Disney Explains Why It Stopped Selling Annual Passes

Another Disney Park just stopped selling Annual Passes – and now Disney has revealed why.

A lot has changed about Disney Parks since the pandemic. One significant change still impacting regular Guests and local residents is the changes to Disney’s Annual Pass program.

The Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort discontinued Annual Pass sales in 2020. While they later reinstated new versions with different tiers, both Resorts regularly freeze the sales of new Annual Passes (or, in the case of Disneyland, Magic Keys), which has caused plenty of discontent among Disney fans.

And now Disneyland Paris fans know exactly how it feels. On March 29, the Walt Disney Company immediately suspended Annual Pass sales.

Disneyland Paris has since issued a statement on its website to explain why – and it’s not what fans wanted to hear.

We are always listening to our guests and continually strive to bring new experiences and develop new products which deliver choice, flexibility and value for our Annual Passholders.

We are currently developing a new product range for our most frequent visitors based on the valuable feedback our Passholders have given us and as a result we are pausing sales of new Annual Passes. Therefore our Annual Passes are now only available for renewals for individuals who currently have a valid Annual Pass.

We look forward to sharing more with you later this year. In the meantime, if you are already an Annual Passholder, you may continue to use and renew your existing Pass.

As stated, existing anyone who already has a Disneyland Paris Annual Pass is free to renew. They can also use their usual 15% discount to do so, just as long as they renew within two months of the expiration date. But those wanting a new Annual Pass, there’s now an indefinite wait.

Unsurprisingly, Guests aren’t overjoyed at the situation. The main concern Disneyland Paris parkgoers seem to have is whether they’ll end up with a system as complicated as that at Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort. Both Resorts have used vague names to label Annual Pass tiers, which has led to confusion from those who just want to purchase regular access to the Parks.

Please, can Disneyland Paris make a new range of annual pass that is clear and understandable? I mean not with names like "Pirate" "Princess" "Space Ranger"… something we understand by the name only

— Imemegination (@imemegination) March 30, 2023

Another major source of discontent is the fact that Annual Passes have surged in price since the pandemic while also offering more restrictions. In October 2022, one pair of Passholders decided to sue Walt Disney World Resort over “unfair” treatment inflicted by the Resort’s reservation system.

“Disney’s conduct is a predatory business practice, aimed at exploiting the customers who support it the most, its annual pass holders. Disney abused a global pandemic to take advantage of its own loyal customers and increase its revenue,” the plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit.  

Walt Disney World has since amended the system to allow Passholders into the Parks without a reservation. However, there’s no denying that Passholders are less satisfied with their experience post-pandemic than they were before.

We’ll have to wait and see what Annual Pass system Disneyland Paris implements (and whether it stirs up quite as much frustration), fingers crossed it’s more straightforward than the systems at Parks across the Atlantic.

Until that time comes, Guests who want to visit Disneyland Park or Walt Disney Studios Park can purchase either a dated ticket – priced at $96.39 per adult for one day – or an undated ticket for $124.96 on the Disneyland Paris website.