Hi Samantha,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for taking the time to send us your question about
Annual Passes. I am so glad to see that you are planning a visit to Walt Disney World Resort in the future, even if a few years away, early planning is always a good idea.
In order to make the purchase of an Annual Pass worthwhile, I recommend taking a look at how long you will be at Walt Disney World Resort, and what you are planning to do while on property. If you are planning on multiple visits during the year, it would definitely be worthwhile, however for one visit you may need to break down the cost prior to purchasing your Theme Park Tickets or Annual Passes. Once you have decided on how many days you would like to visit, try adding up the cost for Theme Park Tickets, Accommodations, parking, dining and souvenirs (roughly) and compare with the cost of an Annual Pass for your visit factoring in the benefits of the pass.
First of all, being an Annual Passholder does have perks, including savings on Disney Resorts Collection Hotels, which should be taken into account. There is also the perk of parking, Annual Passholders have parking included at Theme Parks, which is also a significant savings if you are planning on driving (and staying off property). There are also discounts on merchandise and dining, so if you are a shopper like me an Annual Pass may make up for the difference in cost pretty quickly.
There are also
Special Offers that release from time to time, making your visit to Walt Disney World Resort even more affordable. Booking a
Walt Disney World Resort Vacation Package combined with a Special Offer may make the most sense if you are only planning on staying a few days.
I hope this information was helpful, Samantha. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to come back to
planDisney, we are always happy to help.
~Stephanie