If you plan on visiting the Disneyland Resort a few times per year, then consider purchasing an Annual Passport. Prior to booking your vacation package add up the total number of days you plan on spending in the park for the year. If it is more than seven days you should consider buying an Annual Passport.
Did you know that if you live in California you can make monthly payments on your annual pass? I live in Northern California so I take full advantage of the Annual Passport tickets for my family.
Disneyland offers a variety of Annual Passports so it is important to research which one is best for your family.
Here are a few things to consider.
- Adult and Children Annual Passports are the same price, but the normal park tickets are not. This is something to consider because an Annual Passport for your child may be more money than buying just the park tickets. Remember that children 0-2 are free at Disney Parks so they don’t need a ticket to enter.
- Check the blockout calendar. If your vacation includes days that are blocked then an Annual Passport may not be right for you or consider buying a passport without blockout days instead.
There are four types of Annual Passport you can purchase for Disneyland and the price varies depending upon the number of park admission days. This is a brief overview of each passport. All passports offer admission to both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, special resort hotel rates and discounts on guided tours.
You can compare all of the features of each pass here.
Premium
With this pass you can enjoy 365 days of admission and up to 15% off at select dining and up to 20% off merchandise. Theme park parking is also included with this passport. California residents can purchase this pass for $669 or $92 down and $48.09/month*
Deluxe
There some blockout days with this passport so only 315 days of admission are offered. The majority of the times this passport is blocked is during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, some weekends during Spring Break and Summer. This passport offers up to 10% off at select dining locations and merchandise. California residents can purchase this pass for $499 or $92 down and $33.92/month*
Southern California (zip codes 90000-93599)
This passport offers 215 days of admission, with all Saturday’s blocked as well as the entire month of July and most of August and December. This passport offers up to 10% off at select dining locations and merchandise. Southern California residents can purchase this pass for $359 or $92 down and $22.25/month*
Southern California Select (zip codes 90000-93599)
Those who purchase this pass will enjoy 170 days of admission. This passport is best for people who only have time to visit Disneyland during the weekday as this passport is blocked out every single Saturday and Sunday. It is also blocked out the entire month of July and most of August and December. Southern California residents can purchase this pass for $279 or $92 down and $15.59/month*
In addition to the dining and merchandise discounts, Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holders receive special offers and other discounts all year long. These discounts often include discounts at Aulani in Hawaii as well as discounts at local Anaheim restaurants and shops. Annual Passport holders also have access to early registration for runDisney events and access to other special events held at Disneyland Resort throughout the year. Passport holders also save money on seasonal event tickets to events such as Mickey’s Halloween Party. These offer change often so be sure to check the Annual Passports news section on the Disneyland website.
There is also an official Disneyland Resort Annual Passport holder fan page on Facebook.
For more information about the Disneyland Resort Annual Passes click here
*prices quoted in this article are accurate as of the date March 17, 2014
Holly says
This is a great breakdown of how the annual pass works and the comparison to buying park tickets. I live in Florida, and my family has the seasonal pass. We figured if we wanted to go to Walt Disney World more than three days of the year, the seasonal pass is a great cost saver, and we can pay it in monthly installments rather than a huge chunk of change all at once. We don’t even mind the blackout dates that come with the seasonal pass! The pass has also enabled me to sign up for runDisney events before the general public.