Why get an Annual Pass??

What are the advantages of being an Annual Passholder?

I’m taking a little break from Edutainment to share other things. I promise I will come back to it in my next post.

To purchase a pass or not. That is the decision of every Disney fan who lives near a park. Why should you purchase a pass?

The obvious advantage of being an Annual Passholder at any Disney Park is the ability to go anytime or almost anytime depending on what level pass you purchase. What other advantage is there? It partly depends on how often you can go. How close you live to the park. What level pass did you purchase.

At Disneyland there are 4 different level passes. Each level gives access to the park for a different amount of days ranging from 170 days out of the year to any day the park is open access. When you by a pass with limited days Disney tells you what days you can come. The first 3 levels give you 10% off at selected dinning locations while the 4th and top level gives 15%. Only the top level pass gives free parking and merchandise discount at selected shops at the park and at Downtown Disney. All the passes give you discounts at the hotels on selected days. If you purchase a top level pass and go once a month the entire 12 months the pass is active entrance cost for the park is about $36 for each day and you did not have to pay for parking! Or you can look at the fact that a Premium Pass is the cost of about 5 regular single park day tickets. So if you think you will spend more than 5 days at the park in one year I suggest getting the Annual Pass. Is this savings the only advantage to an Annual Pass? NO!

We live about 1 hour away from Disneyland. We sometimes decide to go to Disneyland for lunch or dinner. We will go and spend 3-4 hours eating and maybe go on a ride or two. It is a romantic date place for us, especially during the holidays!

Most people who don’t go often to the park hurry from ride to ride trying to pack as many attractions into their day as possible. The feeling is that every moment spent sitting is money and time wasted. With a pass you can slow down. Enjoy the shows that pop up all over the park. There are parades, Dapper Dans and other singing and musical groups and small stage shows all over the parks. Slow down as you walk down Main Street and drink in the atmosphere! Do the same in the other areas. Smell the flowers (if you are not allergic). Did you notice that in Tomorrowland most of the plants are eatable! Just spend a day looking at what is planted in the flower beds! Look for the rides you have not done or that it’s been a while since you been on, even if it is an A ticket ride. Find a beautiful spot and just sit and people watch.

We love to see the fireworks! There is only one location to see the fireworks from for us. Unlike WDW that has a large viewing area to see the fireworks and the Castel Disneyland does not have a large place for people to view the fireworks as they were deigned to be seen. Only in front of the castle and a little down Main Street some can you see Tinker Bell fly and the lighting effects on the Castel. Only there can you see the fireworks frame the Castel! Otherwise the fireworks are beautiful but fragmented. The area in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castel fills up early. People in the know start claiming their spots around 5 pm for the 9:30 pm fireworks! If you want a bench you need to get there earlier. If you want THE bench that will be slid in front of the VIP seats make it 4 pm and even earlier for special fireworks shows! Yes I’m letting you in on my secret spot! Everybody has to stand during the fireworks so they can fit more people into the viewing area. I am very short, 4’9” tall. As close as people are packed in to the viewing area if a person 5’8” tall or taller stands right in front of me all I can see is their back side. Not a pleasant view I can assure you! I can’t even see the fireworks that are high in the air thru the body and head in front of me. I want the bench so I can stand behind it and give myself space. With that space I can see over people better and actually see the fireworks. I want the bench that is in front of the VIP section! Because I have a Pass and go about once a month to Disneyland I don’t mind waiting for 5 ½ hours for the fireworks. Yes, I’m totally NUTS to wait that long but would not miss doing it for the world. We don’t do it every time we go. We plan our day when we wish to see them. We ride rides and watch other shows early in the day and then go to the Castel area and sit on the bench around 4. We take books, craft projects, drawing supplies and other things to do. We sit and talk to each other and make friends with people around us. We take turns wondering off for a few moments at a time to do things. We often find families with children who would love to see the fireworks but don’t come often and don’t wish to wait. We hold space for them as well as they go on rides and do other things until an hour before fireworks. This is a great way to make new Disney friends. We would not do this IF we only came to the park once or twice a year! The Fireworks are not the only show we plan for and are willing to wait for. Fantasmic, World of Color and Aladdin are just a couple of the shows we will wait an hour or more to see so we can get the view we want. For Fantasmic people will start getting into the “best” spots around 4 pm for the 9 pm show.

I think the most fun of having a pass is bringing people who don’t go to the park often and playing tour guide! It is fun to show people shows they may never have seen or would not have seen if you had not shown it to them. It is a joy to make new friends as you wait in line or for shows. I stop when I see somebody looking over a map and ask if they need help finding something. Often I will walk them to the ride telling them the history or stories of the area and ride.

In my opinion the greatest thing about having an Annual Pass to a Disney Park is that it allows you to slow down and enjoy. What you don’t see today you can catch the next time! Even with the pass we make plans. We will ask each member of the family what they want to see that day. Will it be a Fantasmic, Firework or World of Color day? World of Color takes a little extra planning that starts days before by the way. Will it be a Stage Show day or is it a couple of special rides we just can’t miss? Is there something new or temporary like a holiday show or overlay to a ride? Very few days don’t have one or two “special” things we wish to see. Each trip is a little different but all are fun!