The Current Disneyland Annual Pass Program Has Been Cancelled

[DL1WDW2]

And you would have a surprise in the desk drawer like a postcard or something really special to keep

 

[DL1WDW2]

Room 1004 at the Grand felt so Grand for grandsons first bday visit

I just noticed Love&Kisses from Minnie

 

[DL1WDW2]

Better get back on topic…
Annual Pass … just hope whatever it is, my family in Southern California will still be able to afford them. My nephewshave had a yearly pass their entire life’s . They are 21 and 23 now!
And I also wonder how this will impact Florida .

 

[Piglet99645]

If the concern is crowd control, it seems the reservation system would control that, regardless of APs.

As an out-of-stater I’d love to see a “punch card” system of some sort.

 

[mom2rtk]

If the concern is crowd control, it seems the reservation system would control that, regardless of APs.

As an out-of-stater I’d love to see a “punch card” system of some sort.

That only addresses part of the problem. If they are limiting crowds, they want the most they can get for each of those visits.

 

[Piglet99645]

That only addresses part of the problem. If they are limiting crowds, they want the most they can get for each of those visits.

I see. If getting rid of the current AP system will help the crowd problem, I’m in favor. (Not that my opinion matters to Disney. I’m sure they could do without my $3000 per year).

I realize this will affect people on a personal level. I’d be disappointed, too, if I lived locally and went every weekend. But really if we all pay the same rate(s) per day, it’s “fair.” It’s just a bummer for some who are accustomed to the cheaper (per day) access with an AP.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

But really if we all pay the same rate(s) per day, it’s “fair.”

Ehhhh… that’s not really how most things work, though. Consider season tickets for sports teams, memberships for zoos and museums and aquariums… not to mention basically all other theme parks…

I’m not saying Disneyland has to offer any type of “membership” program at all. They’re a business, and it’s up to them to decide what they want to offer and how best to maximize their profits. But most entertainment venues don’t really operate on a principle of “fairness.”

 

[Piglet99645]

Ehhhh… that’s not really how most things work, though. Consider season tickets for sports teams, memberships for zoos and museums and aquariums… not to mention basically all other theme parks…

I’m not saying Disneyland has to offer any type of “membership” program at all. They’re a business, and it’s up to them to decide what they want to offer and how best to maximize their profits. But most entertainment venues don’t really operate on a principle of “fairness.”

No. It’s supply and demand. Demand is so high perhaps they don’t need to give out discounted tickets, which is basically what APs are when they are used to go every weekend or whatever people are saying they do... (which I would totally do if I lived close). I don’t know the economics of it... I just think maybe wait and see what the restructure looks like.

And I’m not saying Disney is doing it to be fair. I’m saying if you’re losing sleep over this, just remember you’ve been getting an awesome deal and now you might have to pay what regular people pay. I was trying to be helpful by reframing the situation.

Sports have a finite number of games. Museums and Zoos would get rid of annual passes, too, if the pass holders were there 100 days a year and it was too crowded to move. Disney is just so dang popular.

There just seems to be a lot of angst about it on the boards. I get the disappointment, until it starts sounding like entitlement.

And honestly, I wouldn’t miss the local teens who act like they own the place.

 

[Matrixleos]

As an out of state guest, I see both sides of this topic.

If I lived close to either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, I'd 100% get an annual pass. Instead of trips to the mall on weekends, I'd love to replace that with going to Disney properties if I lived close enough. I'd also would get upset if I've been doing this for years and all of a sudden, it's been taken away.

On the flip side, as an out of state guest, whose going to DLR in late July. I'm happy that there currently are no annual passes currently offered during the time we're visiting. I do worry about what the parks would look like at full capacity and with a return of the AP programs. So selfishly, Im glad we don't have to encounter that for our July visit.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

No. It’s supply and demand. Demand is so high perhaps they don’t need to give out discounted tickets, which is basically what APs are when they are used to go every weekend or whatever people are saying they do... (which I would totally do if I lived close). I don’t know the economics of it... I just think maybe wait and see what the restructure looks like.

And I’m not saying Disney is doing it to be fair. I’m saying if you’re losing sleep over this, just remember you’ve been getting an awesome deal and now you might have to pay what regular people pay. I was trying to be helpful by reframing the situation.

Sports have a finite number of games. Museums and Zoos would get rid of annual passes, too, if the pass holders were there 100 days a year and it was too crowded to move. Disney is just so dang popular.

There just seems to be a lot of angst about it on the boards. I get the disappointment, until it starts sounding like entitlement.

And honestly, I wouldn’t miss the local teens who act like they own the place.

Perhaps you missed this part:

I’m not saying Disneyland has to offer any type of “membership” program at all. They’re a business, and it’s up to them to decide what they want to offer and how best to maximize their profits.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Disney never offered annual passes out of the goodness off their heart. They wanted and needed those people in the parks. I believe something will come back. There has been pent up demand for Disney with it closed for so long… that plus capacity limits mean demand is high now. But for how long? Eventually Disney will want those locals back in the parks.

 

[Piglet99645]

Perhaps you missed this part:

No I didn’t miss it.

I think we are just having two different conversations.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

No. It’s supply and demand. Demand is so high perhaps they don’t need to give out discounted tickets, which is basically what APs are when they are used to go every weekend or whatever people are saying they do... (which I would totally do if I lived close). I don’t know the economics of it... I just think maybe wait and see what the restructure looks like.

And I’m not saying Disney is doing it to be fair. I’m saying if you’re losing sleep over this, just remember you’ve been getting an awesome deal and now you might have to pay what regular people pay. I was trying to be helpful by reframing the situation.

Sports have a finite number of games. Museums and Zoos would get rid of annual passes, too, if the pass holders were there 100 days a year and it was too crowded to move. Disney is just so dang popular.

There just seems to be a lot of angst about it on the boards. I get the disappointment, until it starts sounding like entitlement.

And honestly, I wouldn’t miss the local teens who act like they own the place.

Spot on. After awhile, everyone feels entitled to something that was never theirs to begin with. With all the money people paid, they feel entitled to better experiences. Well guess what? There are always others who are willing to pay more to have even better experiences. Its nothing personal. Just basic economics.

 

[DLgal]

The return of the military salute tickets bodes well for the return of an annual pass program. If they are offering discounted tickets, they are not hitting even their self imposed lowered capacity.

 

[frechley]

I think others have said this, but the perk for Disney is that AP holders spend money when they are in the parks. They come on days when capacity is low and they wouldn't be selling more tickets anyways. They come for short periods of time that don't tax the crowd levels but lead to increased revenue for the parks. The more the park is at capacity, the better it is for their revenue. However, they aren't reaching capacity frequently anyways. This is just about more people in the park = more money for Disney.

I agree that if they stayed at capacity all year long, they wouldn't bring APs back. Does anyone here really think that will happen? I think we could all agree it won't. LA Times says it happens a few times per year.

Take my family for example. We have been once this year, and might go a second time around Christmas. Only if shows are back. If we had some sort of pass, we likely would go 3 or 4 times this year. The pass would likely cost the same as our two trips would be, the additional 1 - 2 trips we would make would mean free tickets to us, but added costs in food, souvenirs (and possible hotel stay). That's extra money in their pocket that they wouldn't have otherwise received.

These are only "sort of" discounted tickets. Don't think for a second they aren't calculating the return they get on selling these passes.

 

[PirateBrigade]

There's a magic attendance number in someone's spreadsheet at Disney that represents the optimal intersection of guest spending, gate receipts, guest/PR satisfaction, and staffing needs/costs.

I wonder what that number is!

APs, and any ticketing scheme, only exist to support that number.

Also -- APs aren't only for so-cal locals who go every week/weekend, some of us hop on planes just as easily (and often) as those who get in their cars and drive down from LA (especially when it's $29 airfare time).

I also reject the notion that going less often makes Disneyland *more* special. In hindsight/nostalgia, sure (that's how DL was growing up for me--a big annual trip), but I guarantee you every monthly/bi-monthly visit pre-pandemic was just as special. I can't speak for others, but kids' faces don't lie, and that joy is very real. It was a privilege to be able to do that under the old AP program.

 

[Corpsebride]

Honestly. As a Sig. Plus AP, there's no way I'm going to spends hundreds of dollars to get in the parks. No. I'd rather spend that money on merch and food in the parks. But, for us now it would be one or the other. So. For right now for us, we're not going. We're also not going to spend merch and food money in DTD.

 

[brentm77]

I sympathize with those who have lost their pass - I would be totally bummed if I was in that situation. I don't begrudge those who took advantage of an under-priced product while they could. I would have done the same.

But, everyone talking about how they wouldn't spend full price now, are only making the point that the old system wasn't a great way to treat customers. Imaging how it felt to not only spend full price each day, but also airfare and an expensive hotel, only to show up at parks that were so crowded they were absolutely miserable. And it wasn't even the length of the lines that was the problem most of the time. It was the walkways, benches, tables, etc. If felt so exhausting just to navigate the park or find a place to relax for ten minutes.

In short, it seems like the "fair" thing for Disney to do was to choose for the full-paying guest to have a good experience over pleasing those who wanted to visit whenever they wanted for dollars a day.

All that said, our opinions don't matter. Disney is going to do what Disney thinks is best for the bottom line, and it has clearly made the calculation that the old system was no longer what was best for that. There were exceptions where some AP's spent a fortune in the parks, or those who only bought AP's for a few trips a year, but we are talking averages, and reports are that the average AP spend was much less than non-AP spend. And each AP in the park increased overhead costs, decreasing average profit margins - which are an important measure of a company's financial success. Disney has decided it can forgo the extra revenue and be more profitable.

I personally think Disney has made the right calculation, and reports are that the profit margin per-guest is the highest it has ever been. I know I will be willing to go more, stay longer, and spend more money when I visit if the experience is greatly improved. If the reservations aren't where they want them to be, Disney need only roll out promotional tickets and watch attendance skyrocket again. But, the AP program as we knew it is dead (unless Disney changes its mind years down the road). Disney has said that multiple times, and yet, some here don't seem to believe it.

 

[frechley]

But, the AP program as we knew it is dead (unless Disney changes its mind years down the road). Disney has said that multiple times, and yet, some here don't seem to believe it.

Of course it is. I might not have read enough posts to see people here that they "refuse to believe it", but Disney clearly said they are bringing some sort of frequent visitor program back. We have no clue what it will look like, but it would not be very exciting to anyone if it was just a "you can get a special popcorn container" or "you get a discount on food if you come often" sort of thing. I can't imagine Disney hyping the return of some sort frequent visitor program that wouldn't benefit us somehow. No one would care, and those executives are dumb enough to think it would. It is reasonable to expect a discounted way to go the parks more frequently.

 

[PirateBrigade]

Of course it is. I might not have read enough posts to see people here that they "refuse to believe it", but Disney clearly said they are bringing some sort of frequent visitor program back. We have no clue what it will look like, but it would not be very exciting to anyone if it was just a "you can get a special popcorn container" or "you get a discount on food if you come often" sort of thing. I can't imagine Disney hyping the return of some sort frequent visitor program that wouldn't benefit us somehow. No one would care, and those executives are dumb enough to think it would. It is reasonable to expect a discounted way to go the parks more frequently.

I also don’t see much denial, but I do see a lot of “well *I* spend kajillions of dollars on merch therefore DLR execs are dumb to not bring back the program I want” types of thoughts.

I have to keep reminding myself this board isn’t the majority and that we are probably on the upper scale of spend vs. most former AP holders.

Disney has the data and the new program will reflect that, I’m actually a little excited at the changes because I really hope they address the mass overcrowding.

I will actually be disappointed if an unlimited/unlocked tier exists, even if it’s $4000, that’s still $333/mo and a bargain, and will solve nothing.