Disney World Annual pass holders get all sorts of perks: constant easy entry into the park, parking benefits, admission into special exhibits like the Richard Petty Driving Experience, and more. Now Disney might add another bonus to that list: a monthly payment plan.
A monthly payment plan would allow pass holders to pay their fees in smaller installments, rather than having to pay the full amount all at one time. This opens up the benefits of the annual pass to more people, those who may not have been able to pay the total cost all at once.
For current pass holders, it allows greater flexibility with their payments, possibly freeing funds for them to use in other places.
Annual pass holders have been clamoring for a monthly payment option since Orlando’s other parks, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, introduced similar plans. In 2008 one such plan was offered to annual pass holders for Disneyland.
Given the success of that plan, Disney execs will likely copy or build on that model for Disney World. In the Disneyland plan, annual pass holders have to give credit card information to be kept on file.
Monthly charges are automatically made to the account. When first purchasing the annual pass, patrons just pay the equivalent of a one-day, one-park ticket, then leave their information for the park records.
Reports are floating around that there might also be another annual pass option. This one will be called the Domestic Parks Pass, and it works for (you guessed it) both American Disney locations, Disney World and Disneyland. It’ll probably be around $800.
The one piece of related news that I found a bit unsettling was that the Disney World annual pass monthly payment option is expected to only be available to Florida residents. Though I get why annual passes are offered at lower costs to those living in The Sunshine State, I don’t understand why the monthly payment option is only available to them.
Non-Florida residents already pay almost $100 more for their annual passes, so why shouldn’t they receive all the same benefits and options as everyone with an annual pass? The monthly charge to a pass holder’s credit card account will likely be automated anyway, so I don’t see how the location of a pass holder’s residence should change the service provided to them.
Given that Disney hasn’t yet officially announced the annual pass monthly payment option yet, it remains to be seen whether the rumors are true. Hopefully they will prove unfounded. Either way, look forward to Disney World adding yet another benefit to the annual pass plan in the near future.
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*(This image by OneofThem is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
