Walt Disney World to resume selling Annual Passes! Here’s when and how much.

Walt Disney World has announced it will begin selling annual passes again on September 8th. If you recall, Disney stopped selling annual passes in 2020 due to the pandemic and the need to limit the number of guests in the parks.

Current Annual Passholders:

For local folks it has been particularly difficult to go from being able to just “drop in” a park whenever you feel like it to having to make a reservation ahead of time, especially if you have family coming to town and need to make plans far in advance. Current annual passholders have only been able to make reservations for three days at a time, unless they were staying at a Walt Disney World Resort.

Current Annual Passes are going to be ‘phased out’ beginning on September 8th. What this means is that when it is time for your current Annual Pass to be renewed, you will need to select one of the new Annual Pass options. You will, however, be offered a special renewal price no matter the option you select.

With your current Annual Pass you will be among the first to receive the new Passholder magnet that honors the original Walt Disney World logo!

Starting September 8th, if you are a current Platinum Plus, Platinum or Gold Annual Passholder, you will be able to hold up to five park reservations at a time. Current Silver Passholders will be able to hold up to four reservations.

An enhanced reservation system will be rolling out for Passholders on September 8th, but all current reservations are going to be maintained and you will still have the ability to make or modify new reservations as part of the enhanced update.

Disney’s official information about the new Walt Disney World Annual Passes can be found at the Disney Parks Blog.

If you want to read more about the Walt Disney World logo over the years, you can read the Disney Logo and Its History.

Walt Disney World New Annual Pass Categories:

• Disney Pixie Dust Pass
• Disney Pirate Pass
• Disney Sorcerer Pass
• Disney Incredi-Pass

Disney Pixie Dust Pass:

• A weekday pass (no weekends)
• Must be a Florida resident
• $399 plus tax (payment plan available)
• Can hold three park reservations at a time (on a rolling basis)
• Blackout days apply

Disney Pirate Pass:

• Pass valid for most days (excludes peak holidays)
• Must be a Florida resident
• $699 plus tax (payment plan available)
• Can hold four park reservations at a time (on a rolling basis)
• Blackout days apply

Disney Sorcerer Pass:

• Pass valid almost all days of the year
• Must be a Florida resident OR a Disney Vacation Club Member
• $899 plus tax (payment plan available)
• Can hold five park reservations (on a rolling basis)
• Blackout days are December 18 – 31, 2021

Disney Incredi-Pass:

• No blackout days
• $1,299 plus tax (payment plan available)
• Make and hold up to five park reservations (on a rolling basis)

All Passes include:

• Standard theme park parking
• Merchandise and dining discounts (“and more”)
• Park hopping (with an existing reservation)
• Customizable with add-ons like Photo-pass and Water Parks
• Bonus reservations will be added to the calendar from time to time, allowing you to make extra reservations on select days at select theme parks

Important Caveats!!

• All park reservations are limited and are subject to availability
• Holding an Annual Pass does not guarantee a reservation will be available on a particular day or to a particular park
• Passholders staying at select Disney resorts or other select hotels are eligible to make theme park reservations for each day of their resort stay in addition to their maximum number of rolling reservations tied to their Annual Pass

My Conclusion:

Some will be disappointed that PhotoPass is no longer included in the higher tiers of the pass. While that is disappointing it is nice to be able to add on the Water Parks if you choose to. I still think the number of available advance reservations for Annual Passholders is a little lean especially for planning trips far in advance. While we most likely will never go back to being able to drop into a park without a reservation, I must admit I have found it increasingly easier to make a reservation same-day for all four parks. The reservation system allows Disney to make better decisions regarding scheduling and the overall daily operation. One thing is for sure, things at Disney never stay the same!