“When will Walt Disney World Annual Pass sales resume?” is a typical reader query. Many WDW followers are itching to buy passes, particularly new Floridians or those that deliberate on ready to purchase. We’ll share the corporate’s official place and speculate as to when APs may return in 2023. (Updated November 26, 2022.)

As you probably recall, Walt Disney World suspended gross sales of all Annual Passes throughout its closure. However, the Annual Pass program at Walt Disney World didn’t finish when the parks reopened nor have been excellent APs terminated. Many APs proactively cancelled their passes and requested refunds. Upon reopening, gross sales of recent Annual Passes have been “paused” whereas renewals have been allowed.

More just lately, Walt Disney World resumed Annual Pass gross sales final fall with new names, larger costs, restrictions, and different particulars. In so doing, the corporate dropped the simple precious-metal tier names in favor of a nonsensical hierarchy of fictional characters and ideas. Unfortunately, we should always not anticipate the brand new names to be “undone” when APs return. Here’s a take a look at the present tiers and pricing, legitimate by December 8, 2022:

Back when the brand new Annual Passes have been introduced, Walt Disney World said: “Please note as we continue to manage attendance to provide a great experience for everyone, at any time, Annual Passes may be unavailable for purchase.”

Sales of Walt Disney World’s three costliest Annual Passes are all at the moment paused. This implies that the Disney Pirate Pass, Sorcerer Pass, and Incredi-Pass are all unavailable for buy and have been for over a yr. Only the lowest-level Disney Pixie Dust Pass, which is accessible solely to Florida residents and legitimate solely on weekdays, stays obtainable for brand spanking new gross sales as of proper now.

Per Walt Disney World: “We are pausing new sales of select Annual Passes. All current Passholders can renew into any of our four pass types – at their renewal rate – and continue to visit using their pass. We will continue to evaluate the return of new sales for these passes. Please check back for the latest updates.”

November 26, 2022 Update: Walt Disney World has introduced that Annual Pass costs will see a rise when gross sales resume. Here are the brand new costs for every tier:

• Incredi-Pass: $1399 – beforehand $1299
• Sorcerer Pass: $969 – beforehand $899
• Pirate Pass: $749 – beforehand $699
• Pixie Pass: $399 – no change

These value will increase take impact on December 8, 2022 when Walt Disney World makes various different “adjustments” to ticketing, together with value will increase, plus single-day park particular pricing and removing of reservations. The upcoming value improve for APs has led many followers to query whether or not Annual Pass gross sales will resume on December 8, 2022. They won’t.

Following this value improve information, a Walt Disney World spokesperson said that they don’t anticipate new Annual Pass gross sales resuming earlier than 2023. Why they selected to extend costs whereas gross sales are paused–as a substitute of once they resume–is anybody’s guess. Presumably to shift the headlines and outrage to a time when fewer individuals care since they’ll’t purchase a brand new AP, anyway, or as a result of costs are related for renewals.

Either approach, everything of 2023 is a somewhat open-ended “timeframe,” so we’ll attempt to slim that down a bit of bit. (Note: none of our predictions have modified since we final shared this, because it was pretty apparent to us that AP gross sales wouldn’t resume till 2023 even earlier than this value improve. So should you learn what follows final month, you’re already ‘current’ on the predictions!)

By Disney’s personal admission, the choice to droop new AP gross sales occurred as a result of anticipated crowds at Walt Disney World through the vacation season. For its half, Walt Disney World was right in projecting heavy crowds. We gained’t rehash all of that, however our crowd reviews confirmed peak season crowds all through the vacation season. If natural demand have been allowed to play out, attendance would’ve been even larger.

Thus far, 2022 has been even busier than final yr. Crowds actually picked up round Presidents’ Day weekend and remained elevated by Easter. Some of the summer time was barely much less busy, with August and September being the bona-fide low season. However, attendance has been larger the final couple of months, and is more likely to proceed by December 2022.

Diminished reservation availability has been exacerbated by the truth that Walt Disney World nonetheless isn’t working at 100%. As you’re additionally undoubtedly conscious, some stage exhibits are nonetheless darkish, atmospheric leisure nonetheless isn’t again, and never each venue within the park (eating, specifically) is absolutely environment friendly as a result of staffing shortages.

As we’ve famous earlier than, Annual Passholders are advantageous to Walt Disney World, however not in a constrained capability surroundings on the expense of vacationers. Statistically talking, per go to spending is considerably larger amongst resort friends and day ticket holders than APs. It thus is smart that Walt Disney World would wish to prioritize these demographics and never fill the parks with Annual Passholders on the expense of extra profitable vacationers throughout busier seasons.

For Walt Disney World, the draw back of delaying the resumption of Annual Pass gross sales could be lowered income if or when the parks have surplus capability. The potential upside could be not having to droop common ticket gross sales once more when vacation journey heats up. With per go to spending being considerably larger amongst vacationers, there’s an incredible alternative price in allocating reservations to APs in a totally booked surroundings.

On the plus facet, Walt Disney World continues bringing again leisure whereas additionally filling positions the place the parks are short-staffed. Fantasmic, Festival of Fantasy Parade, Finding Nemo: Big Blue & Beyond, character meet & greets and extra all returned within the final a number of months. All of these items both soak up crowds, or within the case of Fantasmic, redistribute attendance to a time of day (night time) when the parks are at the moment much less busy.

Beyond that, as financial circumstances proceed to normalize–the labor market, family financial savings, and staffing shortages–there could possibly be much less of a difficulty with reservations being unavailable. Then once more, we wrote the identical factor final fall, foolishly believing that the Disney Park Pass system could be a formality for all however a handful of peak dates per yr.

Another wildcard that could possibly be influencing the pause on Annual Pass gross sales is a Magic Key Passholder lawsuit within the Central District of California. This alleges that Disney misled and deceived cross purchasers by artificially limiting capability and proscribing reservations. The go well with contends that Disney has successfully created a second tier of blockout dates by advantage of allocating reservations otherwise for passholders and common ticket holders, with the intention to maximize the variety of tickets that Disney can promote.

Disney filed a movement to dismiss on all claims, and was profitable on a few of them. However, the federal choose discovered that the “plaintiff has adequately pled facts supporting how a reasonable consumer may be deceived by the advertisement, which states ‘no blockout dates.’”

That lawsuit pertains particularly to the Disneyland Magic Key Annual Passholder program and California shopper safety legal guidelines. However, the identical ideas–each authorized and insurance policies with regard to blockouts–are related to Walt Disney World Annual Passes. This has led to some hypothesis that Disney is reticent to promote APs on each coasts.

In different phrases, it’s attainable that the identical elementary flaws exist in each AP applications and are legally actionable at each Walt Disney World and Disneyland. It’s thus attainable that the corporate has paused Annual Pass gross sales on each coasts whereas ready the decision of this case. However, there are just a few causes to imagine it’s a non-factor.

First, Disney has not completely paused AP gross sales on each coasts. The lowest tier of cross remains to be being offered at Walt Disney World. Over at Disneyland, Magic Key renewals resumed this low season, together with minor adjustments and main value will increase. If the corporate really feared an enormous class motion lawsuit, no passes could be offered in any respect.

Second, Disney might simply keep away from future litigation by clearly defining blockout dates and the way these perform in relation to reservations. Since the passes initially went on sale final fall, extra verbiage has been added to its advertising doing precisely that. When Disneyland started Magic Key renewals, much more was added to make it abundantly clear that “it may be difficult or not possible” to get park reservations.  It thus doesn’t seem to be there’s authorized publicity going ahead with AP gross sales.

Finally, and most notably, Disneyland briefly resumed Magic Key gross sales in mid-November 2022. That solely lasted a few days and concerned 10+ hour waits in a digital queue simply to buy passes, however the level is that it did occur. If the lawsuit have been a consideration at this level, AP gross sales and renewals would nearly definitely be totally suspended.

On a tangentially associated observe, this could possibly be a possible sneak peek of what Walt Disney World followers should endure when AP gross sales for the Florida parks resume! It additionally bodes properly that Disneyland resumed Magic Key gross sales through the coronary heart of the vacation season. Annual Passes are much more of a “problem” for the California parks, so it’s attention-grabbing that they’d resume gross sales proper earlier than Thanksgiving and Christmas. To me, that implies AP gross sales aren’t too far-off for Walt Disney World.

But the underside line is that the Magic Key lawsuit just isn’t having any impression on the suspension of AP gross sales.

That simply doesn’t cross the scent take a look at provided that some passes are nonetheless being offered and that Disney has different recourse for avoiding (or at the least prevailing upon) future litigation. If authorized publicity have been a priority, Disney wouldn’t be promoting APs in any respect. They are, so it’s not.

The extra easy clarification stays that AP gross sales are suspended as a result of inside issues about Disney’s capability to satisfy demand for normal tickets as soon as Annual Passes can be found once more. This was an enormous drawback final vacation season, and it’s probably this Halloween by Christmas seasons will likely be busy once more.

As lengthy because the parks aren’t working at full capability and there’s the potential for unhappy demand amongst higher-spending vacationers, that is the best and clearest clarification for the shortage of Annual Passes.

With all of that stated, we expect there are two attainable timeframes for the return of Annual Passes at Walt Disney World. The first is that Annual Pass gross sales resume after January 9, 2023. This just isn’t essentially the exact date that APs will return to Walt Disney World, it’s merely after Marathon weekend and Central Florida colleges return into session following winter break.

While we hate to be debbie downers, we expect it’s exceedingly unlikely that Walt Disney World resumes AP gross sales earlier than then. Last yr, the AP program relaunched with the beginning of the low season. That made sense, because it allowed Disney to check and modify this system and reservation availability throughout a window when crowds have been low. If AP gross sales have been to renew once more this yr, it nearly definitely would’ve occurred in August or September. However, that didn’t happen.

Now, Walt Disney World is within the midst of its busiest 3-month stretch of the yr, with vacation week after vacation week on the horizon. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are all among the many busiest occasions of the yr within the parks.

On high of that, there are a number of runDisney occasions, arduous ticket events in Magic Kingdom, youth sporting occasions at ESPN Wide World of Sports, and even issues like Pop Warner (despite the fact that it’s not held at Walt Disney World) that may trigger crowds to be worse. Bringing again Annual Passes now, with all of these busy weeks on the horizon, makes little sense.

If Annual Passes don’t return by mid-January 2023, the subsequent logical time to convey them again could be after spring break season and Easter 2023. So maybe Walt Disney World will convey again Annual Passes on April 18, 2023…simply in time for Tax Day!

Note that this isn’t our particular prediction. Spring 2023 is approach too far into the longer term to make a reputable forecast, as there are such a lot of different variables at play. Ongoing attendance, visitor spending, forward-looking projections, and even the opening date of TRON Lightcycle Run might impression the return date of APs. This is just to say that anybody anxiously awaiting the return of Annual Passes may wish to mood their expectations.

Yet one other factor that’s price mentioning is that Walt Disney World normally will increase ticket and AP costs as soon as per yr. Like clockwork, the corporate did improve common ticket costs earlier this yr. Disneyland additionally considerably elevated Magic Key costs when permitting renewals for these this low season.

Given how properly passes offered earlier than the pause, Disney may attain the conclusion that APs have been underpriced and convey them again with larger value factors at any time when they do return. Interestingly, the web page with AP choices nonetheless lists costs for the quickly unavailable ones–if these costs mysteriously disappear, it’s in all probability as a result of they’re going to be quietly adjusted upwards.

One unlucky actuality strengthened by that is that demand for Walt Disney World is pretty insatiable proper now. Attendance, resort occupancy, and visitor spending haven’t been impeded within the slightest by the vary of unpopular selections, cutbacks, or value will increase.

Many followers–us included–preserve ready for a few of Walt Disney World’s selections to return round and “bite them” with customers. At least within the quick time period, there are not any indicators of that occuring. Long time period is a probably completely different story, however with all of this success and robust gross sales in any case, we could also be ready some time. Then once more, issues can change in a rush, and final yr was a time of unprecedented shopper spending throughout the board that appears unsustainable.

In any case, it’s secure to say that Annual Passes will return in some unspecified time in the future, and won’t be retired totally. Walt Disney World APs have by no means introduced the identical points as at Disneyland, for comparatively easy causes. Beyond double the parks, there are considerably fewer Annual Passholders at Walt Disney World.

And a lot of them aren’t native, anyway. Disney Vacation Club members and New Yorkers who come down 3 times per yr and e book resorts each time are far more useful to the corporate than Disneyland locals who drop-in for just a few hours and don’t even eat dinner within the park.

With that stated, I’d cease wanting saying that Walt Disney World “needs” Annual Passholders. They’re an asset at occasions, useful in guaranteeing attendance (and income) throughout gradual stretches. However, that’s not at all times the case.

There are occasions when Annual Passholders can compound tourist-driven crowd issues, like through the standard Christmas season. In the previous a number of years, we’ve seen Walt Disney World introduce extra blockouts and lift costs on most Annual Passes–generally by lots of of {dollars} at a time. There’s a cause for that.

There have been a number of headlines just lately about homebuyers “fleeing to Florida,” however this phenomenon is nothing new. Back when Annual Pass costs elevated two years in the past in February and the June earlier than that, we talked about the continued inhabitants explosion in Central Florida. Even then, a number of cities within the Orlando metro space have been among the many quickest rising within the United States. Many of those new Florida residents are (and have been) individuals leaving the Northeast and Midwest.

Our commentary on the time was this: “If new home prices and construction around Walt Disney World are any indication, these transplants are also on the more affluent end of the spectrum. (Behind Magic Kingdom, there’s been a proliferation of subdivisions with no end in sight—most of these have homes starting at over $300,000 and ranging up to $800,000.)”

Those value factors now appear quaint (add one other couple hundred thousand {dollars} on), however the sentiment nonetheless rings true. And this was lengthy earlier than “Zoom Towns” had entered our collective vernacular. If you’ve seen any of these ‘fleeing to Florida’ tales within the information, you’re undoubtedly conscious that this pattern has solely accelerated within the final two years. In truth, a lot of you who’ve been asking when Walt Disney World will resume AP gross sales are contemporary transplants from the Midwest or Northeast.

Ultimately, our prediction is that Walt Disney World resumes some Annual Pass gross sales at larger value factors in mid-January 2023. I understand that’s a pessimistic prediction, however the prime window of alternative within the low season got here and went with radio silence from Disney. In so doing, the corporate handed up near-term income through the low season to make sure that it wouldn’t have to show away common ticket shopping for friends through the Christmas 2022 season.

At some level, issues will normalize. Staffing shortages will likely be absolutely resolved, pent-up demand will fizzle out, and shopper spending will fall again to regular ranges. All of that would occur abruptly within the coming months or it might final till mid-2023. For the higher a part of a yr, we’ve been questioning when demand would gradual…and it’s solely grown stronger throughout that point.

Of course, that’s simply our guess from the surface trying in. I by no means would have predicted this occurring again when Annual Pass gross sales resumed final fall, because it appeared the worst of the reservation availability issues have been already within the rearview mirror at that time. Then once more, it could appear that Walt Disney World additionally didn’t predict these issues, as in the event that they did, they wouldn’t have resumed AP gross sales within the first place!

Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about resorts on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips submit takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every little thing you have to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

When do you anticipate Walt Disney World to renew new Annual Pass gross sales? Think someday in mid-January 2023 is a secure guess, or will Walt Disney World be extra cautious this time, ready all the way in which till Fall 2023 to make sure there’s ample capability for extra profitable vacationers? Would you buy a Walt Disney World AP proper now? Any questions we may help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!