when you’re using your annual pass in lieu of purchasing separate tickets, you will lose out on other specials that Walt Disney World offers like Disney free dining and Magic Your Way Packages. Sometimes the Magic Your Way Package could reap a deeper discounted vacation than having the pass, so these cons are worth looking at ahead of time. The same goes for Free Dining Offers. If you live for the free dining deals and depend on it to feed your family on vacation, a minimum 4-day ticket and 3 nights is required at a Disney resort to earn the dining promotion. That said, you would actually have to buy that 4 day/3 night package at the regular Magic Your Package prices in order to get the free dining. Having the pass, in this case, may be redundant.

How to Decide if a Disney Annual Pass is Right for your family?

These are all things to consider when deciding whether or not to purchase a Walt Disney World annual pass. It can be an investment. Only taking a week long trip won’t justify purchasing an annual pass. Especially if you’re buying for more than one person. One thing we have seen some families do is just purchase an annual pass for one person in their family, so they can take advantage of the discount perks without the extra cost of buying a pass for every person in their family. This may or may not be an option for you, but is definitely worth considering!

And What We Love About Having a Disney Season Pass