Hi Carol and welcome to planDisney! Congratulations on becoming a Walt Disney World
Annual Passholder! Like yourself, my wife and I are also out-of-state Passholders. We love visiting Walt Disney World all throughout the year (although admittedly our favorite time to visit is the holiday season) so that we can experience all the new rides and attractions as well as enjoy the many EPCOT festivals! Now let’s get to your question so we can get you in on the fun!
Annual Passes are activated upon for use as admission to a theme park. As a reminder, you’ll want to
make a theme park reservation, unless you plan to enter one of the four theme parks after 2:00 PM (with the exception of weekend visits to the Magic Kingdom which require an advanced reservation). But don’t fret! You can make a reservation towards a future visit without activating the Annual Pass since they don’t activate until you first use it.
As a reminder, your Annual Pass will stay valid for 365 days. As an out-of-state Passholder, I’m assuming you’ve purchased the Disney Incredi-Pass. This means that you can hold up to 5 theme park reservations on a rolling basis (theme park reservations during stays at Disney Resort hotel or other select hotels won’t count towards that limit). Don’t forget that as Passholders we are entitled to
free standard parking at the theme parks as well as
merchandise and dining discounts as select locations.
Carol, here’s an additional bonus tip! You may want to consider adding on
Disney PhotoPass Downloads to your Annual Pass. For a one-time fee, you’ll get all the photo downloads from attractions, PhotoPass locations, and even
runDisney races you may participate in while your Pass is valid! In addition, you’ll also be able to download photos of those in your Friends & Family list, which is perfect for those family or friends trips.
Since it sounds like you have an upcoming theme park visit next month, don’t forget to visit the
Discovery Trading Company at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to pick up
the new Zootopia-themed Passholder magnet! These limited time Passholder magnets will be available until March 15, while supplies last. Don’t forget to bring a government-issued photo ID and either your Annual Pass card, MagicBand, or MagicBand+ to receive the magnet.
Carol, I hope this information is helpful for you as your embark on your journey of park hopping to your heart’s delight! If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to
me and my fellow panelists here at planDisney!
Your pal,
Sean