Disneyland recently suspended its Annual Passholder program. While that is sad news, the parks are looking into a replacement membership program. With that new program, Disneyland is considering discontinuing monthly payments for annual passes.
Related – Disneyland Ending Annual Pass Program effective immediately
Disneyland has been sending surveys to passholders to determine the most popular options for a new membership program. One of the questions on the survey is: “Imagine that monthly payments were no longer available at the Disneyland Resort in California. Which of the following best describes what you would have done?
- Would NOT have a pass
- Would keep the pass but TRADE DOWN to a less expensive version
- Would KEEP the pass and stay at the same level”
Allowing monthly payments for annual passes has been blamed for a surge in overcrowding at Disneyland.
Related – Disneyland working on NEW Membership Program
“Cheap monthly payments have driven record attendance throughout the industry, as many fans who feel priced out of daily tickets end up (somewhat ironically) finding annual passes a more affordable deal,” wrote Robert Niles, a Southern California News Group theme park columnist. “That’s especially true at Disneyland, where reportedly more than a million Southern Californians have bought Disneyland Resort annual passes.”
The introduction of monthly payments was the tipping point for Disneyland’s crowding issues according to Blooploop’s Lance Hart. With the budget-friendly monthly payments, many Southern Californian’s felt it was worth the cost to be able to visit Disneyland whenever they wanted.
Related – Analyst predicts Disneyland could Rebound in Attendance by 2022
“From here Disneyland found itself with a bit of a problem,” wrote Hart. “Crowd levels at the California theme parks had now surged to the point where there was really no longer a slow season for Disneyland or California Adventure. Tourists arriving from afar who may have tried to plan a trip to visit in what they thought was a slower season were often shocked at how crowded the park was, no matter what time of year they would visit.”
We are very interested to see what the new Disneyland membership program will look like.
Source: OC Register
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As an out of state annual passholder, this makes me very happy. We like to visit a couple of times a year and found that just as stated above, there was no longer a down time. I think everyone should have to pay the full cost up front and it wooikd definitely help with the crowding. I believing the socal pass was only something like 20/mo making that so that everyone in Southern cali had one and at about 2pm the parks would get insane with all of the locals. Hurrah for disnelyand for hopefully listening to its gets and fixing this problem!
Here’s a thought. Making monthly payments allows more access to something that is a privilege. People now are complaining they can’t afford rent, groceries, and it costs too much to live in CA, yet so many (not all) will forget all that and do a monthly payment for an annual pass.
I’m glad Disney may do away with the monthly payments. All should have to pay up front. If you can’t afford it, then SAVE for it next year. We need to let this gotta have it now mentality done away with and learn to save for thing we want do we don’t go in debt.
I also think this will hopefully lessen the HUGE crowds of Annual Pass holders who would dominate the parks. I can’t tell you how many times items were gone, best seating for new shows and fireworks taken, all because of those who lived local and took over, completely nullifying the experience for those who scrimped and saved for their family to experience those things just ONCE.