FYI Annual Pass Sales Halted

[HIRyeDVC]

So ticket prices just went up, could annual passes come back now?

With all these people just dying to buy one, I think you can bet on it.

 

[Liquidice]

I agree DVC members are hurt by the lack of an AP option for new members. I'm sure Disney has data on the average spend for a DVC Member and I'm sure it is greater than the "normal" AP holder that Disney has vilified as "less profitable" since DVC members are staying on site and likely spending money on food, merch, etc.

While not all DVC Members go to WDW more than once per year, some definitely do and DVC certainly tries to entice members to add-on points all the time with discounts.

The problem is, right now DVC is reliant on the existing annual pass program. They basically have a "deal" with ticketing to sell the Sorcerer pass to DVC Members. If Disney decided to eliminate the AP program entirely, I could see DVC trying to work with Ticketing to come up with some kind of program for DVC members. Probably not an Annual Pass the way you know it today, but maybe a way to purchase tickets that don't expire for a year. Like a 10 day pass that probably carries a price higher than the normal 10-day pass but doesn't expire for a year or something.

But until Disney officially eliminates the annual pass, I don't think you'll see DVC do anything. We're unfortunately a minority of Disney's customers so we probably don't make a big enough impact to worry about right now. While its true they already have existing member's money, they stand to continue to profit off of us when we visit the parks. Plus as others have stated, they need reasons to attract new customers to DVC and sell additional points to existing members.

 

[Narcoossee11]

I think it is a bad sign that there are blocks of no park reservations available.
Can't sell AP's if you can't use it in the next months.

It may be fall. YUCK !

 

[randumb0]

I think it is a bad sign that there are blocks of no park reservations available.
Can't sell AP's if you can't use it in the next months.

It may be fall. YUCK !

I just checked and there are plenty of reservations available for the next few months for my Pirate Pass (excluding spring break)

 

[Chilbert]

I think it is a bad sign that there are blocks of no park reservations available.
Can't sell AP's if you can't use it in the next months.

Call me skeptical, but I'm starting to feel that those "sold out" days were cover for the price increases...

 

[princesscinderella]

Call me skeptical, but I'm starting to feel that those "sold out" days were cover for the price increases...

I’m here now at WDW and it’s crazy crowded, I can’t imagine them putting more people in the parks.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I’m here now at WDW and it’s crazy crowded, I can’t imagine them putting more people in the parks.

Can you imagine if Disney started selling APs again or got rid of park reservations?

 

[AprilLizbeth]

Can you imagine if Disney started selling APs again or got rid of park reservations?

Yes it would go back to normal with some crowded and some not crowded times. It would also alleviate some of the early morning crowding related to park hopping. For instance if one park is crowded when you get there and you decide you want to leave and go to another park you are unable to hop until 2pm. Most people won't just leave and wait around until 2 to go to another park, just stay and sweat it out. This keeps a crowded park crowded I'm the morning when a lot of people would decided to disperse to another park.

 

[cm8]

I just checked and there are plenty of reservations available for the next few months for my Pirate Pass (excluding spring break)

Exactly, reservations are plentiful! I really believe some people just like repeating what they hear vs going to actually see for themselves or learning first hand!

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Can you imagine if Disney started selling APs again or got rid of park reservations?

Yeah, as much as I dislike using park reservations on a personal level, to the extent that they are keeping capacity still somewhat limited below the Old phase closures I am glad they are there right now.

 

[eandt]

Yeah, as much as I dislike using park reservations on a personal level, to the extent that they are keeping capacity still somewhat limited below the Old phase closures I am glad they are there right now.

How do you knnw they are keeping capacity limited below what was normal?

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

How do you knnw they are keeping capacity limited below what was normal?

Because I’ve been there on days when all park reservations are sold out and the amount of people in the parks and the wait times for rides are still far below what a pre COVId Christmas phase 4 closure looked and felt like. Granted I haven’t been able to stand there and count but the two don’t even feel close.

 

[eandt]

Because I’ve been there on days when all park reservations are sold out and the amount of people in the parks and the wait times for rides are still far below what a pre COVId Christmas phase 4 closure looked and felt like. Granted I haven’t been able to stand there and count but the two don’t even feel close.

I get Christmas week is historically crowded and can lead to closures but people are saying that it is still extremely crowded now in Jan/Feb, Perhaps they are not limiting capacity despite some "crowd eater" attractions still not being open and that is the issue here? Are there any attendance numbers available from the past few years to compare to currently?

 

[Liquidice]

During the 2022 Q1 earnings call Bob Chapek said the inability to rehire enough Cast Members was preventing Disney from running the parks at 100% capacity. Most of the time, they're never at 100% capacity - Jan/Feb typically was way below capacity, closer to probably 25-30% capacity - what you're finding now though is if Disney is running WDW at 80% of max capacity (e.g. Park Passes "sell out" at 80%), the crowd levels in Jan/Feb are closer to 60-70% where in a "normal" year they were at 25-30%. For President's Day weekend, they hit whatever the current max capacity is (no park passes were available) - historically President's day weekend was crowded, but rarely ever hit Phase 4 Closure IIRC.

I know wdwnt is not usually noted as the most reputable source, but it was the best link I could find quickly (and it is based on the earnings report): https://wdwnt.com/2022/02/disney-pa...d-beverage-staff-and-entertainment-offerings/

 

[BorderTenny]

The recent GotG news made me realize something: AP's resumed sales soon after the passholder preview spots for Remy's were all filled. If they repeat this for the GotG previews, that means AP's should be on sale by early May.

 

[PepperjackDragon]

The recent GotG news made me realize something: AP's resumed sales soon after the passholder preview spots for Remy's were all filled. If they repeat this for the GotG previews, that means AP's should be on sale by early May.

First time as a pass holder. How do we learn about preview slots? Does it have to be an email from them?

 

[FBDM66]

First time as a pass holder. How do we learn about preview slots? Does it have to be an email from them?

Invitations to sign up for the preview are emailed. If you receive the email you need to respond quickly to secure a spot. Not every AP holder receives the email though- I did get the Galaxy's Edge preview in 2019 but I did not get the one for Remy. Keep watching the boards and you'll find out when they're sent.

 

[Haley R]

First time as a pass holder. How do we learn about preview slots? Does it have to be an email from them?

I started a new thread so people can be looking out for it. Usually what happens is someone will get an email and share the link with the rest of us. We often don’t end up getting the email until hours too late.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/gotg-cosmic-rewind-ap-previews.3872797/

 

[hedberg1661]

Really hope they start selling passes soon. I need one for a family member who is travelling with us multiple times this year.

 

[jacec]

Really hope they start selling passes soon. I need one for a family member who is travelling with us multiple times this year.

we have all been hoping. No luck