So you’re thinking about springing for a Disneyland Annual Pass, the granddaddy of all admission options at the resort in California. If you’re like most people, you have a bunch of questions about the pass and its features.
What are the benefits? How much do they cost? How do I buy them? What are the blockout dates for each pass? How do I renew my pass? Which pass should I get? Are they worth it??
We’ve got your answers! Read on…
ARE DISNEYLAND ANNUAL PASSES WORTH THE COST?
While on the pricey side, the Disneyland annual pass (often referred to as the AP or annual passport) offers extras you can’t get with any of the lesser admissions. There’s the obvious advantage of year round admission to the resort for a single price but there are other worthy perks as well.
Worth the cost? It all depends on how often you intend to visit the parks.
Simple answer – if you go less than 3 times a year (2 if you live in So. Cal.), no.
The annual pass would be a waste of money in this case when compared to visiting on a standard park-hopper ticket. However, if you like to visit 3 or more times per year, the annual pass could very well be worth the investment!
ANNUAL PASS BENEFITS
What exactly will I get with an annual pass?
Year round access to the park for one price is the primary draw. With an annual pass, you won’t need to buy tickets each time you visit and you won’t have to decide between single park or park hopper tickets as all AP levels include admission to both parks. Just put your AP in your wallet or purse and walk straight to the park entrance every time!
Living within 10 minutes of the park, one thing I’ve always fancied is the idea of getting off work on a Friday after a hectic week and heading to the park for a few rides, ice cream and fireworks. With any other admission option it would be a waste of money but with an annual pass, I could do this several times a year without feeling like I wasn’t getting my money’s worth.
Now I should point out that aside from the highest level of AP, year round access DOES come with its limits in the form of BLOCKOUT DATES. These are ‘high season days’ when you will not have access to the park according the level of pass you’ve purchased. I’ll talk more about these dates later in the article but it’s worth noting that even with the lowest level of AP, you still have access to the park throughout much of the year.
What other benefits are available besides year round access?
- Discounts** on dining (10%-15%) and merchandise (10%-20%) at the resort. Discount percentage depends on passport level.
- 15% discounts on park guided tours.
- Free resort parking with the 2 highest passport levels – Signature and Signature Plus
- Maxpass add-on for $125 all year (normally $20 per day per person). Free with highest passport level – Signature Plus.
- Occasional discount offers at the 3 resort hotels.
- Access to special events only for Annual Passholders.
** See all the details of AP discounts at Disneyland’s Annual Pass discount page.
One nice thing to know about your AP discounts – the cast members at the restaurants and gift shops are VERY diligent about asking if you’re an annual pass holder before they ring you up. So no worries about forgetting to ask for your discount!
Parking is normally $25/day (as of March 2020) so the savings for the Signature passport levels can add up nicely – visit once a month and save a total of $300!
Maxpass is normally $20/day for standard ticket holders so visit more than 6 times a year and the Maxpass add-on more than pays for itself. (If you’ll visit 6 times or fewer, ditch the $125 add-on and pay the $20 each visit instead).
By the way, I HIGHLY recommend maxpass whenever you visit. See the TPM post on MaxPass if you’re not yet familiar with its benefits.
ANNUAL PASS LEVELS & PRICES
How much is a Disneyland Annual Pass gonna cost me?
Presently there are 5 classes of annual passes at the Disneyland Resort as detailed below. Disney changes the prices and available classes pretty regularly so this may change when you least expect it. Always check the Disneyland website for confirmation. The data below is accurate as of March 2020.
Annual Passes can be purchased in a single lump sum payment or with a down payment and 12 easy no interest monthly payments after that (no additional cost for this option). The list below details prices and benefits of each pass level.
Disney Southern California Select Passport – (Only available to Southern California Residents)
- Price – $419.00 ages 3 and above (or $179 down + $20.00 monthly)
- Includes 10% discounts on resort dining and select resort merchandise purchases.
- Add MaxPass – $125.00
- 216 blockout dates at Disneyland / 212 at DCA.
- Savings point** compared to one day regular season park hopper entry – 3 visits.
Disney Flex Passport –
- Price – $649.00 ages 3 and above (or $179 down + $39.17 monthly)
- Includes 10% discounts on resort dining and select resort merchandise purchases.
- Add MaxPass – $125.00
- 15 blockout dates and 200 reservation required dates at Disneyland.
- 15 blockout dates and 197 reservation required dates at DCA.
- Savings point** compared to one day regular season park hopper entry – 4 visits.
Disney Deluxe Passport
- Price – $829.00 ages 3 and above. (or $179 down + $54.17 monthly)
- Includes 10% discounts on resort dining and select resort merchandise purchases.
- Add MaxPass – $125.00
- 111 blockout dates at Disneyland / 45 at DCA.
- Savings point** compared to one day park hopper entry – 5 visits.
Disney Signature Passport
- Price – $1199.00 ages 3 and above. (or $179 down + $85.00 monthly)
- Includes 15% discounts on resort dining and 20% discounts on select resort merchandise purchases.
- Includes free resort parking.
- Add MaxPass – $125.00
- 15 blockout dates at both parks.
- Savings point** compared to one day single park entry – 7 visits.
Disney Signature Plus Passport
- Price – $1449.00 ages 3 and above (or $179 down + $105.84 monthly)
- Includes 15% discounts on resort dining and 20% discounts on select resort merchandise purchases.
- Includes MaxPass with every visit.
- Includes free resort parking.
- NO blockout restrictions. Visit ANY time!
- Savings point** compared to one day park hopper entry with MaxPass – 9 visits.
** Number of visits for this pass level to equal or better the cost of the same number of one day regular season park hopper tickets.
HOW DO I BUY ANNUAL PASSES?
The Annual Passport can be purchased 3 different ways –
- At the resort ticket booths
- Online through the Disneyland Website
- Through the Disneyland mobile app
NOTE: The Disneyland mobile app is a VERY useful resource for oh so much more than just accessing annual passports. Book fastpasses with MaxPass – see how long ride lines are – book dining reservations from your phone – find out where specific Disney characters are in the park… and more! I HIGHLY recommend downloading and using this app for every visit. Get the app for Android here or for I-phone here.
One note of interest – if you purchase your passport with the Disneyland app on your phone and link your passport to your account, you can use the digital barcode on your phone for admission. This saves carrying a physical passport – but also means you need to ensure your phone battery stays charged throughout the day! I prefer having a hard passport myself (makes a nice souvenir after it expires) but some may prefer the digital option.
BLOCKOUT DATES
How many blockout dates are there and when will they be?
Blockout dates change to some degree year by year but I will paint a general picture of how the 5 levels of passes compare using the 2020/2021 calendar as the example. You can view actual blockout dates at the Disneyland Annual Pass Blockout Date calendar.
BLOCKOUT DATE BY AP
Southern California Select Passport –
- 216 days blocked at Disneyland / 212 days blocked at DCA
- Weekends (Saturday/Sunday) are blocked year round and Fridays are blocked in March-May and September.
- All days are blocked June – August.
- All days are blocked for major holiday periods – Christmas / New Year / Thanksgiving / Spring Break.
- Single Day school holidays are blocked – MLK day, Presidents’ day, Memorial day, Labor day. Fridays prior to these holidays are also often blocked.
Flex Passport –
- Only Christmas / New Year weeks are blocked (2 weeks) for both parks.
- Reservations are required for the following non-blocked days (both parks*):
- Saturdays/Sundays year-round.
- Fridays during spring/summer/fall.
- Presidents day, Valentines day, Veterans day, MLK day, Memorial Day, Labor Day.
- Spring Break week.
- Thanksgiving week and week prior to Christmas.
- All of June, July and first half of August.
- Reservations can be made up to 30 days in advance subject to availability
- Only 2 reservations can be made per passport in a 30 day period.
- See the Flex pass terms and conditions page for more details.
*Reservation days vary for individual parks. Check the Flex Passport Blockout Date page for details.
Deluxe Passport –
- 111 days blocked at Disneyland / 45 days blocked at DCA
- Some Saturdays are blocked March-May and September.
- All weekends are blocked in June and August including Fridays.
- All days are blocked during local school summer break – end of June, all of July and first 2 weeks of August.
- All days are blocked for Thanksgiving break and Christmas / New Year break.
Signature Passport –
- Only Christmas / New Year weeks are blocked (2 weeks) for both parks.
Signature Plus Passport –
- No Blockout Dates either park!
The blockout dates for California Adventure park are a bit more relaxed especially during summer months for the Southern California Select and Deluxe passports. Blockout dates for the Signature passports are the same for both parks.
ANNUAL PASS RENEWAL
Every year, you’ll have the option to renew your annual pass, sometimes at a discount to the price of buying a new one. Here are some common questions related to Annual Passport renewal.
“How can I renew my annual passport?”
You can renew your passport online at the Disneyland website, via the Disneyland mobile app or on site at any of the Disneyland Resort ticket booths.
“When can I renew my annual passport?”
You can renew your passport up to 40 days prior to your passport’s expiration date.
“Can I renew my passport after it expires?”
No. Unfortunately, once your pass expires, you must purchase a new one.
“Is there any discount when renewing?”
In prior years there were discount incentives offered at renewal but word on the street is that has been eliminated in 2018. Disney seems to be making changes designed to discourage the quantity of AP admissions and thus curb the growing crowds.
“Can I purchase a blockout admission on a day that is blocked for my pass?”
No. Disney has done away with this feature. You must purchase standard park admission tickets if you wish to visit on a day that is blocked for your passprt OR upgrade your passport.
SO WHICH PASS SHOULD I BUY?
The operative question! First – know that the annual pass is generally suited for people who live relatively close to the resort or who visit the area frequently. It also could make sense if you are visiting the park for a long vacation (7 or more days in the parks). If you only are likely to visit the resort a couple of times a year, the AP wouldn’t make much sense. The discounts on food, merchandise and parking won’t be enough to make up for the extra cost of the pass above basic park hoppers.
But for those of you who like to go frequently, the AP may be a worthy investment. So which pass is best for you?
Here’s a simple rule of thumb breakdown based on cost compared to single day Park Hoppers and number of anticipated visits:
- 1-2 visits – avoid the AP and go with Park Hoppers or single park tickets (up to 3 visits if you live outside Southern California).
- 3 visits – the So Cal Select passport will beat the single day park hoppers by at least $118 per person (only available to So. Cal. residents).
- 4 Visits – The Flex passport beats the single day park hopper by at least $67 per person.
- 5-6 visits – The Deluxe passport will beat the single day park hopper by at least $66 per person.
- 7-8 visits – The Signature passport will beat the single day park hopper by at least $54 per person. You will also save $25 per visit on parking AND get additional discounts on dining and merchandise.
- 9+ visits – The Signature Plus passport will beat the single day park hopper by at least $162 per person with the same added perks as the Signature AP.
Of course, price isn’t the only consideration. Blockout dates (i.e. park access) is the other big factor to consider. The more you spend on an AP, the more days you’ll have access to the parks… with one exception that I’ll get to in a bit.
If you don’t mind visiting on weekdays during the non-summer and non-holiday periods, the Cal Select, Flex and Deluxe APs will be great values according to the number of visits breakdown above. However, if you must visit on weekends or peak season times, the Signature APs become worth considering. But the tradeoff for access during these times is…
CROWDS!
Unless you enjoy long lines even for a Churro and a bottle of water, the peak seasons of the summer months and major holidays aren’t really worth spending extra for. For this reason, the Signature passes aren’t your best value UNLESS you go frequently enough that the parking and discount perks make up the price difference from the Deluxe passport (i.e. 7+ visits).
There’s little benefit to the Signature Plus passport based on my criteria. It costs $250 more than the Signature level – yes, you save $125 for the Maxpass Add-on but the additional $125 above that basically only buys you access during the 2 absolute busiest weeks of the entire year. Unless you just gotta visit the park on Christmas day or New Year’s Eve, forgo this option. Trust me, the crowds during this time tend to lessen the “Holiday Magic” significantly!
While we’re on the subject of the holidays – Christmas time at Disneyland is truly magical. The holiday overlays and events are in place after Thanksgiving. It’s definitely worth the effort as long as you visit BEFORE the big holiday rush starts.
The BEST time to experience the holidays at Disneyland IMO is midweek during the first 2 weeks of December before local schools let out and the crowds begin to swell heavily. All the annual pass levels will give you access during those weeks (though the Signature passes are the only ones that includes Saturdays if that is a factor for you).
The point here is if you want to visit the park during the holidays, you shouldn’t need a Signature level pass to do so. If you can only visit on a weekend and will visit more than 4 times during the year, go with the Flex Passport and make reservations 30 days prior to your date of choice.
One additional thought about the Flex passport – This option IMO offers the best value IF you don’t mind foregoing spontaneous visits on weekends or peak seasons. You have access to the park for all but the 2 weeks of Christmas and New Year and the only restriction is the reservation requirement for the busier days. As long as you don’t mind making a reservation in advance of your visit and being restricted to 2 reservations in a 30 day period, this passport offers a level of flexibility that rivals the Signature APs at half the cost!
CONCLUSION
Annual Passes at Disneyland are a great option for anyone who wants to enjoy the magic of the Disneyland Resort 3 or more times throughout the year. The 2 lower level passes are good for most such visitors and the Signature level pass can be a money saver for those who visit more than 7-9 times a year.
Whatever you decide, get the most out of your passes by going to the parks as often as possible! Take your sweetie out for Dinner at the Blue Bayou for her birthday. Or take a spontaneous day off work and go ride rides all day instead. Disneyland annual passes open a door of possibilities.
See you at the resort soon!
