Hi, Barb! Thanks for bringing another great question to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
My family and I became
Annual Passholders several years ago, and we think it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made. Although it’s a 7-8 hour drive for us to get to Orlando, our
Annual Passes have allowed us to visit more frequently, and have made sense for those days when we just want to pop into a Theme Park for an hour or two to grab some dinner and maybe do some shopping.
As for you and your family, you definitely want to consider whether or not you’ll return to
Walt Disney World Resort within the next year. By my math, it made sense for us to upgrade to Annual Passes if we planned to spend more than 10 days in the Theme Parks. We were also purchasing
Memory Maker for each of our visits, but that is included in the cost of our Annual Pass. Since we drive to Orlando, we’ve also enjoyed the complimentary Theme Park
parking that’s included as well.
Shopping discounts are typically 20 percent and
dining discounts are typically 10 percent (although there have been a few special occasions where Passholders have enjoyed 20 percent off of dining as well). Discounts on
Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms vary throughout the year, and may be accessed via the
Special Offers page on the
Walt Disney World Resort website.
Additionally, we love the perks like special Annual Passholder merchandise available throughout the year (especially at events like the
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and the
Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival) as well as complimentary Annual Passholder magnets and other small gifts we might receive during the year.
If it works financially for you and your family, I would definitely recommend a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass. We’ve been quite happy with ours.
We hope to see you real soon!
Amy