The Disneyland Resort had announced that the Annual Pass program is ending with a new membership offering to be announced in the future.
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What’s Happening:
- The Disneyland Resort remains closed under California health and safety guidelines, which could continue for the foreseeable future with Coronavirus cases rising and a slow rollout of vaccinations.
- When the parks closed, Disneyland paused monthly payment plans for annual passes and agreed to extend the end date on prepaid plans for passholders who didn’t want a refund.
- Now the resort has announced that the Annual Pass program is being discontinued.
- Annual Passholders who paid for the year in full or who had an unused balance on a monthly plan can expect a partial refund. Click here to learn more about how refunds will be distributed.
- No timeline has been given regarding how long it will take for passholders who are owed a refund to receive them.
- Despite ending the Annual Passholder program, Disneyland will continue to offer annual passholder discounts throughout the Disneyland Resort. Simply show your annual pass card to continue to receive your discount like you previously did. In addition, the merchandise discount has been increased to 30% off Monday through Thursday.
- The Premier Passport will be canceled after March 31st, 2021, which is the pass type that offered access to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks.
- Premier Passholders will be able to renew their passes as a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass through April 30th, 2021.
- Disneyland has not shared any additional information about the new membership program that will replace the Annual Pass in the future.
- This move from the Disneyland Resort is similar to one made last year by the Tokyo Disney Resort, which ended their Annual Pass lottery program at the end of 2020.
- Orange County opened their first Super POD mass vaccination facility at Disneyland’s Toy Story parking lot earlier this week and plans to vaccinate all residents in the county by July 4th.
- Disneyland President Ken Potrock has sent a letter to Annual Passholders by email, which has been included below.
Full Letter to Passholders from Disneyland President Ken Potrock:
Dear Annual Passholder,
For nearly four decades, our Annual Passport program has been an important part of connecting with some of our most valued Guests. We are incredibly honored and grateful for that legacy, and the memories and magical moments you have helped us create over the years.
It’s because you’ve played such an important part in the history of the Disneyland Resort that I personally wanted to share this news with you. In the next several days, we will begin the process of issuing appropriate refunds for eligible Disneyland Resort Annual Passports and sunsetting the current Annual Passport program due to the continued uncertainty of the pandemic and limitations and expected restrictions around the reopening of our theme parks.
I know that sunsetting the Annual Passport program will be disappointing to many of our Passholders who are just as anxious as we are to reopen our gates and welcome Guests back when the time is right. But we are also very excited about what’s ahead. We plan to use this time while we remain closed to develop new membership offerings that will utilize consumer insights to deliver choice, flexibility and value for our biggest fans. Once we have more information to share about future membership offerings, our Passholders will be the first to hear from us as we embark on this next chapter.
Annual Passholders who held active Passports as of March 14, 2020 will continue to receive applicable discounts, based on their Passport type, on merchandise and food & beverages at select Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street locations, until new membership offerings are announced. As an added benefit, starting January 18 through February 25, 2021, these Passholders will receive a 30% discount on select merchandise at select locations in Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street, Monday through Thursday. For more details, visit Disneyland.com/APSpecialOffers. We also encourage you to stay connected with the Disneyland Annual Passholders Facebook page as we plan to continue our Annual Passport communication and digital content with more special opportunities to come, until new membership offerings are announced.
A pro rata refund will be issued for your Passport, if you are entitled to one. We are committed to processing refunds as diligently and as quickly as possible. A separate confirmation email will be sent once any applicable pro rata refund has been processed. Please visit Disneyland.com/PassportRefund for more information.
While I have not had the chance to engage with many of you since assuming my Disneyland role in May of last year, I do want to thank you for your understanding during this challenging and unprecedented time. We are incredibly optimistic about our bright future – and look forward to you being part of it.
Again, thank you for your loyalty over the years and your continued support.
Ken Potrock
President
Disneyland Resort