Annual Passholder View of Disney Parks

Annual Passholder View of Disney Parks

Ok, I know I’ve been talking a lot about the price hikes of the Annual Passes at DLR and WDW. Still if you are a local to either of the parks and enjoy Disney I feel they offer you a different view of Disney.

Here is the difference between going to the park with a one or limited multiple day pass and going to the park with an Annual Pass.

If you have a limited amount of time at the parks you are going to try to get to as many rides or shows as you can. Often a Day Tripper, as I call them does not even know the parks have shows. You rush around making sure to hit all the E Ticket rides and attractions as you can and skipping the A and B ticket attractions altogether. Day Trippers will often just walk past fantastic entertainment that just pops up around the parks on the streets or small and even portable stages.

Annual Passholders have a different view. You can usually tell an AP from a Day Tripper by the way they walk the park. While the Day Tripper is power walking and herding the kids quickly from one thing to the next you see the Passholder strolling down the path and maybe even just sitting, people watching enjoying a Dole Whip or Mickey Bar. Many Passholders I know will see one parent taking pictures of the rest of the family and offer to take the picture for them so they can have a picture of the entire family together. Once again it does not matter if they take a moment to help a another guest get more of the Magic.

Passholders know if they don’t see it today they can see it next time. They look for what is there for a limited time and go for that first, if they are interested in it. Passholders have seen the all E Ticket rides and go explore the lesser attractions and shows or hit the new things.

Passholders learn the ins and outs of the park and enjoy showing their Day Tripper friends around and don’t mind waiting for things so the Day Tripper came with them can see it.

I know when we go we talk either in the days before we have planned to go or on the way to the park about what rides/shows we wish to see that day. We also talk about what pictures we want to take or if maybe today we will go walk around one of the hotels or Downtown Disney. This visit may be a day just to wonder the shops. We set a “goal” for the day.

Sometimes our goals are holiday or event related. Always the goal is to spend time together and with friends. We go to see holiday decorations around the park and catch the characters in their various holiday attire. Some days we choose to see shows/rides we have not done in a while. Ever considered getting excited to see Storybookland Canal Boats when you don’t have little kids? Well some days we do! Frequently we choose to just walk around the park and enjoy the beauty that is Disney.

No matter what you can always enjoy Disney with an Annual Pass. You can go from park opening to closing or just for a few hours. It does not matter.