Credit: UnsplashIn an unfortunate trend, Annual Passholders have just lost even more benefits from their Disney vacation.
The Disney theme parks are well known for their incredible atmosphere and unbelievable attention to detail. Whether you’re visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, or Disneyland in Anaheim, California, you can bet your Mickey Ears that you’ll find some fun and some magic.
Of course, the Walt Disney World Resort is made up of four incredible theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT. Guests can also enjoy two fantastic water parks and Disney Springs, the Resort’s massive shopping and dining hub.
Disneyland is home to two Parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Guests can also shop and dine til they drop at Downtown Disney.
Disney has also diversified its selection of theme parks over the decades, creating incredible locations around the world, including Shangai Disneyland, Tokyo Disney, Hong Kong Disney, and, of course, Disneyland Paris.
The Prices
The Disney Parks and Resorts are also notoriously expensive, costing an average family thousands of dollars for just a week in the Parks. There’s no doubt that The Walt Disney Company has created some truly astounding rides, attractions, and experiences within its theme parks, but the cost of a Disney vacation is simply too much for many people.
In the years since the first COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve seen the Disney Park experience become a shell of itself, with benefits being slashed left and right.
Soon after Disney began to reopen Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Guests noticed prices had increased, and the number of activities and things to do had decreased.
Portion sizes shrunk while prices grew exponentially. Fan-favorite add-ons like the Disney Dining Plan were nowhere to be seen. To put it simply, Guests found that the Disney they knew and loved was different, with many wondering if it had changed forever.
Related: Disney Confirms Crucial Detail Regarding Popular Attraction
Disney Genie didn’t help, with the new pricey addition replacing the free Fastpass system previously used at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Instead of being able to make free reservations for select rides and attractions, Guests now need to pay for Genie+ to skip the long lines at the Parks.
This addition has been controversial, to say the least, with many fans and Guests alike voicing their disapproval of the service. Regardless, Genie+ remains super popular, with The Walt Disney Company revealing the jaw-dropping amount of money the service has made for them.
The Walt Disney Company knows that a Disney vacation is expensive. Because of this, we see Disney release special offers and limited-time deals on park tickets in an attempt to grab more customers. There are tons of ways to get discounts on food, merchandise, and tickets to the Parks, which we’ve covered extensively here at Inside the Magic.
But the most well-known special ticket by far is a Disney Annual Pass.
While Annual Passes are called something different at each Disney Resort across the world, they all act in the same way, for the most part. These passes allow Annual Passholders to enter the Disney Parks and Resorts multiple times per year for a significant discount. Of course, if you only plan on visiting Disney once every year or even every other year, these are not the best option.
However, for true, hardcore Disney park fans, Annual Passes are the go-to option.
Unfortunately, the trend of Disney removing benefits from Guests is continuing, with the Disneyland Paris Resort making some drastic changes to how its Annual Pass works.
Related: Beloved Disney Attraction Exterior Destroyed During Massive Remodel
On July 11, 2023, the Disneyland Paris Resort officially ended its current Annual Pass program, revealing something new would soon be taking its place. The new pass, called the Disneyland Pass, will launch later this year.
A summary of what was removed was shared online and is linked below:
Many benefits are no longer offered with Disneyland Pass. – Existing AP Holders keep remaining Privilege Tickets, EMT and discounts until expiration. – AP Entrance, Infinity Parking, Rental discounts, free bag storage end for all Jul 19. – Reserved Viewing ends for all Aug 1.
⚠️ Many benefits are no longer offered with Disneyland Pass.
– Existing AP Holders keep remaining Privilege Tickets, EMT and discounts until expiration.
– AP Entrance, Infinity Parking, Rental discounts, free bag storage end for all Jul 19.
– Reserved Viewing ends for all Aug 1. pic.twitter.com/H36zIfXAGG— DLP Report (@DLPReport) July 11, 2023
As you can see, there are several benefits missing for Annual Passholders of this new Disneyland Pass. Guests no longer receive stroller and wheelchair rentals or free locker storage at the Parks. Annual Passholders also don’t get discounts on hotels or day tickets.
There’s no longer a dedicated entry to Annual Passholders, as there used to be before this change. There are no more reserved areas as well as infinity parking.
Quite a lot has been stripped from the original Annual Pass to make room for this new Disneyland Pass, and fan reactions have been mixed, to say the least. Many fans called out Disneyland Paris for this shocking change. One fan called it a “massive downgrade“:
This is a massive downgrade of what we had with the current program. Stripping away all benefits and lowering/removing discounts makes it a bare-bone annual pass. Unfortunately more in line with what they have in the US.
And still only three reservations. Shame. https://t.co/hrRVsKXS4R
— Arvid – Travel to the Magic (@travelttmagic) July 11, 2023
The loss of so many benefits sparked a large discussion online. Another user commented on the current state of the Disneyland Paris Resort:
Disneyland Paris has managed to create unhappy Cast Members AND unhappy fans… what a combo!
Disneyland Paris has managed to create unhappy Cast Members AND unhappy fans… what a combo! https://t.co/lnRLQH51zk
— Imaginat1on (@imaginat1on) July 11, 2023
Controversy
This decision comes at a very interesting time for the Disneyland Paris Resort. For those who may not know, The Disneyland Paris Resort has been embroiled in controversy for most of 2023, with a battle between Disney and its Cast Members continuing for the foreseeable future. It all started earlier this year when Cast Members began to go on strike, publicly demonstrating at the Parks in front of Guests.
Eventually, more and more public demonstrations were held. At one point, Cast Members blocked the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. These demonstrations caused a lot of headaches for the Disneyland Paris Resort, forcing the Resorts to close and reschedule multiple attractions and live events.
Things got so bad that the Disneyland Paris Resort began issuing refunds to unhappy Guests, giving out thousands of dollars to customers who were left dissatisfied with the state of the Parks.
Earlier his year, Disneyland Paris President Rafalski stated that the European Resort is focused on being extra careful with the money it’s spending, alluding to the fact that the Resort may not be profitable enough to afford higher wages. This issue, accompanied by the recent Annual Pass reveal, may create an even worse storm for Disneyland Paris.
Only time will tell if a resolution between Disney and its Cast Members can be reached, but for now, it seems like Disney is stuck between a rock and a hard place, even before the decision to change how Annual Passholders experience the Parks.
The Walt Disney Company is no stranger to controversy, with the last few years being some of the most controversial and tumultuous years the company has ever faced. In 2022, Disney axed its former CEO, Bob Chapek, after months of poor decision-making and lackluster reception. Disney veteran Bob Iger stepped back into the role of CEO to replace him during the transition period, but it’s reported that Iger is looking to stay longer than he first intended.
The Walt Disney Company recently faced one of its biggest failures in Florida with the closure of the infamous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. Disney revealed its decision to permanently close the “resort” earlier this year, with all voyages ending in September.
The Galactic Starcruiser experience opened in March of 2022, meaning it would have lasted less than two years at the Walt Disney World Resort.
However, the future still looks quite bright for Disney, especially when taking a look at the recent additions to the theme parks.
In 2022, EPCOT received its first-ever roller coaster, called Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This thrilling experience takes Guests on a journey through space as they are accompanied by Marvel’s lovable crew of misfits known as The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Earlier in 2023, Magic Kingdom also received a new roller coaster called TRON Lightcycle/Run. This exciting attraction took several years to build and was first announced all the way back in 2017. It can be found next to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland.
What are your thoughts on this new Annual Pass? Have you been to Disneyland Paris?