End of the annual Disneyland program!

After a year of speculation, the unthinkable has just been confirmed, Disneyland is ending its annual pass holder program with immediate effect. Pass holders will be contacted today and informed that they will be automatically reimbursed for the unused portion of their annual pass contract.

End of the Disneyland pass holder program

In October 2020, we shared information that Tokyo Disneyland was ending its pass holder program due to the limited capacity of the park and the difficulty of securing park reservations for pass holders. At the time, we speculated that the same situation might also have to happen at Disneyland. Today, this suspicion has been confirmed.

Ken Potrock, President of Disneyland Resort, is sharing the following letter with all current pass holders. The letter explains the reason for this sudden change, discusses the huge impact it will have for many and suggests that more information is yet to come.

Letter from Disneyland President to Outgoing Pass Holders Now

The truth is, Disneyland really wouldn’t have been able to maintain the end of the annual pass contract for an indefinite number of months after the parks reopened due to expected drastic limitations on park capacity. And while Disneyland has yet to create their new ticket structure (they’re busy sending out surveys right now to determine what customers want), they know people prefer to be guaranteed a ticket and to access it rather than paying full price for an annual pass and not having access to something they have already paid for.

Due to the high number of pass holders and the expected low capacity of the park, something drastic had to be done. But don’t despair just yet. Disneyland knows that many of you identify with parks. It’s an important part of your lifestyle and the thought of not having access to it probably causes tears (or even anger) in those of you reading this. Disneyland therefore hopes to embrace fans, continue to provide benefits and opportunities, but have a flexible new ticketing structure that will allow Disneyland to control access to the park and better serve customers in these difficult times. The exact structure of the ticket office is not yet finalized. But it will probably be integrated into the new park reservation system.

What current annual pass holders need to know

First and foremost, you will automatically receive a prorated refund for the number of unused days on your annual pass. If you are curious about what this amount is, you can visit Disneyland Passport Refund Page which will calculate your refund due.

But even with all of the Disneyland passes canceled, if you had an active park pass as of March 14, 2020, when the Disneyland Resort closes, you will continue to receive certain benefits. Discounts for pass holders will continue for the time being at Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street. AND from January 18 to February 25, pass holders will receive 30% off select locations in downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street Monday through Thursday (regular discounts still apply Friday through Sunday) .

Disney is promising to ensure that pass holders are the first to hear about the new ticket program as soon as it is finalized. We’ll be sure to break it down for you and explain the changes right here on MiceChat.

That Disneyland feeling

We had a few moments to chat with Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock about these changes. It was quite clear that he understood and was concerned about how these changes would make the pass holders feel. On the one hand, Disney has done everything it can to grow the program over the decades and make pass holders feel special, but current business demands would make it impossible to provide the same level of experience. ‘access to an era of social distancing and extreme limitations on park capacity.

Ken is committed to creating new ways to engage the best Disneyland fans and ensure they continue to feel connected. Nothing is on the table at the moment as they try to figure out exactly what fans want and how Disneyland can deliver it under very difficult circumstances.

If you have any thoughts on the things Disney can do to help you feel the magic once the parks reopen, be sure to share them in the comments below. Wanting a pass holder program just isn’t possible right now, but surely there are things Disney can offer, clubs, special events with tickets, fan merchandise, and more. that will help keep that sense of connection to Walt’s original Disneyland.

SURVEY

In October 2020, we conducted a poll to ask if the pass holder program should be discontinued as it was in Tokyo to allow Disneyland to better control the capacity of the park. We were shocked not only by the number of votes and views, but also by the results.

At the time, over 72% of you voted for some version of the end of the program. Only 19% said the program should not be terminated or changed.

The question now is, how would you like the park tickets to be treated when Disneyland reopens? Should dated tickets just be offered at a sliding scale based on demand? Would you like to be able to purchase discount vouchers of the number you bought (which will then need to be programmed into the parks reservation system)? Should the park be the same price every day or do you like a sliding ladder? Should jumping in parks be allowed or should parks require a separate entrance at this time? Let us know your thoughts below.

Let’s hear your opinion

As an almost lifetime Pass holder, this news made me personally very moved. While I have been expecting exactly this news for several months, Disneyland is still a very important part of my life (the fact that I run this blog is proof of that), but I understand the very difficult position that Disneyland finds itself in. I would like to think that this reset will allow Disneyland to remedy the conditions that caused the oppressive overcrowding of the park whenever something new was introduced (everything from a new bucket of popcorn to the opening of a new one). attraction, would sometimes block the park). Regular customers increasingly found the park not fun to visit because it was just too crowded. Disney may correct this issue with a limited number of tickets available on any given day.

The rapid increase in the cost of annual passes has made the decision to renew increasingly difficult for many. $ 1,450 for a seamless pass last year. So many of you have already forfeited your passes and taken advantage of special ticket offers instead.

Would I be willing to buy tickets only when I need them? Yes. But I want to see some kind of discount for people who visit more than once a year, or maybe just discounted ticket deals for locals at times of low footfall. And I would eventually like to see Disney bring back a version of the FlexPass, which still allows the park to limit the number of visits through scheduling.

Let’s hear what you think. What do you think of this news? What can Disney do to keep you engaged? And how would you like tickets to be treated in the near future?

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