Disneyland Annual Passport – Is It Worth It?

From January 2018-January 2019 we held the Disney Deluxe Passport for Disneyland and California Adventure. It was the most fun year we’ve had as a family. Did we spend a lot of money at Disneyland? YES! Was it worth it? Um…YES! Spending nearly $800 per person on annual passes is a big investment (when we bought ours a year ago it was only $620 each..????), but if you are a Disney loving family and you live close by, it is sooo worth the experience. At least once in a lifetime!

https://youtu.be/ixSE2S6oAL4

Perks of Having the Deluxe Disneyland Annual Pass

• Discounts: With the Deluxe Annual Pass you get 10% off most food and merchandise in both parks. You can get up to 15% off food and 20% off stores (including the Disney Store online!) if you upgrade to the Signature or Signature Plus Passports. This is one of the best perks because food in Disneyland is $$$. Any discount helps! The discount does not apply to food carts and a few other dining areas.
• Park Hopper Pass: Your passport gets you into both parks any time of the year (except for blockout dates – more on this later).
• It pays for itself after 3, 2-day visits: if you are already planning on going to Disneyland at least 3 times a year (or even twice a year for longer visits) then it is worth it! Plus think about the 10% discount you get on top of it.
• MaxPass Option: This is an additional $100 per pass. We did not do this add-on but it is definitely convenient! You can get fast passes right from your phone as soon as you get into the park so it saves time running around ride to ride to get a FASTPASS. We got by just fine without one, but I would’ve liked to have it for the perks of getting free PhotoPass downloads of all our pictures.
• Stress-free Disney trips: The fact that you can visit Disneyland nearly any time of the year allows you to enjoy each trip a little more. You don’t feel rushed to do it all and “get your moneys worth” because you know you’ll be back another time. If a ride is closed, fireworks get canceled, or you have bad weather it’s ok! You can go again. Basically it’s a much more relaxed trip knowing you’ve paid a bulk amount upfront and can plan accordingly throughout the year to see and do it all!

We ended up going to Disneyland on 6 different occasions with our Annual Passports. While there are so many amazing perks to owning one, there are still a few cons associated…

Cons to the Deluxe Disneyland Passport

• Expensive: Sure the upfront cost of purchasing the passport is a heavy hit, but each trip still costs money on top of it; hotel, food, gas, merchandise…it all adds up pretty quickly. To save money watch for deals from Good Neighbor Hotels. Our favorite places to stay are Country Inn and Suites, Wyndham Garden Anaheim, though someday we’d love the full Disney experience you get from staying at the Disneyland and Grand California Hotels!
• Parking not included: This was not a big deal for us since the hotels we loved staying at were in close proximity and a fairly easy walk. They also included free parking including check out day. That is nice!
• Blockout Dates: Disney has blocked out certain dates throughout each calendar year to passholders. The dates differ each year but count on most holidays being blocked out including the week of Thanksgiving and at least 2 weeks overlapping Christmas and New Years. This is not a huge con to me since I wouldn’t want to be at the parks during such a busy time of year anyway! It’s much more fun during slow season which is usually mid-January to mid-February and mid-September.
• Special Events Not Included: It would be nice if some of the special events like Disneyland After Dark and Mickey’s Halloween Party were included, but alas, they are not. You do however get early access to ticket offers so I guess this could fall under the perks category too! I do have to say, we went to Disneyland on a day that fell on a Mickey’s Halloween Party night and the park was so empty! It was glorious. So if you have a pass, go to the park on a special events day since most people won’t waste money on a full day ticket if they’re paying extra for the event at night.

Tips for Your Next Disneyland Trip

Whether you’re going all year long or planning on one big Disneyland trip soon, here are some tips for you! We definitely lived and learned this last year!

• Go during slow season: it’s always somewhat crowded at Disneyland and you can’t always avoid waiting in lines, but it is much more pleasant to get around when it’s a slower time of year. (Don’t go during spring break if you can prevent it!!!) There might not be as many nighttime shows or parades during slow season and some rides may be closed but there is still plenty to do!
• Buy your Disney apparel ahead of time! I love shopping at Old Navy, Gap, Target and even Amazon for all things Disney.
• Bring lots of snacks. For you too, not just your kids! If you buy all your food in the park it’s going to add up really quickly. You don’t need to pack in a huge ice chest; just simple easy snacks go a long way.
• Invest in or rent a good stroller. We have loved our Double Stroller! It has and will last us through a lot of Disneyland trips. Even big kids love to catch a ride once in a while.
• Bring your big girl camera! You can find the one I use and love here. No you will not ruin or lose it if you’re careful and the memories you capture are so much better than the PhotoPass pictures! I am not a professional photographer but I have learned a few tricks through the years to capture good quality pictures and video. They mean everything to me! Our kids are young and may not remember all of these trips, but they are going to have so many keepsakes via pictures and video clips to look back on!

Oh, these baby girls of mine! I loved watching them enjoy every bit of Disneyland this past year. It was worth every penny! We will definitely be back soon, Disneyland!!