Hey Howdy Hey Sarah and welcome to planDisney!
I love where your thoughts are going to upgrade your annual pass when it is time to renew. Upgrading your pass to
Disney Pirate Pass will be a nice upgrade. You will have so many more days as options for the park to drop by and get your Magical fix! Thank you for your question about renewing your annual pass for an upgrade, let's talk about your options.
I was able to discuss your question specifics with a Cast Member that informed me that at this time because there has been a pause on the sales of all annual passes other than the
Disney Pixie Dust Pass, you will not be able to renew your pass to another pass other than the one you currently hold. This may change as the sales are resumed for other passes, but for right now that is the official word. When it does come time to renew your passes, I would keep an eye on the
Walt Disney World Annual Passes site or
Disney Parks Blog to check on the status of the other passes if they have resumed sales or not.
When the sales of paused passes are resumed, you have two options when it comes to your pass. You can either
renew or upgrade. Upgrading your pass before your renewal date will allow you to take advantage of the perks of the new pass when you upgrade your pass. So say your pass expires in February and you upgrade to the Pirates pass in January to take advantage of the perks of this pass. Your annual pass expiration dates will shift to January, or when you activate your pass the first time you use it, so that will be your new 12-month window. Renewing your pass involves re-enrollment into the annual pass program. You can upgrade at that time however these changes will go into effect after your first pass expires and your new one takes effect in February.
A lot has recently changed with annual passes and potentially will be again in the near future as we are getting closer to a new year. Did you know there is a Facebook page specifically for
Disney World Passholders? This will also be a great place to keep up with the latest news about the passes, updates on any perks or benefits and keep up with fellow passholders and their experiences in the parks!
A lot of technicalities with your question! I hope I was able to give you the answers you needed and some expectations for you. If you have any further follow-up questions, please feel free to stop back and let us know, we would be happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Nick