How to earn yourself a little discount on a annual pass?

There really are no official ways to get discounted season passes that I am aware of, but if you like being creative, there is a little tip that I have to save up to 5.68% on your season pass.  With the cheapest pass currently priced at $749, you can save about $42 per ticket.  For a family of four, that can save you up to $168.

So what’s the secret?

When do you consider an Annual Pass ?

General Rule of Thumb – Two Visits

The general rule when deciding whether or not it is necessary, or whether it makes sense to upgrade to an annual pass is the two trip rule.  So the general rule says that if you will make two trips in a year, you may want to consider an annual pass.  Of course the general rule is just that, very general.  In other words, if you are only going one time, do not even consider it.  If you are going more than two times, it is a no brainer.  But going two times requires a good amount of planning and analysis to really determine whether it is better to go with an annual pass, or with a regular ticket.  It is also important to understand the benefits of an annual pass, which can be found here at this link..

In order to get a little more specific, the following charts below  provide a little more specific analysis to each person’s individual situation.

More Specific Analysis

Platinum Pass compared to a base theme park ticket

When compared to the base theme park ticket, the annual pass is an obvious choice for an adult, when visiting the theme parks for 9 or 10 days, two different times during the year.  The annual pass is not a good choice for an adult that spends less than 4 days in the park on two different trips or a child that spends 5 days or less on two different trips.   For all other scenarios, additional savings and considerations should be considered before deciding whether or not a annual pass is worth buying for your family.

Platinum Pass compared to a Park Hopper theme park ticket

When compared to the Park Hopper Ticket, the annual pass is an obvious choice for an adult, when visiting the theme parks for 5 days or more, two different times during the year, or a child that visits more than 6 days, two different times during the year.  The Pass is not a good choice for an adult that spends less than 2 days in the park on two different trips or a child that spends 2 days or less on two different trips.   For all other scenarios, additional savings and considerations should be considered before deciding whether or not a annual pass is worth buying for your family.

Platinum Pass Plus compared to a Park Hopper with Water Park Option and more theme park ticket

When compared to the Park Hopper with Water Park Option and more Ticket, the annual pass is an obvious choice for an adult, when visiting the theme parks for 6 days or more, two different times during the year, or a child that visits more than 7 days, two different times during the year.  The Pass is not a good choice for an adult that spends less than 4 days in the park on two different trips or a child that spends 5 days or less on two different trips.   For all other scenarios, additional savings and considerations should be considered before deciding whether or not a annual pass is worth buying for your family.

Still Undecided?

So if you plan on going twice in the next year, but you fall in the yellow category in the above charts, how do you decide?  Let’s break it down a little further.

The cost in the yellow areas of the above charts is not quite as much as the annual pass price, but they are close.  There are additional factors, or cost savings that may suggest you buy an annual pass.

1. Memory Maker – The new pass benefits for 2016 include the benefit of Memory Maker. The Memory Maker allows for you to download all your Disney photos at no additional cost.  Without the annual pass, this additional feature will cost you $149 – $169 extra.  Another thought to consider is that you will only need to buy one annual pass for your entire family to enjoy the benefits of the memory maker.  If you are barely in the yellow category, it may make the most sense for you to purchase one annual pass, and buy separate tickets for the rest of the family.
2. Free Parking – If you like to stay on property, this benefit is not really an added benefit for you, as all guest that stay on property have free parking available to them. If you like to stay off property, however, make sure you consider the cost of $20 per day of extra parking fees.  If you are going to go to the park 5 times a piece on two different trips, that can add up to be an extra $200 you may want to add to the amounts listed above.  But, just as noted above, you can buy just one annual pass for your family to receive this benefit and have all others purchase the regular park tickets.
3. Special Offers – If you think you would be able to take advantage of special room discounts throughout the year, chances are, that may make it more reasonable for you to add a annual pass for at least one family member. Again, all members can benefit if just one member is eligible for discounted rooms or special offers throughout the year.
4. Magic Bands – To be honest, it is unlikely that the complimentary magic band for pass holders is a legitimate reason to decide to buy a annual pass. But if you are on the yellow area very close to green on the charts above, and you can stand to benefit from free parking, free memory maker, room discounts, and park hopper, the magic band may be just the reason to push you over the edge.

As a big Disney fan myself, I have one more suggestion that will make your entire decision process easier.  If you fall anywhere in the middle of the yellow areas in the charts above, and are frustrated with trying to figure out whether it is worth it or not, the easy solution is to find a way to spend a couple extra days in the park each trip or take one more trip this year.  That would make the decision much easier.  If you plan on going to the park during the summer, spring break, and again next summer; just make sure your first summer trip is one week later the first summer compared to the 2^nd.  In other words, plan the trips June 15-20, March 13-18, and then June 10-15.  This would allow you a third trip in the same 365 days.

Annual Pass Benefits

Disney offers two categories of annual passes; Florida Resident Annual Passes, Annual Passes for Non-Florida Residents.   The main difference between the two is price, payment options, and block out dates.  To help decide if an annual pass is right for your family, read here for more information. .

Non – Florida Resident Annual Pass Options