DIS stopped selling annual passes101 bad news101 lose customers Walt Disney World has temporarily stopped selling most annual passes less than two months after reviving the program following a pandemic-related pause.
Of the four types of annual passes that theme-park visitors can purchase at Walt Disney World, the three most expensive options are now listed as currently unavailable but are expected to return at some point next year.
The one annual pass that is still being sold, the Pixie Dust Pass, is only available for Florida residents and comes with blackout dates during the holidays when it cannot be used to enter the parks.
When Disney DIS, -2.13% announced that it was overhauling the annual-pass program at Walt Disney World in September, it warned that it could pause sales periodically. Travel experts are now calling this the new normal, thanks to a new system put in place amid the pandemic that requires visitors to Disney theme parks to make reservations in advance of their visit — even if they have purchased tickets or annual passes already.
“Unfortunately, the end result is less people will be able to visit Walt Disney World during the holiday season, and many that were planning to give annual passes as Christmas gifts will have to come up with something else,” said Alicia Stella, owner of travel website Theme Park Stop. “Next time, a little warning from the company would be nice.”
Disney’s theme parks are still operating at a limited capacity, though the number of people admitted into the parks each day is much higher now than it was earlier in the pandemic. Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Chapek signaled that the company expected the Florida parks to be back to full capacity by the end of 2021, but that was before the Delta variant caused a surge in cases nationwide.
According to Walt Disney World’s website, the company has also suspended ticket sales for select dates throughout the holiday season.
