Is This Pause On Annual Pass Sales Setting A New Standard?
Credit: Disney
Last week a quiet pause was put on the sale of most new Annual Passes. Without warning or notice, the Incredi-Pass, Sorcerer Pass and Pirate Pass all became ‘currently unavailable’ for purchase, leaving the Pixie Dust Pass [a weekday only pass with limited perks available only to Florida residents] as the only option.
News of this change did not go unnoticed. Even before Walt Disney World managed to push out an email about the update [which we received at 9:21AM CST on the 22nd], the internet had already buzzing about this for nearly 12 hours. . . . and this was not a good kind of buzz. Understandably, there was a lot of confusion and disappointment. There were also a lot of questions. After all, we can’t forget that this all happened just a few days before a major holiday in the United States.
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Like many others, I got wind of this information first thing Monday morning and while I would like to say that I was surprised. . . . I wasn’t. Having just returned from Walt Disney World, where I had the opportunity to witness the new-found level of laziness at the Walt Disney Company firsthand [which we’ll get more into later], this decision and the way it rolled out was in no way surprising. In fact, it felt very much on brand.
That having been said, I want to take some time to talk more about this today. While I’m well aware that there is no shortage of opinions floating around the internet about Walt Disney World and the Annual Passholder program, there are some things that should be discussed and haven’t been yet [at least to my knowledge]. I’ll forewarn you. . . . this is not going to be a fun-filled and magical discussion.
This Pause Should Not Come As A Surprise
Honestly, there’s no good way to jump into this topic, so I’m just going for it. . . . .
It should not come as much of a surprise to anyone that Walt Disney World would suspend the sale of Annual Passes. While it might feel like a new concept, the reality of the situation is that unlimited availability on Annual Pass sales hasn’t been a thing for the past 15 years. . . . if ever. In fact, during both of my most recent Annual Pass purchases [Summer 2008 and Christmas 2019], it was made abundantly clear by Walt Disney World Cast Members that some types of Annual Passes can and will sell out during peak seasons. This was reaffirmed on August 30th of this year before sales of new Annual Passes resumed when Disney said that “some Annual Pass types may be unavailable for purchase at any time”.
When you put this together with the upcoming holiday season, limited [albeit elevated] park capacity and nightmare scenario that’s unfolding with Disneyland’s Annual Passholder Program, it makes perfect sense that we’d see some sales of Annual Passes paused at Walt Disney World. It might not be a fun realization, but that doesn’t make it any less true. While we could go into a longwinded discussion about how unfair and disappointing this pause on Annual Pass sales feels, I think we also have to be honest with ourselves here; if sales continued and guests were unable to use the passes they’d just spent thousands on, disappointment would take a backseat to outrage.
Optics Are Important
Just because we don’t think that anyone should be surprised by this pause on Annual Pass sales doesn’t mean we think that Disney is in the clear here. So what’s the problem? Optics!
If there’s one thing that Disney is well aware of, it’s that the way things are perceived by guests is important. Some easy-to-point-out examples of this include the blue that they paint show buildings so that they blend in with the sky or the green they paint unsightly necessities [like electrical boxes] so that they go unseen by guests. This, of course, extends well beyond colors of paint through. Disney has a long list of ways that they bolster the perception of guests who visit their theme parks or stay at the resort hotels. This allows them to sell an experience that holds more value than it actually does. An example of this is the special viewing area Disney just announced for Disney Vacation Club Members attending Disney Very Merriest After Hours this year. While it might seem like a perk at first glance, the reality is that there’s no need for a special viewing area at this event due to the limited capacity. It feels like a perk though. . . . and that’s what Disney is counting on.
This calendar, taken from the Annual Passholder Admission & Blockout page, shows Park Pass Reservation availability for November 2021 through January 2022. This image reflects availability as of November 24th at 7:00AM CST.
Credit: Disney
That having been said, when we circle back to the pause on Walt Disney World Annual Pass sales, it seems like Disney has completely forgotten [or disregarded] the importance of guest perception. This is something that became blatantly obvious due to the way that they executed this pause; stopping the sale of most Annual Passes and offering no explanation as to why.
Look. . . . it should come as no surprise that we like to play Devil’s Advocate in situations like these. We like to present readers like yourself with an alternative way of thinking about the undesirable situations when the facts are there. Heck! We may even try, from time to time, to give Disney the benefit of the doubt. The trouble with this situation is that the facts don’t add up; certainly not in a way that helps us agree with the way Disney implemented this pause.
So what ‘facts’ are we talking about here and what does it have to do with ‘optics’? Specifically, we’re talking about Park Pass Availability and Blockout Dates. Though, there’s also a discussion to be had about Disney’s lack of transparency and what could be called customer service or damage control.
When this pause went into effect, there was no explanation as to why by Disney and that left people to draw their own conclusions. The most reasonable among us started with what seemed to be the most logical explanation; limited Park Pass Availability due to the upcoming holiday season. However, what we quickly learned is that there wasn’t the lack of Park Pass Availability that you’d come to expect from such a drastic move on Disney’s part. In fact, the calendar didn’t reflect that any days had been ‘sold out’ of Park Pass Reservations for Annual Passholders. So if there wasn’t a lack of Park Pass Reservations. . . . why pause the sale of Annual Passes in the first place? Especially those Annual Passes that have blockout dates during those peak seasons and holidays?
As you might imagine, it wasn’t much of a stretch for people to reach towards the next most obvious reason for the pause; profit. It’s no secret that Annual Passes, while expensive, offer a significant amount of savings for guests who make the investment. This includes free parking, an affordable alternative to Park Hopper tickets as well as discounts on Memory Maker, dining and merchandise. This is one of the reasons some people who travel over the holiday months like opting to buy an Annual Pass versus standard theme park admission. [For example: The highest tier Annual Pass is around $1300 plus tax and includes the discounts we listed above. The price for 14 days if you purchase standard theme park admission is $1304 and doesn’t come with any discounts. This is a significant savings for some, especially those who travel to Walt Disney World annually for longer trips as renewing your Annual Pass comes at a discount making the savings greater every year.] Eliminating this money saving option would, in theory, push guests to utilize the alternatives; thus spending more and increasing profits for The Walt Disney Company. Sure. It might seem like this is a stretch, but this wouldn’t be the first time in the past 12 months that Disney has implemented something that would nickel and dime guests.
. . . . but that’s a discussion for another day.
There Was A Reasonable Way To Do This
It’s easy to pick apart problems or offer solutions that don’t accomplish the goals and/or needs of the company in question. This is why we aren’t jumping to the conclusion that Disney should have simply continued to sell Annual Passes. While we might not agree with their decision, we need to recognize that they likely had their reasons. . . . whatever those reasons may be. However, that doesn’t mean that the execution here was flawless. There were a number of ways that Disney could have implemented logic and tactics that they’ve used for the past however-many-years to cushion the blow of the pause on Annual Pass sales.
In our opinion, this should have started with communication about what was happening as it was happening rather than 12 hours later. This could have been as simple as a post on social media, the Disney Parks Blog, a press release or even a statement on the Walt Disney World website. Simply addressing that the pause was happening in anticipation of the holiday crowds and assuring guests that this was a temporary pause to ensure those who had the Annual Passes themselves could enjoy them [for example] would have been, if nothing else, a good start. We also think that Disney should have gone for a phased approach, rather than pausing 3 out of the 4 types of Annual Passes straight out the gate. For example, they could have started by pausing the Incredi-Pass due to its lack of blackout dates [particularly during the holiday season] and followed up with the other passes in the weeks or even days to come. While we’re not naive enough to think that this would have cured all the outrage, we do think that it would have at least given guests the illusion that this decision was being made in the interest of current Passholders. This approach would have also given Disney the ability to pause the Annual Pass sales while staying in the good graces of most guests.
What’s Next
Usually, when we have discussions here, we like to wrap up with something that is [if nothing else] somewhere in the ballpark of definitive. Unfortunately, this is not going to be one of those discussions. With so much up in the air right now, it’s hard to even speculate what Disney’s next move will be. When will Disney sell Annual Passes again? Some sources are reporting we’ll see them available again in 2022, but what exactly that mans is anyone’s guess. Even if they do return in 2022, which passes will be available and for how long? Can we expect to see another pause during Spring Break or Summer Vacation? These are just some of the questions that people are asking and with good reason. It’s no secret that planning a trip to Walt Disney World can take months, if not a year or more, and this uncertainty isn’t great for vacationers who intend to purchase Annual Passes.
Of course, we’d love to hear what you have to say about this situation. You can let us know by joining the Jamboree where you can chat about this topic and so much more with foolish mortals like yourself! See you there!