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Disney to stop annual pass program in California

klpca

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Patri

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Those passes were kind of spendy. I don't think this is a bad move. It will eliminate people just hanging around. Maybe they will go to public parks instead. I want to get to DL someday myself.
 

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the repeat gremlin is back.
 

presley

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DISNEYLAND Resort


Dear Annual Passholder,​


For nearly four decades, our Annual Passport program has been an important part of connecting with some of our most valued Guests. We are incredibly honored and grateful for that legacy, and the memories and magical moments you have helped us create over the years.

It’s because you’ve played such an important part in the history of the Disneyland Resort that I personally wanted to share this news with you. In the next several days, we will begin the process of issuing appropriate refunds for eligible Disneyland Resort Annual Passports and sunsetting the current Annual Passport program due to the continued uncertainty of the pandemic and limitations and expected restrictions around the reopening of our theme parks.

I know that sunsetting the Annual Passport program will be disappointing to many of our Passholders who are just as anxious as we are to reopen our gates and welcome Guests back when the time is right. But we are also very excited about what’s ahead. We plan to use this time while we remain closed to develop new membership offerings that will utilize consumer insights to deliver choice, flexibility and value for our biggest fans. Once we have more information to share about future membership offerings, our Passholders will be the first to hear from us as we embark on this next chapter.

Annual Passholders who held active Passports as of March 14, 2020 will continue to receive applicable discounts, based on their Passport type, on merchandise and food & beverages at select Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street locations, until new membership offerings are announced. As an added benefit, starting January 18 through February 25, 2021, these Passholders will receive a 30% discount on select merchandise at select locations in Downtown Disney District and Buena Vista Street, Monday through Thursday. For more details, visit Disneyland.com/APSpecialOffers. We also encourage you to stay connected with the Disneyland Annual Passholders Facebook page as we plan to continue our Annual Passport communication and digital content with more special opportunities to come, until new membership offerings are announced.

A pro rata refund will be issued for your Passport, if you are entitled to one. We are committed to processing refunds as diligently and as quickly as possible. A separate confirmation email will be sent once any applicable pro rata refund has been processed. Please visit Disneyland.com/PassportRefund for more information.

While I have not had the chance to engage with many of you since assuming my Disneyland role in May of last year, I do want to thank you for your understanding during this challenging and unprecedented time. We are incredibly optimistic about our bright future – and look forward to you being part of it.

Again, thank you for your loyalty over the years and your continued support.​


Ken Potrock

Ken Potrock
President
Disneyland Resort​
 

presley

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Speculation among DL regulars has been that when DL reopens, it will be reservations only. This email aligns with that. It says there won't be APs, but they will have new membership offerings. I am guessing it will be APs that require reservations and perhaps are prepaid for a particular number of days per year or month.
 

dioxide45

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Speculation among DL regulars has been that when DL reopens, it will be reservations only. This email aligns with that. It says there won't be APs, but they will have new membership offerings. I am guessing it will be APs that require reservations and perhaps are prepaid for a particular number of days per year or month.
Didn't they have a similar program already where you could make an advance reservation with an AP? I remember talking to someone more than a year ago that had such a pass for DL.
 

presley

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Didn't they have a similar program already where you could make an advance reservation with an AP? I remember talking to someone more than a year ago that had such a pass for DL.
Yes, the FlexPass. I bought that one last year and hated it. I always had Signature prior, which allowed entry every day except for the last 2 weeks of the year. FlexPass needed reservations for weekends and holidays and didn't include parking. We could only make a reservation 30 days in advance and it was a lot like booking a timeshare - if we missed the booking by a day, we'd be out of luck. However, stalking the reservation website daily...eventually we could catch a cancellation. Way too much work for me!
 

cp73

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I think this is a very good thing. The park has just been too crowded for the last couple of years because of all the pass holders.
 

TheHolleys87

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I just hope the refund process works more smoothly for DL than it has for WDW. People who cancelled their WDW APs in April or May are still waiting for their refunds.
 

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I'd think DL AP had been a money loser for them. I wonder what's the calculation for DL AP holders' attendance vs WDW? The local population within a 2 hour drive is much larger than WDW. I'm guessing 10X LA vs Orlando area. I heard a rumor a few years ago they raised the unaccompanied age to prevent massive/kid tween AP drop offs in the summer.
 
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Translation: whenever we are able to open, demand will be so high from all the mouse addicts that it will far exceed our capacity (either normal capacity or a reduced c19 return capacity.) Also, the AP holders will demand to be the first ones back, and we make the least $$ off these people. We don't want to be locked into fixed 2019 pricing, so we can maximize our $$ to make up all that we lost.
 

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My guess for the future is AP offering to a limited pool of people such as Club 33 and DVC.
 

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Hopefully they will have a 3-10 pass because paying full price for a 5yr old who requires an adult is price gouging in my eyes. It's the main reason why we stopped our passes 5yrs ago. I couldn't justify the cost when we could timeshare and visit parks for much cheaper than going to Disneyland.
 

Ken555

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Hopefully they will have a 3-10 pass because paying full price for a 5yr old who requires an adult is price gouging in my eyes. It's the main reason why we stopped our passes 5yrs ago. I couldn't justify the cost when we could timeshare and visit parks for much cheaper than going to Disneyland.

You’re making the assumption they need to attract more visitors. I don’t think that’s been true.


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I understand it's not to attract new visitors. They honestly could care less if locals went or not.
 

klpca

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I understand it's not to attract new visitors. They honestly could care less if locals went or not.
Pretty sure they want more money per visit from fewer people. We used to have AP for everything we could - Disney, Sea World, the SD Zoo and the best part was just popping in for short visits - never bought food or souvenirs. We also bought those big refillable cups and minimized that cost as well. We were a revenue nightmare lol.
 

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This is a big one for a lot of California residents that are big Disney fans. I think this will make a better overall park experience for all.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-01-14/disney-annual-pass-disneyland
I agree! We have stopped going because of the crowds.

I thought the same, at first. But after reading some of the DISboards comments on this, I fear we may be wrong.

You see, Disneyland has a maximum capacity, dictated by the fire marshall. And they'll keep packing as many people in as possible until they hit that max. What I'm afraid of, is rather than them being locals that are just hanging out with friends on Main Street or Buena Vista Street, they'll be replaced with real tourists that want to pack onto the rides. I'm not sure we'll see DL less crowded in any meaningful way. I hope I'm wrong.
 

klpca

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Duplicate
 

klpca

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I thought the same, at first. But after reading some of the DISboards comments on this, I fear we may be wrong.

You see, Disneyland has a maximum capacity, dictated by the fire marshall. And they'll keep packing as many people in as possible until they hit that max. What I'm afraid of, is rather than them being locals that are just hanging out with friends on Main Street or Buena Vista Street, they'll be replaced with real tourists that want to pack onto the rides. I'm not sure we'll see DL less crowded in any meaningful way. I hope I'm wrong.
I think that those are exactly the guests they want. The are bound to spend more than an AP holder. Same crowd size, more spending per person. They will lose the AP income stream though - but I'm sure that they have run the numbers. As with all things Disney, we are literally just along for the ride.
 

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I think a big factor in this decision is that covid rules mean they will need to have a reservation system. But they've already sold a discounted pass that required reservations, so one of the things the other types paid a premium for was not needing to make reservations. Its probably better for them to refund everyone 100% than it is to refund everyone down to the "with reservations" pass and extend by the time they were closed.

Now when they re-open they can introduce a new membership product that requires reservations but is still expensive.

And since their capacity will be down, they will want to exclude the lowest dollar value guest, which are definitely locals on discount annual passes.
 

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Translation: whenever we are able to open, demand will be so high from all the mouse addicts that it will far exceed our capacity (either normal capacity or a reduced c19 return capacity.) Also, the AP holders will demand to be the first ones back, and we make the least $$ off these people. We don't want to be locked into fixed 2019 pricing, so we can maximize our $$ to make up all that we lost.
Makes me worry about what they'll do to us in Disney World. They usually treat the Florida residents pretty well.
 

rickandcindy23

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So Disney may be opening soon with a special ticket and the ability to buy food and merchandise. No rides at all that I can see. Ridiculous. But I am glad to have gotten $322 X 5 in refund for our Disneyland AP's.
It's actually not a bad price point. The event is $75. and comes with a $25 food credit and parking. The net price is $25, unless you have a family and are all riding in the same car. I usually meet my daughter there and we both have to pay to park. I am considering going. It's not unusual for us to only go on a couple rides and spend all our time eating and drinking or attending a special event.
 
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