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Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks, closed for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are ending their annual pass program as we know it.
The popular tiered ticketing system, which has changed the culture of Anaheim’s two theme parks to become a daily, weekly or monthly hangout for many Southern Californians, is being phased out – or “sunsetted,” to use the terminology of Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock. The annual pass program will eventually be replaced with new membership offers, he said.
Potrock offered no timeline on the latter, citing the unpredictability of the current environment, in which an increase in the number of coronavirus cases is hitting southern California.
By ending the current annual pass program – refunds will automatically be given to those who paid days after the parks closed last March – Disney plans to operate at reduced capacity, only by reservation, when those responsible for Californians’ health will let the parks reopen.
But the move hits the parks’ most dedicated and loyal fans with an avalanche of uncertainty. Although Disney doesn’t release attendance figures, the annual pass program has long been estimated at around seven figures. Fans who wanted and expected a “Disneyland fix” are now faced with the prospect of losing priority access to the park’s reopening, and are holding their breath to see what the redesigned membership program will look like.
A replacement for the annual pass program is unlikely to be implemented until the pandemic has receded enough for Disneyland Resort to accommodate guests at or near its pre-coronavirus attendance levels. Potrock stressed that, in the long run, he believed the move would be a pandemic “beacon of hope” for Disney, allowing him to shape a program better suited to the financial realities still unknown to many Disneyland fans while potentially having plus flexible levels for those who don’t necessarily see themselves as park regulars.
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