It’s finally happening — Disney World Annual Passes will be going on sale again SOON!
Annual Passholder Card
After the Disney World parks closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Annual Pass sales were paused. Sales resumed in September of 2021 with a revamped version of the program with new pass options. Sales were not active for long, because by November 2021, they had been paused again for all but one version of the Annual Pass. Now, Annual Pass sales will resume SOON — but we have a word of WARNING if you’re trying to snag one!
New sales for Disney World Annual Passes will resume starting on April 20th, 2023! Disney confirmed that this includes the Incredi-Pass, Sorcerer Pass, and Pirate Pass, and the Pixie Dust Pass (which has been available for purchase) will still be available.
But, Disney has noted that quantities will be limited, so you’ll want to set your alarms and be prepared to head to the Disney World website if you want to grab a pass!
Annual Pass
Disney confirmed that “as always, during your renewal window, you may choose to renew into any available pass type with a special renewal benefit.” However, if you want to upgrade your pass outside of your renewal window, you will be able to do that starting on April 20th. Disney sent a message to Annual Passholders stating that “existing Passholders will have the option to upgrade their Annual Pass, outside of their renewal window, online. The difference in prices must be paid in full at the time of the upgrade and the new Pass will have the same expiration date as the original pass.”
Walt Disney World Annual Pass
The prices of the Annual Passes were raised in November 2022, and those prices will be the same when the passes go on sale soon. Disney has confirmed that the online purchase strategy may include a waiting room as it did the last time Annual Passes went on sale. And, because Sorcerer Passes went on sale for Disney Vacation Club Members on April 13th — we have an idea of what problems you might face when trying to purchase your pass!
©Disney
Many DVC members who tried to purchase a pass this morning were led to an error screen on the Disney World website. After a few minutes, that page updated to a waiting room. However, the waiting room wasn’t loading properly, just displaying a “recalculating” message. Around 9:10ET, Disney added this message at the bottom of the page:
“Some of our digital experiences are unavailable at this time. DVC Disney Sorcerer Pass and Disney Pixie Dust Pass sales will resume as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Passholder merch
Chances are we may see similar problems arise on April 20th when passes go on sale for everyone — especially when you consider that a LOT more than just DVC Members will be trying to snag passes. If you want to have the best chance of getting a Disney World Annual Pass when they go on sale, there are a few things you can do!
- Have the Disney World website pulled up and ready to go
- Make sure you’re logged into your Disney account and your payment information is set up
- Consider using multiple devices
- Don’t refresh the page once you’re in the waiting room
- Be patient!
Cinderella Castle
There’s really no telling whether or not there will be any technical issues on April 20th, but when it comes to all things Disney — it’s best to be prepared for all kinds of scenarios. We’ll be keeping an eye on Annual Pass sales and will let you know of any updates!
As always, stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney news.
Everything You Need To Know About Disney World Annual Passes
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you a passholder? Let us know in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
AK and gang I can confirm. Got on at 6 AM and system would not complete the transaction. Made it to the cart and died. Tried that around 10 times doing different approaches. The system went down. Checked about 915 and got the virtual queue to pop up. Logged in on mobile and took it with me to run errands. By 1015 Finally got in and got our annual passes. Been waiting a long time for this. Dreams do come true, they just take a little more time and effort sometimes. Cheers!
Sounds like par for the course with Disney’s online sales and virtual queues.
I mean really though… Why would the world’s largest media company have an online store that actually functions correctly?
Samantha: Right now it is mostly just for dvc early access, isn’t it? Wait until April 20 hits! Hopefully, Disney IT can get the bugs out by then.
I went the phone route and waited 3 1/2 hours before reaching a cast member. I exchanged previously purchased park hopper passes for new annual Sorcerer passes. The cast member was very helpful and extremely efficient. She completed the transaction in about 10 minutes. She did mention that they had anticipated the rush and were prepared for it.
I tried for 3 hours to buy passes starting at 6 am on my iPad. I got as far as the payment page. Then I switched to my desktop computer at 10 am and in 10 minutes I had purchased my tickets and was done. Lesson learned.
So, based on Walt Bobby’s comment, the passes go on sale at 6:00 am? This will be my first WDW AP, so I am not sure if it’s 4/20 @ midnight, or 6 am like a dining res. Can someone confirm it’s 6 am?
If I have 3 park days already booked for May, can I use that transaction towards an AP?
Oma_Loves_Disney it’s 6:00am EST like dining reservations.
Am I understanding it correctly that you need to enter a chat to get annual passes?
Good Morning! This is an update for anyone trying to get into the queue. Currently, I have been logged in since 730a. There were rumors the queue would not start until around the time the parks opened. It went live at 652a ish. I reached the screen displayed above in which I was dropped into the queue, and then after about hour, the recalculating screen came up, followed by this message: ” Pardon the Inconvenience. Annual Pass sales will resume as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience and understanding. I have been at this screen for about 10 min now.