Disney’s annual passes have changed a lot over the years, but we just got a big update on one pass type.
Enchantment
No, it’s not about the potential for sales of new Annual Passes in Disney World. And it’s not about the price increases that have hit Disney World’s Annual Passes or even the Annual Passholder lawsuits related to Park Passes. This update is about a particular pass type you may have never realized was an option a while ago.
Some time ago, there used to be a ticket type called the Premier Passport. This essentially served as a joint annual pass for Disney World AND Disneyland. The pass type was discontinued some time ago. Back in 2021, Premier Passport holders got Disney World entry through March 31st, 2021, and then had to take action to keep ONLY their Disney World pass.
During the 2022 annual shareholder meeting, then-CEO Bob Chapek was asked about the potential return of these coast-to-coast annual passes and shared that he would check on the possibility of its return. So what has happened now?
Tree of Life
Well, since the time of Chapek’s response, there really hasn’t been any update on the Premier Passport front. It never returned as an option for guests to buy and now we know why. During the 2023 shareholder meeting, returning CEO Bob Iger was once again asked about the Premier Passport ticket option. The individual who called asked why “true fanatics” who want to visit both coasts and have an annual pass that works at both resorts should be “punished and restricted.”
Iger responded to this matter by noting that he had actually looked into this issue in anticipation of receiving a question about it. Iger shared that he discovered the caller was one of the very few people who are actually interested in such a pass.
Disneyland
According to Iger, because demand for that Premier Passport is so limited, it doesn’t make sense for Disney to support it. He noted that there are some costs associated with supporting it and they simply couldn’t justify the cost to keep it going.
So it sounds like the Premier Passport won’t be coming back (at least for now). Perhaps if demand for the pass were to dramatically increase, Disney might reconsider, but it sounds like the need for it simply isn’t there at the moment.
Pixar Pier at night
We’ll keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we find.
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I had it 10 years ago and used it once, totally get why they wouldn’t have it as it was more complicated than needed. However it was a bucket moment to say that I had it and used it 😊
As is typical of large businesses if there isn’t a large profit they don’t want to keep it. I am reminded of a chain restaurant in my town that even admitted in the newspaper that they were closing the restaurant when the lease was up because even though they were making a profit it wasn’t large enough to keep the restaurant. Evidently it must cost Disney a lot of money to use a computer to keep track of a person entering a park on different coasts. They keep taking away the little perks that made Disney a special vacation spot, just for the sake of profit. With the loss of Disney Magic express and luggage handling I have stopped going to Disney and have no plans to ever return.
If you already purchased a vacation package from Disney world can you update paid ticket price to an annual pass when you get there. Annual pass was not available. When purchased
Count me as one of the few who owned the pass most years and still interested in owning one. Maybe Iger could look into if you buy WDW AP you can get a sizable discount on a DL AP?