Welcome to planDisney, Emily! I'm glad to you are here to ask about annual passes and the benefits of being a Passholder. I understand how important it is to maximize the amount of happiness you can get out of every dollar.
There are many
benefits available to Passholders, including discounts on merchandise and dining. While additional passes are not on the list, I'm not sure everyone is aware of some of the really amazing things beyond shopping and dining that are. You can find discounts on other experiences at Walt Disney World, like playing a round of putt-putt at
Wintertime Summerland Miniature Golf and splashing around in the melted ski resort turned water park known as
Blizzard Beach. And this fall, I am hoping to use my pass to get a discount on
Wild Africa Trek and have a new adventure at Animal Kingdom with my family. Another little known trick with an annual pass, buy your bottled Coca-Cola beverages in stores instead of kiosks in the parks to get the merchandise discount. Benefits and offerings do change, so we always check the site for the latest information.
Beyond the benefits shown on the web, my family decided to purchase passes a few years ago and found value beyond what is on the list: a sense of ease. It changed the way we visit the parks. With young kids, we could head back to the resort for a midday nap or cooldown in the pool and not feel the pressure we had been putting on ourselves to squeeze every minute of a ticketed park day. It also came in handy when we weren't expecting it. We happened to be in the Orlando area this past summer. When looking at dinner options near us, we decided on a whim to get reservations for the
Biergarten Restaurant in EPCOT. With our passes, going to the park to eat in one of our favorite restaurants (and hop in line for Soarin' while we were there) was easy and gave us the Disney fix we needed.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful vacation to the Most Magical Place on Earth, and be sure to refresh the list of all the benefits available to you right before your trip to make sure you remember them all.
Cheers!
Jana