New Annual Pass Sales Dates & Details for Disney World
Walt Disney World has announced that new sales of Annual Passes will soon resume! This post covers AP pricing, dates, details, past precedent, and everything else you might want to know. (Updated April 13, 2023.)
As a quick recap, Walt Disney World suspended sales of all new Annual Passes during its closure, and for over a full year after reopening. Finally, Walt Disney World resumed AP sales in September 2021 with new names, higher prices, restrictions, and other details. In so doing, the company dropped the straightforward precious-metal tier names in favor of a nonsensical hierarchy of fictional characters and concepts.
Annual Passes were available for about 3 months before sales started being suspended in late November 2021, which occurred simultaneous with park reservations filling up and the suspension of single and multi-day tickets around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The key difference then was that Walt Disney World was still in a capacity-constrained environment and pent-up demand was running hot.
Back when the new Annual Passes were announced, Walt Disney World stated: “Please note as we continue to manage attendance to provide a great experience for everyone, at any time, Annual Passes may be unavailable for purchase.” It’s now been almost 18 months, and APs are still “temporarily unavailable,” at least for the most part.
Sales of Walt Disney World’s three most expensive Annual Passes are all currently paused. This means that the Disney Pirate Pass, Sorcerer Pass, and Incredi-Pass are all unavailable for purchase and have been for well over a year. Only the lowest-level Disney Pixie Dust Pass, which is available exclusively to Florida residents and valid only on weekdays, remains available for new sales as of right now.
Fast-forward to Spring 2023, and Walt Disney World has announced that new sales of the Disney Incredi-Pass, Disney Sorcerer Pass and Disney Pirate Pass will resume and can be purchased online beginning on April 20, 2023! Disney warns that as the company attempts “to provide a great experience for our Passholders, the quantity of passes will be limited and passes, or a pass type, may become unavailable for purchase at any time.”
This is basically the same caveat as was offered back in September 2021, meaning essentially that Annual Passes can and will sell out.
Eligible Disney Vacation Club Members will have the opportunity to purchase the DVC Disney Sorcerer Pass online beginning April 13, 2023 as part of your Membership Magic benefits.
To purchase the Disney Sorcerer Pass, Disney Vacation Club Members must be eligible for Membership Extras. To be eligible for Membership Extra, you must be a “blue card” Disney Vacation Club member, meaning that you purchased directly from Disney or bought before the resale restrictions were implemented back in April 2016. If you have a member card, you’re good.
April 13, 2023 Update: As of this morning at 6 am EST, the DVC Disney Sorcerer Pass has resumed sales. And in fact, some Disney Vacation Club members have successfully reported being able to purchase it.
Many others have not been so fortunate, receiving the above error message with the Seven Dwarfs. This has been my experience, and it appears very common right now (9 am EST). In attempting multiple devices and using private browsing, I received this error message every single time.
If you’re the least bit surprised by Disney IT having problems on a day like this, you must be new around here. Which doesn’t really make sense for DVC members, but whatever. In any case, it only feels right to warn you that, if you’re purchasing a year-long commitment to Walt Disney World, you are going to encounter issues like this with the website or My Disney Experience app at least once per month. A week does not go by that I don’t have problems using Disney’s technology.
As of 9:10 am, the error message is gone, but the sales process has still not yet resumed, with the pre-queue site displaying the following message: “Pardon the Inconvenience: Some of our digital experiences are unavailable at this time. DVC Disney Sorcerer Pass and Disney Pixie Dust Pass sales will resume as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and understanding.”
We’ve seen this exact same issue in the past with ticket or pass sales at Disneyland. You’ll know when it’s resolved because the Approximate Wait Time will change from “Recalculating” to (probably) “More Than An Hour.” Unless demand is somehow low (highly doubtful), in which case it’ll display the actual wait time if it’s 59 minutes or less.
Our (hopefully) final update comes as of 1 pm EST on April 13, 2023. As of right now, the virtual queue is still in use but access to the website is nearly immediate after that. The purchase process is smooth-sailing and the Sorcerer Pass is (unsurprisingly) still available for purchase.
We’ll keep you posted about sales developments throughout the day. The good news is that Bill Diercksen, the SVP of Disney Vacation Club, sent out an email to members informing them that “the DVC Disney Sorcerer Pass is expected to be on sale more often throughout the year, even when the pass is not broadly available for sale to Florida Residents.”
This wider availability for the DVC Sorcerer Pass makes complete sense, as it’s a selling point for Disney Vacation Club memberships. Without the ability of prospective buyers to purchase APs, they were undoubtedly losing sales. The lack of Annual Passes was also almost certainly a contributing factor in tipping the scales in favor of some existing members selling their contracts. As explained in our recent Disney Vacation Club Sales Slump, all of this is a big deal–and a major issue for DVC.
Current WDW Annual Passholders may choose to renew into any available AP type during their renewal window (60 days before and 30 days after expiration) with a special renewal benefit.
Beginning April 20, 2023, existing Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will also have the option to upgrade their Annual Pass into any available pass type outside of their renewal window on the DisneyWorld.com website or via the My Disney Experience app. The difference in price must be paid in full at the time of the upgrade and the new pass will have the same expiration date as the original pass.
According to Disney, it’s an incredible time to be a part of the Walt Disney World Annual Passholder program as the company has taken the feedback we received from Annual Passholders and are making exciting changes. Passholders now receive access to select Disney PhotoPass benefits.
Beginning April 18, Annual Passholders can visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom. Pass blockout dates continue to apply. Disney also recommends those who are planning on visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios any time soon, to try out the new Disney PhotoPass Muppet*Vision 3D Lens – it’s a lot of fun! (Seriously, that’s in the press release–it’s not pro-Muppet propaganda I’ve added. I didn’t even realize this MuppetVision lens was added. Distinctly unpatriotic of me.)
These updates will help Annual Passholders enjoy some of the newest Walt Disney World experiences. This includes the return of the “Happily Ever After” nighttime spectacular at Magic Kingdom, the world’s first Toy Story-themed table-service restaurant Roundup Rodeo BBQ at Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened just a few weeks ago, and Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary later this month!
Much more is also on the horizon for EPCOT. Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana is coming later this year, as is the start of the Disney100 Celebration, an all-new nighttime spectacular over World Showcase Lagoon, and the filling-in of the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit. (Perhaps that last one will be an ‘interactive activation,’ but only if you bring your own shovel!)
With the sale details out of the way, let’s take a look at pricing and compare the various tiers of Walt Disney World Annual Passes:
The biggest distinction among the various tiers of Annual Passes, aside from who is eligible (or not) to purchase each of them, is the blockout calendar.
You should definitely consult the official Walt Disney World AP blockout calendar before making your purchase, as the most popular dates to visit are all excluded from even being eligible to make reservations for the lower tiers of APs. Be sure to toggle the pass type to see excluded dates for each.
We would strongly recommend anyone who is on the fence about purchasing an Annual Pass to make the decision between now and April 20, 2023. Given how long sales have been paused and the amount of pent-up demand for APs among locals, you should absolutely join the virtual queue ASAP on day one of sales resuming if you have been shut out in the past.
How long WDW AP sales will remain up is anyone’s guess and we refuse to make predictions. I have some thoughts in my head, but I won’t be committing those to writing because I was wrong about demand for Magic Keys at Disneyland last holiday season, overestimating just how long they’d remain available there.
To that point and for reference, AP sales at Disneyland resumed prior to last Thanksgiving and there was an 8-12 hour virtual queue for the entire first day, with passes selling out in under 2 days. Some fans were shut out again because they couldn’t get through the virtual queue or opted to wait until it died down. A miscalculation that deprived them of visits during the best time of year at Disneyland.
Disneyland once again resumed Magic Key AP sales this January, and the virtual queue once again had a lengthy wait on the first day, but passes remained available much longer. The virtual queue died down after a few days, and it took over a week for some Magic Keys to start selling out again.
With that past precedent in mind, you should be prepared to encounter a multi-hour virtual queue if you try to buy a Walt Disney World Annual Pass on April 20, 2023. You might wait ~15 minutes if you instead opt to purchase on April 21 at 5 am. The downside of waiting until then is that sales may have already concluded. Proceed at your own peril.
As for what time Walt Disney World APs will go on sale on April 20, that’s anyone’s guess as of right now. When Disneyland resumed Magic Key sales, they announced in advance that pass sales would resume “no earlier than [time].” In actuality, the virtual queue page opened ~10-15 minutes later, and almost immediately jumped to several hours.
That’s typically a Disneyland thing, with Walt Disney World’s standard approach being to start sales super early in the morning–between 4 am and 7 am, depending on the offering and anticipated demand. It’s a good way of reducing strain on the system by starting sales when fewer people are awake.
My guess as of right now is that Walt Disney World will opt for its normal approach–but perhaps not, as this is relatively unprecedented. I’d advise checking back on April 19 to see if a specific time has been set, and if not, be prepared to be awake at the crack of dawn. Typically, those virtual queue waits are shortest the earlier you’re up; you might wait in line 15 minutes at 6 am, whereas someone trying to buy at 10 am could wait 3 hours.
All of these recommendations apply even to those who don’t plan on visiting Walt Disney World until later this summer or whenever. The clock starts ticking on your Annual Pass when you activate or use it for the first time, not when you purchase it.
This means that if you purchase an Annual Pass on April 20, make reservations and enter one of the parks for the first time on May 18, your pass expires a year from the latter date–in May 2024. There’s no disadvantage to buying immediately. In fact, our Ticket Tips for Walt Disney World has been recommending people purchase admission ASAP to lock-in current prices and guard against increases. That applies here, too.
If you live out of state and/or visit infrequently, you might be wondering whether it’s worth the money to purchase a Walt Disney World Annual Pass. Our answer is: no but maybe.
Here’s our story, to serve as a cautionary tale. It was ~15 years ago and we lived in the Midwest, but were visiting Walt Disney World a couple times per year. Annual Passes were a fraction of their current price, but we also had access to discounted and sometimes-free tickets thanks to a friend from college. Against our better judgment, we opted to purchase Annual Passes, justifying them on the basis of discounts on merchandise and food. (Truthfully, I think that we just *wanted* to be APs.)
Once you have an Annual Pass in your hand, you will use that “free” admission to justify even more trips. You get an airfare alert about discounts from Southwest, and book a quick 3-day visit to see something new or limited time. You start doing D23 events. You join Disney Vacation Club. You get super-into photography and start a blog to expose the world to all of your crazy thoughts and obsessions. You relocate closer to the parks.
If you live out of state, buying an Annual Pass to theoretically save money will, without a doubt, cost you much more money in the long-term. It might also increase your happiness and quality of life. We speak from experience on all of this.
Turning to commentary, we’ve been speculating about this for (literally) over a year in When Will Walt Disney World Resume Annual Pass Sales? If you’ve read that, you’ve already heard every possible angle to why APs have been paused. (On a positive note, it’s nice to see a prediction finally coming true.)
As for theories as to why Annual Pass sales keep being paused for so long, one is that the company is embracing the “Disney Vault” strategy of creating demand through scarcity, or rather, perceived scarcity. It’s possible that Walt Disney World has survey data showing a high dissatisfaction rating among AP and low intent to renew.
This is plausible given the difficulty some APs have reported in securing reservations and the general anger among Annual Passholders, as expressed online. However, if these same fans believe they might not be able to simply purchase passes at their leisure down the road, they might err on the side of caution and renew when their time comes.
We doubt this, though. For one thing, the internet is not real life. What people say online and how they behave in realityland are two different things, often inconsistent or downright at odds with one another. Beyond that, the entire population is not present online, and the loudest voices tend to dominate conversations.
This is true everywhere, not just in the Walt Disney World fandom. When it comes to Walt Disney World, there are extremes who absolutely adore everything Disney does and feel the company can do no wrong; then there are others who find fault in everything, and spend endless hours commenting about how they’re done with Disney. (We’re not suggesting that there aren’t valid complaints, just that if Walt Disney World were as bad as some online claim…well, attendance wouldn’t be at the level it presently is!)
To that point, the biggest factor is most likely demand. As stated above, Walt Disney World theme park reservations have been limited. It’s also no secret that crowds have been high at Walt Disney World in the last year-plus, with 2022 being the busiest year ever (beating 2019) as measured by average wait times. Thus far, 2023 is shaping up to be a similar story, with wait times just a hair below year-over-year averages.
Annual Passholders are advantageous to Walt Disney World, but not in a constrained capacity environment at the expense of tourists. Statistically speaking, per visit spending is significantly higher among resort guests and day ticket holders than APs. It thus makes sense that Walt Disney World would want to prioritize those demographics and not fill the parks with Annual Passholders at the expense of more lucrative vacationers during busier seasons.
Higher attendance has been exacerbated by the fact that Walt Disney World still is operating below 100% capacity. It’s not as bad as last year or 2021, but some shows are still dark, not all atmospheric entertainment is back, and not every venue in the park (dining, in particular) is fully efficient due to staffing shortages.
This is mostly “invisible” to guests and may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things–but it’s actually reducing attendance limits by a meaningful amount. During recent earnings calls, the company acknowledged that both Disneyland and Walt Disney World are still operating with undisclosed capacity caps in place, not for the sake of safety but due to a lack of staffing and other resources. Suffice to say, the self-imposed limitations on attendance impact AP sales, as Walt Disney World would prefer to prioritize regular ticket buyers because they typically spend more per visit. (See above.)
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Walt Disney World Annual Pass sales going forward. Will there be another virtual queue lasting well into the evening on April 20, 2023? Will new APs still be available a few days later? What about a week after that, or mid-May 2023, or throughout the summer?
Or, have many locals gotten their Disney “fix” and moved on to Universal Orlando or other Central Florida parks? Will the higher prices result in a significant number of people being priced out, or is there an insatiable desire for all things Disney among locals? Will former Annual Passholders take a wait and see approach, or will the ‘Disney Vault’ perceived scarcity strategy spike sales even further?
Without answering any of those specific questions, we’d advise you to not underestimate the demand for all things Disney. Even after aggressively courting locals and offering great deals, Universal Orlando has not captured significant market share (as measured by relative wait time levels–not anecdotes or speculation) from Walt Disney World. They’ve done well and grown, to be sure, but it has not come at the expense of Disney.
For that matter, Disney’s own “unpopular” decisions have not done any real damage to date. Demand is higher than ever, as are crowds. Maybe there’s lasting reputational damage that’ll hit down the road, once pent-up demand fizzles out. Who knows. But at this point, I would not bet against Disney. For the pessimists, you might want to assume the popularity of new AP purchases will be higher than otherwise anticipated.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited that Walt Disney World is resuming new Annual Pass sales on April 20, 2023? Will you purchase a Walt Disney World AP right away when they go back on sale, or will you wait? Agree or disagree with our assessment and commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Great article and commentary as always, Tom! I am out of state (I let my AP lapse 1/31/20 ha) and I’ll be at WDW 4/15-4/23 for Rundisney. Currently trying to decide if I buy an 8 day hopper for that week and « upgrade » this ticket to an AP on 4/20 (after having used 3 days) or just buy a 3 day ticket and trying for an incredi pass on 4/20. I’m just worried that by the time I get through on the phone to upgrade on 4/20, they’ll be sold out!
“I’m just worried that by the time I get through on the phone to upgrade on 4/20, they’ll be sold out!”
I’d take the risk, but that’s just me. It’s impossible to know how quickly APs will sell out, but I’d be very surprised if it’s same day.
APs only enhance vloggers ability to visit the parks daily and monetize Disney’s IP! Many vloggers believe they are exempt from park rules and feel entitled!
Without APs the park would be less crowded and more space for vacationers to spend mo money!
Vloggers can be annoying, I won’t deny that, but just how many of them do you think there are? I guess more to the point, how many do you think there are who don’t currently have APs?
I would hazard a guess that vloggers without APs represent less than .0000001% of those who will be purchasing on April 20.
What a great article! I have a question about buying an AP. Will I be able to purchase one for myself AND my husband on my account once I get through the queue or do we have to do so while separately logged into our own accounts? Want to make sure we’re FULLY prepared when the queue opens. Thank you!!
Unless something radically changes, you’ll be able to purchase both APs in a single transaction.
I have unused tickets from winter 2022 and understand they are still linked to my account. Will I be able to use the value of these tickets toward the purchase of annual passes when they become available for purchase this month ? I am a DVC member and would be buying the sorcerer’s pass . I understand annual passes will be available to buy online earlier if you are a DVC member.
May I ask some clarification questions please (all for the Incredi-Pass):
1. The maximum continous park passes one can hold is 10 days (5 park passes plus 5 additional passes if staying on property)?
2. Scheduling a park pass is performed exactly the sam way as not having an AP (I am making sure I can enter a given park prior to 2PM as an Incredi-Pass AP holder)?
3. Is a Park Hopper an option or does the AP implicitly include a park hopper component? Still subject to the 2PM rule?
4. If I am successful in obtaining an Incredi-Pass AP, can I get a refund of the park pass ticket portion of a trip I have already booked in late August?
5. Is the Disney Photopass a per person add on or for just one AP holder (similar to a per trip Photopass purchase)?
Thank you!
1. 5 park passes, plus any bonus passes currently being offered, but those have been rare. While staying in a Disney resort, APs can have passes for the length of stay. I have a 30 day stay booked, and passes for every day of it.
2. Passholders have a separate page for booking park passes.
3. Park hopping is included with all APs.
4. The price of the ticket will be applied to the the cost of the AP UNLESS is was purchased as part of a resort stay package. In that case, the credit is reduced by some formula that isn’t disclosed. If you want to do this, go to Guest Services at Disney Springs. They have greater ability to do things for guests than the GS in the parks.
5. Get it for one APH, and your linked friends and family can get photos taken, and they will be in the APH’s account, and they can download the pictures for them.
One year too late for us. DD was in DCP and we visited her/Orlando 6 times. Could really have used it then! But she came home in February, and it’ll be a loooong time before we head back down. Pixie dust to everyone trying on the 20th!
Being one of those PO’d out of state passholders who continued to renew due to not being able to repurchase later, if things change for the better, I will now be watching to see of AP sales continue, or if this is a limited time offer again. We’ve already reduced the number of yearly visits from 4 or 5 to just 2, barely enough to justify the cost of AP. When our renewal window comes this year, we will likely renew, as we already have our second trip booked for after that, but it may well be our last renewal.
To be told that Disney doesn’t care about AP holders, and would rather us stay out of the parks because we don’t spend as much as the family from Denver that visits one every 5 years is insulting in the extreme. We come and stay anywhere from two weeks to a full month, albeit at the lower cost campground. But we still dine in the parks, buy souvenirs like crazy people and often buy extra experiences (I still rave about the Wild Africa Trek) and much more.
In response to our righteous griping, Disney has offered us a couple of breadcrumbs – Photo Pass lens, the Castle montage thing, and no Park Pass after 2 pm (which is pretty much useless to out of state folks.) That’s just rubbing salt into our wounds. Give us the benefits we used to have, at least the out of state passholders – we pay the highest price with no option for spreading it out over the year, plus we usually come and stay in resorts and spend almost as much as day ticket visitors in the stores and restaurants. WE are the guests that Disney should want visiting frequently, and we’re the first to say, “Nope, that’s it for me. We’ll go to elsewhere for our vacation trips.”
I think Disney has a delicate needle to thread with people like you. The point made in your last sentence is very valid, and that’s a risk they’re running–one that could come back to bite them in the long-term.
I would imagine their counter to everything before that would essentially amount to a preference for people like you to purchase multi-day tickets, and do 2 more expensive trips rather than 4-5 less expensive ones. Obviously not with regard to you, specifically, but this type of visitor and average spending habits.
The problem is that they can’t “choose” that for your type of visitor. Trying to push you towards the less-frequent and more-expensive trips might alienate and lose you completely, as appears to be happening. (And doubtlessly has with others who are similarly-situated.)
I’m not a FL resident and not a DVC member so my only choice is Incredi-Pass at $1399 plus tax? No payment feature as I’m not a FL resident, right? My identical boys are currently in the Disney College Program and have a few free tix for us right now. But if they get kidnapped by the Mouse and don’t come home, we may need annual passes. Mostly as a Mom excuse for getting to see them more. I am so much more familiar with how it works at Disneyland, or rather, how it used to work. FL seems very daunting. And pretty pricey.
That is correct.
However, given that your boys are in the CP and (maybe) will end up holding over, you might want to read this carefully: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/tickets/proof-florida-address/
I’m an out of state DVC member who will happen to be on site next week. I’m wondering if I can upgrade our tickets to Sorcerer AP’s while there. I asked 2 different CM’s via phone and chat; one said no and the other said yes. If you have any insight on this, please share!
If you try it, go to the Guest Services in Disney Springs. They seem to have to most ability to make things happen. Back in 2021 I had let my pass expire because COVID, and they let me renew nearly 3 months after expiration. I went to Gideon’s and got my cast member a cookie.
Thanks for the info, Tom! And we are all so very grateful you and Sarah became APs all those years ago.
Great! Now they just need to bring back the dining plan, like they said would be coming back “soon”(about two years ago?!).
I am surprised given current WDW demand that they are finally offering APs. I was also surprised when I saw the really good discounts on property hotels I saw, one of which I booked, for shoulder season & summer. Demand will be nuts for these APs and you are 100% right to advise people who want a pass to make that decision beforehand, prepare to get up very early, and prepare to be in a queue all day..
If I leave on 17th and add days to ticket can I upgrade to annual pass and use value over the phone.
Anyone know if the online purchasing will allow for upgrading existing unused park tickets to annual passes?
It does not, and never has. One must upgrade tickets to annual passes in person at a guest services location, at parks or Disney Springs.
I know I upgraded unused tickets to AP over the phone the last time APs were available, so hopefully it will be possible again.
Wow you’re quick off the mark. I presume this article has been in your drafts for quite a while.
The 2pm change is a game-changer for APs. Previously, buying an AP then being locked out was terrible PR. This way, Disney allow the big spenders in early, and AP holders probably don’t mind the 2pm limitation since they can now drop in after work (or after lunch). No park reservation needed reintroduces the possibility of dropping into EPCOT for dinner on a whim.
These APs will fly off the shelves quicker than a 9am restock at the Character Warehouse, especially the Florida resident passes.
“I presume this article has been in your drafts for quite a while.”
No, it hasn’t! This is all fresh as of today.
I was planning on pre-writing it next week or once I received a credible rumor that they’d be returning.
LOL about the Character Warehouse reference–and agree!
Do you anticipate DVC Sorcerer Passes selling out before April 20th? I personally like that they are available early to us. However I’m curious about your thoughts because it’s a bit of a curveball. And btw congrats for “guessing” the on sale date so close, within 1 day. Our trip is in late June and I was specifically waiting until at least 4/19 to purchase any ticket media based on your thoughts.
“Do you anticipate DVC Sorcerer Passes selling out before April 20th?”
I do not.
My personal suspicion is that Walt Disney World has held off on resuming AP sales for so long–even when there was excess supply/capacity last fall–because they didn’t want to be in a situation like Disneyland where they kept starting and stopping sales after only a few days. That the goal here is to leave sales open for a while, so everyone who attempts to purchase in April/May 2023 is able to do so.
However, I would absolutely not be willing to bet or gamble on that being the case. If I didn’t have an AP right now, I’d be queueing up on day 1 (whether that be for DVC or the general public) buying ASAP. I’m not confident enough in that suspicion to rely upon it–or recommend anyone else do the same.
Thumbs up Tom Bricker!
You’re reasoning is always very sharp and today’s AP announcement proves that once again. Matches with your prediction.
Thanks, but if we’re keeping score, I first thought APs would return last mid-August. So I was wrong before being right.
Eventually, I’ll also be right about the Disney Dining Plan’s return, but on that one, I’ll have been wrong many, many times before. (In my defense, Disney did mislead us on that one!)
I’m guessing if you go to DW once a year this probably isn’t worth it correct?
Also I live in NY so probably irrelevant 😉
I’m curious too!
I’ve updated the post with the answer, and our cautionary tale…
In general, I would say no, but there are specific situations where it might be worth it. If you take a long (like 10 day trip) to Disney, and you travel during one of the AP room discount periods, and you stay at a pricier resort, it *might* be worth it for one person to pay for the AP. But for most people visiting once a year, it is probably cheaper to pay out of pocket. Especially since out of state visitors are only eligible for the most expensive pass.
I am thrilled that APs wil be on sale again! I moved here to central FL 10 months ago and having been a long time Disneyland AP holder I was devastated to realize I could only buy the Pixie Dust pass. I have been counting down the days until my renewal date so I could upgrade…but looks like Disney magic made it happen sooner than expected. Does anyone have any insight into how upgrades will work on the 20th? Will it be done online? Phone? In person?
I just saw that I will be able to upgrade in the app. That’s what I get for asking questions before doing my own research…
I’m a FL Resident. The site says that if you’re a current passholder, you can upgrade your passes in the app. I’ll also be on a plane on the 20th. So I was wondering, if I bought Pixie passes for my family today and then upgraded to Sorcerer or Incredi-Pass on the 20th (which it is alleged you can do in the app), is that an advantage?
In theory, yes. In practice? Who knows.
Since you don’t already have a Pixie Pass, I’m guessing there’s a reason for that. If so, and you wouldn’t be happy if “stuck” with a Pixie Pass, I’d probably just wait and do it all at once. YMMV, though. Good luck!
Hi James, fellow New Yorker here and Jared W pretty much nailed it. One of the most important things JW mentioned is that only one person in the family needs to have it. I would say 10 days is the bare minimum. Using that and talking in round numbers Say the pass is 1500 with tax. You use it to book Pop and save $50 per night. That’s 500. Now you spend $100 a day on food and save $20 a day for another 200 BUT WAIT!!! You can get that same saving using your Disney Card and get 2% credit points. Ahhh but if you have the AP you can use Disney gift cards you purchased at Target and save 5% onto of the 20%. Now you’ve saved $25 per day for $250. so far your total is $750. Now you buy some experiences MNSSHP or Wild Africa Trek or behind the seeds and you’ve saved another $100. You’re now at $850. Souvenirs or clothing etc come to a modest $250 so you save $50 more dollars A grand total of $900. You’ve now only paid $600 and you can book your next trip for 10 days before your pass expires at which time you’ll save another $900 and you had passes for 20 days for free AND your ahead by $300. Of corse if you don’t return ever again you still made out pretty good. Plus you get a magnet for you car which tells the world once a year I go to WDW and the house is empty and unprotected for at least a week. My wife and I have them but we go for anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. 10 days you just need one. LGM!!!!!
Sorry this is in the wrong spot
That’s what I get for replying on my phone.
That’s what you get for being a Mets fan. Seriously?! I thought I knew you. 😉