The Perks of a Disney World Annual Pass
With new Disney World annual passes available as of April 20, there are a lot of first-time passholders! If you are a new passholder or you are still on the fence about whether or not a pass is worthwhile for you, here’s a look at some of the perks you get in addition to access to the parks!
Discounts on Shopping, Dining, and More
One of the big perks of an annual pass is the discounts! In general, you get 20% off merchandise at most Disney stores and 10% at many of the table service restaurants at the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. You’ll also get 15% off of recreational activities like bike rentals, fishing, and miniature golf at Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens and Fairways Miniature Golf.
From time to time, you can also find annual passholder discounts on resort stays, after hours events, and parties. For example, passholders can get $10 off of tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on select dates. You also get 10% off of some of the tours like Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour and Wild Africa Trek.
Even better, you get a discount if you renew your pass. You can renew your pass up to 60 days prior to its expiration date or up to 30 days after its expiration. Typically, the discount is about 10-15% off.
Exclusive Merchandise
If you are excited about your new annual pass, there’s plenty of merchandise out there to celebrate your new passholder status! There’s everything from complimentary magnets that are available from time to time to exclusive pins, shirts, and accessories. Particularly during the EPCOT festivals, you’ll find a selection of exclusive passholder merchandise.
Complimentary Parking
If you are taking your own vehicle to the parks, you can show your annual pass to get free standard parking at the theme parks. For preferred parking, you get a discount. You’ll just need to pay the difference between standard and preferred parking prices.
Passholder Entrances at the Tapstiles
At the park entrances, you’ll find tapstiles that are marked for passholders. Sometimes they have a shorter wait than the regular tapstiles, which can help get you into the park a little faster.
Intangible Benefits
Once you have an annual pass, there’s definitely a sense of freedom now that you can visit the parks more than ever! This means that you don’t have to cram all the attractions into one trip. Disney also recently revised its park reservation policy for passholders. After 2pm, annual passholders do not need a park reservation to enter a theme park. This makes it much easier for locals to visit the parks on a whim. Note that the one exception is on weekends; park reservations are still required for the Magic Kingdom, even after 2pm.
If you plan on using your annual pass for more trips this year, be sure to check out the resort deals at the DVC Rental Store! Whether you check for confirmed reservations or availability, you will get great prices and customer service plus peace of mind with their Stress-Free Cancellation Policy.
