Hi Tabetha,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
How exciting to hear that you plan on becoming an
Annual Passholder with the Walt Disney World Resort! We just became Disney Platinum Passholders this past year and it has been a wonderful investment. Like you, we purchased our annual passes in advance. We purchased ours in July and took our first family trip as Annual Passholders in December. I chatted with a Cast Member to verify that you would be able to purchase and activate according to your time frame and she said that yes, you should be good to activate. She indicated that currently, the date may say December 31, 2030.
Although we knew that we were planning to become Annual Passholders much earlier last year, we had to wait until July to purchase the passes. During our wait period, annual pass prices increased, so I will encourage you to make those purchases as soon as you are ready. Also, consider whether someone in your party will need to activate that annual pass prior to everyone else. I actually activated mine in November and we activated my husband's and girls' passes in December. Now, our expiration dates are different. It sounds like you will be activating yours all at the same time though, so you should be fine!
Tabetha, see this
great answer from my fellow Disney Parks Moms Panelist Eean for more information on how to link your annual passes in My Disney Experience. On our first family trip as Annual Passholders, our girls enjoyed all of the merchandise discounts they received, especially because we visited the week prior to Christmas. So, they dove into all of the
Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort shopping. As the family historian of sorts, I also love that all of our digital
Disney PhotoPass photos and videos come with our Annual Passes. There is nothing quite like that family picture prep moment just before boarding a ride - one of us always asks, "Now where is the camera?" Photos of us checking our maps on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ - comical.
Be advised that Annual Pass policies may change, so always double check the details as you make your transaction. Sending you lots of Annual Pass pixie dust as you embark on this new adventure!
Magic and memories!
Donyell