Disney World and the Annual Passholders

We rarely chime in on the perceived "bad" things about Walt Disney World.  Generally speaking, we have always found that the guest experience is always exceptional.  And sure, comment sections are filled with complaints about price, the mask requirement, etc., but we don't typically chime in on those thoughts because while a Disney trip does come with a high price tag, there are many reasons and justifications for those costs.

But once in a while, Disney makes a decision which doesn't quite sit well, and we feel it's important to call it out and hope that a change in course is made.  Over the last week or so, various announcements regarding the phased re-opening of Walt Disney World have been made.  By now, everyone is familiar with the forthcoming reservation system which will have priority access for annual passholders, resort guests, and ticket holders.  And while the parks will be operating at a limited capacity, and everyone understands why, it struck us as odd that concessions were not made for annual passholders.

Annual Passholders are afforded a lot of privileges with their passes:  access to all four (4) parks, on any day, everyday, for a year (assuming your pass does not have blackout dates).  They also include access to water parks, free parking, and discounts on resorts and merchandise.  Now under the new reservation system, passholders will be limited to their access of the parks just like everyone else.

The problem is that this is not what passholders who have already purchased their pass signed up for, and based on what has been released, it doesn't sound like Disney plans on modifying the annual pass holder plans to either offer a partial refund of the purchase price or extending the duration of the plan until the pandemic is over and the parks are able to operate at full capacity.

Keep in mind, for those passholders who live out-of-state, these plans are very expensive.

And based on conversations with passholders who have reached out to us, they purchase these plans based upon attuning the parks a certain number of times (9-10 per year for example).  These trips are now very much in jeopardy given the new reservation system and limited capacity of the parks.  Not to mention the fact that park hopping is going to be eliminated until capacity can be increased.

Annual Passholders are some of the most passionate and loyal Disney fans.  They spend a significant sum of money each and every year at the parks.  Hopefully, Disney will see that passholders are not receiving the benefit of the bargain and will make some needed adjustments.