Hiya Matthew!
Welcome again to planDisney! This past year I purchased my first
Annual Pass to Walt Disney World Resort. Let me share with you why it has been one of the best things I did and why it may or may not work for you.
Since I am not a Florida Resident or a Disney Vacation Club Member, the only option for me and my husband to purchase was the
Disney Incredi-Pass. Since we are huge fans of family photos we even added Disney PhotoPass Downloads to the pass. Now, prices are subject to change at any time and my tax rate could be different but that put our subtotal at approximately $1,648 (USD) for one pass. That's quite a bit of money to spend but we did the math and found it was worth it. How? Well, we calculated what our upcoming trip would be like if we purchased Standard Theme Park Tickets with the
Park Hopper option and
Memory Maker. That's what my Disney Incredi-Pass offers me. The chance to visit multiple parks in a day and have unlimited PhotoPass images in my gallery from the year. For me, a 10-day ticket with the Park Hopper Option and the Advanced Purchase of Memory Maker resulted in a subtotal of approximately $1,140 (USD). That leaves me with $508 of Annual Pass value to use. Due to how tickets work in Walt Disney World, we found that shorter trips cost more per day than longer trips. As a result, we knew that our upcoming shorter trips would make each day more valuable. A 3-day ticket with Park Hopper Option with Memory Maker would cost me another $795! The math made it clear that just one long trip and one shorter trip would make this pass worth it. The best part of the Disney Incredi-Pass is that there are no blackout dates! I can come anytime I want based on my schedule- even holidays.
Let's not forget the other benefits of being an Annual Passholder!
Annual Passholders have discounts on dining, merchandise, events & entertainment, and sports & recreation. Matthew, that's even more money saved on purchases you probably would have already made while on vacation! I also love the Annual Passholder Room discounts that are sometimes better than what is available to the public. I just booked a few days ago a
35% off room offer! As a Passholder I also get included free parking at the Parks.
Matthew, I would like you to consider, that if you have the time and resources to go then purchasing the Disney Incredi-Pass may be worth it. I have found that the Annual Pass has made visiting Walt Disney World Resort even more enticing and we are finding ways to make time to go and save up our frequent flyer miles to make it happen. It is our "happy place" and in a world where that is difficult to find sometimes we don't want to let it go. If you purchase your Annual Pass now, realize that it won't be activated until you start using it within the year. We purchased our Annual Pass in April 2023, and activated it on September 1, 2023, by visiting the
Disney Ticket Center at Disney Springs and it now states an expiration date of September 1, 2024.
I hope this helps and you find your way to the magic!
Happy Planning!
-Nimmy