Hi Arielle, and thanks for visiting us at planDisney. As a fellow out-of-state Passholder, I’m excited to welcome you to the family! I love the flexibility and endless core memories that come with a whole year of magic. So let’s chat about how to squeeze as much pixie dust as possible out of your
Annual Pass!
I spoke with a Cast Member to be absolutely sure, and they confirmed that you need to enter a theme park to activate your Annual Pass. And, as you know, you’ll need to have an activated Annual Pass before checking into a resort hotel stay booked with a Passholder discount. If you’re not able to change to an earlier flight (I totally understand needing to wait until after work to fly down to Florida!), another option would be to book a one-night stay without a Passholder discount and then the rest of your stay using the Passholder discount. You might even be able to take advantage of the
summer special offer that’s available to all guests for that first night.
Once you make both reservations, call the
Tickets and Hotel Reservations phone number to see if you can add a note requesting to stay in the same room. While it’s not guaranteed, if you book the same resort hotel and room type, it’s possible you may not have to pack up and move in the morning. I’d recommend asking the Cast Member at check-in to confirm if you’re able to stay in the same room, and if you need to activate your Annual Pass by a certain time on your second check-in day (it could be a good excuse to rope drop!). And don’t forget that you can
head to one of the water parks on check-in day, 100% on the mouse this summer!
Speaking of summer, this is the perfect time to be an Annual Passholder, with lots of
special extras happening from May 1 to July 31, 2026. This includes a complimentary
Passholder magnet and
lounge at EPCOT, and an incredible
dining discount where you can save up to 40% at select restaurants Monday through Thursday.
I’m wishing you a magical first trip as an Annual Passholder! And if you have any other questions, you’re always welcome back at planDisney.
JoAnna