Extra! Extra! Tink All About It!: New Tiered Annual Passes and Parking Price Increase

Good morning, Tinkers!

     So the big news today is about the changes that have been made to the Annual Passes. As of October 4th, Walt Disney World's Annual Passes will be sold on a tier system, with varying options and varying price points. Before I get into the new passes and a full breakdown of them, I'll mention some other news...

     Disney parking prices have gone up, from $17 to an even $20. This applies to the four theme parks, for Day Guests only. If you are staying on Disney property, parking fees are waived with your resort tag in your window. All Annual passes will also waive parking fees, which is a new feature for some of the passes.

     Now let's get into the Annual Passes. I'm not going to sugar coat it. There's been a large price jump, if you compare apples to apples, but there are some positives too. Namely, flexibility. There are more options for those that don't want the commitment, or price tag, of a full Annual Pass, but don't want to be blocked out for the whole summer. There's also a fun new feature for the top three tiers of passholders: Free PhotoPass Downloads! That means that whenever you are in a park and you get a photo taken by a PhotoPass photographer and they scan your Magic Band, you can then log into your My Disney Experience Ap on your phone, or the web version on your computer, and download all of those awesome photos for free! That includes photos taken in front of the Castle, photos taken at certain character meals, and Magic Shots, where characters are digitally added into your picture. When you consider that unlimited digital downloads run $199* on the Memory Maker package, this is a NICE perk to have as an Annual Passholder.

     So, if we look at the most commonly purchased pass, the standard Annual Pass, which has no blackout days, that pass is now called The Platinum Pass. It still includes unlimited entry to the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks, with no block out days, complimentary parking, special discounts on food and beverages and merchandise, and the new PhotoPass Digital Download feature. The price has increased about $100, to make the pass almost $650* for a year, ($750* if you're not a Florida Resident or DVC Member). If you usually purchase the Premium Annual, giving you access to the waterparks, Oak Trail, ESPN and DisneyQuest, (while it's still open), your pass is now called the Platinum Plus Pass, and you can expect to pay about $730* for it, ($830* if you're not a Florida Resident or DVC Member). If you find those price points to be too high, and you don't mind being blocked out of the parks for Christmas Vacation and Spring Break, (two of the busiest times of year anyway), AND if you're a Florida Resident or DVC Member, you can go with the Gold Pass, at $550*.

     If you don't mind giving up the PhotoPass feature and are a Florida Resident, there are even more options. The Silver Pass, at $390*, is just like the old "Seasonal" Pass, blocking out Christmas Vacation, Spring Break AND the whole Summer. There's a Week Day Select, which doesn't have black out days, but only allows admittance Monday thru Friday. The one is $260* Are you the Guests that really only wants to visit Disney for evenings in Epcot? Then you can go the most economic route and get the Epcot After 4pm Annual for only $250*.

     Have I confused you? No problem! Check out the full list of passes, benefits and pricing at DisneyWorld.com.

     Oh, and don't worry... If you already are an Annual Pass Holder, your pricing and benefits do not change until you renew. And yes, there is still a discount for renewing. You'll save 15% and can switch to whichever pass you choose. Plus monthly payment plans are still an option.

     There you have it! Questions? Comments? Let me know! tinkinaboutdisney@gmail.com

* All pricing is listed without tax. 

Ask Tink: Is a Park Hopper Necessary?

"Is a Park Hopper necessary? It really ups the price of a ticket and I'm  wondering if we could save some money by NOT getting that feature."

                                 

Thank you to the Tinker that submitted the above question! Going to the parks isn't exactly cheap, so saving money where you can is important. Unfortunately, the answer for this one isn't really a simple yes or no. It depends on how much is on your "Must Do" list and how well you plan.      Firstly, regular Disney park tickets allow you to access one park per day. So if you buy a standard Magic Your Way 4 Day ticket, on the first day of your trip, you decide which park you're going into that day and once you enter the gate, that is the ticket your park is good for on that date. You can select a different park each day, and you may leave, and return to the same park on the same day, but you cannot switch parks in the middle of the day. THAT is what a Park Hopper does for you. Adding the Park Hopping feature to your ticket allows you to say, have breakfast at Crystal Palace in The Magic Kingdom, then hop a bus so that the kiddos can sing-a-long with Elsa and Anna at The Studios. You can switch parks, throughout the day, as many times as you want. It's a very convenient and useful feature. Very rarely would you ever NOT find an occasion to use it. But the big question is, can you get by without it?      Park Hoppers are most useful for two scenarios. One, you're only in town for a short visit, (4 days or less), and you want to pack in as much as you can. A Park Hopper will help you because when Animal Kingdom closes as early as 5pm, you'll be able to go over to Epcot or The Magic Kingdom and still get in some rides and fireworks. Two, you're at Disney for more than 4 days and will be repeating parks. Chances are, you're not going to need to go to Animal Kingdom or The Studios for more than one full day, (or maybe you won't even need a full day), but you want the option to go back and ride Everest again, or see Fantasmic! You'll be glad you have the Park Hopper in that case.      "But, Tink," you're thinking, "do I NEED it?" My response to you is this... you can absolutely go without it, but you're going to need to plan very carefully. Do some research in advance on which parks are slowest on which days, and what the projected park attendance is like during your stay. There are several websites that offer this feature. I personally like this one from Undercover Tourist. Of course, this isn't anything that is guaranteed to be accurate, but it can help you in deciding where to go on which days. You may also want to look at DisneyWorld.com so you can also take into consideration things like park hours, special events and if you're staying on property, Extra Magic Hours. Then, once you have decided on where to go on each day, take advantage of the tools that Disney gives you. Book your FastPass+ reservations as early as you can. (60 days out for Disney Resort Guests and 30 days out for regular ticket or Annual Pass Holders.) And when you book your FastPasses, look at a park map and make sure that you aren't crisscrossing all over the park and wasting a bunch of time. Make sure your dining reservations are booked for the park you'll be in on that day. If you know that you aren't going to be able to handle doing open to close in the park, plan to be there for open, leave for a break mid-afternoon, when it is hottest and the most crowded, and then return in the evening, and stay as late as you can. That way you'll maximize the opportunities you have to wait in the shortest lines, and you won't miss out on the awesome nighttime entertainment.      No matter how planned out you are, though, don't rush past things like live entertainment and character appearances. Almost all of my very best Disney memories are spur-of-the-moment things that happened when we stopped to catch our breath. Park Hopper or not, you're in a place where magical things truly happen all the time, where ever you are. So enjoy!    Got a question? E-mail me at tinkinaboutdisney@gmail.com, or leave it in the comments. Thanks!