After a year of speculation, which confirmed the unimaginable pace, Disneyland TERMINES its annual passport program to take effect immediately. Passers-by will be contacted today and notified that they will automatically refund the unused portion of their annual pass contract.
Disneyland Passholder Program Ends
Back in October 2020, we shared information that Tokyo Disneyland is terminating its Passholder program due to limited parking capacity and the difficulty of guaranteeing parking reservations for passersby. At the time, we speculated that the same situation should occur in Disneyland as well. Today, the suspicion has been confirmed.
Ken Potrock, Disneyland Resort President, is sharing the following letter with all current passersby. The letter sets out the reason for the sudden change, discusses what a huge impact it will have on many people, and suggests that more information is yet to come.
The letter from the President of Disneyland to passersby now going out:
The truth is that Disneyland really could not maintain their end of the annual pass contract for an unknown number of months after the parks reopened due to the expected drastic restrictions on park capacity. And while Disneyland has not yet created their new ticket structure (they are currently conducting surveys to find out what guests want), they know that people have the guarantee of buying a ticket and gaining access rather than paying the highest dollar for a year pass and not guaranteeing access to something they have already paid for.
Due to the large number of passengers and the low amount of expected park capacity, something drastic had to be done. But do not despair. Disneyland knows that many of you identify with the parks. It’s an important part of your lifestyle, and the thought of not having access probably causes tears (or even anger) in those who read it. Disneyland therefore hopes to embrace the fans, continue to offer benefits and opportunities, but have a new flexible ticket structure that enables Disneyland to control access to the park, and to better serve guests in these difficult times. What the exact ticket structure will be has not yet been finalized. But it will probably be included in the new park reservation system.
What current annual passengers need to know
First, and most importantly, you will automatically receive a proportional refund for the number of unused days on your year card. If you are curious how much the amount is, you can visit it Disneyland Passport Refund Page which will calculate your refund.
But even if all Disneyland passes are canceled, you will still receive benefits if you had an active park pass from March 14, 2020 when the Disneyland resort closed. Discount on pass holders will continue for the time being at Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street. AND from January 18 to February 25, passers-by will receive a 30% discount at select locations in downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street from Mondays to Thursdays (regular discounts still apply Friday through Sunday).
Disney promises to make sure passengers are the first to hear about the new ticket program once it’s finalized. We will definitely explain it to you and also explain the changes here on MiceChat.
That Disneyland feeling
We had a few moments to talk to Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, about these changes. It was very clear that he was both understanding and concerned about how these changes would make passers-by feel. On the one hand, Disney has done everything in its power over the decades to grow the program and make passengers feel special, but the current business need will make delivering the same level of access impossible in an era of social distance and extreme constraints on the park capacity.
Ken is committed to creating new ways to engage Disneyland’s best fans and make sure they still feel connected. Nothing is off the table right now as they try to figure out exactly what fans want and how Disneyland can deliver it under very challenging circumstances.
If you have any ideas about things Disney can do to help you feel the Magic once the parks reopen, please share them in the comments below. At the moment, it’s not possible to have a Passholders program, but there are definitely things that Disney can offer, clubs, special ticket events, fan merchandise, and so on that will help make you feel connected to Walt’s to retain original Disneyland.
POLL
In October 2020, we presented a poll asking whether the Passholders program should be terminated, as it was in Tokyo to allow Disneyland to better control the park’s capacity. We were not only shocked by the number of votes and opinions, but also by the results.
At that time, more than 72% of you voted for the version of the program. Only 19% said the program should not be terminated or changed.
The question now is how do you want parking tickets to be handled when Disneyland reopens? Should dated tickets simply be offered at a sliding price that is scaled on demand? Do you want to buy gift certificates with the number you bought (which has to be scheduled later in the parks booking system)? Should the park be the same price every day or do you like a sliding scale? Should park hopping be allowed, or should the parks require separate access for now? Let us know your thoughts below.
Let’s hear from you
As an almost lifelong passerby, this news made me personally feel very emotional. Although I’ve been expecting exactly this news for a few months now, Disneyland is still a very important part of my life (the fact that I run this blog is proof of that), but I do understand the very difficult position Disneyland is in. . I would like to think that this reset will enable Disneyland to address conditions that caused oppressive overcrowding of the park when something new was introduced (everything from a new popcorn bucket to the opening of a new attraction will cause that the park sometimes comes to a grid). Regular guests increasingly do not find the park pleasant to visit because it was just too crowded. There is potential for Disney to fix this with a limited number of tickets available on any given day.
The rapidly rising cost of annual passes has made the renewal decision increasingly difficult for many. $ 1,450 for a pass without exclusions last year. So many of you have given up all your passports and instead made use of special ticket offers.
Would I be willing to buy tickets only if I needed them? Yes. But I do want to see some discount for people who visit more than just once a year, or maybe just discount offers for locals in times of fewer visitors. And finally, I want to see Disney bring back a version of the FlexPass, which still allows the park to limit the number of visits by scheduling.
Let’s hear from you people. How do you feel about this news? What can Disney do to keep you engaged? And how do you want to see tickets handled in the near future?